# Another Letter Of Jacob The Chandler, Written In Prison And Sent To Pouwel Van Meenen, One Of His Fellow-Ministers In The Gospel Of Christ, In Answer To A Letter Which He Had Received From Him. · Page 3 of 4

[Previous page: ANOTHER LETTER OF JACOB THE CHANDLER, WRITTEN IN PRISON AND SENT TO POUWEL VAN MEENEN, ONE OF HIS FELLOW-MINISTERS IN THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST, IN ANSWER TO A LETTER WHICH HE HAD RECEIVED FROM HIM.](/en/stories/mm-another-letter-of-jacob-the-chandler-written-in-prison-and-sent-to-pouwel-van-meenen-one-of-his-fellow-ministers-in-the/part-2/) · [Book contents](/en/sources/martyrs-mirror/#book-contents) · [Next page: ANOTHER LETTER OF JACOB THE CHANDLER, WRITTEN IN PRISON AND SENT TO POUWEL VAN MEENEN, ONE OF HIS FELLOW-MINISTERS IN THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST, IN ANSWER TO A LETTER WHICH HE HAD RECEIVED FROM HIM.](/en/stories/mm-another-letter-of-jacob-the-chandler-written-in-prison-and-sent-to-pouwel-van-meenen-one-of-his-fellow-ministers-in-the/part-4/)

Now we perceive, in the first place from the
words of Christ (Matt. 18:15), that if any one sins
against his neighbor, by any transgression, he must
be reconciled to his neighbor, or he cannot, after
sufficient admonition, remain a brother, but he must
be regarded as a heathen man or publican, who
was excluded from the covenant of the Lord, and
with whom the Jews would have no fellowship. John
4:9. And since they must be regarded as persons
that are excluded from the covenant of the Lord,
because they have only through weakness sinned
against their neighbor, and will not confess to guilt;
how much more shall they be regarded so who sin
against the Lord, and transgress his doctrine—which
is frequently done through heedlessness, or self-interest,
or for the sake of friends or relatives—and
yet will not become reconciled to the Lord?

In the second place Moses writes, that if any one
touched a dead body, and would not wash himself
the third and the seventh day, he was to be cut off.
Yet the dead had to be touched, for they must be
776
buried; and yet, if they would not wash themselves,
they had to be cut off; and the priest might not
defile himself with any dead person; he was not
allowed to go to any dead, for he had the anointing
oil on his head. Num. 19:11; Lev. 21:1; 8:12;
Ex. 19:10. Hence, if they in Israel had to be so
punished, who would not wash themselves with
water, from a pollution which was caused by necessity,
how shall they now be tolerated in the church,
who without necessity, yea, often for the sake of
gain, or through the prompting of flesh and blood,
defile themselves with these dead, after they have
been separated from the church, and yet will not
wash themselves, or bear or confess their guilt?
These people may not thus be tolerated, according
to the view which I have from the Scriptures; and
if they are allowed to go unreproved, it must be
declared as a liberty, and then perhaps to-morrow
already another will arise and demand the abolishment
of excommunication, and will prove to you,
that you have just as much power to maintain
avoidance, as you have to maintain excommunication;
and then you will be beaten with your own
staff, and thus the hedge will be completely broken
down, and the wild boars will run into the vineyard
of the Lord, and root it up. Ps. 80:13; Is. 5:5.
O dear brother, take heed; blow the trumpet on
Mount Zion; let Israel hear the word of the Lord;
reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering. Joel
2:1; 2 Tim. 4:2.

With the simple that are led astray in understanding,
deal in a fatherly, long-suffering manner,
if God may haply yet enlighten them by his Spirit.
Bind up the wounded; seek the erring; break not
the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax.
Is. 61:1; Luke 10:34; 15:4; Is 42:3. Always take
heed unto yourselves, and to the flock, over which
the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed
the church of God, which he hath purchased with
his own blood. Acts 20:28. Hence feed the flock of
Christ not by constraint, but willingly (1 Pet. 5:2),
and remember that the apostle says: “Woe is unto
me, if I preach not the Gospel! For if I do this
thing willingly, I have a reward; but if against my
will, a dispensation of the Gospel is committed unto
me. 1 Cor. 9:16,17. Hence he also says: “Though
we might have used authority, as the apostles of
Christ, we were gentle among you, even as a nurse
cherisheth her children; so being affectionately desirous
of you, we were willing to have imparted
unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our
own souls, because ye were dear unto us. 1 Thessalonians
2:6–8. And he said, that as a father admonishes
his children, so he had exhorted, comforted,
and charged them, that they should walk
worthy of God. vs. 11, 12; Philip. 1:27; Col. 1:10.

Thus, my dear brother, take heed to your sheep,
and tend to your flock with a ready mind, and,
when the chief Shepherd shall appear ye shall receive
a crown of glory that fadeth not away. 1 Peter
5:4; Jas. 1:12. Thus, my dear brother, be watchful,
and do the work of a true preacher; make full
proof of thy ministry (2 Tim. 4:5) and say like the
prophet: “For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the
righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the
salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.” Is. 62:1.
Be on your guard, and watch over their souls, as
one that must give an account thereof. Heb. 13:17.
If you see the sword coming, blow the trumpet, and
warn the people in the name of the Lord, that the
drowsy may awake, and the feeble knees make
straight paths, and the hands which hang down be
lifted up, and you be free of their blood. Hebrews
13:17; Ezek. 33:3; Heb. 12:12,13; Ezek. 3:19,21.
To this end may the Lord grant you his grace, and
strengthen you by his Spirit, that you may receive
the end of your faith, even the salvation of your
soul. Amen.



## Original source

[Read this passage on Project Gutenberg](https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/65855/pg65855-images.html#Page_776)

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

[Previous page: ANOTHER LETTER OF JACOB THE CHANDLER, WRITTEN IN PRISON AND SENT TO POUWEL VAN MEENEN, ONE OF HIS FELLOW-MINISTERS IN THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST, IN ANSWER TO A LETTER WHICH HE HAD RECEIVED FROM HIM.](/en/stories/mm-another-letter-of-jacob-the-chandler-written-in-prison-and-sent-to-pouwel-van-meenen-one-of-his-fellow-ministers-in-the/part-2/) · [Book contents](/en/sources/martyrs-mirror/#book-contents) · [Next page: ANOTHER LETTER OF JACOB THE CHANDLER, WRITTEN IN PRISON AND SENT TO POUWEL VAN MEENEN, ONE OF HIS FELLOW-MINISTERS IN THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST, IN ANSWER TO A LETTER WHICH HE HAD RECEIVED FROM HIM.](/en/stories/mm-another-letter-of-jacob-the-chandler-written-in-prison-and-sent-to-pouwel-van-meenen-one-of-his-fellow-ministers-in-the/part-4/)

---

Page: https://history.truechristian.church/en/stories/mm-another-letter-of-jacob-the-chandler-written-in-prison-and-sent-to-pouwel-van-meenen-one-of-his-fellow-ministers-in-the/part-3/

[Contribute a correction or addition](https://github.com/trueChristian/history.truechristian.church/issues/new?title=Correction%3A+Another+Letter+Of+Jacob+The+Chandler%2C+Written+In+Prison+And+Sent+To+Pouwel+Van+Meenen%2C+One+Of+His+Fellow-Ministers+In+The+Gospel+Of+Christ%2C+In+Answer+To+A+Letter+Which+He+Had+Received+From+Him.+%C2%B7+Page+3+of+4&body=%23%23+Page+or+topic%0AAnother+Letter+Of+Jacob+The+Chandler%2C+Written+In+Prison+And+Sent+To+Pouwel+Van+Meenen%2C+One+Of+His+Fellow-Ministers+In+The+Gospel+Of+Christ%2C+In+Answer+To+A+Letter+Which+He+Had+Received+From+Him.+%C2%B7+Page+3+of+4%0A%0APage%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fhistory.truechristian.church%2Fen%2Fstories%2Fmm-another-letter-of-jacob-the-chandler-written-in-prison-and-sent-to-pouwel-van-meenen-one-of-his-fellow-ministers-in-the%2Fpart-3%2F%0A%0ARecord%3A+mm-another-letter-of-jacob-the-chandler-written-in-prison-and-sent-to-pouwel-van-meenen-one-of-his-fellow-ministers-in-the--b00013-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.)