Posted on 10/29/2019 5:06:29 AM PDT by Gamecock
A Daughter of the Reformation Anne was born during the reign of King Henry VIII to an honoured knight, Sir William Askew.
Anne was described as attractive in form and faith, a beautiful and high-spirited young woman, well educated, with unusual gifts, and "very pious." Her father arranged that she should be married to the son of a friend, Thomas Kyme, to whom her deceased sister had originally been promised.Anne Askew Anne Askew
Anne endeavored to be a faithful wife, and bore her husband two children. However, despite an initially happy marriage, her husband, Kyme, threw her out of the home because of her Protestant Faith.
Anne had acquired a copy of the English Bible and had studied it enthusiastically. She abandoned her formal Catholic religion for the life-changing Protestant Faith in a personal Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Her enthusiastic witness drew the attention of the priests who warned her husband about her "sedition." When challenged she confessed that she was no longer a Romanist, but "a daughter of the Reformation". At this, her husband threw her out of the home. However, he acknowledged that he had never known a more devout woman than Anne.
In 1545, Anne was examined by church leaders concerning her beliefs. Her answers were full of wisdom and quotes from the Holy Scriptures, and she often out-maneuvered the inquisitors pointing out the contradictions in their own position. This only served to enrage them more. Lord Bonner was determined to see her burned for heresy. After failing to prove any heresy, he resorted to insinuating that she was immoral. Looking him full in the face, Anne answered calmly: "I would, my lord, that all men knew my conversation and living in all points; for I am so sure of myself this hour, that there is none able to prove any dishonesty in me. If you know any who can do it, I pray you bring them forth."
He could not find anyone who could question her morals, and so he had to have her released.
Thomas Wriothesley, the lord Chancellor of England, was determined to crush the Reformation. He summoned her before the council and subjected her to an examination that lasted five hours. One of the council, Mr. Paget, challenged Anne: "How can you avoid the very words of Christ, take, eat, this is My Body which is broken for you?"
Anne answered: "Christ's meaning in that passage is similar to the meaning of those other places of Scripture, "I am the door", "I am the vine&". "Behold the Lamb of God." "That rock was Christ." And other such references to Himself. We are not in these texts to take Christ for the material thing which He is signified by, for then we will make Him a door, a vine, a lamb, a stone, quite contrary to the Holy Ghost's meaning. All these indeed signify Christ, even as the bread signifies His body in that place."
She was charged and imprisoned in Newgate Prison. Her enemies were determined to see her burn. On 28 June, she was taken to Guild Hall to be examined again by the council. She was taunted with being a heretic. She responded that she had done nothing for which the Law of God required her death. When asked directly if she denied the doctrine of Transubstantiation, that the sacrament of the Eucharist was the actual body and blood of Christ, Anne responded: "God is a spirit, not a wafer cake. He is to be worshipped in spirit and in truth" John 4:24 "and not by the impious superstitious homage paid to a wafer converted, by popish jugglery, into a god." That very day, 28 June, the council condemned Anne Askew to be burned to death at the stake.
However, before that sentence was to be carried out, Lord Wriothesley ordered her to be stretched on the rack. As the levers were turned and the torture began, Anne remained silent. Wriothesley was so angered by his lack of success that he ordered the torture to be increased. Then the officer of the rack was so moved by the sight of this pious woman enduring such torture in silence, he refused to intensify the torture. Wriothesley himself grabbed the levers and mercilessly stretched her body until her joints were pulled asunder and her bones were broken. Yet, despite the intense sufferings, all the cruelties of her enemies failed to change the patience sweetness of Anne's Christian demeanor.
When the day of her execution arrived, Anne was so crippled as a result of her tortures on the rack that she had to be carried in a chair to the stake. One who witnessed her death wrote: "She had an angel's countenance and a smiling face." She was offered one last chance at a pardon if she would renounce the doctrines of the Reformation and embrace Catholicism. This she boldly refused. "I believe all those Scriptures to be true which He hath confirmed with His most precious blood. Yea, and, as St. Paul sayeth, those Scriptures are sufficient for our learning and salvation that Christ hath left here with us; so that I believe we need no unwritten verities with which to rule His Church."
All who witnessed her noble martyrdom were impressed and inspired by the courage of this beautiful woman who gladly gave her life for Christ of one as the truest and purest witnesses of the Gospel of the Christian Church.
Ping
No doubt the demonic left of this world would love to do this to ALL Christians.
What’s stopping them?
The parallels in the events of this story to Christ’s death are striking.
God?
can’t be true. The Roman church handled the reformers with kittens and unicorns and all things fluffy. /s
Wow. Reminds me that being a mainstream Christian in America is incredibly easy.
That is the usual trajectory.
On 28 June, she was taken to Guild Hall to be examined again by the council. She was taunted with being a heretic. She responded that she had done nothing for which the Law of God required her death. When asked directly if she denied the doctrine of Transubstantiation, that the sacrament of the Eucharist was the actual body and blood of Christ, Anne responded: "God is a spirit, not a wafer cake. He is to be worshipped in spirit and in truth" John 4:24 "and not by the impious superstitious homage paid to a wafer converted, by popish jugglery, into a god." That very day, 28 June, the council condemned Anne Askew to be burned to death at the stake.
That response was (in term of effect) worse than killing a sacred cow in India, for while God metaphorically states,
But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee, (Ezekiel 2:8)
Catholicism insisted the she "eat" what they feed her. That of her contrived Catholic Eucharistic theology , in which (only by the words of a Catholic priest) non-existent bread and wine - which according to appearance and material tests is just bread and wine - is "really" the "true body and blood" of Christ. Until that is, the non-existent bread or wine (respectively) begins to manifestly (for here appearance is critical) undergo corruption/decomposition,at which point Christ is also non-existent under that form.
Such is Catholic faith in their church ("by God's grace"), and thus is this source of security so compulsively defended when its lack of clothes is exposed, as if it were God.
Thank you tor those call outs.
What a sad thing to be burned alive at the stake by heretics for following God and His word.
I did not know about this wonderful young lady.
Thank you for posting this sad, yet uplifting, bit of history.
The Catholic church has been instrumental in trying to eliminate those who preach God’s Word for practically as long as has been recorded.
Henry VIII died in 1547. (His immediate successor, Edward VI, was more Protestant than Henry had been.)
Anne Askew was executed in July, 1546, more than 11 years after Henry broke with Rome.
How is "the Roman church" implicated in any way?
Anglican church in this case, sorry.
There were even cases where diehard Catholics and diehard Protestants were taken off to their execution together.
Funny how it got quiet in here!
IF one reads the text one finds:
Her enthusiastic witness drew the attention of the priests who warned her husband about her "sedition."
Doesn’t matter in view of the chronology. High-church Anglicans call their ministers “priests” to this day, you know.
Crickets!
To give you an idea how King Henry treated actual Catholics during this time period, I suggest you read this.
Yes; they do.
I found I was in error when I rapidly replied to that statement.
Thanks for pointing this out.
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