# A Testament Left By Joriaen Simons To His Son Simon, When He Was Imprisoned For The Word Of The Lord, At Haarlem, Where He Was Afterwards Put To Death, On The 26th Of April, In The Year 1557. · Page 1 of 3 [Previous page: JORIAEN SIMONS, CLEMENT DIRKS, AND A WOMAN NAMED MARY JORIS, A. D. 1557.](/en/stories/mm-joriaen-simons-clement-dirks-and-a-woman-named-mary-joris-a-d-1557/part-2/) · [Book contents](/en/sources/martyrs-mirror/#book-contents) · [Next page: A TESTAMENT LEFT BY JORIAEN SIMONS TO HIS SON SIMON, WHEN HE WAS IMPRISONED FOR THE WORD OF THE LORD, AT HAARLEM, WHERE HE WAS AFTERWARDS PUT TO DEATH, ON THE 26TH OF APRIL, IN THE YEAR 1557.](/en/stories/mm-a-testament-left-by-joriaen-simons-to-his-son-simon-when-he-was-imprisoned-for-the-word-of-the-lord-at-haarlem-where-he/part-2/) May God through his great mercy grant to my son Simon, to grow up virtuously, and if the Lord permit him to reach the years of understanding, to confess him, and having learned his will, to order his life in accordance with it, in order to obtain eternal salvation, through his beloved Son Jesus Christ, together with the Holy Ghost. Amen. My child and dear son, incline your ears to the admonition of your father, and hearken to my account, how and in what manner he commenced and finished his life. The beginning of my life was unprofitable, proud, puffed-up, drunken, selfish, deceitful, and full of all manner of idolatry. And when I attained maturity, and began to be my own master, I sought nothing but what pleased my flesh, an indolent and luxurious life. I was greedy of filthy lucre; I sought to bring my neighbor’s daughter to fall, as, alas! appears from my work; and what I did in secret, is too shameful to mention; yea, I was a vessel full of iniquity. But, my dear child, when I betook myself to the Scriptures, and searched and perused them, I found that my life tended to eternal death, yea, that everlasting woe was hanging over me, and that the fiery pool which burns with brimstone and pitch was prepared for me. This, I say, was approaching me, according to the words of Paul, who says: “They which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Gal. 5:21. When I took this to heart, I began to be greatly alarmed and frightened, and took the word of God for my counselor, as to which should be the more advisable for me: to lead here, for a little while, a voluptuous life, and to expect the everlasting pains of hell; or to suffer here a little misery (if misery it can be called), and then to enjoy eternal happiness. I found in the Scriptures: “What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or, what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matt. 16:26. Hence, my beloved son, I deemed it better, like Moses, to suffer affliction with the children of God for a little while, than to live in every luxury with the world, which will perish. Thus I abandoned my ease, voluntarily and uncompelled, and entered upon the narrow way, to follow Christ, my Head, well knowing that if I should follow him unto the end, I should not walk in darkness. Now, when I had partly forsaken and cast from me the old damnable practices, and wanted to be a new divine creature, and to lead a pious, penitent, godly life, I was immediately, like all the pious that had been before me, hated, yea, imprisoned in Haarlem, in St. John’s gate. This, my beloved son, was my life till the Lord enlightened me. First of all, my dear child, I would affectionately warn, admonish and entreat you, to beware of and shun all wickedness, and to walk from infancy in the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom; and if God reveal his wisdom to you, hesitate not to walk in it, since death pursues the young as well as the old. Improve the time given you by God for repentance. Have your intercourse with the good, and beware of the perverse. If sinners entice you, consent not, and have no fellowship with them; refrain your foot from their path, for their steps take hold on hell. Hence, touch not pitch, lest you be defiled; for an evil end draws nigh 544 to the wicked, which will bear the burden everywhere. Of this and every evil, my dear son, beware, and remember that Paul says, that we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad (2 Cor. 5:10), but the flesh will advise you to nothing good. Hence Paul may well say: “To be carnally minded is death, yea, they that are in the flesh, cannot please God.” Rom. 8:6,8. Therefore, mortify your carnal members here on earth. Read Paul, or have him read to you; he will tell you, which are the works of the flesh. Gal. 5:19. If you have time and opportunity, use diligence to learn to read and write, that you may learn and know the better, what the Lord requires of you. Beloved son, my heart’s desire and prayer to the Lord for you is, that your soul may be protected from the deluge of God’s wrath, that shall come upon all the ungodly who did not care for the Lord, and walked not in his commandments. This impending wrath of God you can escape in no better way than by looking to Jesus Christ, the Son of the Almighty and eternal Father, who is the head and pattern of all believers, yea, the captain and finisher of the faith, that is, Jesus Christ. Ask him for counsel, as to what is best and most necessary for you to do, and he will tell you, knock at the door of his Holy Trinity, and worship him; he will open to you, and give you what is needful for you. Have a desire and appetite for the truth, and you shall be satisfied. Seek not high temporal things; though they that obtain them, are called and commended as happy by the common people; they are nevertheless unhappy and rejected before God. Hence humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, that you may be exalted in eternity. 1 Peter 5:5. ## Original source [Read this passage on Project Gutenberg](https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/65855/pg65855-images.html#Page_544) [Edition details](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65855) [Previous page: JORIAEN SIMONS, CLEMENT DIRKS, AND A WOMAN NAMED MARY JORIS, A. D. 1557.](/en/stories/mm-joriaen-simons-clement-dirks-and-a-woman-named-mary-joris-a-d-1557/part-2/) · [Book contents](/en/sources/martyrs-mirror/#book-contents) · [Next page: A TESTAMENT LEFT BY JORIAEN SIMONS TO HIS SON SIMON, WHEN HE WAS IMPRISONED FOR THE WORD OF THE LORD, AT HAARLEM, WHERE HE WAS AFTERWARDS PUT TO DEATH, ON THE 26TH OF APRIL, IN THE YEAR 1557.](/en/stories/mm-a-testament-left-by-joriaen-simons-to-his-son-simon-when-he-was-imprisoned-for-the-word-of-the-lord-at-haarlem-where-he/part-2/) --- Page: https://history.truechristian.church/en/stories/mm-a-testament-left-by-joriaen-simons-to-his-son-simon-when-he-was-imprisoned-for-the-word-of-the-lord-at-haarlem-where-he/ [Contribute a correction or addition](https://github.com/trueChristian/history.truechristian.church/issues/new?title=Correction%3A+A+Testament+Left+By+Joriaen+Simons+To+His+Son+Simon%2C+When+He+Was+Imprisoned+For+The+Word+Of+The+Lord%2C+At+Haarlem%2C+Where+He+Was+Afterwards+Put+To+Death%2C+On+The+26th+Of+April%2C+In+The+Year+1557.+%C2%B7+Page+1+of+3&body=%23%23+Page+or+topic%0AA+Testament+Left+By+Joriaen+Simons+To+His+Son+Simon%2C+When+He+Was+Imprisoned+For+The+Word+Of+The+Lord%2C+At+Haarlem%2C+Where+He+Was+Afterwards+Put+To+Death%2C+On+The+26th+Of+April%2C+In+The+Year+1557.+%C2%B7+Page+1+of+3%0A%0APage%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fhistory.truechristian.church%2Fen%2Fstories%2Fmm-a-testament-left-by-joriaen-simons-to-his-son-simon-when-he-was-imprisoned-for-the-word-of-the-lord-at-haarlem-where-he%2F%0A%0ARecord%3A+mm-a-testament-left-by-joriaen-simons-to-his-son-simon-when-he-was-imprisoned-for-the-word-of-the-lord-at-haarlem-where-he%0A%0ADate+currently+shown%3A+1557%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.)