These eighteen persons, besides many others, were kindled with zeal in the fear of God, and had turned to God from the world and its idolatry, and been baptized upon faith in Christ, entering upon obedience towards his holy Gospel. This the adversaries could not endure; these eighteen were therefore apprehended, and finally, as they, under many tortures, piously adhered to their faith, were all sentenced to the fire, and burned, on the same day, at Salzburg, about the year 1528. They left the following as a memorial:
“O God of heaven, watch over thy sheep; who are such a little flock, that they may not depart from thee, or be led astray. Keep them under thy protection, and deliver them from this lamentable distress; for the beast pursues them even unto death, which they must suffer, for they are thrown into severe prisons, where they, in the death of the dungeon, sing praises unto the Lord, and magnify him with heart and mouth. Acts 16:25. O Lord, have compassion therefore, and let this our complaint come before thee. Come quickly, and help us poor children, and sustain us in thy will. They would drive us from thee, and they beset us very hard with their great power and pomp. O God, grant us thy divine power; we have no other Lord in heaven and earth, than thee. 1 Cor. 8:6. Grant us what we desire of thee. The Lord Christ sends out his messengers, and through them offers us his heavenly kingdom, which is derided by the world: but we have accepted the Lord’s kingdom and his grace with great joy and satisfaction; therefore the priests roar and rage against us, and terribly hate us. They have greatly hid the truth for more than five hundred years, and seduced the multitude of men with false doctrine: they trample the word of God under their feet, and it is despised by them. O Lord, grant that they may amend their steps and do thy will.
And is that which has been witnessed at Salzburg not a lamentable matter; namely, that eighteen persons were burned together on the same day, only for the doctrine of Christ, whom they confessed to be the only Lord? They would not honor the image, nor worship the beast. They would not receive their words, nor the mark of antichrist into their hand or on their forehead. Therefore they could neither buy nor sell in the land; but they adhered to Christ, and received his mark, and their names are written in the book of life (Ps. 69:28); as Christian soldiers they, through grace, obtained the crown.” 2 Tim. 4:8.
Thus they were burned with fire, and are now awaiting everlasting joy.