myself to you with all my heart, and inform you my chosen mother, that
I did not think that I should write you this letter yet; but since it
has pleased the good God, to keep me in life until this present hour,
I cannot forbear, my dearest mother, to write you this parting letter,
perhaps the last in my life, and bid you, my dear mother, adieu. For
according to what I hear, the time of my deliverance is near at hand;
yet I know not to this hour when, except that I hear that it is to be
to-morrow, that I am to hear my sentence. Not that I hear concerning
myself alone, but of several, of whom I think that I am one, if it
pleases the Lord. We have indeed heard this often, but whether they do
it to frighten us, I do not know. I have never heard it from the people
here in the house, but from a girl of M.’s people that is imprisoned
here; she has told it me. If it is the will of the Lord, let it be
done, I am well resigned thereto. The Lord be thanked, who strengthens
me poor, weak man here in these my bonds, by his Holy Spirit, to resist
all that should be a hindrance or harm to my soul; for it is the day
for which I have longed; the Lord grant me strength unto the end, that
I may finish my conflict with joy, and gain the victory, to the praise,
glory, and honor of the Lord’s holy name. Amen. Eph. 3:16; 1 Timothy
6:12; 1 Cor. 15:57.
Since, then, my dear mother, it has pleased the good God, to count me,
your son, worthy to suffer for his name, to help fulfill the number of
the righteous that are under the altar, and rest till the number of
their brethren is fulfilled, who must also be killed as they; console
yourself herein, my dear mother, and be not grieved on my account, this
I pray you; for, dear mother, the Lord has called me to a better place
than to remain in this wicked, evil world. Though it is grievous to
the flesh, I will not regard it for the joy of which I shall partake
with all God’s righteous ones; for I say with Paul: “I reckon that the
sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the
glory which shall be revealed in us.” Rom. 8:18.
O my dearest mother, who should not long for this glory; who should not
strive for it, and say with Paul: “I groan and desire to be out of this
flesh; for I look for another dwelling, that is not made with hands,
but which is eternal in the heavens.” 2 Cor. 5. Then shall we, as John
says, see him in whom we now believe, not seeing him; then shall we
behold him with our own eyes, whose brightness is greater than that of
the sun. 1 John 3:2; 1 Pet. 1:8; Job 19:27. Who should now regard this
suffering or pain that can be inflicted upon the flesh, and yet not
without the Lord’s permission, for when they have done all that they
can, according to the words of Christ, they can but kill the body, but
over the soul they have no power; for we read in the book of Wisdom,
that the souls of the righteous are in the hands of the Lord. Matthew
10:28; Wis. 3:1.
Who should regard this temporal pain that men may inflict upon
this body, when such joy is promised for a little pain, and great,
unspeakable bliss, yea, an eternal life, for a little of temporal life;
for Christ says: “He that loseth his life for my sake, shall find it
again hereafter.” Rev. 22:5; Matthew 10:39; Mark 8:35.
Behold once, my dear mother, how many laid down their lives for the
word of Christ and the truth; and consider what man’s life is, which
passes away so quickly; it is, as James says, to be compared to only
a vapor that arises; for when the vapor disappears and vanishes away,
it is seen no more, and is over very quickly; yea, it may be compared
to a bubble upon the water, which so quickly perishes. Ps. 90:5; James
4:14. Why then should we much regard this temporal life? it cannot be
compared with the eternal life.
Should you then, dear mother, be grieved on account of our pain,
that may be inflicted upon my body, but which is for the faith and
confession of God’s holy word and truth? O no, my mother, let not such
grief come upon you; but I pray you, my affectionately beloved mother,
be of good cheer; I hope by the help of the Lord, that your sorrow
shall be turned into joy. John 16:20.
O my beloved mother, let it go with you as it went with Abraham, who
had but one only son, whom God had given him in his old age. Behold how
God tried this good man, when he commanded him, that he should go and
offer up to him his only son Isaac. We do not read that he was grieved
on account of the command, nor was he grieved when his son asked him:
“My father, here is the wood: but where is the sacrifice?” Abraham
said to his son with a fatherly voice, trusting in the almighty God:
“The Lord will provide it.” Thus Abraham followed God’s command, and
made his only, beloved son Isaac kneel down upon the wood, drew the
sword from its sheath and raised it to cut off his son’s head, and to
sacrifice him. But the angel said to him, that he should put the sword
into the sheath, and not harm the child. In all this time, even to the
last hour, we cannot read that this good man was grieved, or afraid
to obey God’s command. My dear mother, why would you now be grieved;
the Lord does not try you in such a manner, that you should kill your
son, but he permits it to be done by the generation of Cain, who always
thirst for the blood of the righteous Abelites that please the Lord.
My mother, do also trust the Lord like the good man Abraham, and say:
“The Lord will provide it”; though your oldest son whom you now have,
be offered up. The Lord can raise up another, if it pleases him; hence
be resigned to it. It does not go otherwise with me, than it went with
all the righteous that have ever pleased God, from the beginning of the
world until the present time.
Consider how it went with the prophet Jeremiah, who endured much grief,
because he according to the command of the Lord reproved the cities of
their sin. He was apprehended and cast into a miry dungeon, yea, much
grief came upon him, as the Scriptures sufficiently testify concerning
it; yea, so that he resolved no more to preach in the name of God.
Behold, to such grief this man of God was subject, who yet had been
chosen by God, in his mother’s womb, to proclaim his holy will. Jer.
38:6.
Again, behold John, who was sanctified in his mother’s womb. He who was
known to all the people to be a prophet, did not Herod, for the sake of
a harlot, cause his head to be struck off in prison? who nevertheless,
according to the words of Christ, was the greatest prophet born of
woman. Luke 1:15; Matt. 14:5,10; 11:11.
See, my dear mother, if it went thus with those who walked so worthily
before the Lord--if they killed those, what shall they do to us?
Consider, that they did not hesitate to kill Christ Jesus, who is the
only Son of God, and the Son of man, who, according to the testimony
of the Scriptures, is truly God and man, the Son of God, and the Son
of men, for he calls himself in many places the Son of man; and he is
confessed and is the true living Son of God, who delivered us from the
power of Satan, from eternal death and damnation, and opened our eyes
when we were dead in our sins and unrighteousnesses, and brought us
into this marvelous light; he has revealed to us his word and truth,
the gospel, which, as Paul says, is the power of God unto salvation to
every one that believeth. Rom. 1:16.
Since, then, the good God, through his unspeakable grace and goodness,
has revealed to us his word and truth, whereby our dark eyes have
been opened, and has given us to believe in him by whom we might live
forever, which is Christ Jesus, upon whom the generation of vipers
inflicted much pain and torment, as the four evangelists abundantly
testify concerning it; how they scourged, mocked, beat, and very
miserably maltreated him, and placed a crown of thorns upon his head;
he had himself to bear his cross to which they nailed him; they gave
him vinegar and gall to drink; they pierced his side with a spear, and
water and blood issued from the same. Alas, so dreadfully did they deal
with him; all that went by opened their mouth and mocked him, so that
he was the most despised upon earth; he was like the prophet David
says and prophesies: “I am a worm and no man; I am the most despised
among all men; they open their mouths against me, and cast lots upon my
vesture.” Psalm 22:6,7,14,18.
O dear mother, how bitter it is to describe the sufferings of the
immaculate Lamb of God, that was subjected to so much suffering and
sorrow; who should be able to describe his sufferings which he endured
for our sakes? Should we then not suffer a little for his sake, when
he shall so gloriously recompense all that suffer for his sake? for he
says: “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake;”
and again: Blessed are they that suffer reproach for my name’s sake;
for great is their reward in heaven. Matt. 5:10–12; Luke 6:22,23. Now
you may perceive that the Lord will not leave unrewarded all those that
suffer for his word and the truth; who in suffering adhere steadfastly
to his gospel; who depart not from his word and truth which he has
spoken with his mouth; who depart not from the narrow way that leads
to eternal life; who were not ashamed to confess the truth before this
adulterous generation, who did not fear those that kill the body, but
much rather feared him that can cast soul and body into hell, into
eternal darkness and torment, where there will ever be weeping and
gnashing of teeth, where the flames shall never be extinguished, where
the smoke shall ascend forever and ever, where the worm shall never
die; who resemble not, as Peter says, the dog that swallows again that
which he has vomited (2 Peter 2:22); that are not like the sow which,
when she has once been washed and cleansed, goes and wallows again in
the mire; who do not call light darkness, and darkness light (Is.
5:20); who do not call truth lies, and lies truth; who intend with
Eleazar to persevere, and not to dissemble (2 Maccabees 6:18); who do
not reject the truth, when they well know that it is the truth; who do
not hearken to the devilish doctrine of the papists (1 Tim. 4:1–3);
who follow not the priests of Jezebel, who thirst for the blood of the
righteous, who love and serve God, and love him with all the heart
and with all the soul; who seek to follow Christ’s footsteps, to live
and walk according to his will; who seeks to please him and not men
(Gal. 1:10), for James says: Whosoever will be a friend of God, must
be the enemy of the world (James 4:4); who seeks to walk the narrow
way; who desires to forsake unrighteousness; who forsakes the counsel
of the flesh and follow the counsel of the Spirit; who forsakes this
earthly good, and seeks after the heavenly; who regards the temporal as
nothing, and seeks after the eternal and imperishable; who looks not at
this visible, but hopes for the invisible (2 Cor. 4:18); who regards
not this life, but seeks to obtain eternal life, who now delights not
in this temporal joy and pleasure, but in the eternal joy and bliss; to
those who are thus, there is promised that they shall inherit forever
and ever that promised land, the eternal life, where they shall be
crowned with great glory; they shall, as Malachi says, leap as calves
of the stall (Mal. 4:2); palm branches shall be given into their hands
(2 Esdras 2:46); they shall, as John says, sing the new song before the
throne of God (Rev. 14:3), they shall be arrayed in fine, white linen
(19:8); they shall shine forth as the sun (Matt. 13:43); they shall
forever be in joy, such joy (Paul says) as ear has never heard, eye
never seen, nor has man’s heart been able to conceive of the joy of
which the righteous that endure steadfast unto the end shall partake.
Who should now depart for any reproach or contempt? who should now
depart for any persecution or tribulation or any temporal life?
O it is better to leave flesh and blood at the stake, than to suffer
one’s self to be despoiled of the eternal salvation of one’s soul, of
one’s Father’s inheritance which is obtained through Christ. Hence
Paul says: Who can separate us from the love of God, which is in
Christ Jesus? tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or
nakedness? We may say with the apostle, that we are persuaded that
neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers,
nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any
other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God. Rom.
8:17,35. Let us then not fear, since, my dearest, there is nothing that
can separate us from God, if we love him from the heart, for John says:
where love is there is no fear; for love casteth out fear. 1 John 4:18.
This you may also perceive by the words of Paul, where he says: Though
I had faith, so that I could remove mountains; yea, though I gave all
my goods to the poor, and suffered my body to be burned, and had not
love, it would profit me nothing. 1 Cor. 13:2,3. Hence there must be a
burning love to Christ, we must with the wise virgins have our lamps
burning, and so wait for our Bridegroom, that is we must be kindled
with a fervent love, and thus wait for Christ Jesus our Bridegroom,
till he comes.
Behold, hereby we are to know who loves Christ, for he says: “He that
loveth me keepeth my commandments, and the Father will come to him,
and we will make our abode with him.” John 14:23. But without loving
Christ, and keeping his commandments, we cannot enter into life. For
he says himself: “If thou wilt enter into life, keep my commandments.”
Matt. 19:17. And what is his commandment, but to love him; and he that
loves him will not depart from him because of any pain that may be
inflicted upon the flesh, as I stated before with the words of Paul
which he wrote to the Romans. But if a man do not love Christ, there is
vain faith, which cannot please God, for Paul says: This is true faith,
which worketh by love, that is, by the love which one has to God to
keep his commandments; hence James says, that faith without works is
dead. James 2:26. And this can easily be perceived; where there is true
faith, there will also good fruits appear, for a good tree will bring
forth good fruits, but of a corrupt tree evil fruit will spring forth;
for a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt
tree bring forth good fruit; so it is also with man; he that has a true
faith will bring forth good fruits that are pleasing to the Lord. Matt.
7:17,18.
But where there is a faith that is vain and not true, there you will
not perceive good fruits, but all evil, for James says that the devils
also believe and tremble. James 2:19.
Now it may be considered how many there are that have also a vain
faith, and yet boast that they believe truly, yea, even these papists,
they can say: I believe in Christ Jesus, that he died, was crucified,
etc, but they deprive him of his honor; to be brief, they do not
obey him in that which he commands, they do after the lusts of their
father, the devil. Christ says: for he was a liar and deceiver from the
beginning. John 8:44.
O how dreadful it is, that some hearken to such liars and deceivers,
and confess the devilish doctrine to be the doctrine, word and truth
of Christ, whereas God says by the prophet: Cursed is he that maketh
and honoreth idols. O what are they also doing, who say that the true
body of Christ is in the little house with which they walk along the
streets, with their bells, torches, and lanterns. O what abomination
it is to call this the truth, while it is but bread and wine. While I
am here, my mother, I sometimes sing a spiritual song; but though they
forbid it me, I will therefore not cease, as long as they do not fetter
my tongue; yea, if I or some of Menno’s people sing, then the servants
sing a profane song, so that the good may not be heard.
O I am so glad that my dearest brother whom I have upon earth in the
Lord, has so remembered me, poor prisoner, with a hymn and a letter by
his own hand. It rejoiced me so much inwardly in my soul that I cannot
describe it to you. I pray you to thank him heartily, and ask him to
write again, and you also, for I think that I shall be here yet eight
days longer; but when I began to write this letter to you, I did not
think that I should write so much, for I thought that by this time I
should have heard my sentence. But since it has pleased the Lord, that
I am still to remain here in this prison, I hope, according to the
advice of Paul, to abide the time with patience, till it shall please
the Lord; and thus, according to the words of Christ, to possess my
soul in patience, for I commit myself into the hands of the Lord, that
it may be done with me according to his divine will, to the praise,
glory and honor of his holy name, and to the salvation of my soul, now
and forever.
Hence, then, my dear mother, I bid you adieu once more; adieu, my
chosen mother, adieu, my worthy mother, who gave birth to me in pain
and anguish. I pray you, my dear mother, be resigned to the work of the
Lord, be not grieved on my account, be of good cheer; since our God has
so ordered it that I am to be separated from you, so that you shall see
me no more in this flesh, be resigned thereto, for there can nothing
happen to me without the Lord’s permission, for the Lord is my keeper,
my protector and my defender, for the prophet David says, that the
angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him. Psalm 34:7.
Think not that there is any one that can harm me, for Christ tells us
that the very hairs of our head are all numbered, and not a sparrow
falls to the ground without his will; of how much more value are we
than the little sparrows! Matt. 10:30. Hence, though it is so with me
that I am cast into prison for the word and truth of Christ, to confess
his name before these cruel men, and suffer contempt and reproach,
full of vexation, yea, finally to be put to death by them, rejoice
therein according to the words of Christ, when he says: “Rejoice, and
be exceeding glad when men shall revile you and say all manner of evil
against you falsely for my name’s sake.” Matt. 5:11.
Remember what Peter says: “Think it not strange as though some strange
thing happened unto you.” 1 Pet. 4:12. Why? Because it has gone thus
with all God’s children that have ever pleased him, for Christ says:
“In the world ye shall have tribulation but be of good cheer; I have
overcome the world.” John 16:33. Hence we need not, according to the
words of Peter, think it strange, for the Scriptures sufficiently
declare all this, wherefore also Paul says: “It is given unto us,
not only to believe in Christ, but also to suffer for his name.”
Philippians 1:29. Consider what the prophet David says: “Many are the
afflictions of the righteous.” Psalms 34:19.
Behold, Christ himself, the author of faith, had to suffer, and thus
to enter into his glory. If they have called the master of the house
Beelzebub, what shall they then do to his servants? If they have
cast out and killed the heir, what shall they do to those that are
sent? Hence the Lord laments over Jerusalem, and says: “O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are
sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together,
even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would
not!” Matt. 23:37. Behold, how they have always killed those that were
sent by God, and shall yet do so. For Christ says to his disciples:
“Ye shall be put out of the synagogues, and whosoever killeth you will
think that he doeth God service thereby.” John 16:2.
Now he that will be a good and faithful disciple of Christ and serve
his Lord in faithfulness, must willingly bear all that is laid upon him
for the Lord’s sake, for Paul says: “All that will live godly in Christ
Jesus shall suffer persecution.” And again: “We must through much
tribulation enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Luke 14:27; 2 Tim. 3:12;
Acts 14:22.
Since, then, the kingdom of heaven must be taken through much
affliction and vexation, let us with Paul rejoice in the afflictions
which we suffer for the name of Christ, for we see how Peter and John,
when they came from the council, rejoiced that they had suffered
reproach and been scourged for Christ’s sake. Acts 5:41. Thus, my dear
mother, do also rejoice with me, and thank the good God, that he counts
a poor, weak, unworthy man fit to suffer for his word and truth.
Praise and glorify the Lord for his grace; sing praise to him for his
benefits; say with me: Thanks be to the God of Abraham, the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob, for his unspeakable mercy and goodness
which he has shown us poor men. Say with David: Where is a god like
unto our God? to him be praise and glory forever and ever. Amen.
I bid you adieu, my dearest mother, adieu; if I should write you no
more, and if this should be the last letter, I bid you adieu, my
beloved mother, and take leave from you, if it should be the last time;
my mother whom I love, adieu, for I leave you for the Lord’s sake, and
also hope to lay down my life for his sake, for the Lord has promised
me another life, which shall endure for ever, and never pass away;
not like this life, which must perish, for this life, or the temporal
pleasure of this world, is not to be compared to the joy and gladness
that is promised to the righteous that endure steadfast unto the end;
where one day, as David says, is better than a thousand here in joy and
pleasure. Ps. 84:10.
I hope by the help of the Lord soon to partake of the eternal joy. Then
I shall be freed from all sighing, weeping and sorrow; then I shall
neither thirst nor hunger any more; then I shall no more feel heat or
cold; then I shall be released from all, and for ever triumph with the
Lamb. Hence, grieve not, neither weep nor sigh; though I go before, we
shall meet again; be of good cheer, my chosen mother; the Lord comfort
you with his Holy Spirit, in all your tribulation and sorrow. John
14:16.
I might be grieved more than you, for your sake, for I leave you here
in this evil world, where you are subject to all sorrow, tribulation
and affliction, while I depart from tribulation into joy, from this
life into the eternal life: but we need not be sorrowful, but resigned
to the work of the Lord, for Paul says; “All things work together for
good to them that believe;” hence, remember what we pray: “Lord, thy
will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Rom. 8:28; Matt. 6:10.
Therefore, let us take heed, that we do not will anything contrary to
the will of the Lord, but that we be patient and longsuffering in all
things, so that there may be fulfilled in us the passage contained in
John’s Revelation: “Here is the patience of the saints.” Rev. 14:12.
Therefore, dear mother, be patient in all that has now come upon you,
and that may yet come upon you.
Farewell, my affectionately beloved mother, and I pray you, when
you begin your prayer to God, remember me poor, weak man, your son,
imprisoned here for the testimony of the only Son of God, as I hope and
doubt not that you do; for James says that the effectual fervent prayer
of the righteous avails much, and he adduces an example, and says, that
Elias was a man like us, and he prayed that it should not rain, and
it came to pass so; and he prayed again, that it should rain, and it
rained. This, James tells us, to show how effectual the prayer of the
faithful is. James 5:16; 1 Kings 17:1; 18:45.
Christ also says: “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, if
ye believe and doubt not, it shall be done unto you.” Mark 11:24.
The Scriptures abundantly testify, that the prayer of the righteous
penetrates through the clouds, so that they are heard by the Lord.
Herewith I take leave from you, dear mother, if it should be the last
time, and I commend you to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the God
of all comfort console you; the strong God strengthen your faith, to
resist all the fiery darts of the wicked one; the Lord keep your going
out and your coming in, now and for ever Amen.
Adieu, my dearest mother, adieu in this life, till we see each other in
life eternal, with Christ our only Head and Bridegroom. Amen.
Greet my dearest brother in the Lord Christ Jesus, the dearest brother
I have on earth; greet him very cordially, and also my chosen dear
master, if he is with you. Greet my beloved brother D. B., when you
write to him. My mother, take this my simple letter in good part, since
I have written it out of love, according to my little knowledge, which
the Lord, through grace, has given me unworthy man. The Lord be with us
all. Amen.