Therefore always hearken to him, and you shall be his friends, yea, he shall be your brother; and if you follow him to the end, you shall possess what Christ possesses. Thither I will now go before, and wait for you there a short time, hoping that you will follow for your salvation’s sake. When then our beloved father, and our beloved mother, my dearest and beloved wife, and my dear, only child, my only brother, my dear, beloved sisters, and other familiar friends, when we shall meet together (as I hope) in God’s kingdom, what greater joy could we have? Hence take heed that this do not fail us, and that none of us be found to remain without. Love one another; set one another a good example; let each seek to be the first in good works and in the fruits of faith. Be diligent in reading, and warn one another against sin, for the other, crooked serpent[331] is very subtle in drawing off, and in exhibiting the lusts of the world, thereby to allure you, in order to keep you from God. He will lay his ambushes and manifold nets and snares; but continue always steadfastly in the fear of God, and do not listen to him, and he will flee from you; and think how he deceived Eve and Adam, and the whole first world, with the exception of eight persons. And it is still the same spirit; hence keep diligent watch, often resort to fasting and prayer, and always live soberly, that your flesh do not overcome you; for this is the worst enemy, for wherever we be, he is always with us, and is constantly advising us to evil. He ever strives against the Spirit; for it is very painful to the flesh, that it cannot fulfill its lust, and that it is subjugated by the Spirit. But, dearest sisters, if it should happen that Satan should take you unawares (since he never rests, but is always seeking whom he may devour) always rise again, and do not yield yourselves to become servants or handmaids of sin, but take better heed; it is for your warning. Hence humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, and seek henceforth to purify your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit, and run henceforth in the conflict that is set before you and all the godfearing; that you may not be found as those who become weary and dissatisfied in the way of the Lord, as I have known many to do. For by conflict all the godfearing are tried; for how should they overcome, if there were no conflict? but to them that overcome the kingdom and an eternal crown are promised as a reward. And the holy Scriptures also teach you to honor father and mother; hence do not forget this, but help them in everything wherein they may need you, and always proffer your willing service; for this will be pleasing to the Lord, and our dear, beloved, venerable father, and our dear, beloved, venerable mother, can then rejoice, because their children have found delight in keeping God’s commandments, whereby one can escape the future wrath of God. And when their days are fulfilled, they can depart in peace and tranquillity, and commit the keeping of their souls in well doing unto a faithful Creator, and this because this good Lord has also called their dear children to the faith, and they have lived to see that they have found delight in the truth, to take it up, which has so long been trampled under foot, even as the whole world still does in its ignorance. Again, because they leave behind them believing children, for a child that fears God is better than a thousand that are ungodly; for children that do not fear God are to believing parents an affliction from the Lord, which cannot well be healed.
Thus, my dearest, beloved three sisters, I will commend and trust to you and my only brother, that you will fear and love God all your life, which will last but a short time when compared to the ages of eternity. The fear of God teaches to beware of evil; and to love God is to keep his commandments, as Christ says: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
The Scripture also says: The fear of the Lord driveth out sin; it is also the beginning of wisdom. Sir. 1:21,27. Hence I entreat you all, love the wisdom of God above gold, and it shall come and meet you; and when you have received much understanding and wisdom, do not exalt yourselves therein, as though you were somebody; but thank the Lord for it, that he gives it into your keeping, and always apply it for the purpose for which he has given it you, for he appoints you only stewards over it. And when the Lord then sees that you are faithful over his property, that you do not suffer it to lie idle, nor squander it, but that you are lights in the world, as pleasant olive twigs of Christ, pleasant branches, beautiful stones in the temple of the Lord, he can entrust to you much more still, so that you may bring forth fruit more abundantly, and come to Christ our bridegroom, as an adorned bride of Christ, as a people of God, as members, as sisters and brethren of Christ, yea, as a royal priesthood. But when the other, crooked serpent sees this, he will envy you most, and work against you through the children of unbelief, in whom he now works, and in whom he has always worked. But, my dear sisters, always be of good courage, and take faith for a shield, with which always to protect yourselves and you shall quench and resist his fiery darts; and be armed also with the other spiritual weapons of God, as the apostle teaches, Eph. 6, and you shall remain steadfast, and be saved. May the good, eternal, almighty God, who lives in eternity, who rejoices with his holy angels over one sinner that repents with all his heart, make you all, my beloved sisters and brother, meet and perfect for his heavenly kingdom, through Jesus Christ his only Son, and by the co-operation of his Holy Spirit, that you may always have your delight in the right way of the Lord as David says; for they [his judgments] are true and righteous, and more precious than fine gold, and sweeter than the honeycomb (Psalm 19:9,10); use all diligence to perform this, and this to the salvation of your souls. Amen.
Herewith I will bid you my much beloved three sisters, adieu in this sorrowful, transient world, and I thank your love for all your friendship.
Written in my bonds, and finished on the sixth day of March, by your beloved brother, for a remembrance to you all. A. D. 1572.
J. V. K.
THE TENTH LETTER FROM JAN WOUTERSS, TO HIS OLDEST BROTHER-IN-LAW AND SISTER.
Grace and peace from God the heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord and Savior, and the co-operation of his Holy Spirit, always be multiplied to you both, for the conformation of your faith, and for consolation on your pilgrimage, that you may not weary in the only way of life, but may unwaveringly go on to your rest, so that you may together receive the end of your sure faith, namely, the salvation of your souls. Amen.
After this my cordial brotherly salutation and good wish, be pleased to know, my most cordially beloved oldest brother-in-law, and my most heartily beloved sister, that in this conflict I have constantly remained unchanged in the faith of the truth, once delivered to the saints; for which I now suffer vexation from mortal men, enduring it with a patient heart.
I cannot fully thank the Lord for this great grace that he has thus preserved us as the apple of his eye. Hence I beseech you both, be not dismayed on account of my transient tribulation, but be the bolder in the living faith, which worketh by love, knowing that your labor will not be in vain, but that it will follow you, clothing and adorning you in the day of Christ. Hereunto look constantly, and always follow his footsteps, in humility and meekness of heart; and be ever resolved the longer the more to live still more holy, remembering that we always fall short in many things, as I also experience in my own case; but my hope and refuge is Christ Jesus, who is our salvation, righteousness, perfection, eternal priest, propitiation, and intercessor. I would further inform you my specially beloved brother and sister in the Lord, that I your beloved brother-in-law and weak, unworthy brother, could not well refrain from writing your love a little, though I am conscious that my gift is simple and small, and you have such an abundance of Scripture, and also the anointing, which always teaches you what is right, so that I deem it unnecessary to write you much; but I feel nevertheless constrained thereto, in order that I may, in some measure, show you my unchanging love before I put off this tabernacle; it serves for your consolation and for the strengthening of your faith, and I am confident in my heart, that it will be acceptable to you, though it be little. Thus, my dearest, I present to you nothing new, but beseech and exhort you both, that you take diligent heed to keep the pearl of great price, and to preserve the precious treasure in your earthen vessels. For you know how much it cost you, before you found and obtained it; and in confirmation of it that it still is and remains in you, let your light shine before your enemies, who are terrified thereby, and vanquished before your eyes by the Lord, without your help, as we have an example in Gideon, and others, wherein it is fully shown to us, that the Lord fights his people’s battles. And since it is certain that the almighty Lord is with us, who can be against us? He that spared not his only Son, how should he not with him give us all things? Thus he is a shield to them that seek and trust him with all their hearts, and believe his word to be sure, that he will not forsake us, but [that] the Lord Almighty will be with us unto the end of the world.