Chapter XCIV: Preface: To Second Part (37)

It also happened that while the priest was lying sick, a man came to visit him, who, when the former complained to him of his great misery, remarked to him: “It is the coals from the fire at Rijssel”--namely, from the burning of the friends mentioned above;--which did not please the priest very much; but he had to bear this taunt as well as the punishment sent him from God. And in this way he at last died most miserably, even as we read that in former times it happened to Antiochus and Herod. 2 Macc. 9:9; Acts 12:23.

DIRK LAMBERTS, CHRISTIAN VAN WETTEREN, AND ANTONIJN DE WALE, A. D. 1563.

At Ghent in Flanders there were apprehended, for the faith, three brethren, namely, Dirk Lamberts, Christian van Wetteren, and Antonijn de Wale, who contended valiantly and heroically for their faith and the truth, from which they would not depart for any temptation, pain or suffering, so that they were finally sentenced to death. First Dirk Lamberts, and shortly afterwards the other two, had to follow Christ by entering through death into life; therefore they shall be clothed in fine linen with all the elect of God, and receive palms into their hands, and the crown of life upon their heads.

JOOS JANS PUT TO DEATH, A. D. 1563.

The same year a brother named Joos Jans was apprehended at Somerdijck, for living according to the truth, and was immediately taken to Zierickzee, where he suffered much examination and hardship, but suffered himself nevertheless in no wise to be moved or turned away from the word of God and the love of Christ, so that he was finally sentenced to death and beheaded, thus valiantly testifying with his blood to the truth.

NOTE.--The repeatedly mentioned decree of Emperor Charles V., enacted in the year 1550, and confirmed by Philip II., King of Spain, A. D. 1556 (for which year we have circumstantially shown the same), as also, A. D. 1560, was at this time, namely, A. D. 1564, renewed and established the third time, for the annihilation and destruction of the innocent and defenseless Christian believers, as may be seen in the large _book of decrees_ of Ghent, and cited by William I., Prince of Orange, in his defense against his adversaries, edition 1569, page 165, etc.

Thereupon followed no small persecution, as may be seen from the history of the following martyrs.

DANIEL KALVAERT, BURNED, A. D. 1564.

Daniel Kalvaert, a native of Thielt, in Flanders, was apprehended, A. D. 1564, at Armentiers, for the testimony of the truth, and thence taken to Rijssel, but after being subjected to some solicitations and torture, he was brought back to Armentiers, escorted by forty beadles, and there sentenced by the authorities, to be burnt alive to ashes; which offering he boldly brought, after which his ashes were thrown into the river Leye.

PIETER VAN OOSTHOVE, A. D. 1564.

Pieter Floriss, called of Oosthove, a native of Nipkerke in Flanders, was apprehended for the divine truth, at Armentiers, A. D. 1564, and, through many solicitations and sufferings, was prevailed upon to apostatize from his faith, induced by the promise that he should not die, and be released. But when again in his prison, and coming to himself, he reflected how greatly he had suffered himself to be deceived, for though he should escape temporal death for a little while, he should therefor have to taste eternal death. This produced in him such an agonizing sorrow, that he, like Peter, betook himself with earnest supplication to Almighty God, and besought him with scalding tears for forgiveness for the great offense he had committed, and for a more steadfast mind than he had shown before. His prayer was not left unheard, for when he was brought before the authorities again, he utterly renounced his apostasy, and thenceforth boldly confessed his faith, and steadfastly adhered to it, so that he was finally sentenced to death, to which he went with glad constancy, and was thus strangled, and burnt.

STEVEN DE GRAET, AND SIJNTGEN, A. D. 1564.

In the year 1564 there was apprehended at Ghent in Flanders, for the truth, a brother named Steven de Graet, with Sijntgen, his aged mother. They were both well confirmed in the faith, and continued in it amidst all solicitations and sufferings, even unto death, which they, for the name of Christ, had to suffer publicly; hence they shall also openly praise the Lord, in the throne of heaven, and help sing the glad new song, in honor of the Lamb, and of him that sitteth upon the throne. Rev. 14:3.

FIERIJNTGEN KETELS, LEENTGEN HER MOTHER, WITH PIERIJNTGEN AND MARIJNTGEN VAN MALE, IN THE YEAR A. D. 1564.

In the same year four sisters of Christ were apprehended at Ghent, namely, Pierijntgen Ketels, with Leentgen her mother, and two sisters, Pierijntgen and Marijntgen van Male. These did not counsel with flesh and blood, but with God, who was able to strengthen them, for whose name they, after many assaults and unwavering steadfastness, had to lay down their lives in the monastery of St. Peter, without the city of Ghent. Therefore they shall be crowned by the Young Man upon Mount Sion, and be joyfully received by their bridegroom. 2 Esdras 2:46; Matt. 25:10.

PIETER VAN DER MEULEN, A. D. 1564.

Shortly afterwards, also one brother Pieter van der Meulen contended so valiantly, at Ghent, for his faith in Christ, that, with firm faith and confidence in God, he withstood all who sought to turn him away from it, even unto death, so that he departed this world, and went with Christ into peace and rest, to help judge at the last day those who judged him here. Luke 23:43; 1 Cor. 6:2; Matt. 7:2.

MAEYKEN BOOSERS BURNT TO ASHES FOR THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST, IN THE CITY OF DOORNICK, THE 18TH OF SEPTEMBER, A. D. 1564.

_A confession and letter of consolation of Maeyken Boosers, imprisoned at Doornick, where she sealed her faith with her death._

The eternal, unfathomable grace of God, and the power of the Holy Ghost, be with you all, my beloved friends and brethren. I let you know that I am well according to the flesh; but according to the spirit I might be better, for I find weakness in me; but my hope is fixed upon God, who strengthens the feeble, and comforts the afflicted. My heart constantly longs to be fit in his sight, that I might finish to his praise that which he has commenced in me. Therefore I pray you, my beloved brethren, not to forget me, even as I well perceive that you do not, for which I thank you very much, and hope that the Lord will preserve you in his holy truth. I further inform you that the lords wanted to know of me, who were baptized with me, and whether none were in the city, and what were their names and surnames. I said: “What I do not know I cannot tell.” But it was all of no avail. They ordered the executioner to strip me. I felt very much ashamed, and I pleasantly entreated them to believe me; but it was of no avail. I then said: “Your will be done,” and undressed myself. They led me to the rack and bound me to draw and rack me. The commissary said that I should name them. I told him that I could not do it: whereupon they loosed me, without my having named any one, for which God on high be praised. However of Pieter and George they had knowledge already; hence I had to name them too, but their surnames I did not know. Herewith I will commend you to the Lord, and to the word of his grace. May the Lord keep us all in one faith to the end of our lives. Amen.

_Another letter from Maeyken Boosers to her parents._

I greet you from my inmost heart, my beloved father and my much beloved mother, with all that are in your house. Please know that I am well and unchanged in purpose, the Lord be praised forever, as I trust through the goodness of God it is also with you. Further, I thank you heartily for the kind greeting you wrote me, on account of which I greatly rejoiced, learning your feelings and affection for me; and for remembrance’ sake I will write you something about my imprisonment.

In the first place the commissary asked me how old I was when I was baptized. I replied: “About twenty-three or four years.” They asked me why I had it done. I said: “Because God had commanded it.” They asked me whether I did not know that I had been baptized previously. I said: “I know nothing of it; neither has God commanded it.” They asked me whether I did not have sponsors. I replied: “It may be;--they may have died.” They then said that they should send me learned men. I said: “You ought to be wise enough to talk with me;” but no, they would send learned men. They then sent the parish priest of Our lady’s church, who came and asked me why I had not been in his church so long, and that he had not known of me. I told him that I had quietly kept at home. They asked me where my church was. I answered: “My church is not known to you; for if you knew her, you would not let her in peace very long.”

We had many words about baptism. I said that Christ sent out his apostles into all the world, and that they first taught all nations to observe all things whatsoever he had commanded them, baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Infants cannot learn; but he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. Then they said that the apostles had baptized whole households. I said: “Yes, then they rejoiced that they were become believers in God; this children cannot do. Acts 16:34. Christ called the children to him and said that to such belonged the kingdom of heaven, but he did not command that they should be baptized.” They then brought forward Adam’s sin, saying that they were born in it. I replied that Christ had died for them. I asked them whether they meant to remove sin by baptism; since infants can have no sin, therefore they cannot die unto sin, and rise through baptism into a new life. Then the lords said: “Your doctrine is: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, is it not?” I said: “Yes.” They then asked whether Christ was not of Mary’s flesh. I said that Mary had conceived him of the Holy Ghost, even as the angel said to her: “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:35. They asked once more whether he did not assume flesh from her, since he had not brought it from above. I replied that I believed the testimony of John, where he says: “The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.” John 1:14. They asked whether I did not believe that he is Mary’s son according to the flesh, and the Son of God according to the spirit. I replied that he was God’s own begotten and only begotten Son, without beginning of days, nor end of life, and was now at the last born of Mary, through the power of the Holy Ghost. Heb. 7:3. Hence he is not of the earth, earthy, like Adam, nor will he return to earth [dust]; for he is the Lord from heaven. 1 Cor. 15:47. Now if he had flesh of our flesh, he would have to see corruption, for God said: “Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return”; but this was not spoken of Adam alone, but of all his descendants. Gen. 3:19.

They then asked me whether I did not believe that in the sacrament there were Christ’s flesh and blood. I said: “No; he is ascended, and sits on the right hand of God his Father.” They then asked me whether I would not believe that all the saints are in heaven. I said: “What I have not read I cannot answer; but this much I have read; The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them.” Wisdom 3:1. To this they did not say much, but asked what I held with regard to Mary. I replied that she was a pure and holy vessel, and blessed above all women, since she was worthy to conceive and give birth to the Son of God.

They asked whether I did not confess that there is a purgatory. I said: “I find two ways on record, the one very broad and leading to damnation, the other very narrow and leading to eternal life.” They also asked what I held in regard to the Pope. I said: “The Pope I do not know; but if this is his doctrine, which is observed here, I hold him to be like his doctrine.” Much more was spoken, but I only write this to while away time. Farewell.

_Another letter from Maeyken Boosers, to the brethren._

My dearest and much beloved brethren in the Lord, I let you know that my heart is of good cheer and courage, the Lord be forever praised, for he preserves us by his right hand, and delivers us out of the midst of our enemies, for without him I would be lost, since they, both spirituals and seculars, come to assail me in manifold ways, as could be seen this Sunday, when Mr. Massaert, with a judge and a secular, a learned man, held me to be the vilest sect that ever was under heaven. But when I told them my faith, I moved them all to tears, so that they could scarcely speak, and ultimately left me in a friendly manner.

No more for the present, except that I commend you to the Lord; may he constantly keep and preserve you in his holy truth. I hope it will soon be over with me; for I desire nothing so much, than that I might please the Lord, and die a blessed death. Amen.

_A testament from Maeyken Boosers to her children._

A heartfelt and affectionate greeting to you, my beloved children. Give ear to your mother, who is now in bonds for the truth; for it has pleased God, that all who will live godly must suffer persecution. Hence I am well satisfied and of good cheer, that the servant must follow his lord. His blessed will be done with me; if it had been his pleasure, he would have prevented these bonds. My dear children, it has been so from the beginning, that the righteous must suffer, and that the unrighteous always prevail. But their day shall soon come, that they will lament and cry out in their distress: “Mountains, fall on us, and hills, cover us from the face of the Lord.” Luke 23:30. Alas! when the righteous shall shine forth as the sun, and the ungodly shall go into eternal fire. O beloved children, search the Scriptures, and conform to them, that you may hear the blessed words: Come, ye blessed, inherit the kingdom of my Father. Pray the Lord for wisdom, and learn to fear God, and you will get true understanding. Do not conform to the world, in pride, dancing, running, and idle gossip; but evince by your walk a godly life, adorn yourselves like the holy women, accept the Scriptures and live according to them, that your souls may be saved, and that we may meet hereafter. May the Almighty God, the King of kings, grant you his grace according to the riches of his goodness, to be strengthened in the inner man, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts; and may he guide you into all truth. I pray you, my dear children, be peaceable among yourselves, for this is a fruit of the Spirit. Willingly help one another, without gainsaying, and always remember the poor; communicate willingly of all that you have; make yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; love that which is eternal, and not what is temporal; seek the heavenly, and not the earthly, for all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven; the glory of man perisheth, but the word of the Lord abideth forever. Isa. 40:6. Love not the world, neither the things that are in it, namely, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, which are not of God, but of the world; and the world shall perish, with all that is in it; but he that doeth the will of the Father abideth forever. 1 John 2:15; 1 Cor. 7:31.

My children, do according to the will of the Lord; I, your mother, hope to walk the way before you. Mark wherein and how I go before you, and regard not the honor of the world, but esteem it an honor, to suffer for the name of our God. For he who was King over all was not ashamed to leave his glory, and came into the world, and suffered the most ignominious death for us, and, though he was innocent, was beaten and marred, that there remained not one sound spot on his blessed body. Thus did he love us, thereby leaving us an example that we should follow his steps. He is the light that came into the world, that all who follow him should not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. John 8:12. The Lord grant that that light shine also around you, and that you walk in it. Amen.

_Another, short letter from said mother to her children._

My children, I greet you most cordially, and send you back your letters, that you may fulfill the promises you therein made to me. Always be subject to those who instruct you in righteousness, and reprove you when you transgress. Farewell, and herewith adieu to you in this world. My dear children, fear God, and eschew all evil.

_Another letter from Maeyken Boosers, to her father and mother._

My most beloved father and mother, I commend myself to you from my inmost heart, praying the Lord that he will comfort you and me with the consolation of the Holy Ghost--the promise of the Lord,--whom he promised to send to his disciples, saying: “I go unto the Father, and shall send you another Comforter, whom the world cannot receive, for it knoweth him not.” John 14:16,17. Hence, my dear father and mother, be of good cheer and await with patience what the Lord wills to do with me. I, too, wait patiently for his comfort. What has passed I esteem not more than a breath of air, and it gives me no trouble, the Lord, in whom I hope, be praised; for he it is who comforts the humble, and puts down the proud from their seats. Luke 1:52. Though there is now tribulation before us, yet we know full well that the day of the Lord will soon come, and that all ungodliness will be brought to nought. And God shall judge them without respect of persons, and reward every one according to his works. Therefore, my dear and much beloved father and mother, worry not on my account; let the Lord finish his work. I hope that he has predestinated me poor unworthy one for an offering acceptable unto him, for I have hoped in his mercy; and that he will not enter into judgment with me, for if he should judge me according to my deserts, I should be worthy of eternal death; but the Lord, I hope, will have mercy upon me.

I further let you know that I was brought before the Dean once more, but neither of us yielded, and as he was leaving he said to me: “If you persist in this belief, you are eternally damned.” I said: “How can you speak so? seeing God shall judge.” “Yes,” said he, “I dare indeed say it, for it will be so.” Then Master Klaes followed me and asked: “Where have you kept yourself so long? I have long sought you.” I replied: “You have me now, sure.” “I have not,” he said; “if you were in our hands, we should keep you longer than these will, I think.” Herewith, my dear father and mother, I will commend you to the Lord; may he preserve you and me unto the end. Grieve not for me, but rejoice that the Lord counts me worthy; for I will cheerfully resign for his sake these my members, which he has given me. Farewell always.

_Another letter from Maeyken Boosers to her brethren and sisters._

O my dearest and much beloved brethren and sisters in the Lord, I greet you once more with the peace of the Lord, that the same may remain with you forever. Amen.

I let you know that these my enemies still keep tormenting me about baptism; but of the incarnation of Christ they say nothing to me. The Dean told them my faith, and they asked me nothing except whether I believed that Christ was David’s son. I replied that he was the Son of the living God. “Oh! oh!” said the Dean. The lords asked: “Is it not written: Out of the seed of David according to the flesh?” Acts 13:23. The Dean answered them, for there was no hearing; he frequently told me I lied, because I withstood him, that he could not show me that the apostles had baptized children. They all fell upon me at once, and said that no one could enter the kingdom of heaven, except he were born of water and of the Spirit. They hastily asked me whether I did not confess this too. I said: “This Scripture belongs not to children, but to the adult, who have ears to hear.” Then they arose and said: “You labor under an opinion.”

Thus, my dear friends, I expect to be brought before them once more to-morrow. Hence I pray you to entreat the Lord for me, that he would direct my mouth to his praise and glory. Herewith I will commend you forever into the hands of God, and kindly ask you to receive my simple writing in good part, for I seek nothing but to please God, from the simplicity of my heart; and I wish nothing, alas! save, that I might please the King of kings and Lord of lords in my calling; then I should indeed have been born at a blessed time. Herewith peace; farewell; nothing more after this. Take this for an eternal adieu.

After this, Maeyken Boosers was burnt to ashes, at Doornick, having commended her soul into the hands of the Lord.

WILLEBOORT CORNELISS, PUT TO DEATH FOR THE EVANGELICAL TRUTH, AT MIDDELBORGH IN ZEALAND, THE 14TH OF SEPTEMBER, IN THE YEAR 1564.

_A letter of Willeboort Corneliss, written from his imprisonment at Middelborgh, and which he sealed with his blood._

The grace and peace of God the heavenly Father, which have come to us through Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, comfort you in all your tribulation, my dearest sister in the Lord; and the Holy Ghost guide you into all truth and righteousness unto the end; and the mighty hand of God keep you and me in the straight way, that we may walk aright unto the end. Amen.

For, my dearest and beloved sister in the Lord, in this miserable and sorrowful world we are counted a prey to every one, as the prophet tells us. Isaiah 59:15. Yea, Christ Jesus himself says: “Ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.” Matthew 10:22. Yea, we are counted as deceivers, and yet are true; we are become a spectacle; we are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed. 2 Cor. 6:8; 1 Corinthians 4:9; 2 Cor. 4:8,9. We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter; but in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Rom. 8:36,37. For, my dear lamb, we know that we must through much tribulation and suffering enter into the kingdom of heaven; knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. Acts 14:22; 2 Cor. 5:6. Hence Peter says: “I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.” 1 Pet. 2:11. Therefore, my dear lamb, though you have now with Abraham left our fatherland, be therefore not slothful in your business; but be fervent in spirit; redeeming the time; rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; distributing to the necessity of saints; and see that you are given to hospitality. Romans 12:11–13. For, my dear lamb, though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.” 2 Cor. 4:16.

Therefore, my dear sister, look constantly unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame. Consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest you be wearied in your distress, and faint in your mind. For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he loveth and receiveth. Heb. 12:2, etc. For our Savior himself suffered so much for our sakes that Isaiah may well say: “He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from him.” Is. 53:2,3. So that he may well say through the prophet: “They gave me gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me gall and vinegar to drink; and all men laugh me to scorn; they shoot out the lip, and shake the head.” Yea, as he says through the prophet: “I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.” Ps. 69:21; 22:7,6.

My dear sister in the Lord, if the head thus suffered, the members must follow. Grieve not that you must wander about yet in this world or wilderness; for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do, according to the good purpose of your mind. Philip. 2:13. My dear lamb, always let your light shine among this wicked and perverse generation, that, whereas they speak against you as evil-doers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. 1 Peter 2:12.

My dearest sister in the Lord, wait patiently for the time; be patient unto the coming of our Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Therefore be patient, and stablish your heart; for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. My dear sister, you have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. Jas. 5:7, etc.

My dear lamb, let us keep unto the end that which we have; he is faithful that promised it us. Heb. 10:23. My dear sister, humble yourself always; cast all your care upon him, for he cares for you, and for us all (1 Peter 5:6,7); for we know our reward beforehand, if we hold fast his commandments unto the end, according to our weakness; and we wait for it with patience. Hence Paul says that love is the bond of perfectness. Col. 3:14. And Peter says: Have perfect charity among yourselves; for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. 1 Pet. 4:8. My dear sister in the Lord, though we must now be the laughing stock of the world, and wander about in foreign lands, we will be none the worse for it when the Lord shall say: “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matt. 25:34. Then shall the child be born; then there shall be no more reviling; then shall all our enemies be conquered; then shall the tears be wiped from our eyes; then shall no harm happen to us any more; then shall we drink of the fountain of life, without price; for whatsoever things were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have before. Rom. 15:4.

The God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us, to the glory of God, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Farewell, my dear sister in the Lord. Amen.

By me, WILLEBOORT CORNELISS.

Written in bonds.

PRIJNTGEN AND MARTIJNTGEN MAELBOUTS, IN THE YEAR 1564.

On the 12th of November A. D. 1564, there was beheaded with the sword, at Ghent in Flanders, one Prijntgen Maelbouts, widow of Jacob de Backer, brother of Pauwels van Meenen, and with her, her sister, Martijntgen Maelbouts, a young girl, a native of Thielt; not for any reported evil deeds, but simply for the testimony of our Lord Jesus Christ, in a good conscience, since they, according to the teaching of the holy Scriptures, had separated from the papal church of antichrist--as being polluted with much uncleanness of the impure works of darkness, and the doctrines and commandments of men, militating against the holy word of the Lord--and united with the true members of Christ, and sought with them, according to their weak ability, to observe the commandments and ordinances of their Lord. On this account the persecutors and enemies of the truth deprived them of their lives, which, to please their Lord and redeemer, they willingly resigned, in the living hope and firm faith, that at the resurrection of the just, they should receive back into great glory these their corruptible members, which they here resigned for his name’s sake, and reign with God and his saints in eternity. 2 Maccabees 7:11,14; 1 Cor. 15:43.

MR. JELIS MATTHIJSS, PUT TO DEATH FOR THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST, AT MIDDLEBORGH, IN THE YEAR A. D. 1564.

_A letter of Mr. Jelis Matthijss, written in prison, at Middleborgh , A. D. 1564, where he laid down his life for the name of the Lord._

_The foundation of God standeth sure.--2 Timothy 2:19._

Grace, peace, and the abundant love of our God, with the deep and unspeakable love of his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the chosen gift of faith, are revealed to us by God, the merciful dear Father, through Christ Jesus, and given to his saints, whom he, through his fatherly love, has now chosen, called and ordained thereto, yea, delivered from the chains and heavy bonds of the perpetual darkness of unbelief, with which this evil, wicked and perverse world is bound; and has, according to his fatherly mercy, begotten us again unto a living, saving hope, and translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son, in whom we have the forgiveness of our sins through his blood, that we my dear sheep, should henceforth serve him without fear in all obedience, righteousness and holiness, all the days of our life, 1 Peter 1:3; Col. 1:13,14; Luke 1:74,75. To this end may the merciful dear Father help and strengthen us with the power of his holy Spirit. Amen.

Since you people have requested me, through your letter, and through greetings heard from you at different times, as also previously, by the letter of your dear wife, who also requested the same of me [to write], know that I have frequently purposed in my heart to do so according to my little gift, although I trust it is not really necessary, yet I hope that it will nevertheless assure and confirm you the more. But as I had rather much writing to do, and was engaged also with other matters, I could not very well attend to it; yet I have constantly cherished a father’s care for you, frequently beseeching my God with a fervent heart, according to my weakness, that he would preserve you both, under the shadow of his wings, in this horrible and perilous time full of all wickedness, and fill you more and more with his Holy Spirit, and open the eyes of your understanding, that you, my dear sheep, may learn to know well the snares and outspread nets of the devil, which he now in so manifold ways daily lays for the regenerated, though you are not ignorant of them partly, well knowing his devices; wherefore you have watched until the present time, in which I greatly rejoice, as also in this, that your faith grows and increases in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, unto whom I have begotten you and the others, in my bonds, by tears, with the power of the Holy Ghost. And you became followers of me, and of the Lord, and received the word of the Gospel of the cross of Christ with much sighing and godly sorrow, and have obeyed it from the heart, in the form of the doctrine wherein you now stand, so that you have became ensamples to all those in Middelborgh, who want to amend their lives, and take up the cross of the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 1:6,7. Not only these, but many saints are made to rejoice, beholding your obedience and humility in the fear of your God, which, I hope will increase and become manifest still more from day to day, so that, my dear sheep, it may be clearly evident, that you are truly born again from above, of God the Father, and renewed by the renewing of your mind. Rom. 12:2. Remember that your conversation must be heavenly, namely, according to the new man, who after God is created in all manner of righteousness and holiness; for since he who has called and chosen you to this service is holy, you must also according to your ability, lead a holy, chaste and godly life in the fear of your God. Eph. 4:24; 1 Peter 1:15. For to whom we have yielded ourselves, his servants we are, as the apostle says: whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto life. Rom. 6:16. God be praised and thanked forever, my dear sheep, that you were the servant and handmaid of sin, but are now washed and cleansed with me, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost, whom God the Father shed on us abundantly through Christ our Savior, not for the works of our righteousness which we had done; for we were by nature the children of wrath, even as others; but God, the merciful, dear Father, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, when we were dead in sins and unrighteousness, quickened us together with Christ, or by Christ, his dear Son, through faith. Tit. 3:5; Eph. 2:3, etc.

Therefore, my affectionately beloved sheep, in Christ Jesus, whose souls I love from the heart, and for whom I have a fatherly and godly care, I admonish and beseech you as a prisoner in the Lord, frequently to call to remembrance the day in which the merciful dear Father had compassion upon you, and took the vail from your eyes and hearts, which still hangs before the eyes and hearts of so many thousands, who walk such hard ways and know not the way of the Lord, because they are drunken with the wine of the Babylonian whore, namely, the false doctrines, by which the whole earth is covered; but you, my sheep, have become sober, and come out of her, and I also hope that you will no more touch her uncleanness, lest you perish with her plagues. 2 Cor. 3:16; Wis. 5:7; Rev. 17:2; 18:4.

Hence watch sharply in righteousness, so that you, my dear sheep, be not put to confusion after my departure in this horrible and perilous time, for you can plainly see and hear that now is certainly the time of which Christ Jesus and his holy apostles have so diligently warned us, even as Christ himself said that the love of many should wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Matt. 24:12,13. O my dear sheep, ponder the words of Christ, and let them lodge in your hearts. It is indeed not spoken with regard to the world; for in the world the love of God cannot wax cold, since it has not received it, neither knows it; but it is spoken with reference to the true Israelites, and you see that this happens abundantly among them, which is certainly a lamentable matter, as that the devil and spirit of the old serpent has gained such strength and power in the present time, through the manifold, subtle and dexterous snares which he daily lays, to capture anew in his net of unbelief the souls of the regenerated, who have escaped him through the knowledge of God, whom he does capture again, my dear sheep, some of them through false doctrine, not only through the Roman antichrist, since now there are many antichrists in the world. For this reason he has put on another cap, which is no longer like the Roman, well knowing that his game with it will soon be played; hence he has transformed himself, and appears now as an angel of light, and does his diligence to mingle with the children of light, there to set forth his wares anew. For, my dear sheep in the Lord, formerly he came with human ordinances and commandments, but now he knows that men want to hear Scripture; hence he now comes adducing many Scriptures, so that it seems to be all right, even as he presumptuously did with Christ, quoting to him from the prophet David, that it was written that he [God] should send his angels, who should bear him up in their hands, lest he should dash his foot against a stone. Matt. 4:6; Ps. 91:12. See, my dear sheep, he did indeed quote Scripture, just as it read; but it had not been spoken or prophesied with any such meaning; thus these also, though they quote many Scriptures, and presumptuously say: Thus it is certainly written; by which he easily captures in his outspread net the wavering and those whose ears itch to hear something new.

Others he gets through deceitful riches that come to them, which bring men into destruction and perdition, since covetousness is the root of all evil. 1 Tim. 6:9,10. Nevertheless, some yet desire that their temporal possessions increase, and are so busily engaged therewith, that in the meantime they forget the exercise of godliness, and bring upon themselves many sorrows. Alas, my dear lamb, it shall go with them as it went with certain of the Israelites; they that had gathered much had nothing over; and they that had gathered little had no lack. Ex. 16:18. Hence, if we have food and raiment, O that we could therewith be content; for we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 1 Tim. 6:7. For we see, dear sheep, that the words of our dear Lord Jesus Christ are true, namely, that the deceitful riches choke and suppress the good seed, namely, the word of God, whereby many also come to shame.

The third class [he deceives], through the loss or spoiling of their goods, who do not rightly consider that, like the merchant-man, they have found the most beautiful pearl, which is certainly well worthy of all this, and far above comparison with it. The fourth, through crosses and suffering, namely, persecution. The fifth, through the entreaties and solicitations of father and mother, friends and relatives. The sixth, through wife and children. The seventh, by their own evil, subtle flesh. The eighth, because they become weary of the way of righteousness, and turn back to Egypt and Sodom, to live at ease and peace for a short time with the Babylonian whore, and afterwards to be tormented with her in everlasting pain.

Behold, my most chosen and beloved sheep, all this is wrought and set in motion by a single spirit, the old serpent, who neither sleeps nor slumbers, but constantly walks about us, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Pet. 5:8. Hence resist him manfully and with a believing heart, and let it not terrify you, though they so lightly forsake the commandments of the Lord. O, regard not the negligent, slothful and unfaithful; but let all faithless servants and false disciples forsake their Lord and Master, yet we hope nevertheless to adhere to him, and you with me, and are ready to suffer whatever he imposes upon us. Ah! what should we do or undertake, if we should forsake his commandments? whither should we flee, where he should not find us? Oh! heaven and earth must obey him with trembling; mountains and caverns must quake before him, and can not stand in his presence; how much more the children of men, who dwell in houses of clay. Ps. 114:7; Job 4:19. O my dear sheep, wherewith shall they excuse or justify themselves when he shall visit them, who now so unfaithfully depart from him?

Alas! alas! it is indeed a lamentable matter, that they have conceived such a loathing for the noble heavenly bread, and that the only medicine by which all the souls of the regenerated have been restored, is become such a deadly enemy to them. Yea, my dear sheep, we may well sigh and lament with the prophet over the destruction of Israel, and over Jerusalem the fair city of God, and this the more because so many Israelites drift into the wilderness of this wicked world, and are again destroyed and slain by the subtle spirit of the serpent. Also, because some of the watchmen are become apostates, and the citizens of Jerusalem, too, are becoming slothful and drowsy, though he who walks around the camp neither rests nor pauses, but diligently seeks day and night, whom he may find idle or sleepy, to sow his tares into the field of the heart, even as he, alas! did not a little in my time, and will still do, the longer the more, according to my opinion. For the more the people of God increase, the more will he reign among them; nor will he rest until he succeed in getting some of them to submit to his will again; and God permits him to torment the pious, and also to seduce them, that the others may be tried. See, my dearest and much beloved children in the Lord, it is therefore my fatherly entreaty and humble request of you, for the sake of the eternal salvation of your souls, that you will henceforth exercise great care that you may remain in the way of righteousness, and always be mindful how you from this time on ought to walk in the house of God, which is the church of God, unto which you have come, whereof I was very glad, when I heard it, and thanked and praised my God for his great fatherly goodness and grace which he has shown you, and has received you as his son and daughter, yea, as heirs of his heavenly riches, on which account you have so voluntarily betaken yourselves under the yoke and rod of the cross, and, with the holy apostle Paul, counted your gain loss, that you might gain your souls in Christ, even as you have done. Hence, take heed to yourselves, and depart or waver neither to the right nor to the left, lest you fall from your own steadfastness, and eternal fire be your inheritance; but as you, my dear sheep, have now put on the Lord Jesus Christ, so continue to walk in him, and remain firmly established and rooted in his doctrine, lest you wax cold or lukewarm in love, and thus lose what you have received and so willingly accepted. 2 Peter 3:17; Col. 2:6; 1 Cor. 4:7.

I also beseech you, by the mercy of our dear Lord Jesus Christ, that you neglect not, to thank and praise God the merciful dear Father day and night, through Christ his dear Son, for the great, unspeakable benefits which he has shown us poor, miserable creatures; and has foreseen and chosen us from our mother’s womb, and this to the end that we should truly live and confess his name among this wicked and adulterous generation, and thus may hold fast unto the end, the beginning of the Christian life. For though, my dearest sheep and much beloved children, you are now become true heirs of eternal life, through obedience to the Gospel, and are written with me and all saints in the book of life, yea, have been brought to an innumerable company of angels, yet, O my dear sheep, he can soon blot us out again, and write our apostate names in the earth (Jer. 17:13), if we do not faithfully, according to our weakness, walk in God’s commandments unto the end of our lives; for we know that the glorious promises given to the pious, and the crown of eternal life, lie neither in the beginning nor in the middle; but he that endures, and continues faithful unto the end, shall receive the same from the hand of the Lord. For it is evident, that it availed the outward Israel (in whom we have a clear example) nothing, my dear sheep, that they by the strong hand of the Lord, had been delivered out of Egypt from the service and bondage of Pharaoh: yea, all the benefits shown them on the way by the faithful, merciful, dear Father, were certainly for the most part lost or in vain. Though he fed them with angels’ food, and gave them all that their soul desired, yet they became impatient and murmured, and did not receive their trial in the fear of God, or in patience, wherefore the Lord was wroth, and destroyed twenty-three thousand at one time. O, my dear, chosen sheep, think on it; it certainly occurred for our instruction and admonition, as the holy apostle says, that we should not fall into the same example of unbelief; for what could it avail us, that we have now also gone out from spiritual Egypt and Sodom, and been delivered from the service of the hellish Pharaoh, through the Red Sea of the blood of Christ Jesus, and been baptized in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, upon the confession of our faith, and have thus, having renounced our own selves, entered into the true Noah’s ark--Christ Jesus. O my dear sheep, it all cannot avail or save us, if we do not observe the fulfilling of the commandments of our God; for the apostle John says: “He that saith, I know God, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” 1 John 2:4. But you, my most beloved, have always obeyed not only in my presence, but much more in my absence; therefore work out your salvation with fear, and constantly walk as becomes the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, after my departure, that you may always stand fast in one spirit and mind; and be not terrified in any wise by your adversaries, whether from within or without, which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of eternal salvation, and that of God. For, my dear sheep, it is not enough that you believe on Christ, but you must also suffer for his name, if not in bonds or imprisonment, then in the daily conflict and temptations, which at the present time arise in many and various forms, and may come upon you still more. Phil. 2:12; 1:27. For God proves and tries his chosen in manifold ways. Bonds and imprisonment are regarded as the greatest trials of faith; but, my dear lamb, I write and confess to you at this time, that to me it is the least, compared with the perils and temptations I tasted and met with in the wilderness of this world, or which I saw before me, so that I often did not know which way to turn, for anxiety of heart and spirit, and sighed and wept to my God on account of the manifold subtle and adroit snares which the old serpent is now laying, fearing that I might yet become entangled in her snares of human weakness, and of the wisdom of my own flesh, because I saw and heard that such high, strong and firmly rooted trees were completely torn up by the roots, and such lofty mountains brought low most miserably. Besides, I felt that in me there dwelt no good thing; moreover, I considered that at his righteous day much chaff will be found, when he will look over his own. O then he will see those who will not have on a wedding garment.

For this reason also I was in great anxiety, fearing that through my daily mistakes and polluted walk I should not be able to stand at his coming; hence I often besought him with tears, that through his fatherly mercy he would make me, poor, miserable man, fit, that I might suffer for his name’s sake, to go into bonds and imprisonment, and even into death, for his holy testimony;--then I should be sure of my soul’s salvation, and not fear to come to shame in the day of his wrath,--whereto he, through his fatherly mercy, has now chosen me and made me worthy, to declare his holy testimony before this evil and adulterous generation, in my bonds; on which account I am greatly rejoiced in my soul, and sincerely regret that I cannot thank or praise my and our merciful dear Father enough for his unspeakably great benefits which he has shown and is still daily showing me miserable creature; for I trust in his fatherly grace and mercy, that he will further fit me and make me worthy to go into death for his holy testimony; for he knows that I have for a long time longed to be at home, and this on account of the manifold dangers I behold in the way. Hence, my affectionately beloved sheep in the Lord, as I still have a fatherly care for you, and love you with a godly love, I cannot forbear, seeing I am still in this tabernacle for a little while, to admonish you a little by my writing, praying you not to think that I rule over you; but I seek to build you up with all kindness unto the full stature of the fullness of Christ, so that you, my dear sheep, may be found a true letter of Christ, not written with ink on paper, but by the Holy Spirit of the living God, whereby you are also sealed unto the day of your redemption, who has written God’s statutes and laws into your hearts and minds, whereby you are now become an epistle of Christ, which is seen and read by all men who behold your holy, chaste conversation in the humility of your heart and depreciation of yourselves. 2 Cor. 3:2; 1 Pet. 3:2.