To disobey the Gospel, is worthy of no small punishment; for he that, in the sight of two or three witnesses, transgressed the law of Moses (which is inferior to the Gospel in its saving power and operation, Rom. 8:3), had to die without mercy, says Paul, of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? Heb. 10:29. These must expect a terrible judgment, and the cruelty of the fire, which shall devour the adversaries. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God; for God is a consuming fire. 10:31; 12:9. We know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense. 10:30. See, since the Gospel is great of value and rich in saving power, therefore, on the other hand, the refusing, abusing, despising and transgressing of the same, is so much the greater crime and ingratitude, and deserving of sorer punishment, as Paul says, concerning Christ: “See that ye refuse not him that speaketh; for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: whose voice then shook the earth.” Heb. 12:25,26.
O my children, therefore this time of the Gospel, in which we now are, is a very precious, valuable and acceptable time, as also the Lord himself frequently declares in the Gospel: as: Had such mighty works been done in Tyre and Sidon. Why do ye not discern this acceptable time for you? Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see. Luke 10:23. Jesus says: Jerusalem shall be destroyed (on account of her sins); because they did not know the time of their visitation. Luke 19:44.
O my dear children, learn to discern good from evil; learn to know the wicked world, who think that they are holy men, Christians and believers in God, but are the synagogue of Satan (Rev. 2:9); which is evident from their whole spirit, life, and their wickedness; who because of their wickedness cannot bear, or tolerate among them, the lustre of the pious. But the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to reserve the evil and unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished; but chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness. What God intends to do with such, he has typified and shown to us by sinners of former times [as we read]: For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment, and spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them with an overthrow, making them an example unto those that after should live ungodly. 2 Pet. 2:4–6.
Understand here, that God spares neither the angels, nor the whole world, because they were great in number or highly esteemed and chosen; and thus it has often gone with great numbers, for the ungodly are not the better for being many. As also Sirach well says: Rely not upon this that the multitude of those with whom thou doest evil is great, but remember that punishment is not far from thee. Therefore humble thyself from the heart, for the vengeance of the ungodly is fire and worms. Sirach 7:17,18. For as one that cometh nigh wild beasts, and is torn by them, so it also goes with him that attacheth himself to the ungodly, and mingleth in their sins. 12:13,14. One child that fears the Lord is more acceptable to him than a thousand that are ungodly. Hence let no one depend upon this that his companions in wickedness are many, nor upon boasting of the mercy of God, before thy repentance; for when the fire of the punishment of God is kindled, it consumes all the wicked, great and small. Behold, the fire burned up the whole congregation of the ungodly; and wrath was kindled over the unbelieving. He spared not the old giants who perished with their strength. Neither did he spare those among whom Lot sojourned, but condemned them because of their pride, and destroyed the whole land without mercy, who had transgressed all bounds in sinning. Thus he took away six hundred thousand, because they were disobedient. How then should a single one that is disobedient escape unpunished? For though he is merciful, yet also wrath is with him. He can be appeased, but he also fearfully punishes. As his mercy is great, so is also his correction; he judgeth a man according to his works. The ungodly shall not escape with his spoils, and the patience of the godly shall not be frustrated. Behold, before God a great multitude is of little avail. He that sinneth must die. For every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished. Prov. 16:5. The strength of the ungodly is like a heap of tow which is consumed with fire. The way of sinners is made plain with stones (it is true), but at the end thereof is the pit of hell. Sir. 21:9,10. Hell also hath opened wide her mouth, to receive great and small, prince and multitude. Is. 5:14. Many be called, but few chosen. Wide is the gate, and broad the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which walk in it. I further say: The great majority will be damned and lost. This is too clear to be denied. 2 Esd. 8:3.
Dear children, he that does not fear or believe God, does not regard these awful assurances and sure threats, as also the Scripture says: Such threatening is too far off, and when a wicked man heareth it, he yet cleaveth to his folly and error. How truly does Solomon say: Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God. Eccl. 8:11,12. I have long time holden my peace, says the Lord; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once. Is. 42:14. When a child is about to be brought forth, the pains of travail slack not a moment; even so shall not the plagues be slack to come upon the earth; the world shall mourn, and sorrow shall come upon it. 2 Esd. 16:38,39.
O happy he who always fears; but he whose heart is hardened shall fall into misfortune, as has been sufficiently heard. Mark here the long-suffering of God toward sinners; but he nevertheless eventually punished them. How truly does Paul say: God is not mocked. Thinkest thou that I shall always hold my peace, saith the Lord, that thou dost not fear me at all? But I will declare thy righteousness, and thy works, that they are unprofitable. Then when thou shalt cry, let thy companies deliver thee; but the wind shall carry them away, and vanity shall take them, Is. 57:13. The holy Scriptures do justly call our God a consuming fire. As to what fire this is, read Is. 10:16; Joel 2:3; Nah. 3:15; Zech. 11:1. Manasses truly says: O God, thine angry threatening toward sinners is importable. Man. verse 5. Nahum speaks thus of the fierceness of the wrath of God: The mountains quake before him, and the hills fear. The earth shaketh before him, yea, the whole circuit of the earth, and all that dwell therein. Who can stand before his indignation? And who can abide before his anger? His fury burneth like fire, and the rocks burst in pieces before him. Nahum 1:5,6. Micah says: The Lord cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place. For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel, Mic. 1:3–5.
O who could write enough of such scripture admonitions! Truly, my dear children, behold, he that recognizes the holy Scriptures, the Bible, as the sure word, testimony, word and sentence of God, and considers well worthy of belief what is written in the same concerning God, and especially regarding his faithful warning against all sin, the promised recompense for transgression, exemplified in his punishment of sin as exhibited in many, together with all his strict and solemn oaths in which he has denied his kingdom to the impenitent, as has already been mentioned here in part, and will yet briefly be pointed out; such a man, I say, may well tremble before God, and with David the skin and hair of his head may shudder. And if there be but one spark of the fear of God, and faith in his word, in his inmost heart, his laughter may and must turn into weeping till he obtains peace instead of enmity with God. In the first place I will speak of God’s warning against sin.
But, my dear lambs, I am deprived of time further to complete my purpose and intention. This however was almost finished, but I intended to improve it and to copy it in a far more legible and better form. However, it is now done, and I must and will now disengage myself, and prepare to die, as I think, in four days. And, behold, my dear children, I rejoice in this, and am of good cheer in the Lord, and trust not to spare my body for the truth, but to present it in worship as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God. And I trust by the grace of God, that I have been to you, my dear children, a father who have set you a good example, in my life and death. When you attain to the years of understanding, think thoroughly on it and so follow Christ with me, as he has gone before us, in all suffering and holiness; and we shall meet again, and this in eternal joy and in the kingdom of heaven, forever.
My dear children, though you do not live together, love one another the more ardently, and show your love in whatever way you can, as by greetings and instructive letters to one another. Make copies of this little book, so that each of you three children may have one.
I first send it to you my dear son Alewijn Hendricks, because you are the oldest. Remember what I have written for your instruction; communicate it also to your little sisters. Farewell now, an eternal farewell, my three little orphans.