George Vaser, and Leonhard Sailer, in the Year 1536

In this year, George Vaser, a minister of the Lord and His church, and Brother Leonhard Sailer, his companion, were arrested at Neudorf, in Austria, where they were passing through, and were put in the stocks there. The next day, the judge of Metling, and the whole council, and other people with them, came and asked him on what account they were imprisoned there. They replied: "For the faith of Christ, and the divine truth."

They then took them, and brought them into the market town of Metling, a distance of several furlongs from Neudorf, and two leagues from Vienna. [n635-1] All along the way they testified with great boldness to the truth, and with many words declared to them the judgment of God, so that the judge and all the others were amazed and did not dare to say a single word against it. They then put them all into the common prison, where they met with all manner of ungodly and shameful impropriety on the part of their fellow prisoners, which daily caused them great sorrow of heart, so that they would rather have been thrown into a foul dungeon where they would not have been obliged to listen to this impiety.

During their imprisonment they were much questioned with regard to infant baptism, the sacrament, and that we call them all ungodly and unbelieving; but they told them that, as regards infant baptism, they were entirely welcome to it, and also said: "Because they called themselves Christians, but falsely bore the name of Christ, and did not move the least of Christ's commandments with a finger; therefore they should know that they were of the devil (John 8, verse 44); and if they would not repent of their sins, God would destroy their false boast, so that they, with the whole world, and the rich man would be cast into the abyss of hell, which would certainly come to pass, though they now did not believe it." Having been in prison nearly a whole year, and being fully prepared for death, indeed, of good courage and cheer, and joyful in the Lord, they prayed that the Lord, the gracious God, would deliver them from this mortal tabernacle, and from this wicked, blind world; for they had a good hope and great joy and a sincere desire to depart, and expected every hour to die manfully and boldly, through the help and power of God, for the divine truth, and for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, in spite of all the pain and suffering that might be inflicted upon them.

However, through a special providence of God, they were wonderfully set free, unharmed in their consciences, and came in peace to the church at Trasenhofen, and were joyfully received in the spirit, as good, worthy and beloved brothers.