When the World Passed by on the Other Side

Martyrs Mirror

"If any man will come after me, let him deny himself," that is, forsake his own wisdom, and pray, "Lord, thy will be done.” If you do this, the anointing of the Holy Ghost will teach you all that you are to believe. I John 2:27.





The north wind of persecution blew now the longer the more through the garden of the Lord, so that the herbs and trees of the same (that is the true believers) were rooted out of the earth through the violence that came against them. This appeared, among other instances, in the case of a very God-fearing and pious woman, named Maeyken Wens, who was the wife of a faithful minister of the church of God in the,city of Antwerp, by the name of Mattheus Wens, by trade a mason.

About the month of April, A. D. 1573, she, together with others of her fellow believers, was apprehended at Antwerp, bound, and confined in the severest prison there. In the meantime she was subjected to much conflict and temptation by so-called spirituals (ecclesiastics), as well as by secular persons, to cause her to apostatize from her faith. But when she could by no manner of means, not even by severe tortures, be turned from the steadfastness of her faith, they, on the fifth day of October, 1573, passed sentence upon her, and pronounced it publicly in court at the afore-mentioned place, namely, that she should, with her mouth screwed shut, or with her tongue screwed up, be burnt to ashes as a heretic, together with several others, who were also imprisoned and stood in like faith with her. ...

The oldest son of the afore-mentioned martyress, named Adriaen Wens, aged about fifteen years, could not stay away from the place of execution on the day on which his dear mother was offered up; hence he took his youngest little brother, named Hans (or Jan) Mattheus Wens, who was about three years old, upon his arm and went and stood with him somewhere upon a bench, not far from the stakes erected, to behold his mother's death.

But when she was brought forth and placed at the stake, he lost consciousness, fell to the ground, and remained in this condition until his mother and the rest were burnt. Afterwards, when the people had gone away, having regained consciousness, he went to the place where his mother had been burnt, and hunted in the ashes, in which he found the screw with which her tongue had been screwed fast, which he kept in remembrance of her.


MAEYKEN WENS, A. D. 1573 (Page 980-981)

Engraving by Jan Luiken, Martyrs Mirror, courtesy Mennonite Library and Archives.

A Sanctuary of Silent Remembrance

"For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep" (1 Co 11:30).

What "cause"? eating and drinking "unworthily," i.e., "not discerning the Lord's body" (cf. 1 Co 11:29).

It is not a matter of being worthy. If we waited to partake until worthy, we would never partake, for He alone is worthy.

"Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord" (1Co 11:27).

Likewise, it is not a matter of sin¹ in this context, but rather the "manner" in which the believer eats and drinks, i.e., "in remembrance" of the Lord's body, blood, and death "till He come".

"But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup" (1 Co 11:28).

That is, let each believer examine the "thoughts and intents" of his heart as he partakes, not necessarily the "sin" for which the Father has already made Him to be sin.

How is the Body of Christ to "worthily" discern the Lord's body and death? The Old Testament, written for our instruction, is replete with sanguineous offerings both corporate and individual. Our corresponding corporate remembrance is obviously addressed when coming together to partake of the Lord's Supper.

 However, there must also be a time for "individual" Spirit lead remembrance, i.e., "a moment of silence" un-transgressed by word or song or cord or the twang of a string for each believer before collectively partaking of the bread and wine!

Could omission of this "solitary sanctuary of silent remembrance" be the reason that "many are weak and sickly... and many sleep"?

"... your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God..." (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:19).


¹The NIV translation of 1Co 11:27 incorrectly references "sin" the ESV, NAS, KJV, and Darby do not.