The Bloody Theatre, or Martyrs Mirror of the Defenseless Christians / who baptized only upon confession of faith, and who suffered and died for the testimony of Jesus, their savior, from the time of Christ to the year A.D. 1660

by Thieleman J. van Braght

Grace and peace from God our heavenly Father, through his only Son Jesus Christ, our Savior; the comfort and power of the Holy Ghost, furthering to a true faith; the true heavenly wisdom, the true regeneration, the fear of God, this I wish my dear and affectionately beloved brother, to the salvation of your soul. Amen.

My dear brother, the reason of my writing is to inform you of my imprisonment, so that you may not think that it is for any evil or any infidelity or heresy, as many evil tongues may probably pretend and report, thereby to grieve you and harden your heart, that you should not believe the genuine truth, but remain in your belief; for Satan constantly walks about men, as Peter says (1 Peter 2:8), as a roaring lion, seeking whose soul he may devour and draw away from that which is good, for he is the enemy of all good, who always hates and seeks to resist that which is good.

But, dear brother, do not listen to such, for it is the suggestion of Satan; but give ear to the word of God, the genuine truth, as James says, and let it be ingrafted in your soul, that it may save your soul, whereby you may live forever. Jas. 1:21.

Hence, my beloved, awake once from the sleep of sin, and Christ shall give you light (Eph. 5:14); for you have walked in sin and unrighteousness long enough; it is about time to flee sin and shun unrighteousness, that you be not punished with all the ungodly, who have not lived according to the will of God, nor hearkened to the truth, but have walked according to their own lusts. They follow the lusts of their flesh, and live, as Paul says to the Galatians (5:19–21), in pride, covetousness, drunkenness, adultery, strife, hatred, contention, and other like works.

O dear brother, let such works not be found with you; for such, says Paul, cannot inherit the kingdom of God, for such carnal life is an abomination in the eyes of God, for Paul says to the Romans, that such carnal-mindedness is enmity against God, and cannot please God. For the wages of sin is eternal death, but the gift of God is eternal life, 1 Cor. 6:10; Ps. 5:5; Rom. 8:7; 6:23.

My dear, flee such works, and turn to the Lord and you shall live. Is. 55:3. Remember the instruction which Tobit gave his son, when he says: My son, let not pride dwell or rule in your heart. Tobit 4:13. For Ecclesiasticus says: That pride is hateful before God, and that it is the beginning of all sin, and he that has to do with it shall be destroyed with many curses. Sir. 10:13. Thus shun now all pride and all sin, and set yourself to serve the Lord, renouncing all the lusts of the flesh.

Seek ye the Lord, says the prophet, while he may be found, and call ye upon him while he is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him. Is. 55:7.

My dear brother, turn to the Lord while you have time; wait not until death with the amendment of your life, like many who say, that if they have an hour in which to repent, it is enough for them. O do not thus defer it, nor follow such counsel, but follow the counsel of Ecclesiasticus, who says: Repent while thou art still able to sin. And again: Make no tarrying to return to the Lord, and do not put it off from day to day; for the wrath of the Lord shall come forth suddenly. Sir. 5:17. Hence there is no time to be set, for we are not assured of one hour, nor any one how long he will live. Job 14:1.

Hence remember the words of Christ, who says that he shall come as a thief in the night; if the good man of the house knew at what hour the thief would come, he would watch, and not suffer his house to be broken through. Luke 12:39. Seeing then, that we have neither hour nor time, watch constantly with the wise virgins, who were not found sleeping, when the bridegroom came. Matt. 25. If you would therefore enter in with the Bridegroom to the marriage, as did the wise virgins, put away from you (as the prophet says, Isa. 1:16) all that is evil, and the Lord shall be your God, and you shall be his son.

My dearest brother, love that which is good, and it shall be well with you; fear the Lord with all your heart, and your soul shall lodge in goodness, and your seed shall inherit the earth; for the prophet David says: That the eyes of the Lord are upon them that fear him, and that hope in his mercy; and he shall deliver their soul from death; for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Ps. 25:13; 33:18,19; 111:10.