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Maertens Janss and Jan Hen Drickss
Both put to death at the stake, at Delft, in Holland, A. D. 1572
From "Martyr's Mirror"

The city of Delft, in Holland was at this time only a burying place, yea, a dreadful murderers' den, for the extirpation of God's saints. This appeared in the case of two very pious, God-fearing, and most virtuous lambs of Christ, who had betaken themselves among the flock of the great Shepherd of the sheep, Christ Jesus, to be led and fed by Him in the green meadows of the true evangelical doctrine. Une was named Maerten Janss, by trade a corn porter; the other, Jan Hendritkss, born at Swartewael, a steersman, who followed the sea for a livelihood.

They were both imprisoned at Delft, where they, for almost two years, suffered much affliction, anxiety and distress, from secular as well as spiritual L ecclesiastical j persons, to make them apostatize from their faith. But as they were founded upon the immovable cornerstone Christ Jesus, they could in no wise weaken their faith, much less cause them to apostatize entirely from it. Hence the rulers at said place, inflamed, through the instigation of the papistic clergy, with a bitter hatred against them, pronounced, in court, a very cruel sentence upon both of them, namely: That they should be tied to a stake, upon a scaffold to be erected in the market place, and burned until death should ensue.

Thereupon, on the fifth of February, A. D. 1572, both were brought upon the scaffold at said place, to die; whereupon the town clerk read to all the people: That no one was allowed to speak to them, on pain of forfeiting life and property.

Then Maerten Janss' tongue was seared; yet he nevertheless boldly said, "Thus I must now testify to the truth; for if I had not cared for my salvation, I would have escaped much sore conflict and obtained pardon; but now I have fought a good fight, finished my course, and kept the faith, and henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness." Then he cried, "O Lord, be merciful to me poor sinner. Who am not worthy to suffer for Thy name, but Thou hast made me worthy thereto." Finally he exclaimed, "O Lord, receive my spirit into Thy hands." And with this his life was ended he thus departing this world through fire.

Jan Hendrickss was likewise gagged, to prevent him from speaking; but when he nevertheless spoke, namely, "Now is the time, now the truth must be fully sealed," etc., a great clamoring, confusion and running arose among the people, so that the lords, filled with fear, caused Jan Hendrickss to be brought inside, until the commotion and turbulence of the people had subsided.

After that he was brought forth completely gagged- having hurriedly been fastened to the stake, he was deprived of this temporal life by fire, even as his slain fellow brother. Their dead and half-consumed bodies were brought outside of the city, to the common place of execution, called Gallows Hill, where each was separately fastened to a stake, for food to the fowls of the air. This was the end of the afore-mentioned two lambs of Jesus, who, though a spectacle and reproach before the world, before God became a holy and acceptable sacrifice.

Summary of the Inquisition  

Of the multitudes who perished by the Inquisoition throughout the world, no authentic record is now discoverable. But wherever popery had power, there was the tribunal. It had been planted even in the east, and the Portuguese Inquisition of Goa was, until within these few years, fed with many an agony. South America was partitioned into provinces of the Inquisition; and with a ghastly mimickry of the crimes of the mother state, the arrivals of viceroys, and the other popular celebrations were thought imperfect without an auto da fe.

The Netherlands were one scene of slaughter from the time of the decree which planted the Inquisition among them. In Spain the calculation is more attainable. Each of the seventeen tribunals during a long period burned annually, on an average, ten miserable beings! We are to recollect that this number was in a country where persecution had for ages abolished all religious differences, and where the difficulty was not to find the stake, but the offering. Yet, even in Spain, thus gleaned of all heresy, the Inquisition could still swell its lists of murders to thirty-two thousand!

The numbers burned in effigy, or condemned to penance, punishments generally equivalent to exile, confiscation, and taint of blood, to all ruin but the mere loss of worthless life, amounted to three hundred and nine thousand. But the crowds who perished in dungeons of torture, of confinement, and of broken hearts, the millions of dependent lives made utterly helpless, or hurried to the grave by the death of the victims, are beyond all register; or recorded only before HIM, who has sworn that "He that leadeth into captivity, shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword."

Such was the Inquisition, declared by the Spirit of God to be at once the offspring and the image of the popedom. To feel the force of the parentage, we must look to the time. In the thirteenth century, the popedom was at the summit of mortal dominion; it was independent of all kingdoms; it ruled with a rank of influence never before or since possessed by a human scepter; it was the acknowledged sovereign of body and soul; to all earthly intents its power was immeasurable for good or evil.

It might have spread literature, peace, freedom, and Christianity to the ends of Europe, or the world. But its nature was hostile; its fuller triumph only disclosed its fuller evil; and, to the shame of human reason, and the terror and suffering of human virtue, Rome, in the hour of its consummate grandeur, teemed with the monstrous and horrid birth of the INQUISITION!

Rudolf Suhner   About A.D. 1643

They also apprehended a young lad, named Rudolf Suhner, who, though young in years, was old in the faith and knowledge of Jesus Christ. He was kept confined nearly two years in Othenbach, during which time he was forced to hard labor.

In the meantime they made his life so bitter to him, by severe threats and terrible representations, that he, through fear of the impending distress, consented to go to church with those that had imprisoned him, whereupon he was released. But soon after, reflecting on his fall, he experienced great sorrow, sincerely wept over his sins, and again prepared himself for the conflict set before him.

Thereupon he was again apprehended, and confined in the afore-mentioned place, but kept much harder than before. For, for a time all food was denied him (even as had been done to Felix Landis), so that some criminals, who were confined close to him, filled with compassion on his account, poured to him some warm liquid food, through a crevice in the wall.

Finally, when in consequence of having suffered hunger so long, he was so weakened, that he could not live any longer, he requested once more, that they would, in his great distress, allow him a little warm food, which the jailer made known to the lords. This, however, they jointly refused to grant in order to cause him, if possible, to apostatize. But finally one of the lords, beholding his misery, gave permission that they should give him some thing to eat again. Which when it was done, he could eat or bear it no more, and thus died famishing in his bonds; for which the Lord shall hereafter, at His heavenly table, reward him with eternal satiation.

"Blessed are ye that hunger now for ye shall be filled." Luke 6:21.

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