# A Fatherly Farewell, Testament And Very Careful Scriptural Instruction By Hendrick Alewijns To His Children. · Page 8 of 9 [Previous page: A FATHERLY FAREWELL, TESTAMENT AND VERY CAREFUL SCRIPTURAL INSTRUCTION BY HENDRICK ALEWIJNS TO HIS CHILDREN.](/en/stories/mm-a-fatherly-farewell-testament-and-very-careful-scriptural-instruction-by-hendrick-alewijns-to-his-children/part-7/) · [Book contents](/en/sources/martyrs-mirror/#book-contents) · [Next page: A FATHERLY FAREWELL, TESTAMENT AND VERY CAREFUL SCRIPTURAL INSTRUCTION BY HENDRICK ALEWIJNS TO HIS CHILDREN.](/en/stories/mm-a-fatherly-farewell-testament-and-very-careful-scriptural-instruction-by-hendrick-alewijns-to-his-children/part-9/) 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 726 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. ## Original source [Read this passage on Project Gutenberg](https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/65855/pg65855-images.html#Page_726) [Edition details](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65855) [Previous page: A FATHERLY FAREWELL, TESTAMENT AND VERY CAREFUL SCRIPTURAL INSTRUCTION BY HENDRICK ALEWIJNS TO HIS CHILDREN.](/en/stories/mm-a-fatherly-farewell-testament-and-very-careful-scriptural-instruction-by-hendrick-alewijns-to-his-children/part-7/) · [Book contents](/en/sources/martyrs-mirror/#book-contents) · [Next page: A FATHERLY FAREWELL, TESTAMENT AND VERY CAREFUL SCRIPTURAL INSTRUCTION BY HENDRICK ALEWIJNS TO HIS CHILDREN.](/en/stories/mm-a-fatherly-farewell-testament-and-very-careful-scriptural-instruction-by-hendrick-alewijns-to-his-children/part-9/) --- Page: https://history.truechristian.church/en/stories/mm-a-fatherly-farewell-testament-and-very-careful-scriptural-instruction-by-hendrick-alewijns-to-his-children/part-8/ [Contribute a correction or addition](https://github.com/trueChristian/history.truechristian.church/issues/new?title=Correction%3A+A+Fatherly+Farewell%2C+Testament+And+Very+Careful+Scriptural+Instruction+By+Hendrick+Alewijns+To+His+Children.+%C2%B7+Page+8+of+9&body=%23%23+Page+or+topic%0AA+Fatherly+Farewell%2C+Testament+And+Very+Careful+Scriptural+Instruction+By+Hendrick+Alewijns+To+His+Children.+%C2%B7+Page+8+of+9%0A%0APage%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fhistory.truechristian.church%2Fen%2Fstories%2Fmm-a-fatherly-farewell-testament-and-very-careful-scriptural-instruction-by-hendrick-alewijns-to-his-children%2Fpart-8%2F%0A%0ARecord%3A+mm-a-fatherly-farewell-testament-and-very-careful-scriptural-instruction-by-hendrick-alewijns-to-his-children--b00099-o000000%0A%0ADate+currently+shown%3A+16th+century+%28source+section%29%0A%0A%23%23+Correction+or+addition%0A%0A%0A%0A%23%23+Sources+and+evidence%0APlease+include+book%2Fpage+references%2C+archive+links%2C+or+first-hand+documentation.%0A%0A%0A%0A%23%23+Image+credit+%28if+applicable%29%0ACreator%2C+source%2C+and+permission+or+public-domain+basis.%0A%0A%0A%0ASubmitted+for+review%3B+this+issue+does+not+publish+changes+automatically.)