Behold, this shall be their reward. Rom. 6:23. But they that fear God, love him, and keep his commandments, according to their weakness; their reward shall be life and peace, as the Scriptures sufficiently testify. And Paul, also, says that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1 Cor. 2:9.
Herewith I will draw to a close with my discourse, and commend you to the Almighty Lord, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, who has given you to me, and, as said before, placed me as a head, to feed and nourish you as my own flesh, which I have done according to my weakness, during the time that I have been with you. And now that I am taken from you, I commend you, my dearest wife and sister in the Lord, to the God of peace, who has given you to me; humbly praying him, through Jesus Christ, his dear and much beloved Son, that he would keep you, and my two little lambs, always in his truth, unto the end. And also you, my dear wife, I pray you in all sincerity, to do the best for my two little children, as I trust you will do. O that it pleased the Lord, I would so gladly do my best for you yet. My most beloved, I have heard that you sent me a letter; but I did not receive it; hence if you want to send me word in regard to anything, speak to N., and ask her whether she knows of any one that would come to the common prison, and ask for the brother-in-law, in the fuller’s house. For we trust that if you can prudently give it into his hand there, we shall get it; hence act circumspectly in this matter, and do not send it without speaking to the rest; that it may go through at once and attract the less notice. For we have been greatly distressed on account of a letter that came in from without; in which stood that they had received two of our letters. This letter fell into the hands of the jailer, who seemed beside himself that we had written. Therefore, my dearest love, when you want to write me something, write not that you received a letter from me; but if you have received this letter from me, and send me another, place under your letter the sign that will stand under this; thereby I shall know that you received my letter. And if you speak to my brother, greet him much from me, and tell him to enter with Noah into the ark, lest the flood come upon him, which is the wrath of God; and to go with Lot out of Sodom, and not to look back, like Lot’s wife, who became an example to those who in future times should commit ungodliness; for Christ says: “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62. Hereby greet him much in my name, and greet all those who inquire after me, especially him who was my master, and my country-man and his wife, and the woman who the day before was at our house, and, also, my most beloved, whom I know upon earth, yea, who is as dear to me as my own life; for my natural life was not near so dear to me; this the Lord knows, who is rich in mercy.
O my beloved, I commend you, and all them that fear God, to the Lord, and to the word of his grace. Amen.
Written by me, Jan van Hasebroeck,
Your husband and weak brother in Christ.
THE SECOND LETTER OF JAN VAN HASEBROECK.
Abundant grace and peace be with you from God the heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, his dear and much beloved Son, our Lord, through whom we expect our salvation; may he by his Spirit confirm, strengthen, and comfort you in all your tribulation and temptation, outward and inward, that you may be able to stand firm and immovable in his truth, to the end of your life, to his praise, and to the salvation of your soul; this I wish you, my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, as a friendly greeting and adieu in Christ Jesus. Amen.
After all heartfelt greetings, my dear and much beloved wife, be pleased to know, that I am still reasonably well according to the flesh, the Lord be praised forever for his grace; and my mind is always ready yet to go on in what I declared and confessed before the rulers of the darkness of this world; and I trust by the grace of the Lord to seal the same with my blood and death, so that I unworthy one may obtain the promise, where he says: “Whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it; and whosoever shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.” Mark 8:35; Matthew 10:32. Therefore, my most beloved love, be of good cheer, and always comfort yourself, and be comforted with the words of the Lord; and do not grieve too much on account of the work and will of the Lord, for he worketh all things after the counsel of his own will (Eph. 1:11), and no one has ever been the Lord’s counselor. Hence, my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, though we have had little joy with each other during the time that the Lord has joined us together, and must now part with sorrow, we know that the Lord has promised us nothing here but tribulation and sorrow, as Christ said to his disciples: Ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice; and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. John 16:20. Christ also says: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” v. 33. He further says: “Blessed are they that weep now: for they shall laugh; but woe unto them that laugh now: for they shall weep.” Luke 6:21,25. Again, in another place he says: “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”
Thus, my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, comfort yourself with these beautiful words and promises of Christ, which partly also belong to you; for in that you are sorry, you are sorry after a godly manner. And Paul says, that godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of this world worketh death. 2 Cor. 7:9,10.
O my dear wife, Paul, in another place, further says, that our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Cor. 4:17,18. And the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Rom. 8:18. For the apostle says, that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1 Cor. 2:9. Therefore, my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, since we have such beautiful promises for this little and temporal suffering, be of good cheer, and always patient in your tribulation and temporal sufferings, continuing instant in prayer, patient in hope (Rom. 12:12), and wait for the time of your redemption with long suffering. I trust by the grace of the Lord to be an example and pattern to you, and to leap by my God over a wall (Ps. 18:29), to go to meet Christ, my bridegroom, as he has commanded me (Matthew 25:1); and also to go and await you under the altar of the Lord, where all God’s elect shall rest, until the number of their fellow brethren that must yet be killed for the testimony of Jesus, like we, is fulfilled. Rev. 6:9,11.