By holy faith and love effectual
Man is saved through Jesus Christ.
May the only and merciful, almighty God, who is full of all mercy and a Father of the afflicted widows and orphans; and a Ruler of all those that trust in him, cause you, my daughter and child, to grow up in wisdom and in the knowledge of the truth, so that you may know and learn to fear the most high God, who created and made heaven and earth, the sea and all the fountains of water. May the eternal almighty Father, grant you this through Jesus Christ his only begotten Son, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Hear, my dear child Betgen, and understand my word, written to you in the name of the Lord, and let my speech enter into your heart, and receive it as a precious treasure of gold, that is, that you are from your very youth to learn to fear the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your ability; and walk in all his ways, and serve the Lord with the whole heart and soul, and keep the commandments of the Lord your God, so that it may go well with you in the land; and the Lord will give you his rich grace, and all manner of spiritual blessings. For the fear of God is an overflowing fountain of eternal life, which quickens heart and spirit, and creates a longing and desire to hear the words of God; for they strengthen the inner man in soul, spirit, and body.
Hence, my dear child, endeavor from your youth to shun and avoid evil; for it will now be time to perceive and learn to discern what is good and evil. For he that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it shall be accounted sin. James 4:17. And the wise man says: That the Spirit of God does not dwell in a careless soul, nor in a body that is subject to sin. Wis. 1:4. Therefore learn henceforth to shun sin like the face of a serpent. Hence be sober, of good conduct and modest, and avoid all light company, which is carnal and worldly minded; for the world and all the lust thereof shall perish, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. 1 John 2:17. Hence have your intercourse with those that fear the Lord, and walk in God’s ways; and you shall grow up as a daughter of Sarah, which will be acceptable before the Lord. Hence, my child, if you lack wisdom, you must ask it of God: who giveth it to all men liberally, and upbraideth not. But he must ask in faith, nothing doubting, and it shall be given him. James 1:5,6. Hence ask the Lord your God humbly with bended knees, and this often and constantly. Going, standing, working, always have the Lord before your eyes, calling upon him with prayer and supplication, saying: O Lord, my Lord, direct me in thy ways; give me wisdom that comes from the throne of thy glory, and cleanse me from all my sins, that I may be worthy to become a holy temple. Give me grace that I may be meek and humble of heart, and little in my own eyes, so that thy Holy Spirit may dwell in me, and that I may grow up in thy holy divine fear; to the eternal salvation of my soul, and to the praise, glory and honor of thy holy, most worthy, adorable name. O Lord, strengthen me, miserable one, since I am but dust and ashes. O Lord, be merciful unto me, and help me forever. Amen.
And if you, my child, thus betake your heart with all humility to the Lord, and unceasingly cleave to him with prayer and supplication, he will delight in you, and abundantly give you the fear of God, and the knowledge of wisdom. For the fear of God is a tree of life, and his branches flourish forever, and his fruits are righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, and his leaves serve for the healing of the nations; but none eat of the fruits save those that are born again of water and of the Spirit; who, through baptism in Christ Jesus, have buried the old Adam with all his carnal lusts; who renounce the devil, hell, death, the world and all its false appearance, and henceforth walk according to the holy will of God the Lord, with all the elect children of God, whose names are written in the book of eternal life. Hence fear God from the heart; not as the world does, who profess that they know God but in works they deny him, being abominable unto God, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. Tit. 1:15. But God has chosen him a peculiar and holy people, zealous of good works, to do his will. 1 Pet. 2:9; Tit. 2:14. Hence we must above all, as I have written before, diligently fear the Lord with an humble heart. Perfect and upright was Job, fearing God, and eschewing evil; for to depart from evil is understanding. Job 1:1; 28:28. Hence serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Ps. 2:11. For the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; it is a good understanding; and he that doeth according to it, his praise endureth forever. And then the wise man also says: The fear of the Lord is to hate evil, pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way. Prov. 8:13. He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the Lord; but he that is perverse in his ways, despiseth him, and falleth in the snares of death. 14:2. For where one suffers in the fear of God, for the name of the Lord, there are wealth and honor; and the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and is in the depth of the heart only with the faithful, and dwells only with the chosen women, and is found only with the righteous and the faithful. The fear of the Lord is true religion; it keeps and makes the heart good, and gives joy and gladness; for he that fears the Lord shall prosper, and when he needs comfort, he shall be blessed of the Lord. The fear of the Lord prevents sin; for he that is without fear cannot please God. Eccl. 1.
Hence, my child, when it goes well with you, watch, and continue steadfast in the fear of the Lord, and be not proud, for a haughty spirit goes before a fall. Prov. 16:18. Therefore have God always before your eyes in all your ways, and seek to please him with an upright heart; and God shall be with you, and have compassion upon your weakness, and wink at sin when it comes upon you unawares through ignorance or misapprehension. But presumptuous sinning and obstinacy are an abomination before the Lord, and he will not leave unpunished such as thus lightly esteem his words. Therefore take heed to yourself, that you be not a slave of sin. And give not your mouth to lying; for the mouth that lieth slayeth the soul. Wis. 1:11. There is more hope of a thief, than of a man accustomed to lie; for they are every man’s enemy. A lying child is always hated, and whatever they speak, their words are not hearkened to, and men hold them in derision. The devil is a liar from the beginning, and abode not in the truth. Hence all the ungodly are called children of the devil. When they speak lies, they do according to the nature of their father the devil, who has always continued a liar, wherefore he was also cast out of heaven. Hence, my child, always speak the truth, for the same maketh not ashamed, whether it be for or against you. Always say just as it is; for though you have erred in something, yet if you speak the truth, it will be overlooked more readily, than if you sought to cover it by lying; for lies ultimately are made manifest and come to light, and then the liar must with shame hear words of reproach, which is an abomination before God and men. Hence Paul says: Lie not one to another, but let every one speak the truth from the heart with his neighbor; for liars shall have no part in the kingdom of God.
Behold, my dear child Betgen, I have set before you many excellent and precious treasures, and all for your admonition. I pray you, take them to heart, and often read them over; so that you may thereby be instructed in the fear of God. And do not let this my letter (which I have written with much pains in my prison, with trepidation, fearing lest some one should suddenly surprise me), to lie there idle as a dead fable; but lay it to heart, for a child that loves her father will also love that which comes from her father, and often read it over with delight, thereby remembering her father’s affectionate favor. For as a man, that has his delight in a treasure of money, which he has locked in his strong chest, often goes to contemplate the treasure, to count it over, and to make calculations with it; so do also you often look over and peruse this my letter; for it is of more value than many pieces of gold, for it points you to the fountain of life, whereby your soul may live for ever, if you will be subject to the truth. However, my child, you are young yet, and your mind cannot yet comprehend it all; but I hope the understanding will come yet. Hence give good attention from your youth, to hear the words of God, and the Lord will give you wisdom; buy it of the Lord, for he will give it to you for nothing. Hence lay my words to heart, for they are not my words, but the holy word of the Lord, which Christ himself has taught us. Therefore, if you would be saved, keep the Lord’s commandments. For he that loves Christ, and will be his disciple, the same will continue in his word; with him he shall keep his supper in the kingdom of God, his heavenly Father, and he will go before them and serve them, and dwell with them for ever. But he that will be God’s servant here, must submit to much temptation; he must also take his cross upon him, and thus daily follow him; for Christ says: Ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice; but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world. Even as appears now, my child; because I fear God, and according to my weak ability separate from the world, therefore the world hates me. And through their wicked hatred and envy they have imprisoned me, and it may very soon come to pass, that they shall kill me for the name of Jesus Christ, and for the testimony of his holy word, wherein I also stand steadfast through the grace of the Lord, to risk for it all that I have. For I have nothing which I have not received from the Lord; hence we must willingly surrender it again for his holy name, for what we possess here in this world is but lent us; hence they are foolish who set their heart upon temporal things. For he that fears God must possess all things as though he had them not, for our goods are a prey to every one. All they that fear God are thrust out of their houses, and they will spoil and scatter them. By this it is known who are God’s chosen children: they are tried as gold in the fire.
Therefore, my child, search the holy Scriptures; they shall show you, that the godfearing must enter into the kingdom of God through much tribulation and suffering. But the ungodly world is not worthy to suffer for the name of the Lord, for they do not know the name of Christ in the spirit. For if they had known him, they would in former times not have crucified the Lord of glory. Hence, if they hated, persecuted and envied Christ the Son of God, and said that he had a devil, how much the more his disciples! But the Lord be thanked, all their upbraiding, reviling and envying is of no avail, but the word of God; and Christ says: Blessed are ye, when men speak evil of you falsely; rejoice and be glad, for your reward shall be great in heaven. Matt. 5:11,12. Peter says: The Holy Spirit of God resteth upon him. 1 Pet. 4:14. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. 2 Cor. 1:5.
Therefore, my child, though the world upbraid you with it to-day or to-morrow, you need not be ashamed, for I do not suffer for any crime, as a thief, or murderer, or as one that seeks other people’s property; but it is for the confession of my faith in Christ Jesus, namely, that he is the true Son of God. Hence Peter says, that if one suffers for well doing, it is acceptable with God. 1 Peter 2:20.