# Adriaen Janss Hoedemaecker, And Jelis De Backer, Both Burnt Alive At The Same Stake, For The Testimony Of Jesus, In Rijssel, A. D. 1570.—Three Letters Of Adriaen Janss Hoedemaecker, Written In Prison At Rijssel. · Page 1 of 3

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The first letter from Adriaen Janss Hoedemaecker,
to his wife.

The love of God the Father, the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ, and the communion of the Holy
Ghost, be with you my dear wife and sister in the
Lord, now and forever; this I wish you from the
depth of my heart as an affectionate salutation.
Amen. After this good wish of my heart and Christian
salutation, let me inform you, my dear and
in God beloved wife how it still stands with me, that
I am still well content and of good cheer, the Lord
be praised for his grace which he shows me, and I
842
hope by his grace, that he will help and keep me
unto the end, since with Jeremiah, I have committed
to him my cause against my adversaries, who are set
against me and against the Lord, since I am imprisoned
for the name of the Lord, because with the
prodigal son, I have arisen to confess my guilt before
my God, against whom I have sinned and
transgressed, who graciously received me, when I
sought and entreated him with tears. And for this
reason they persecute and gainsay us, because we
have received mercy from God, as the Lord has
spoken and declared, saying: “If ye were of the
world, the world would love you, but because I
have chosen you out of the world, therefore the
world hateth you.” John 15:19. Mark, my dear
wife, the words of our Lord, what is the reason that
we are hated; so that in the time of hatred and persecution
we may comfort ourselves with the grace of
the Lord, as also the apostle Peter testifies, saying:
“Because we no longer run with them to that excess
of riot, as are lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine,
revelings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries.”
1 Peter 4:4,3. Therefore does the world speak evil
of you: therefore say they as is written in the Book
of Wisdom: “Let us lie in wait for the righteous; for
his life is not like other men’s, his ways are of another
fashion; he declares our ways to be sin, and
avoids us like filth; therefore he is grievous unto us;
we will torment and examine him with despitefulness,
that we may know his meekness, and prove his
patience, and let us condemn him with the most
shameful death.” Wis. 2:12. This has ever been
the reason, why the righteous have been evil spoken
of, envied, persecuted, despoiled of their goods,
cast into prisons and bonds, drowned, beheaded,
and burned, as we may first read concerning Abel,
as John testifies with these words: “Let us love one
another, not as Cain, who was of that wicked one,
and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him?
Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s
righteous”. 1 John 3:12. Hence the apostle says:
“Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.”
V. 13. Christ declared to the Jews: “Many good
works have I shewed you from my Father; for
which of these do ye stone me?” John 10:32.
Hence, my dear, beloved wife, it will not fail, as the
apostle says, that all who will live godly in Christ
Jesus will have to suffer persecution; for evil men
and seducers always wax worse and worse, deceiving,
and being deceived. 2 Tim. 3:12,13. Hence,
the righteous may always prepare themselves for
suffering and tribulation; for they are led forth unto
death as sheep for the slaughter: we that live are
constantly delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, and
are always in peril to die every day for our glorying
which we have in Christ Jesus our Lord. We may
therefore well prepare ourselves for suffering, even
as the Lord told his apostles: “In the world ye
shall have tribulation; yea, the world shall rejoice,
but ye shall weep and be sorrowful; for a woman
that is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is
come.” John 16:33. Thus we must also bring forth
Christ with sorrow in this world. Therefore the
apostles strengthened and encouraged the churches,
that they must with tribulation and suffering enter
into the kingdom of God, even as our head Christ
went before, as is written concerning him in the
prophets. For the kingdom of God suffereth violence,
and the violent take it by force (Matt. 11:12),
as I now experience myself; for we did indeed formerly
have some temptations such as are common to
man, but now we must strive unto blood. 1 Corinthians
10:13; Heb. 12:4. For I may now well say
with the apostle, that I bear in my body the marks
of the Lord. Gal. 6:17. For they have scourged
me three times, until the blood flowed, and this that
I should betray my fellow brethren; but the Lord by
his grace kept my lips. I was suspended by my
hands so that I did not touch the ground. Yea, my
dear beloved wife, I was seized with great fear so
that I could hardly stand it, when they scourged
me the third time; hence I thought of the words of
the apostle who says: “The Lord will not suffer
you to be tempted above that ye are able.”
1 Cor. 10:13. Then they desisted though they
threatened to torture me; and they said that they
would rend my limbs asunder, or I should tell them
who had associated with me, and who were my fellow
brethren; but the Lord did not let them have
their will this time; what they will do yet, the Lord
knows, for to him every thing is known.



## Original source

[Read this passage on Project Gutenberg](https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/65855/pg65855-images.html#Page_842)

[Edition details](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65855)

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