Martyrs Mirror 1192"I call upon Thee O heavenly Father, Be pleased to strengthen my faith." etc.

When he came into the torture tower, he fell down upon his face, and called upon the Lord in fervent prayer, after which he rose, and offered up his sacrifice with all boldness, and was drowned there. He rests now under the altar, waiting for the number of his fellow brethren to be fulfilled.

How signally the faithful God is filled with compassion over His people, how He comforts and strengthens them by His Spirit, how He goes with them into water and fire, yea, He remains with them in the bitterness of death, never forsaking them; and how He also regards every injury inflicted upon His own, as though the apple of His own eye were touched; this can be seen and perceived, in both the Old and New Testaments, in the avenging hand of God, with which He many times smote bloodthirsty persecutors. Ex. 14:8 ; II Macc. 9:28 ; Acts 12:23 .

The same can also be seenin many tyrants and persecutors of these latter days, as, among other instances, may be seen in the case of a certain no bleman, named Andries Grijpen, who, searchinf for some thieves, laid his hands on this aforesaid God fearing Reytse Aysess. And though their consciences (that is, his own as well as his wife's con science), greatly troubled and accused them with regard to this deed, so that they said they much deplored that these people were so exceedingly oppressed; these people who, he said, harmed no one, nor desired any one's property, but were well satisfied with what they had. That these were thus harassed, was a grievous cross to his heart; and though he felt thus in his conscience, he nevertheless, through the instigation of his secretary, and because he, like Pilate, would remain the emperor's friend, and not lose his office, set at naught this conviction of his heart, and bound and ironed the aforesaid Reytse Aysess, and sent him thus to Leeuwaerden to prison. But the righteous God, who is not mocked, very soon after this deed, sorely smote the said lord with His avenging hand, so that the freebooters, coming from Holland, fell upon his house and completely demolished it, and subjected him to much affliction and ignominy, taking him with them to Holland, and setting a ransom of six thousand guilders upon him, in addition to which he had to give a hundred guilders each week as personal expenses, until the ransom had been fully paid. In consequence of this he and his family fell into extreme poverty, so that other people, filled with compassion, aided and fed him in this his great need. Besides this he was afflicted with gravel and consumption, of which he ultimately miserably died. Some others of his kindred also were taken out of this world in a miserable manner. Moreover, in these afflictions his conscience greatly accused him of this deed, so that he penitently prayed to God, desiring that through his temporal afflictions and suffering, he might, by the grace of God, escape and turn away the eternal torment of hell, which he seemed to experience in himself. Hence this ought to serve as an example to all tyrants and persecutors, carefully to beware of such deeds.