Anna of Rotterdam, Put to Death in that Place, in the Year 1539

The following is the Testament which Anna of Rotterdam left and presented to her son, Isaiah, on the twenty-fourth of January, in the year 1539, at nine o'clock in the morning, as she was preparing herself to die for the name and the testimony of Jesus, and took leave of her son, at Rotterdam.

Isaiah, receive your testament

"My son, hear the instruction of your mother; open your ears to hear the words of my mouth. Proverbs 1, verse 8. Behold, I go today the way of the prophets, apostles and martyrs, and drink of the cup of which they all have drunk. Matthew 20, verse 23. I go, I say, the way which Christ Jesus, the eternal Word of the Father, full of grace and truth, the Shepherd of the sheep, who is the Life, Himself went, and who went this way, and not another, and who had to drink of this cup, even as He said: 'I have a cup to drink of, and a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened until it is accomplished!' Having passed through, He calls His sheep, and His sheep hear His voice, and follow Him wherever He goes; for this is the way to the true fountain. John 10, verse 27; John 4, verse 14. This way was traveled by the royal priests who came from the rising of the sun, as we read in Revelation, and entered into the ages of eternity, and had to drink of this cup." First Peter 2, verse 9.

"This way was trodden by the dead under the altar, who cry, saying: Lord, Almighty God, when will You avenge the blood that has been shed? White robes were given to them, and it was said to them: Wait yet for a little season, until the number of your brothers that are yet to be killed for the testimony of Jesus is fulfilled. Revelation 6, verses 9 to 11. These also drank of the cup, and have gone above to keep the eternal, holy Sabbath of the Lord. This is the way in which the twenty-four elders walked, who stand before the throne of God, and cast their crowns and harps before the throne of the Lamb, falling down upon their faces, and saying: Lord, to You alone be praise, glory, power, and strength, who will avenge the blood of Your servants and ministers, and will through Yourself gain the victory. Great be Your name, Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come. Revelation 4, verses 8 and 10.

"In this way walked also those who were marked by the Lord, and received the mark Thau upon their foreheads (Ezekiel 9, verse 6), who were chosen from among all nations of men, who were not defiled with women (understand this), and who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. Revelation 14, verse 4. [n650-1]

"Behold, all these had to drink of the cup of bitterness, as will also all those who are still to complete the number and fulfillment of Zion, the bride of the Lamb, which is the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven (Revelation 21, verse 2), the city and throne of God, in which the glory of the great King will be seen, when the feast of tabernacles will be kept and celebrated in the days of eternal rest and joy. Zechariah 14, verse 16.

"Behold, all these could not attain to this without first suffering judgment and chastisement in their flesh; for Christ Jesus, the eternal truth, was the first, when it is written: 'The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.' Revelation 13, verse 8. So Paul says: 'Thus it pleased the Father, that all whom He predestined from eternity, He called, elected, justified, and made to be conformed to the image of His Son.' Romans 8, verses 29 and 30. Our blessed Savior also says: The servant is not above his Lord; but it is sufficient for him that he be like his Lord and Master. Matthew 10, verse 24. Also Peter says: 'The time has come that judgment must begin at the house of God; and if it first begins with us, what will the end be of those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if the righteous are scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?' First Peter 4, verses 17 and 18. Read also in Proverbs (chapter 11, verse 31): 'Behold, the righteous will be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner.' See, my son, here you can hear that no one can come to life except through this way. Therefore enter in through the strait gate, receive the chastisement and instruction of the Lord, bow your shoulders under His yoke, and cheerfully bear it from your youth, with thanksgiving, rejoicing and honor; for He accepts or receives no son whom He does not chasten. Hebrews 12, verse 6. Paul further says: 'If you forsake the chastisement, of which they were all partakers, you are bastards, and not children, and will be cast out from the inheritance of the children of God.'

"If you, therefore, desire to enter into the regions of the holy world, and into the inheritance of the saints, gird your loins, and follow after them; search the Scriptures, and they will show you their ways. John 5, verse 39. The angel who spoke to the prophet said: 'There is also another thing: A city is built, and set upon a broad field, and is full of all good things; its entrance is narrow, and set in a dangerous place to fall, as if there were a fire on the right hand, and on the left a deep water; and only one path between them both, even between the fire and the water, so small that only one man could go there at once. If this city now were given to a man for an inheritance, and he never passes the danger set before it, how will he receive this inheritance?' Second Esdras 7, verses 6 to 9.

See, my son, this way has no retreats; there are no roundabout or crooked little paths; whoever departs to the right or to the left inherits death. Behold, this is the way which is found by so few, and walked by a still far smaller number; for there are some who well perceive that this is the way to life, but it is too severe for them; it pains their flesh.

"Therefore, my child, do not regard the great number, nor walk in their ways. Remove your foot far from their paths, for they go to hell, as sheep to death; even as Isaiah says: 'Hell has enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure; and their glory, and their multitude . . . will descend into it.' Isaiah 5, verse 14. 'It is a people of no understanding; therefore he who made them will not have mercy on them.' Isaiah 27, verse 11. But where you hear of a poor, simple, cast-off little flock (Luke 12, verse 32), which is despised and rejected by the world, join them; for where you hear of the cross, there is Christ; from there do not depart. Flee the shadow of this world; become united with God; fear Him alone, keep His commandments, observe all His words, to do them; write them upon the table of your heart, bind them upon your forehead, speak day and night of His law, and you will be a pleasant tree and a sprout in the courts of the Lord, a beloved plant growing up in Zion. Psalm 92, verse 13. Take the fear of the Lord to be your father, and wisdom will be the mother of your understanding. If you know this, my son, happy are you if you do it. John 13, verse 17. Observe what the Lord commands you, and sanctify your body to His service, that His name may be sanctified, praised, and made glorious and great in you. Do not be ashamed to confess Him before men; do not fear men; rather give up your life than depart from the truth. If you lose your body, which is earthly, the Lord your God has prepared you a better one in heaven. Second Corinthians 5, verse 1.

"Therefore, my child, strive for righteousness to death, and arm yourself with the armor of God. Be a pious Israelite, trample under foot all unrighteousness, the world and all that is in it, and love only that which is above. First John 2, verse 15. Remember that you are not of this world, even as your Lord and Master was not. John 15, verse 19. Be a faithful disciple of Christ; for none is fit to pray unless he has become His disciple, and not before. Colossians 1, verse 7; John 9, verse 31. Those who said, 'We have left all,' also said, 'Teach us to pray.' Luke 18, verse 28; Luke 11, verse 1. They were those for whom the Lord prayed, and not the world (John 17, verse 9); for when the world prays, they call upon their father, the devil, and desire that his will be done, as is also the case. Therefore, my son, do not become like them, but shun and flee them, and have neither part nor fellowship with them. Romans 12, verse 2; Second Peter 1, verse 4. Do not regard what is before your eyes, but seek only those things which are above. Colossians 3, verse 1. O my child, be mindful of my admonition, and do not forsake it. May the Lord cause you to grow up in His fear, and fill your understanding with His Spirit. Second Peter 3, verse 18. Sanctify yourself to the Lord, my son; sanctify your whole conduct in the fear of your God. Leviticus 20, verse 7. Whatever you do, do it all to the praise of His name. Honor the Lord in the works of your hands, and let the light of the Gospel shine through you. Love your neighbor. Deal out with an open, warm heart your bread to the hungry, clothe the naked, and do not allow yourself to have anything twofold; for there are always some who lack. Matthew 26, verse 11. Whatever the Lord grants you from the sweat of your face, above what you need, share with those of whom you know that they love the Lord (Genesis 3, verse 19; Psalm 112, verse 9); and let nothing remain in your possession until the next day, and the Lord will bless the work of your hands, and give you His blessing for an inheritance. Deuteronomy 28, verse 12. O my son, let your life be conformed to the Gospel, and may the God of peace sanctify your soul and body, to His praise. Amen. Philippians 1, verse 27; First Thessalonians 5, verse 23.

"O holy Father, sanctify the son of Your handmaiden in Your truth, and keep him from the evil, for Your name's sake, O Lord."

Thereupon she sealed this with her blood, and thus, as a pious heroine and follower of Jesus Christ, she was received among the number of the witnesses of God who were offered up.