In our thoughts we have wandered through the places where all this has happened, and with the eyes of faith have beheld these things.It is true, the sorrow which we, according to the flesh have met with, was almost insurmountable, seeing so many miserable, and not less God-fearing, persons laid down their lives for the truth confessed; these in the burning fire, those in the drowning water, others under the keen sword, some in the strangling rope, yea, in the most destructive teeth of wild beasts; not to mention countless other means by which they miserably perished. But, on the other hand, the joy which we have seen with our spiritual eyes, and heard with the ears of the heart cannot be told, yea, can be described by no language. For, some embraced death, singing and praising God, and what is still more, who can comprehend this? he who was himself subjected to the death by fire, laid his hand upon the heads of his half-burnt fellow brethren, encouraging them, and strengthening them in the faith. Another, who had tasted the pain of the fire, and had been drawn out of it, threw herself * Rev. 1:5. * I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held. Rev. 9:9. Page 354 upon one of the dreadfully charred bodies, in order to finish the conflict once begun, and also to obtain the crown of martyrdom.* This we relate over and above what we have noticed in the first book, although the persons are also there spoken of. We could adduce many such and similar examples, were they not sufficiently known, yea, as clear as the sun. We therefore proceed to the second Book, and will commence with the beginning of the sixteenth century, where we, as previously, will treat first of Holy Baptism, etc., and then of the Holy Martyrs who suffered in those times.
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