The God of all grace, who has called us from the power of darkness into his eternal kingdom, through Jesus Christ, and married us with an everlasting love, as the prophet says, the same grant you, my dear wife, according to the riches of his grace and glory, to be strengthened with might by his Holy Spirit in the inner man, that you may stand steadfast and immovable in faith and love, and the peace of God, to the salvation of your soul and the praise of God, that you may receive the undefiled, incorruptible and unfading inheritance, together with the crown of eternal life, Amen, which God has promised to all them that love and serve him with all their heart. This, I Jan Hendrickss wish Lijsbeth Jans my dear wife, from my bonds and in my last time, as a very cordial salutation in the Lord.
Further, after all proper salutation to you my beloved wife Lijsbeth Jans, I inform you that I am still valiant and of good cheer in the Lord, and trust to adhere to his word and truth by his help, without whose aid it cannot be done; and I trust that he will keep my treasure unto the end and deliver me out of the lions’ jaws, that they may not devour me with their teeth. Thus I trust that it also with you, and I sincerely have this confidence concerning you that you are still minded and determined with me to serve him all the days of your life in righteousness and holiness; and I trust that God will strengthen and keep you therein, even as he has hitherto done, for which praise be to him forever.
Furthermore, my dear wife, since the time of my departure, according to human purpose, is very near at hand, I cannot forget you, but must out of love write you a little yet, because of the great love which I have to you, and because you have shown me so much love in my bonds, in various ways by visiting and writing, for which I thank you very much; may God in high heaven, reward you for it. And I thank you most heartily for your last letter, which was very precious, for when we read it we were so much rejoiced by the great consolation that we both wept. And because you love me so, and I you, therefore I must still care for you a little, and admonish you as my most beloved. Not, my dear Jan’s daughter, that I have not the confidence that you will walk in the fear of God; oh no! I am confident that you will do nothing but what is good. But that I exercise this care for you, is done only from pure, clear love, because I love your soul so very much; hence I very often wish that you might be taken before me, since I well see how difficult it is to reach heaven, and how easily man is [led astray], even as Paul warns us 1 Cor. 10:12, saying: “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall”.
Hence; dear Jan’s daughter, take this in good part, this I pray you, as I trust that you do. And I further admonish and beseech you, that you always walk in true and unfeigned fear of God, since the fear of God is the true foundation to please the Lord, for without the fear of God it is impossible to please him. For by the fear of God we guard against evil and shun that which is wrong; for when we begin to consider that God will punish sinners so fearfully, we fear him on that account; for if this were not so, there would be no need of fearing him. But when we begin to consider it, we consequently shun and avoid that which is wrong; but those that do not fear him commit much ungodliness. In the second place, my dear Jan’s daughter that you firmly cleave to the vine Christ, and abide in him and he in you, and you shall be as a fruitful branch, full of good and beautiful fruit; and thus the Father will purge you, that you may bring forth fruit more abundantly. For he that does not abide in him, but departs from him, the same is cut off from him as a withered branch. For your sins, says the prophet, “have separated between you and your God.” Isaiah 59:2. Behold, dear Jan’s daughter, here we have the clear express scripture, by what a man is cut off from Christ, the vine, and what the separation is whereby we are separated from God, namely, sin; for when we sin, we are by the sin separated from God. Therefore, my dear wife, I beseech you once more, that you firmly cleave to the Lord, and shun sin as you would a serpent, that you do not come too near it, and be devoured by it; for the teeth thereof are as the teeth of a lion, slaying the souls of men. Sir. 21:2. We must beware of sin; for God does indeed warn man against sin, but he does not prevent him from it, when he is determined to commit it, as we have many examples in the Scriptures, as in Adam and others.
In the third place, I beseech you to be patient in the afflictions that come upon you for Christ’s sake, for patience is a very good thing for Christians, for Christ says: “In your patience possess ye your souls.” Luke 21:19, and Paul likewise says: “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” Heb. 10:36. Truly indeed may Paul say that we have need of patience, which I have proven in my bonds. Paul further says: “Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, [and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.] For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” Heb. 12:1–3.
Behold, dear Jan’s daughter, thus are we exhorted to patience, for with patience and resignation we can overcome much tribulation and affliction; but he that is impatient cannot stand in the sufferings of Christ. Hence Sirach may truly say; “Woe unto those that have lost patience, and have turned aside into perverse ways! how will it go with them when the Lord shall visit them?” Sir. 2:14. Dear Jan’s daughter, take heed to the holy Scriptures, and in “all things approve yourself as the minister of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, in fastings; by pureness, by knowledge, by long-suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report: as deceivers and yet true, as unknown and yet well known; as dying, and, behold we live; as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.” 2 Corinthians 6:4–10. See, my most beloved, mark these words, and watch for the coming of the Lord; for he shall come as a thief in the night; and always have oil in your lamp and do not suffer it to go out but always be ready with the wise and good virgins to let the Lord your bridegroom in; and constantly have a burning light in your hand, and stand with your loins girded to wait that you may not be surprised; constantly and at every moment walk as you hope to appear before him, and do not lie down to sleep with a troubled or gnawing conscience, but purify your heart before God and your neighbor, and always act and walk according to the right rule of the Scriptures, for the Scriptures always point to Christ, and you cannot be confounded, nor deceived, nor err. And if you do this, the God of peace shall be with you, and abundantly minister unto you an entrance into eternal life. Rom. 15:33; 2 Pet. 1:10,21.
Hence my dear Jan’s child, be patient in all tribulation and distress and take for an example the afflictions and long suffering of Christ, and the prophets, who have spoken to you in the name of the Lord. “Behold,” says James, “we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation, for when he is tried he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him”. James 5:11; 1:12.
Behold, dear Jan’s child, he that overcometh shall inherit all things and he shall not be hurt of the second death. He that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers, as Christ has testified of his father. And to him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my father in his throne; to him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it; he that overcometh shall inherit all things. Rev. 21:7; 2:11,26,27; 3:21; 2:17: In short, dear Jan’s child, the Scriptures are full of the great reward of the righteous; hence set your affections on things above, and not on things on the earth, for they who mind earthly things, their end is destruction. Col. 3:2; Philip. 3:19. Strive therefore after imperishable treasures, which thieves cannot steal, namely, after heavenly riches, which cannot perish, and will endure forever with the Father.
Let your meditation be in the word of the Lord, day and night concern yourself in his commandments and statutes, and watch for his coming, and long for it, and avoid all appearance of evil, and act not as though you might live many years yet, but walk before the Lord just as if you were to die immediately. And let the voice or sound of the angels’ trumpets constantly be in your ears, when the dead shall have to rise and appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 2 Cor. 5:10. For the Lord himself, says Paul, shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we be ever with the Lord. 1 Thess. 4:16,17.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words, my most beloved; for the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness? 2 Peter 3:10:11. Mark well, my dear Jan’s child, what manner of persons we ought to be, says Peter; let it therefore not grieve us though we must now suffer much affliction for the name of Christ. If any man suffer as a Christian, says Peter, let him not be ashamed, but let him commit his cause to God. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? 1 Pet. 4:17,18. The Proverb also says: If the righteous be recompensed here, how will it go with the sinner? Prov. 11:31. And if they do these things in a green tree, says Christ, what shall be done in the dry? Luke 23:31. Behold, my most beloved, if Christ the eternal truth had to suffer before he entered into the kingdom of his Father, how much more his members? For he himself says: The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me. John 15:20,21. And if the righteous must suffer here, where shall the sinner appear? Wherefore, let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls in well-doing, as unto a faithful Creator, says Peter. 1 Pet. 4:19. Thus, my dear Jan’s child, be resigned as much as you can; though men separate us here, hereafter they shall have no power. Then shall we stand in great boldness before the face of such as have afflicted us and they shall say: “These are they whom we so often had in derision, and a proverb of reproach. We fools have missed the right way, and the way of truth hath not appeared unto us.” Wis. 5:1.