# A Letter Written By Said Walter Of Stoelwijk, Treating Of The Suffering And The Glory Of Christians. · Page 3 of 12 [Previous page: A LETTER WRITTEN BY SAID WALTER OF STOELWIJK, TREATING OF THE SUFFERING AND THE GLORY OF CHRISTIANS.](/en/stories/mm-a-letter-written-by-said-walter-of-stoelwijk-treating-of-the-suffering-and-the-glory-of-christians/part-2/) · [Book contents](/en/sources/martyrs-mirror/#book-contents) · [Next page: A LETTER WRITTEN BY SAID WALTER OF STOELWIJK, TREATING OF THE SUFFERING AND THE GLORY OF CHRISTIANS.](/en/stories/mm-a-letter-written-by-said-walter-of-stoelwijk-treating-of-the-suffering-and-the-glory-of-christians/part-4/) In the third place, we must follow Jesus, but not as did many Jews, who followed him, because they had eaten of the loaves; which, alas! many false Christians still do, who join the Christian church, not because they truly seek Christ Jesus, not because they love the truth, but that they may be aided and fed by the Christian church (whom they perceive to be the most charitable). But to follow Christ in this manner is nothing but a mockery of God, and Christ will not have such followers, as we may clearly understand from the case of the scribe whom Christ condemned, because he wanted to follow him from covetousness; for the Lord beheld the heart of the scribe, and therefore did not answer him according to his words, but according to his thoughts, saying: “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” Matt. 8:20; Luke 9:58. Just as if Jesus had intended to say: If you will follow me, follow me in the manner in which I go before you. For Christ well knew his intention, namely, that he wanted to follow him for gain, and thought that Christ should give him power to perform wonderful signs and miracles, as he had given to his apostles, by which he might have sought gain. But such designs are not good, and cannot succeed; for the Lord himself was poor (Zech. 9:9), as he declares: If I the Lord and Master am poor, it is evident that my servants are poor, and that my disciples do not seek or desire riches. As though the good Lord had meant to say: He that would follow me, must follow me in the poverty in which I walk before him. But, alas! many people at the present day think that gain is godliness, as Paul says (1 Tim. 6:5), and, under the semblance of the Gospel and the Christian name, seek their own profit. O what perverted men! who will not go in the right way, but follow the way of the traitor and thief Judas, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, when he received the awful punishment of his wickedness, as every one knows. Matt. 27:6; Mark 14:18; John 12:4. O what blinded men, who can not take to heart that Ananias and Sapphira were put to such great shame, and punished, for their equivocation, by which the Almighty Lord God has undoubtedly given us an example, that all hypocritical and double minded men shall be thus put to shame and punished; as we find in Jesus Sirach: Woe unto those that are of a double heart, to those of wicked lips that enter the land by two ways. Therefore the wise man also teaches us, that our hearts should be without any deceit and dissimulation, saying: “Be not obstinate, and distrust not the fear of the Lord . . . and come not unto him with a double heart. Be not a hypocrite in the sight of men, and take good heed what thou speakest. Exalt not thyself, lest thou fall, and bring dishonor upon thy soul, and so God discover thy secrets, and cast thee down in the midst of the congregation, because thou camest not in truth to the fear of the Lord, but thy heart is full of deceit.” Sir. 1:28–30. O that all hypocrites would earnestly consider the words of Jesus Sirach, and reform, before they be confounded and punished by God, which shall be done to all the double minded, if not now, yet in the day of judgment, when the ungodly shall not stand, nor sinners remain in the congregation of the righteous. Ps. 1:5. Then Christ will bring to light what is now in darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the hearts; yea, he will take the fan into his hand, and purge his floor, and gather the wheat into the garner, but the chaff will he burn up with unquenchable fire. Matt. 3:12; Luke 3:17. Hence, let every one beware of hypocrisy, and let him truly follow Christ Jesus, as is proper, not with the Jews, for the sake of the loaves, nor with the scribe, from covetousness. But, O ye Christians, follow Christ, your Lord and Master with a pure heart, a clean conscience, unfeigned faith, and ardent love, without turning to the right or to the left. But those who follow Christ Jesus differently, are among good Christians what chaff is among the wheat, and their end will be everlasting fire, from which the Almighty Father preserve us through Jesus Christ. ## Original source [Read this passage on Project Gutenberg](https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/65855/pg65855-images.html#Page_441) [Edition details](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65855) [Previous page: A LETTER WRITTEN BY SAID WALTER OF STOELWIJK, TREATING OF THE SUFFERING AND THE GLORY OF CHRISTIANS.](/en/stories/mm-a-letter-written-by-said-walter-of-stoelwijk-treating-of-the-suffering-and-the-glory-of-christians/part-2/) · [Book contents](/en/sources/martyrs-mirror/#book-contents) · [Next page: A LETTER WRITTEN BY SAID WALTER OF STOELWIJK, TREATING OF THE SUFFERING AND THE GLORY OF CHRISTIANS.](/en/stories/mm-a-letter-written-by-said-walter-of-stoelwijk-treating-of-the-suffering-and-the-glory-of-christians/part-4/) --- Page: https://history.truechristian.church/en/stories/mm-a-letter-written-by-said-walter-of-stoelwijk-treating-of-the-suffering-and-the-glory-of-christians/part-3/ [Contribute a correction or addition](https://github.com/trueChristian/history.truechristian.church/issues/new?title=Correction%3A+A+Letter+Written+By+Said+Walter+Of+Stoelwijk%2C+Treating+Of+The+Suffering+And+The+Glory+Of+Christians.+%C2%B7+Page+3+of+12&body=%23%23+Page+or+topic%0AA+Letter+Written+By+Said+Walter+Of+Stoelwijk%2C+Treating+Of+The+Suffering+And+The+Glory+Of+Christians.+%C2%B7+Page+3+of+12%0A%0APage%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fhistory.truechristian.church%2Fen%2Fstories%2Fmm-a-letter-written-by-said-walter-of-stoelwijk-treating-of-the-suffering-and-the-glory-of-christians%2Fpart-3%2F%0A%0ARecord%3A+mm-a-letter-written-by-said-walter-of-stoelwijk-treating-of-the-suffering-and-the-glory-of-christians--b00015-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.)