Therefore my dear and much beloved chosen sister in the Lord, let us go on with a valiant, firm and strong confidence, and with great humility and meekness of heart, and with a great desire after our holy and blessed treasure (Jesus Christ); and the Lord shall desire our beauty, and when the Lord shall come with his mighty angels, and with the sound of the trumpet, in the clouds, to reward every man according to his works, then shall the elect be gathered together from the four winds of heaven, and they shall, as sheep, be set on his right hand, and the ungodly, as goats, on the left; then shall we hear the sweet and blessed words: Come, ye blessed, inherit the kingdom of my Father, prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 2 Thess. 1:7; Matt. 16:27; 24:30,31; 25:33,34. Then we shall enter into the great, beautiful and imperishable glory of the Lord, where we shall be in great glory and unspeakable, great and eternal joy, and thus forever be with the Lord of lords, King of kings, God of gods, and Father of fathers, and praise, thank, glorify, honor and sanctify him, for Holy, holy, is the holy Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come, Rev. 4:8. But to them on the left hand he shall say: Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for you and the devil; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Hence, O dear and much beloved in the Lord, let us take good heed, that we do not sleep in sin, lest our treasure be taken; for when people sleep, thieves go and rob them. But let us watch and pray and adorn ourselves as the five wise virgins, who had oil in their lamps; so that when the bridegroom comes, we may enter in to his glorious and imperishable marriage, where the Lord will be praised forever, for it is a good thing to sing praises to our God.
Herewith I commend you to the Lord, and to the rich word of his grace. Amen. Always remember us in your holy prayers to God, as Paul says: Remember them that are in bonds as bound with them. Heb. 13:2. For we also remember you for the best in our prayers, according to our weak ability, for it is written: All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. Matt. 7:12.
Written out of great brotherly love, and sent by us three prisoners for the word and the holy name of the Lord, to you our dear and much beloved sister in the Lord. Amen.
BARBELKEN GOETHALS, AND SAERKEN VAN DUERHOVE, A. D. 1570.
At Ghent, in Flanders, there were imprisoned for their faith, two pious sisters, named Barbelken Goethals and Saerken van Duerhove. While confined in the convent of St. Peter, they had to resist many temptations, sufferings and vexations; but adhering nevertheless steadfastly to the divine truth, they were finally sentenced to death as heretics, and, on the 21st of November, 1570, burnt without Ghent, in consequence of which they are delivered, and shall remain so forever, from the eternal and unquenchable fire of hell.
HERE FOLLOWS A LETTER WHICH BARBELKEN GOETHALS WROTE IN PRISON, AND SENT TO JASPER N., ONE OF HER FELLOW BELIEVERS.
The abundant and unfathomable great grace peace and mercy of God our heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ, his only and eternal dear and beloved Son, by whom we are redeemed and loosed from the chains of hell and the shadows of death, and reconciled through his precious blood alone; him I wish you, my dearest brother in the Lord, as the preserver of your soul; and that he would comfort you with the great consolation, joy, and gladness of the Holy Ghost, in all that may befall you yet for the true testimony of our dear Lord Jesus Christ. To this God who only is wise, be praise, glory, honor, power, strength and might, forever and ever. Amen.
After all proper, cordial and friendly salutations to you, Jasper, my dearest brother in the Lord, whom I love with godly love in the truth (2 John 1), and this for the truth’s sake, O, this the Lord knows, to whom all hearts are known, O my dear and much beloved brother in the Lord, know that it is still my purpose to fear our dear Lord from the depth of my heart, according to my weakness, all the days of my life, and hope by the help of the Lord never to separate from the truth; not for anything that is in the world, neither for riches, silver or gold, do I hope by his grace, to apostatize from our dear Lord, to which end may the almighty God strengthen me, this I pray him. O my dearest brother in the Lord, I would far rather with Susanna fall into the hands of men, than to sin in the sight of the Lord; for the pure and undefiled Susanna said: “If I do this thing, it is death unto me: and if I do it not, I cannot escape your hands. It is better for me to fall into the hands of men, and not to do it, than to sin in the sight of the Lord.” Susanna 22, 23. I likewise well know, that if I forsake the truth death is unto me; but, oh no! this I hope by the grace of the Lord never to do; but it is much better for me also to fall into the hands of men, than that I should forsake the Lord my God. Oh no, my dearest brother in the Lord! O let us never depart from the truth of the Lord, for so many beautiful promises are promised us, and if we continue steadfast unto death we shall be saved. O my much beloved, dear brother in the Lord, O if we may only be saved, that is enough; which I hope by his great grace, if we continue in his word, we shall; for he is faithful that promised, who also will do it; for he says by his pious prophet Isaiah, comforting his own: Though a mother forget her own child, which she herself has brought forth, yet will I not forget thee. Isa. 49:15. Therefore, my affectionately beloved brother in the Lord, behold, how faithfully our dear Lord comforts us; hence, dear and beloved in the Lord, let us be of good courage, and willingly labor, for it (our labor) will not be in vain in the Lord. 1 Cor. 15:58. Hence I am valiant and bold, to the Lord be praise and glory, now and forever, who so faithfully succors me according to his promise, O who should not fear such a God, who so preserves his tender branches; and I also trust valiantly in my Lord and God, that he will preserve me where I am, and, if it be his will, deliver me out of this murderer’s den.
Hence, O my dearest and much beloved brother in Christ Jesus, let us have good courage, though we meet with more adversity than the world. O let us look unto Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith, how he went before us in much suffering and reproach. And all the holy prophets, O let us look to them, how they went before us, through so much tribulation, yea, in destitution and affliction; of whom the world was not worthy. For if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned; but now they desired a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God. Heb. 11. Thus, O Jasper, my most affectionately beloved brother in the Lord, God will also not be ashamed to be called our God, if we continue faithfully in his truth, and do not again lay the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God. Hebrews 6:1. O no, O no, my dearest brother in the Lord, let us not again lay the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith towards God; but let us hold fast the faith which we have in Christ our dear Lord. O I hope by the help of God to hold fast the faith which I have in Christ Jesus; nor shall, the Lord helping me, any man separate me from the love of God, as also Paul says: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Rom. 8:35–39. Therefore, my dearest, beloved brother in the Lord, let us be of good courage in the Lord; for they can not hurt a hair of our head without the will of our Father. Luke 12:7.
O Jasper, my dear and beloved brother in the Lord, I am of such good cheer, the Lord be praised, that I should never be able to describe the joy which I feel in my heart. O what courage I have to fight against the princes and rulers of darkness; I think that I could say with David: “I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.” Ps. 3:6. O what joy I have; praise, glory and honor be to God forever for the great joy that he gives me. O my dearest brother, rejoice with me, and let it strengthen you, as I hope that it will. Thus I have briefly written to my dearest brother in Christ Jesus, with the small gift that I have received through the grace of the Lord. Herewith I will commend you to our dear Lord, and to the rich word of his grace. I take leave, and say: Adieu, adieu, adieu, farewell, farewell, farewell, my dearest brother in the Lord, till we meet again. Though we must part here, and be separated by men, I hope that we shall meet again where men can part us no more.