Do what you will: shall the words of the Lord be made void? shall the gospel be of account no longer? Certainly not; but the kingdom of God shall be only the more precious and sweet to the true Israelites, and come the sooner to the chosen of Jesus Christ. But they who do such things, shall experience the great judgment of God. They that kill the righteous shall not escape unpunished. 2 Thessalonians 1:6.
O most beloved, lift up your eyes, and take to heart the counsel of God. Not long ago the Lord showed you a sign of pestilence, in order to lead you to repentance; but if this will not be received, he will unsheathe the sword entirely, and smite with the sword, pestilence and famine the people which exalts the horn against Christ. May God, through his mercy, avert this scourge from this place. To all believers their most zealous servant, the imprisoned and bound Algerius.
Written in the most delightful pleasure garden of the prison, called Leonia, the 12th of July, A. D. 1557.[268]
[268] Some had given 1555 as the year, but this is an error.
This Algerius,[269] though very young in years, was a student from the kingdom of Naples, and studied at Padua, where a brother who spoke his language came to him, of whom he diligently inquired the way and the will of the Lord, listening very earnestly, and was forthwith baptized into the Lord’s death, which he immediately afterwards manfully and undauntedly as a bold hero and young soldier of Christ, forcibly proved with the deed, and sealed with his blood, and thus became like his master, since he was also, even as Christ, when he came up out of Jordan, immediately assailed by the enemy, the tempter and his instruments, and cast into prison, in which he went through and endured many severe conflicts, but was always greatly strengthened and comforted with great joy, by the Lord, whom he had set before his eyes, as his present writing abundantly shows, which he wrote in prison at Padua to the brethren in Italy, to strengthen and comfort them in their sorrow, which had come upon them on his account, because they were solicitous for him as being a novice in the faith. But the Lord clothed him with great power, and hence, through him, as one of his chief weapons, glorified his name. For after many temptations, he was sent to Venice, where the entire Senate or nobility tried to prevail upon him, as did the tempter finally try to do with Christ, and meant, by solemn entreaties, flattery, and the offer of all manner of worldly aid and friendship, certainly to catch and alienate him, which was not one of the least darts; but, as an immovable pillar, he rejected it all and despised it for Christ’s sake, in order that he might with Moses and Paul win and keep Christ alone. Matt. 4:8; Eph. 6:16; Phil. 3:8; Hebrews 11:26.
[269] Some old writers did not know that this youth, Algerius, shortly before his death, had, through baptism which he received upon his faith, united with the cross-bearing Church of the Anabaptists; hence they ignorantly ascribed to him another religion.
When they could not prevail upon him, though they tried for a long time, he was therefore sent to Rome, and delivered to the Pope, where he finally, after severe and hard imprisonment, offered up his life in great steadfastness, as a sweet savor, to the Lord, very eagerly and joyfully following in the footsteps of all his forefathers and the glorious confessors of Christ; and thus he richly partook of the sufferings of his Lord and Master; yea, his end was crowned with great triumphant praise even also by all his despisers, and thus the desired cup was drained.
Many different means having been tried with him, he was at last sentenced to be burnt, but not in the same manner as others, who were, also on account of the faith, with shortened pain, executed according to the Italian or French custom of being first hanged and strangled, and then burnt. But this pious Algerius was held in greater honor by the Lord Christ, and for this reason also had to begin and bring to a triumphant issue a far more exalted and honorable conflict.