Trijnken Keuts, in the Year 1559

Trijnken Keuts was a widow who lived in the city of Maestricht. Having come to the knowledge of the divine truth through the holy Gospel, she laid the matter to heart in her simplicity, and continued day and night in earnest prayer, until the Lord enlightened her further with the clear, shining light of His divine grace, and gave her the power of faith, so that she, believing and penitent, had herself baptized, upon the true faith, in the name of Jesus Christ, a member of the body and church of Jesus Christ; and since she lived according to her faith, and no longer resorted to the papal idolatries, but kept away from every abomination, and entered upon a new life, the venomous beast could not endure this, and she was therefore accused and reported as a heretic to the authorities of that city. The burgomasters then summoned her to appear in the Landtskroon (the house in which the burgomasters and the council hold their court). When she received this summons, through a servant of the burgomasters, she went to the Landtskroon. When she arrived, the burgomasters questioned and examined her about what had been reported to them, as to whether it was so with her; and when she answered them frankly, and confessed the truth, they imprisoned her there. After she had been confined for a time, enduring much urging and many conflicts in the meanwhile, she was finally examined rigorously by the priests (one of whom was a Dominican monk), before whom she freely confessed her faith. When asked whether she was rebaptized, she replied,

"I was baptized upon my faith according to the doctrine of Christ;" about which they still had many more words together; but she held to the truth. The priests also questioned her about the sacrament, whether she did not believe that when the priest had pronounced five words over the bread, Christ was present in it, in essence, with flesh and blood, just as He had hung on the cross. Trijne said that she believed that Christ had ascended to heaven, and was sitting at the right hand of God, His heavenly Father. And she asked, saying: "How should He come into the bread?"

When she thus steadfastly held to the truth, these priests condemned her to be burned to ashes here, and to burn forever in hell. Trijne said: "When you follow me, in a few days, before the judgment seat of God, you will find it to be otherwise." Upon this judgment, Trijne was delivered to the bailiff and the judges, who sentenced her to be led out, according to the imperial mandate, and burned to ashes; which Trijne received gratefully, willingly submitting to it. So, with her mouth gagged, she was led to the Vrijthof, where she put off her tabernacle, and was burned to ashes, having commended her soul into the hands of God. First Peter 1, verse 14. This occurred in the year 1559, on Palm Eve, in Lent.

It was commonly reported as true, that one of the priests mentioned above, namely, the Dominican monk, three days after Trijnken was offered up and burned, was unexpectedly (he had not been known to be sick), and secretly found dead in his cell, and that he was being eaten up by lice; but what part God had in this matter, this we leave to His righteous judgment, who will give to everyone his merited reward.