Faith On The Line - Stress, Stress Go Away Vol 19 | Page 41

utterly denied the geniuses of the document printed by Bonner and
worth the sacrifice of her conscience.
declared that she had never, at any time since her trials began, ceased to
She did not desire martyrdom, but she did not shrink from it, and she
profess the faith she then held.
bore all her sufferings with a firmness and gentleness never surpassed
She was then committed to Newgate, and while she lay in prison there, in the annals of Christian heroism. Not once did she revile her enemies,
suffering and sore from the effects of her torture, she drew up the
but like her blessed Master she prayed for her murderers, that they
following confession of her faith:
might be saved from the just punishment of their crimes.
“I, Anne Askew, of good memory, although my merciful Father hath
given me the bread of adversity and the water of trouble, yet not
so much as my sins have deserved, do confess myself here a sinner
before the throne of His heavenly Majesty, desiring His eternal mercy.
And forasmuch as I am by the law unrighteously condemned for an
evil-doer concerning opinions, I take the same most merciful God of
mine, Who hath made both heaven and earth, to record that I hold no
opinions contrary to His Holy Word. And I trust in my merciful Lord, who
is the giver of all grace, that He will graciously assist me against all evil
opinions which be contrary to His most blessed verity. For I take Him to
witness that I do, and will unto my life’s end, utterly abhor them to the
utmost of my power.
“But this is the heresy which they report me
to hold: That after the priest hath spoken the
words of consecration, there remaineth bread
still. They both say, and also teach it for a
necessary article of faith, and that after those
words are once spoken, there remaineth no
bread, but even the selfsame body that hung
upon the cross on Good Friday, both flesh,
blood, and bone. To this belief of theirs, say I
nay. For then were our common creed false,
which saith, ‘that He sitteth on the right hand
of God the Father Almighty, and from thence
He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.’
Lo, this is the heresy that I hold, and for it must
suffer the death. But as touching the holy and
blessed supper of the Lord, I believe it to be a
most necessary remembrance of His glorious
sufferings and death. Moreover, I believe as
much therein as my eternal and only Redeemer,
Jesus Christ, would I should believe.

At length the day of her execution arrived. Three stakes were set up
in front of St. Bartholomew’s Church at Smithfield, and the space
surrounding them enclosed with a railing to keep off the crowd. A
dense concourse of people filled the street, and lined the windows and
housetops commanding a view of the stake.
A platform had been erected at the side of the church, and on this sat
the Lord Chancellor Wriothesley, the old Duke of Norfolk, the old Earl
of Bedford, the Lord Mayor of London, and several other leaders of
the Papist party. Numerous monks and priests were scattered through
the crowd, but there were also many friends and sympathizers of the
martyrs, who had come as a matter of duty to
witness the death of their friends, and to cheer
them, if possible, with their prayers or their
exhortations.
Anne Askew, being unable to walk or stand, in
consequence of her torture upon the rack, was
brought in a chair to the stake, where she was
fastened to the post by an iron chain passed
about her waist and was thus held up on it.
Three other victims of Rome were brought out
of die with her. They were, John Lascels, a former
member of the king’s household and Anne’s old
tutor, Nicholas Belenean, a priest of Shropshire,
and John Adams, a tailor, all condemned for
holding the opinions for which Anne was
to suffer.

Anne was fastened to a separate stake, and
the others to the remaining two. They spoke to
each other constantly words for comfort and
encouragement, and it is evident to all that the
men became more intrepid and resolute on
“Finally, I believe all those Scriptures to be true which He hath confirmed witnessing the courage and hearing the Christian exhortations of the
with His most precious blood. Yea, and as St. Paul saith, those Scriptures beautiful woman who was to die with them.
are sufficient for our learning and salvation that Christ hath left here
As for Anne, her face was calm and peaceful. “She had an angel’s
with us; so that I believe we need no unwritten verities to rule His
countenance, and a smiling face,” says one who wi ѹ