beloved wife, whom I love from the heart, this the Lord knows who
knows all things, and, according to the words of Jeremiah, tries men’s
hearts and reins. Jer. 17:10. Further, my love, after this my proper
and Christian salutation, let me, please, inform you, that I, the Lord
be praised forever, am in tolerably good health according to the flesh,
and according to the spirit, God be praised, my mind is disposed to
leap by our God over a wall. Ps. 18:29. However, my dearest, I trust
through the goodness of God, that you are also well in soul and body,
and prepared, by the help of God rather to die honorably with Eleazar,
than to live with ignominy. 2 Mac. 6:19. The almighty Lord, who in time
of need provides bread, and according to the words of the prophet,
gives both wine and milk without price (Is. 55:1), may so strengthen
and confirm you and us all, by his Holy Spirit, that we may in our
present tribulation be able to bear all that comes upon us for the
Lord’s sake, and may fear his name, for thereunto has God delivered
us from him that was too strong for us, that we should serve and fear
him in true righteousness all our lives, for Sirach says: “There is
nothing better than the fear of the Lord.” Sir. 23:27. Therefore, O
my dear wife, let us fear the Lord with all our heart, and in every
distress let us flee to the Lord, and he will help us, for David says:
The Lord lays upon us a burden, but he also helps us bear it; for we
have a God that helps, and the Lord of lords that delivers from death.
Ps. 68:20. For he is, says the prophet, a strength to the poor, a
strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, and a
shadow from the heat. Is. 25:4. For he stands at the right hand of the
poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul. Ps. 109:31. But God
shall wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such a one
as goeth on still in his trespasses. Ps. 68:21. For Judith also says:
Woe to the heathen that persecute my people! for the Lord Almighty
shall judge them, and visit them in the day of vengeance; he shall
torment their body with fire and worms, and they shall burn and weep
forever. Judith 16:17. But that with which the Lord chastiseth us, O my
chosen, endures but for a moment, for David says: “Weeping may endure
for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Psalm 30:5. For God, says
Judith, chastens us, his servants, for correction; but the ungodly he
punishes to their destruction. Judith 8:27.
Therefore, my dear wife, let us bear our cross patiently for a little
while yet; and let us consider how much our dear Lord suffered for
us, even as the prophet says: “He is despised and rejected of men; a
man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our
faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he
hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him
stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our
transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of
our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like
sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and
the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and
he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb
to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he
openeth not his mouth.” Is. 53:3–7.
Hence, O my dear wife, since we know, as Peter teaches, that Christ
suffered in the flesh, let us arm ourselves with the same mind; for he
that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; that he no longer
should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of the
flesh, but to the will of God. 1 Peter 4:1,2.
Thus, my dearest, be of good cheer when the Lord tries you, for it is
written: The souls of the righteous are chastised a little, but much
good shall come to them; for God proves them, and finds them worthy for
himself. He tries them as gold in the furnace, and receives them as a
fat sacrifice. And in the time of their visitation, they shall shine,
and run to and fro like sparks among the stubble. They shall judge the
heathen, and have dominion over all nations, and the Lord shall reign
over them forever. For they that put their trust in him shall find that
he faithfully keepeth what he hath promised; and such as be faithful
in love shall abide with him; for his saints are in his mercy, and he
hath care for his elect. Wis. 3:5–9.
Therefore, O my love, let us commit our cause and the distress that
comes upon us to the Lord, and cast our care upon him; for he, says
Peter, careth for us; and if God be for us, says Paul, who will be
against us? 1 Pet. 5:7; Rom. 8:31.
Hence, O my love, let us be of good courage, and watch diligently,
that, when our bridegroom comes, we may triumph with him forever and
ever. Amen.
Further, my very dear wife, I commit you to our dear Lord; may he in
every way be your guide, for I take leave now, and bid you adieu. Do
the best for the children, as I am confident you will.
Know further, my love, that I have received your letter, for which I
thank you much; greet much in my name the one that wrote it. However,
you must also know that I am very much grieved that I have not heard
from you so long; I beg you to let me know how it goes with you and the
children.
I further bid you adieu once more; pray the Lord for me, as I do for
you, and greet the acquaintances. We prisoners all greet you; pray the
Lord for us.
Written in my bonds, for your best, by me your dear husband.
ADRIAN ROGIERS.
ANOTHER LETTER BY SAID ADRIAN ROGIERS, WRITTEN IN PRISON TO HIS WIFE.
An affectionate loving salutation to you my most dearly beloved wife,
whom I wedded before God and his glorious church.
Further, after all proper and Christian salutation, let me please
inform your love, that I, the Lord be forever praised, am in tolerably
good health according to the flesh, and according to the spirit, God
be praised, my mind is still disposed, to leap by my God over a wall.
However, I hope and trust that you are also well in soul and body, God
be thanked, and unharmed in the faith. The almighty Lord, who only,
according to what David writes, doeth wondrous things, may keep and
strengthen you and us all, together with his Holy Spirit, that we may
live and die to his glory, and be patient in this present tribulation;
and when we are tried, let us remember that we are not the only ones,
but that God, according to Paul’s writing, scourgeth every son whom he
loveth. Heb. 12:6. As it also appeared, that God before our time tried
our fathers, as Judith tells, when the city of Bethulia was besieged,
and they, because of water famine, wanted to surrender the city after
five days (Judith 8:11); whereupon Judith admonished them to patience,
saying: “Who are ye that ye set the Lord the time and days when to
help? for this tendeth not to obtain mercy, but much rather wrath and
disfavor. Let us therefore be sorry for it, and with tears seek the
face of the Lord. And ye men and brethren, ye that are the rulers of
the people, go to the people and tell them, how God in former times
tried our fathers, whether they served him from the heart or not.
Even as our father Abraham was tried by many temptations, whereby
he remained the friend of God; even as also Isaac, Jacob and Moses,
and all who were of the number of God’s beloved, who had to overcome
through much affliction,” as Sirach teaches us, saying: My child, if
thou wilt be God’s servant, prepare thyself for temptation. Endure and
be constant, and depart not away, when the ungodly lure you. For as
gold is tried in the fire, so righteousness is tried in the fire of
affliction. But ye that fear the Lord, hope the best of him, and your
comfort shall not fail. For consider the examples of the ancients, and
lay them to heart; for never was any confounded that trusted in the
Lord; or who was ever forsaken, that did abide in the fear of God? Sir.
2:1.
Thus, my very dear wife, despair not, when you are tried by the Lord;
for after he has wounded, says Job, he can heal again; for he kills,
and makes alive again, he leads into hell, and out again. Job 5:18;
Deut. 32:39.
Thus, my very dear wife, cleave firmly to the Lord, and diligently
exercise yourself in godliness, and you shall find that godliness is
mightier than all things; for wisdom did not forsake the righteous when
he was sold, but delivered him from sin; she went down with him into
the pit, and left him not in bonds, till she brought him the sceptre of
the kingdom, and power against those that oppressed him. Wis. 10:13,14.
Thus, my dear wife, though we are now for a little while in
tribulation, let us possess our souls with patience, for God shall
exalt us over all those that now do violence to and oppress us, for
Christ says in the gospel: “Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall
mourn and weep; but rejoice ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.” Luke
6:25,21.
Therefore, O my very dear wife, let us bear the heat of the sun,
yet a little longer, and give our back to the smiters; for yet a
little while, and he that shall come will come. Is. 50:6; Heb. 10:37.
Therefore, O my love, let us willingly help bear his reproach without
the camp, and remember that the servant is not better than his Lord;
for if they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much
more shall they call them of his household? Hebrews 13:13; Matt.
10:24,25. Ah, if they have done these things in a green tree, what
shall they do to us dry trees? Luke 23:31. Let us therefore lift up
the idle hands which hang down, and, according to Isaiah’s writing,
confirm the feeble knees, to make straight path’s for our feet, and
run, according to Paul’s teaching, with patience the race that is set
before us, and let us with Moses have respect unto the recompense of
the reward; for it is certainly true what Paul writes: If we suffer
with Christ, we shall also rejoice and reign with him. Is. 35:3; Heb.
12:12,13; 11:26; 2 Tim. 2:12. Hence let us not be weary in well doing,
for in due time we shall very abundantly and with joy reap the precious
seed which we now sow with weeping. Gal. 6:9; Ps. 126:5,6. For 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. Thus, my very dear wife, I pray you have the
Lord always before your eyes, that you may hereafter reign and triumph
with the Lord forever and ever. Amen.
Further, my very dear wife, I commend you to the Lord, and to his word
full of all comfort and consolation, asking you to take my letter in
good part, and kindly requesting that you will also remember me by
writing, for I am often exceedingly desirous to hear from you.
I heard that you tried hard to come to me, but it could not be;
however, be of good cheer. I hope that though we cannot meet here, we
shall hereafter meet together with the Lord, where parting will be no
more.
Thus, I bid you adieu. Do the best for the children, and pray the Lord
for me; I will do the same for you according to my ability.
Nothing more, but greet the acquaintances very cordially in my name;
Maerten van der Straten, and Beliken van der Straten, his very dear
wife, and Hansken, Margriet and Dingentgen also greet you and the
acquaintances much; pray the Lord earnestly for us.
Written in my bonds, by me your dear husband and brother in the Lord.
ADRIAN ROGIERS.
ANOTHER LETTER FROM ADRIAN ROGIERS TO HIS WIFE, WRITTEN IN PRISON AT
GHENT.
Out of a loving heart an affectionate greeting to you my dearly beloved
wife, whom I wedded before God and his glorious church, and whom I also
love from the heart, this the Lord knows, who with his eyes that are as
a flame of fire penetrates everything. Rev. 1:14. Further, after all
proper and Christian salutation, let me, please, inform your love, that
I am in tolerably good health according to the flesh, and my mind is
still fixed, by the help of the Lord, to hold fast to the faith even to
the very end. Furthermore, my dear wife, I trust that you are also well
in soul and body, God be praised, and ready to pass the time of your
sojourning here, with joy, to the praise of the Lord and the salvation
of your soul. The good, eternal and almighty God, who through his
gracious goodness gives both wine and milk without price, strengthen
and confirm you and us all together by his holy Spirit, that we may
serve the Lord in his fear, for there is nothing better than the fear
of the Lord, for Sirach says: “Money and riches lift up the heart, but
much more the fear of the Lord; for he that feareth the Lord, with him
it shall be well at the last.” Sir. 40:26. Therefore, O my dear lamb,
cleave firmly to the Lord, and arm yourself; put on the armor of God,
that you may be able to withstand all the subtle assaults of the devil,
for our adversary, the devil, says Peter, rests not, but walks about
us, as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Eph. 6:13; 1 Pet.
5:8. Hence, O my dear sister, stand fast in the faith, pray, and be
on the watch; put on the bond of love, and beware of false prophets,
for in the last days, as Christ says, many false prophets shall arise,
saying: “Lo, here is Christ, and, lo, there is Christ,” but do not
go forth. And they shall say: “Behold, he is in the desert, and in
the chamber; but believe them not. For as the lightning cometh out of
the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming
of the Son of man be.” Matt. 24:23. Therefore, O my love, persevere
steadfastly, till you are taken hence; for yet a little while, and he
that shall come will come. Hence possess your soul with patience, and
endure the heat of the sun for a little while, for Christ has promised
us tribulation in the world, and God also speaks through the prophet,
saying: Be in pain, and labor to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like
a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and
thou shalt dwell in the field. John 16:33; Mic. 4:10. In short, the
kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
Matt. 11:12. And Paul also says that we must through much tribulation
enter into the kingdom of God. Acts 14:22. For Christ, who is our head,
went before us, and had to suffer much reproach for our sake, as the
prophet says: He took upon him all our sins, and bore our reproach, and
he is dumb as a sheep before her shearers; and when he was reviled, he
reviled not again, and when he was threatened, he threatened not again,
but committed vengeance to him that judgeth righteously. Is. 53:6,7;
1 Pet. 2:23. Thus we must also, my dear wife, according to the words
of Peter, follow the Lord’s footsteps. For Paul says: Being reviled we
bless. 1 Cor. 4:12. And Christ also taught us to pray for those that
afflict us. Matt. 5:44.
Hence, O my dear lamb, let us in all things show ourselves true members
of Christ, and think as Paul says: “If we suffer with Christ, we
shall also reign with him.” 2 Tim. 2:12. Let us therefore lay aside
all malice, and shun the sin which doth beset us, and follow after
holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. 1 Pet. 2:1; Heb.
12:1,14. O let us adorn ourselves with a holy conversation, and let us
not be conformed to the world, which shall pass away with its lusts.
Therefore, O my dear lamb, let us watch diligently, as servants that
constantly wait for their Lord, that we may through the grace of God be
partakers of the glorious reward, with all the elect children of God,
forever and ever. Amen.
Further, my dear wife, I do not know much more to write you, but pray
you to excuse my little gift, for if Habakkuk had brought something
better, you would have fared better. _Hist. of Dest. of Drag. 33, etc._
Furthermore, my dear wife, know that I received what you sent me, for
which I thank you sincerely, for it was to me a great consolation.
Further, my dear wife, Maerten van der Straten and his dear wife,
Beliken van der Straten, greet you much. Margriet van der Sluys,
and Dingentgen of Honschoten, and that honorable youth Hansken of
Oudenaerde greet you much, and finally we all jointly ask you,
earnestly to pray to the Lord for us, that he will make us meet rather
to die honorably with Eleazar, than to live with ignominy. Nothing
more, but I commend you to the Lord, and to the rich, comforting word
of his grace. And do the best for the children in every way; teach them
to fear the Lord; though I am confident that you will do this; I can
not forbear to write it; but whatever I do is done out of pure love and
from a good heart.
Farewell; do the best in the beginning and in the end.
Written for your service, by me your dear husband and brother in the
Lord.
ADRIAN ROGIERS.
MAERTEN VAN DER STRATEN, WITH BELIKEN HIS WIFE, A. D. 1572.
At this time yet another pious brother, named Maerten van der Straten
born at Kortrijck in Flanders, with his wife, named Beliken van der
Straten, fell into the hands of the enemies of the truth, so that after
manifold temptations their faith was found much more precious, than
perishable gold, which is tried by fire. Hence Maerten van der Straten,
and two other brethren and a sister (who are separately mentioned in
this book), on the 4th of December, A. D. 1572, in the city of Ghent,
steadfastly delivered up their bodies as a sacrifice acceptable unto
God, and were together burned in the Friday Market, with balls in their
mouths; and Beliken van der Straten was subsequently, in 1573, in Lent,
offered up in the same place for the truth; having thus fought a good
fight, finished the course, kept the faith, and, notwithstanding the
opposition of the tyrants taken the kingdom of God by force.
Concerning these two pious witnesses, a separate book has been printed,
containing many excellent letters by Maerten van der Straten, and
several hymns, which these persons composed and addressed to each
other, and to others in prison. Of these letters we communicate to you
several, as follows.
THE FIRST LETTER FROM MAERTEN VAN DER STRATEN TO HIS WIFE.
I Maerten van der Straten, your dear husband and brother in the Lord
(both unworthily, however) wish you, my affectionately beloved wife,
Beliken van der Straten, who are with me, according to Paul’s writing,
in the mouth of the lion (2 Timothy 4:17), and wounded by Babylon’s
watchmen (Canticles 5:7), much grace and mercy from God our heavenly
Father; and may the love of his Son be multiplied to you, and may the
power of the Holy Ghost richly dwell in you, that you may to the praise
of the Lord bring forth good and meet fruits, and let your light shine
before men, even as a city that is set on a high hill, that you may
leave behind you a good name among the heathen, and a good memory in
Israel; and the God of our fathers grant you grace, and prosper what
you undertake, that Israel may rejoice over you, and that your name
may be reckoned among all the saints, and that you may hereafter play
the new song before the throne of the Lord, forever and ever. Rev.
14:2,3. This I wish you, my chosen love, with all the strength of my
soul, and from a heart full of love.
Out of a fond heart permeated with love, an affectionate greeting to
you, O my dearest love, whom I love with all my heart, in accordance
with the word of God, that a man shall leave father and mother, and
cleave to his wife. For you, O my dear lamb, are flesh of my flesh, and
bone of my bones; and no man, says Paul, ever yet hated his own flesh;
but nourisheth and cherisheth it. Eph. 5:29. Hence I have good reason
to love you, as I also do, this the almighty Lord knows, who, according
to the words of Jeremiah, tries men’s hearts and reins. Jer. 17:10.
Further, after this my proper and Christian salutation, know, my
affectionately beloved wife, that I, according to the words of Sirach,
add day to day through much tribulation, as one that lodges in the
field, and receives many a storm, hail and rain on his body. But God,
who kills and makes alive, will, I hope, preserve me, that I shall with
Eleazar prefer an honorable death to an ignominious life.
Furthermore, my dearly beloved, whom I took by the hand with tears
of joy, I hope and trust that you are also well in soul and body,
ready with Susanna rather to fall into the hands of men, than to sin
in the sight of the living God, who, with his eyes, which are like a
flame of fire, penetrates all things. Sus. 23; Rev. 1:14. The almighty
Lord of lords, who, according to Paul’s writing, is rich in goodness,
and abounds with grace and mercy, look upon you and us all with his
gracious eyes, and deliver us from this misery; for I, like you, am at
this time in great distress, besieged as those of Bethulia (Judith 7);
my enemies have turned away the water with which I was formerly wont to
refresh my heart, and they have compassed about the fountains where I
was accustomed to quench my thirst. But the almighty King is the true
fountain, who, as Jeremiah says, with his learned tongue comforts the
weary soul, and, according to the words of the prophet, in time of need
gives bread, and in thirst water; him, I hope, they shall not intrench
or compass about; for he regards neither grated windows nor bolts,
neither locks nor doors; and he, I hope, will visit us before long,
for he knows that we are most sorely smitten and wounded by Babylon’s
watchmen, in a dry and dark land, far and deep in Babylonia, where
neither his word nor his beautiful songs of praise are heard. Jer.
31:25; Is. 30:20; Cant. 5:7; Ps. 137:1.
Hence I hope that he will exercise mercy above justice over us, since
he sees our tribulation, and knows that I, for my part, am not able to
bear it, because my weakness is so great; for among all that fear God
there is no one so imperfect as I am. For my miserable weakness is so
manifold, that I often bewail it with tears, and I am so despondent
that it seems to me that my heart is convulsed, because the Lord does
not take away my reproach. Hence I may well say with David: “O Lord God
of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee: let my prayer
come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry; for my soul is full of
troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave. I am counted with
them that go down into the pit; I am as a man that hath no strength:
free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou
rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand. Thou hast laid
me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps. Thy wrath lieth hard
upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves (Ps. 88:1–7);
for all my persecutors hold counsel against me, utterly to starve my
hungry soul, and to deprive my thirsty soul of drink. Hence I may well
say with the prophet: My enemies wait for my soul, and they render me
evil for good, to bring me into sorrow. Ps. 56:6.