Gerrit Hasepoot Burned, in the Year 1556

In the summer of 1556 there was in the city of Nimeguen a faithful brother named Gerrit Hasepoot, a tailor by trade. Having fled from the city because of severe persecution, he secretly returned, since his wife and children were still living there. He was seen by the bailiff's guard, who reported it to their master. The bailiff, a very bloodthirsty man, immediately went after him and took him along. So this friend of Christ had to part from his wife and children, and go into prison, tribulation and misery, for the name of Jesus. When he was very severely examined by the lords of this world, he freely confessed his faith, and was not ashamed of the truth. Romans 1, verse 16. He was therefore sentenced by them to death, that is, to be burned at the stake, and he received this sentence very bravely. After this had taken place, his wife came to him in the city hall, to speak with him once more, and to take leave and bid her dear husband farewell. She had an infant in her arm, which she could scarcely hold, because of her great grief. When wine was poured out for him, as is customary with those sentenced to death (Proverbs 31, verse 6), he said to his wife: "I have no desire for this wine; but I hope to drink the new wine, which will be given to me above in the kingdom of my Father." So the two parted with great grief, and said farewell to each other in this world; for the woman could hardly stand on her feet any longer, but seemed about to faint from grief. When he was led out to death, and had been brought from the wagon up onto the scaffold, he lifted up his voice and sang the hymn

"Father in heaven, I call

Oh, strengthen now my faith."

Then he fell on his knees and prayed fervently to God. When he had been placed at the stake, he kicked his slippers from his feet, saying: "It would be a pity to burn them, for they can still be of service to some poor person." The rope with which he was to be strangled came a little loose, because the executioner had not twisted it well, and he again lifted up his voice and sang the end of that hymn

"Brothers, sisters, all, good-bye!

We now must separate,

Till we meet beyond the sky,

With Christ our only Head

For this yourselves prepare,

And I'll await you there."

The executioner twisted the rope again, and this witness of Jesus fell asleep in the Lord and was burned, willingly giving up for the truth his perishable body, which he had received from God. So he fought the fight, finished his course, and kept the faith, and the crown of eternal glory is now laid up for him.

Before the year 1557, under the reign of the Palsgrave of the Rhine, several of those baptized according to the ordinance of Christ were thrown into prison and exiled from the country, as appears from the preface to the Frankenthalische Gespraech, and also in the preface to the Oude Oferboeck, of the year 1616, letter Y, on the other side.

From this it appears that the Baptist Christians at this time had to suffer not only from the Romanists, but also from those who had forsaken the Roman church and many of her superstitions; from which it may be seen what great distress the church of God then had to suffer, so that freedom of conscience was nowhere to be found, since among the papists they were deprived of their lives, and among other denominations of the liberty to practice their religious worship.