The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1895, Page 39

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

39

Faithful unto Death.

Many years ago, in the reign of Mary,
‘daughter of Henry VIII., the Protestants of
England were persecuted by the Catholic
Queen and the priests of the Romish church.

In the old town of Canterbury there lived
at that time Dame Katharine Chase, the widow
of a brave Englishman. She had four chil-
dren; the first two were twins, aged fifteen;
the next had just passed her twelfth birthday,
while the youngest was a little girl of some
ten summers. She had also two orphan nieces
of from twelve to sixteen years. Katharine
and her children and nieces had become Prot-
estants, being convinced that the doctrines
proclaimed by Luther were the doctrines of
the Bible. They also told others of their
faith and tried to bring them into the pure
Gospel light.

When the Catholic Queen began the per-
secution of the Protestants and filled the dun-
geons with prisoners, trying with tortures to
compel them to deny the glorious faith, she
heard of Dame Katharine and her children.
Her anger was kindled, and she sent men to
Canterbury to bring the dame and her family
into the royal presence.

One day Dame Katharine sat in her room
surrounded by her children and nieces. Think-
ing of the cruel persecutions, she said: ‘‘My
children, these are times of strife; many,
many good men have suffered and died for
Christ’s sake, rejoicing that they were counted
worthy to die for Him. After all, the pain
here is short —nothing compared to a bliss-
ful eternity with our Lord. Thinkest thou
that thy strength would bear thee up -until
the end?’”’ ;

‘Nay, mother, not our stfength, but our
faith in Him who died that we might live,’’
said her oldest daughter Elizabeth. And the
children all cried aloud, ‘‘Mother, we will be
true to the last, God helping us.’’

Whilst they were thus conversing, their
persecutors entered the house, and they were
taken before the Queen.

“Woman!” said the Queen, ‘‘in memory
of thy husband’s bravery we bring thee to
our palace and into our presence. How darest
thou leave the church and teach others vile
heresy? earest thou not the curse of his
holiness the pope? Dost thou not dread my
Wrath? Answer me! for I will bear no dally-
ing. Speak!-for ere thou leavest my presence
thy fate is sealed.”

“Most gracious Queen,’’ said Katharine,
“I am judged by my God, and by Him alone.
I fear not the people, nor yet the bishops,
God is with me; mancan not harm me. With
God alone is forgiveness of sins. Both the
Saints and the virgin have not this power.
Christ is our intercessor, We need not the
aid of saints. When He died, He did all; and
by faith in Him we are saved. So help me
God, I will die if neeq be; for God will receive
my soul washed in the blood of the Lamb.”

‘*Woman, beware!’’ broke forth the Queen,
her eyes flashing with rage. ‘‘If thou dost not
take back thy blasphemous words,’’ continued
Mary, ‘‘thou and thy children shall die. So
rid we ourselves of vile heretics.’

Here a bishop began with words both false
and honeyed to persuade the widow to return
to the Romish church; but she and her chil-
dren and nieces remained firm. So they were
taken to prison, when the widow prayed in
sorrow for strength. ‘‘I can bear it all,’’ she
cried, ‘‘but my little ones! Oh, my children!
God pity us!”’

It was a dark morning when the prisoners
were led out of their cells into the wide court
yard, where a great company of priests and
bishops were assembled, along witha crowd
of idle people who came to see the ‘‘heretics
die.’’

“Wilt thou recant?’’? asked one of the
bishops.

‘‘Never!’’ answered Katharine. ‘‘I fear no
death. My body thou canst kill, but my soul
will rest in heayen.’’

Then the bishop spoke with the children
and painted the horrors of death they were
about to die, and the joys that would be theirs
if they returned to ‘‘Mother Church.’’ Whilst
he spoke, the mother prayed, ‘‘Help them,
O my Father!”? And the children remained
firm.

Now the bishop solemnly, slowly said:
“Three times I will ask ye if ye will recant,
will turn from blind sin, and live; if ye will
not, then cursed be ye, and death will cleanse
us from these heretics.’’

Breathless stood the crowd, looking at the
stake and the lighted torch. All was ready.
There stood the brave little company of
martyrs.

“Dame Katharine and children, wilt thou
confess thy sin and return to the true church?”’

Firmly spoke the mother, while loudly,
clearly came the answer in the silvery voices
of the children: ‘‘We will not.”? Again he
asked—again they answered. Then there was
a dead hush. For the last time came the stern
words: ‘Wilt thou recant?’’ Higher, clearer
came the answer: ‘‘We will not.’”’

Then Katharine was bound to the stake.
“My children, O my children! fear not. Soon,
soon shall we meet before the blessed throne.
Be firm, be true! O Father in heaven, pity
these blind people! Lay not this to their
charge! Open their eyes that they may see
Thee! Save them in mercy!?? ‘hus, whilst
the flames rose, she prayed for her persecutors.

The children were then led out and bound;
the torch was set to the wood. Higher, higher
rose the hungry flames. ‘‘Wilt thou recant?”’
was again asked. ‘‘No—no!”’ came from the
fire. ‘‘No—no—Jesus!’”? ‘he fire soon
puries them from sight; the childish voices
are hushed; the souls of Katharine and her
dear ones have risen through the fire to their
God. ‘They were faithful unto death and re-
ceived the crown of life.

Polycarp’s Last Prayer.

Polycarp was the martyr who, when advised
to curse Christ and live, replied: ‘‘Six and
eighty years have I served Him, and He has
done me nothing but good. How could I
curse my Lord and Saviour?’’? While the
crowd was gathering fuel to burn him with,
he calmly prayed: ‘‘Thou God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom I have re-
ceived the knowledge of Thee! O God of the
angels and powers, and of every living crea-
ture, and of all sorts of just men that live in
Thy presence, I thank Thee that Thou hast
graciously vouchsafed this day and this hour
to allot me a portion among the number of
martyrs, among the people of Christ, unto the
resurrection of everlasting life; among whom
I shall be received in Thy sight, this day.
Wherefore, for all this I praise Thee, I bless
Thee, I glorify Thee through the everlasting
High Priest, Jesus Christ, Thy well-beloved
Son; to whom, with Thee, the Father, and
the Holy Ghost, be all glory, world without
end, Amen.’’ He was martyred A. D. 166.
He had been taught by John.

———-o<— oe

Too Cheap.

A preacher had gone down into a coal mine
to tell the miners of that grace and truth
which came by Jesus Christ. Meeting the
foreman on his way back to the shaft, he
asked him what he thought of God’s way of
salvation. ‘The man replied:

“Oh, it is too cheap. I can not believe in
such a religion as that.”’

Without an immediate answer to his remark,
the preacher asked, ‘‘How do you get out of
this place?’’

“Simply by getting into the cage,’’ was the
reply.

‘‘But do you not need to help raise your-
self?’’ asked the preacher.

“Of course not,’’ said the miner.

“But what about the people who sunk the
shaft? Was there much labor.and expense
about it?” ,

“Indeed, yes. The shaft was sunk at great
labor and expense; but it is our only way
out. Without it we should never get to the
surface.””

‘Just so. And when God’s word tells you
that whosoever believeth on the Son of God
has everlasting life, you at once say, ‘Too
cheap, too cheap,’ forgetting that God’s work
to save you and others was accomplished at a
vast cost, the price of our lives being the
death of his own Son.”?—Z. MW.

Ss 0 oe

We should prefer all plagues possible to be-
ing without the Word of God or to having it
impure and adulterated. — Luther.

Tne whole world is full of miracles, but our
eyes must be pure, lest, because they are so
common to us, they hecome dim. — Luther.