The Martyrdom of the Anabaptists Deacon Laurence A.D. 258 In the latter years of the reign of Valerianus, that wickedly overweight pompous puck of Rome, called as Emperor, Caesar Publius Licinius Valerianus Augustus, suffered the humble Anabaptists bishop of Rome called Xistus, who was accused of his adversaries before the Emperor, of being a Christian, “crying that he ought not to live any longer” (Acts 25:24). Bishop Xistus, with six of his deacons were brought before the tribunal, where each “witnessed a good confession” (1 Timothy 6:13) before many witnesses, and were each condemned to immediate death, and led out to the place of execution. Bishop Xistus and the church at Rome having ordained seven deacons, the humble bishop had left from the group one deacon named Laurence, intentionally not calling for him that said Laurence might care for the sheep of God’s pasture, of whom the bishop lovingly called “his treasures” and “his joy and crown” (Philippians 4:1). The bishop intentionally did not beckon to said Laurence to come unto him that he might remain to take the bishop’s office after their departure from this world to be with Christ. Laurence not being present when the bishop and his other faithful deacons were bound and taken before the tribunal, when he heard of the arrest of his bishop and his dearly beloved brethren, Laurence immediately ran with all speed to the place of the tribunal, that said he, “I might die with him” (John 11:16). Howbeit, before he ever came unto the place of trial, Bishop Xistus and his band of six deacons were already condemned and being led forth in chains to the place of execution. Deacon Laurence, coming upon the crowd that attended the street down which Bishop Xistus and his companions were being led, quickly mounted a high wall along the road, that afforded him view and presentation before his most loving bishop, and held forth as the open air preacher they had all been throughout the city, crying with a stream of tears flowing down his cheeks, “O dear father, whither goest thou without the company of thy dear son? Whither hastenest thou, O bishop, without thy deacon? Never wast thou wont to offer sacrifice without thy minister. What crime is there in me that offendeth thy fatherhood? Hast thou proved me unworthy? Now try, sweet father, whether thou hast chosen a faithful minister or not. Dost thou deny thou unto me the fellowship of the Lord’s sufferings, to whom thou hast committed the shedding of God’s blood and thine? See that thy judgment be not unfavoured, whilst thy fortitude is liked and lauded. The abasing of the student is the disgracing of the master. What! Have we not learned that many worthy masters have obtained most worthy fame by the worthy acts of their disciples and students? Alas, Abraham sacrificed his only begotten son Isaac; the stoning of Stephen prepared the way for the preaching of Peter: even so, father, declare thy manifold virtues by me thy son. Offer thou him that proffereth himself; grant that the body of thy student may be sacrificed with thee, whose mind with good letters thou hast enriched so bountifully.” Thus the young deacon cried for want of dying with his fellows, knowing and oft saying to all, “for to me to live is Christ, but the die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). And gazing upon his faithful student, crying as after his father in the Lord, bishop Xistus cried forth before his persecutors, “I forsake thee not, O my son; for I leave to thee to wit that a sharper conflict remaineth for thee. A feeble and weak old man am I, and therefore run the race of a lighter and easier death; but lusty and young thou art, and more lustily, yea, more gloriously, shalt thou triumph over this tyrant Valerianus. Thy time indeed approacheth, cease to weep and lament, for three days after thou shalt follow me to the throne of the Lamb of God. Righteous it is that this space of time come between the priest and the Levite; howbeit, it may not benefit thee now, O sweet pupil, to triumph alongside thy master, lest it be said he wanted a helper. Why cravest thou to be partaker with me in my passion? I bequeath unto thee the whole inheritance of the saints. Why requirest thou now to enjoy my presence? Let weak scholars go before, and the stronger come after, that those without master may get the victory, which have no need by thy master to be governed.” And though these valiant saints of God “loved not their lives unto the death” (Revelation 12:11), their adversaries hung upon their every word, and as they were always want to do, looked for every gain they might find. Accordingly, when bishop Xistus made speak of “the whole inheritance of the saints”, these robbers of lives and fortunes immediately thought to themselves that dear Laurence had been left a worldly sum that they might plunder for themselves, not knowing that the bishop had spoken of the sheep of God’s pasture. Apprehending the new bishop of the modest congregation at Rome, the master of the tribunal, who was extremely “curlish and evil in his doings” (1 Samuel 25:3), and of “a fierce countenance” (Deuteronomy 28:50), demanded of the new bishop where he had bestowed all the substance of the church, “the whole inheritance of the saints” that his former friend, father and bishop had spoken of. In reply to the governor’s demands, Laurence remonstrated that he needed three days respite (1 Samuel 11:3) to bring such treasure before the tribunal. Being granted the same, Laurence prayerfully gathered a good number of poor Anabaptists saints together and appeared on the day appointed before the governor. When thus assembled, one can only imagine “the great searchings of heart” (Judges 5:16) amongst that small flock of the sheep of God’s pasture (Ezekiel 45:15), as they stood humbly and quietly before such a devilish tyrant, “as sheep to the slaughter” (Acts 8:32). Demanded the governor, “Hast thou brought the treasures of the church? The jewels and precious stones as I have commanded thee?” Then as an heavenly silence (Revelation 8:1) descended upon the tribunal, bishop Laurence turned and spread his hand over that small congregation of Anabaptists, to whom the apostle Paul had once wrote concerning “the poor saints” (Romans 15:26), “These Sir, are the “gold, silver, and precious stones” (1 Corinthians 3:12) of the church, and they are treasure indeed, in whom “the faith of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 3:22) doth live and reign, and of whom Jesus Christ “the carpenter’s son” (Matthew 13:55) hath garnished “the foundations of the wall of the city” (Revelation 21:19) of New Jerusalem “which is above and free, which is the mother of us all” (Galatians 4:26). What more precious jewels would our Lord Jesus Christ have than those in whom He hath promised to dwell forever? For God the King hath so written of these poor saints, “I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me” (Matthew 25:34-36). Therefore, Sir look well to what ye have done and intend to do “to one of the least of these”, for the King hath said, “as ye do unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40). O, what greater riches hath Christ our Lord and Master possess, than the poor saints, in whom he loveth to be manifest (2 Corinthians 4:10 11) that He ever liveth and abideth forever (Hebrews 7:25/ 1 Peter 1:23)? O, how the heathen did rage, and the people imagined a vain thing (Psalm 2:1) at this heavenly exhortation and reproof. From the records, the governor “was moved with choler…and stamped” (Daniel 8:7) with his feet, and became as one “possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce” (Matthew 8:28), about whom the ancient record saith, “he fared as one out of his wits; his eyes like fire glowed, his mouth like a bear foamed, and his teeth like a hound of hell did grind” . Cried this churl against the lowly yet fearless Laurence, “Kindle the fire, and make no sparing for the wood thereon! Hath this villain deceived the emperor? Away with him, away with him, away with him! Whip him with scourges, beat him with rods, with your fists buffet him repeatedly, and brain him with clubs. Jest this traitor with the emperor? Pinch him with fiery tongs and gird him about with burning plates of steel. Bring out the strongest chains and fire forks and bind him therewith to the grated bed of iron, and lay him upon the fire therewith. Bind this rebel hand and foot, and when the fire is hot, roast him thereon. Broil him! Toss him and turn him. On the pain of our high displeasure, let every man do his office, O ye Tormentors!” Immediately, the tormentors fell upon dear Laurence, and exacted all of the governor’s commands, stripping him to his bare flesh, and with the black smiths tongs and horse shoe crimpers which they heated red hot in the smith’s forge, and repeatedly pinched his flesh therewith. And as these devilish tormentors pinched the bare flesh of this devoted “prisoner of Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 3:1/ 4:1/ 2 Timothy 1:8/ Philemon 1 & 9), his flesh sizzled and sent forth the smell of burnt flesh, even “an odour of a sweet smell, as sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God” (Philippians 4:18). And O, my Reader, thinkest thou to be but a Christian? Presume ye to love not your lives unto the death (Revelation 12:11)??? In thy comfort and thine ease, with all thy riches presume you to love Jesus Christ as this dear Laurence of Rome, and forsaketh not all that ye have to bear the cross of Christ? “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” -Luke 14:33 After the tormentors had beaten and buffeted him, even as Christ before Pilate’s soldiers, they bound this dear bishop of Christ’s Anabaptists, to baptize him in the fire (Luke 3:16). Binding him with the strongest chains and forks, they laid him upon a bed of iron, of which it was written of Laurence, “this is my bed of down, my pallet of nourishing rest”. Yet so wonderfully mighty did God work that day through his faithful martyr, as the governor watched his own torments of conscience, as this sacrifice was laid upon the iron altar of witness unto Christ sufferings. Being “a partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God” (2 Timothy 1:8), bishop Laurence, chained to the iron grate was placed over the burning hot coals of fire, at which it became so manifest that “the Lord did strengthen him upon the bed of languishing” (Psalm 41:3), and it became his bed of lilies “in the paradise of God” (Revelation 2:7). O, this little lamb of God’s church, so tirelessly endured all the emperor’s torments upon the fire, as if resting in the vestibule of heaven. And the more he witnessed of God, the more they tormented him so, pressing him upon the red hot grate with fire picks as if a slab of meat, with flames licking up round about his roasting flesh. Declared Bishop Laurence to his tormentors, “This side is now roasted well enough, turn me over, O great Tyrant, and assay which side of my flesh, roasted or raw is better meat for thee!” And so for all his persecutions and torments, “the Lord delivered him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19), and thereby his tormentors being so thoroughly exhausted at such a fervent witness for Christ, the young deacon, so valiantly promoted to bishop, was thus quickly dispatched with the sword, and “he being dead yet speaketh” (Hebrews 114), for of such the Father seeketh, saying, “Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.” -Revelation 14:13 Howbeit, such courageous devotion and love to Christ, left its piercing mark upon the Roman tormentors and soldiers at arms. Before his death, one certain Roman soldier, standing guard and watching all the atrocities put to this blessed lamb, being “convicted of his own conscience” (John 8:9) fell prostrate upon his face and cried to God through Jesus Christ to be saved to such a wonderful life and gallant death as he had witnessed of this fervent Anabaptists saint and “able minister of the New Testament” (2 Corinthians 3:6). Then falling to his knees before the bleeding and burned Laurence, the soldier begged for to be baptized of him before his death. This soldier’s repentance and request to be baptized with the baptism that God’s disciple had been baptized with was quickly brought to the ears of the governor and judge, who forthwith demanded the soldier be brought immediately before the tribunal, where he was scourged severely and then beheaded along with Bishop Laurence, 258 A.D. - Anabaptists Church
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 02:27:05 +0000