Martyrs Mirror 1028CLEMENT HENDRICKSS, A SAIL MAKER, BURNT FOR THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST, AT AMSTER; DAM, ON THE TWELFTH OF MARCH, IN THE YEAR 1569

The awful fury and bloodthirstiness of the papistic rulers in the city of Amsterdam continued, and on the same day pronounced sentence of death upon a fourth person of said Anabaptistic religion, named Clement Hendrickss, a sail maker by trade.

He, though possessing a living, effectual and holy faith, yet through want of opportunity or some other reason had also, like the preceding martyr, Cornelis Janss, not yet received baptism upon his faith, which grieved him not a little when he was in bonds; but he did not on this account cast away his hope in the grace of God, since this had not been omitted through contempt of this holy ordinance of Christ, but from want of opportunity, on account of the pressure of persecution.

The authorities of the above mentioned city also viewed it in this light, and sentenced him to the fire, according to the imperial decree, as though he had already been baptized upon faith, because he confessed being desirous of it. This severe punishment of death he valiantly and steadfastly endured, and was thus numbered by the pious, with the number of the faithful martyrs of Jesus Christ, though according to, the judgment of the papists he died as a heretic, as appears from the following sentence which was publicly read to him in court, just before his death, by the rulers of darkness, in these words: