# Another Letter From Hans Bret, Written To His Beloved Mother, The 19th Of July 1576. · Page 1 of 6 [Previous page: 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.](/en/stories/mm-another-letter-from-hans-bret-written-and-sent-to-his-brother-david-who-lived-abroad-and-had-not-yet-come-to-the-knowled/part-4/) · [Book contents](/en/sources/martyrs-mirror/#book-contents) · [Next page: ANOTHER LETTER FROM HANS BRET, WRITTEN TO HIS BELOVED MOTHER, THE 19TH OF JULY 1576.](/en/stories/mm-another-letter-from-hans-bret-written-to-his-beloved-mother-the-19th-of-july-1576/part-2/) The unspeakable grace, peace and mercy of God our heavenly Father, who is a Father full of grace and truth, through the bitter suffering and death of our only Savior Christ Jesus, who washed and cleansed us from all our sins and unrighteousnesses; the power of the Holy Ghost, for the increase of your faith, to resist all the enemies of truth; this I wish you, my affectionately beloved mother, for the salvation of your soul. Amen. My dearest mother, whom I love from the heart; my chosen mother, who gave birth to me in pain and anguish, from whose body I came forth; I, your son, who am now confined at Antwerp, in prison, for the word of truth, commend myself to you from the bottom of my heart, and thank you, my dear mother, for the great benefits you have shown me from the beginning of my existence until the present day, that you have cared for my necessities, and are still caring for me. But especially do I thank you, my dearest mother, that through the comforting letter you wrote me, you exercise a care for the salvation of my soul. O, when I began to read the letter, and understood that it was from you, my mother, then my tears began to flow, so that I could hardly finish reading the letter, because of the many tears that flowed from my eyes; for I had thought that I should hear from you no more. I was so rejoiced by your consoling instruction, and that you followed the example of Tobit, who also gave instruction to his son. O I thank, yes, I thank you, my dear mother, that you thus exhort me to steadfastness and boldness, to confess the name of Christ, which I hope to do by the help of the Lord, who alone is my helper and my strength, to resist the principalities and powers of this world, the spirits of the air, as Paul says (Eph. 6:12), yea, these priests of Jezebel, who thirst for the blood of the righteous that walk in the ways of the Lord, who, according to the word of Christ, seek to walk the narrow way, and to forsake their own life, as also, sin, unrighteousnesses and carnal lusts, and seek to please the Lord in righteousness, according to the will of God, in holiness. 1 Thess. 4:3. These are rejected, despised, and persecuted, yea, imprisoned; their end is to be killed, because they seek to walk the way in such a manner, that they may please the Lord. Hence Esdras says: The way is narrow, and cannot be walked without danger. 2 Esd. 7:8. This we may well consider. Behold, there were two brothers in the world, namely, Cain and Abel. Abel sought to walk the narrow way and to please the Lord with his offering, with which the Lord was pleased and had respect to it, because he and his offering were good. Cain sacrificed to the Lord, but his offering did not please the Lord, because he was evil; hence the Lord had not respect to his offering. Then Cain was angry at his brother Abel, and slew him. 1 John 3:12. Consider Lot in Sodom, how they assailed his house through their wickedness, and wanted to commit fornication with the angels that had entered into his house. Again, Abraham had to forsake his country, and went to sojourn in a strange country, where he was a stranger, and had to live in tents. Again, behold Isaac, who walked in the ways of his father Abraham, and served the Lord; he was hated by the Philistines; for they went and stopped the well which his father Abraham had digged; yea, that was not enough yet, but King Abimelech commanded him to leave his dwelling place. Genesis 26:14. Jacob was hated and persecuted by his brother Esau, who also sought to kill him. Joseph was by his brethren cast into a pit, and sold to the Ishmaelites; and chose rather to flee from the wife of the captain of the guard, leaving his mantle behind than to comply with her desire. So, dear mother, I will also rather lose my life, than do what they command. The children of Israel were also afflicted. If I were to tell further all that happened to all God’s prophets, I fear my paper should not suffice; such and similar examples, namely, concerning Christ, the author of faith, how he was persecuted in this life; yea, he had hardly been born, when his mother Mary had to flee with him. She nourished him up in poverty, yea, he was in poverty, for he himself says: “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” Matthew 8:20. Behold, how it further went with him: they crucified him; his feet and hands were pierced; the gave him vinegar and gall to drink; and his side was pierced with a spear, from which flowed blood and water. ## Original source [Read this passage on Project Gutenberg](https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/65855/pg65855-images.html#Page_990) [Edition details](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65855) [Previous page: 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.](/en/stories/mm-another-letter-from-hans-bret-written-and-sent-to-his-brother-david-who-lived-abroad-and-had-not-yet-come-to-the-knowled/part-4/) · [Book contents](/en/sources/martyrs-mirror/#book-contents) · [Next page: ANOTHER LETTER FROM HANS BRET, WRITTEN TO HIS BELOVED MOTHER, THE 19TH OF JULY 1576.](/en/stories/mm-another-letter-from-hans-bret-written-to-his-beloved-mother-the-19th-of-july-1576/part-2/) --- Page: https://history.truechristian.church/en/stories/mm-another-letter-from-hans-bret-written-to-his-beloved-mother-the-19th-of-july-1576/ [Contribute a correction or addition](https://github.com/trueChristian/history.truechristian.church/issues/new?title=Correction%3A+Another+Letter+From+Hans+Bret%2C+Written+To+His+Beloved+Mother%2C+The+19th+Of+July+1576.+%C2%B7+Page+1+of+6&body=%23%23+Page+or+topic%0AAnother+Letter+From+Hans+Bret%2C+Written+To+His+Beloved+Mother%2C+The+19th+Of+July+1576.+%C2%B7+Page+1+of+6%0A%0APage%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fhistory.truechristian.church%2Fen%2Fstories%2Fmm-another-letter-from-hans-bret-written-to-his-beloved-mother-the-19th-of-july-1576%2F%0A%0ARecord%3A+mm-another-letter-from-hans-bret-written-to-his-beloved-mother-the-19th-of-july-1576%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.)