Another Letter From Hans Bret, Written And Sent To His Brother David, Who Lived Abroad, And Had Not Yet Come To The Knowledge Of The Truth.

My dearest brother, love that which is good, and it shall be well with you; fear the Lord with all your heart, and your soul shall lodge in goodness, and your seed shall inherit the earth; for the prophet David says: That the eyes of the Lord are upon them that fear him, and that hope in his mercy; and he shall deliver their soul from death; for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Ps. 25:13; 33:18,19; 111:10.

Hence have God always before your eyes in what you do, and you shall prosper in it; always love that which is good, and hate that which is evil, that the Lord may be with you, as you have spoken, says the prophet Amos, 5:14. Follow the advice of Paul, Romans 12:21, where he says: Overcome evil with good. O then it shall be well with you, and you shall find rest in your soul. Matthew 11:29. Let there be found in you once the true faith which worketh by love, and which has so far 989 not brought forth much fruit in you. Gal. 5:6. Hence it is time now to awake once and seek Christ, whereby you may live and enter by the right door into the sheepfold. Jn. 11:25; 10:7.

Hence give ear now to the voice of Christ, who says: If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. Consider well that the Lord would have us practice his word and truth, and not do like many who indeed have the word of God in their mouth, and hear it, but do not live according to it, but suffer it to enter in at one ear, and out at the other; yea, what is more yet, though they well know that sin and unrighteousness must be shunned and avoided, as soon as they have heard the word, they go on again in sin, in drunkenness, in adultery, in gambling, etc. But to take the Testament or Bible into their hands, to read, and to spend their time in godliness, that were far too much; but they follow their own lusts, namely, the lust of their father, the devil, for he delights in all such works: for he that committeth sin is of the devil, says John; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. John 8:44; 1 John 3:8. Hence, dear brother, have no fellowship with such persons, but seek such as fear the Lord and live according to his word, and keep it, for Christ says: Blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it. Luke 11:28. Now you may perceive that they are blessed (saved) who keep the word of God, and govern themselves in accordance with it. For in Matthew 7:23, Christ declares that he shall say to all those who shall not have kept his word, nor practiced it: “Depart from me, ye workers of iniquity; I know you not.” O brother, take good heed, that you do not hear this voice, but that you may hear that glad voice, with all God’s righteous ones that have lived according to the word of the Lord: “Come, ye blessed, inherit the kingdom of my Father, prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matt. 25:34. What a joy it will be to hear this, for the good that have walked in the fear of the Lord.

My brother, give ear now to the word of the Lord, that we may meet there, and hear the glad voice, which I pray the Lord that he will grant us through his only Son, Christ Jesus. Amen.

Brother, I must stop, for my paper is giving out; hence take this simple letter in good part, for I have written it out of love; and ponder it well, for it is not my word, but the word of the Lord, for his mouth has spoken it. Amen.