ANOTHER LETTER OF JACOB THE CHANDLER, WRITTEN IN PRISON; IN WHICH HE ADMONISHES HIS FELLOW-MINISTERS, NOT TO FLEE AS HIRELINGS, AND TO LET CHRIST’S SHEEP GO ASTRAY THROUGH LACK OF INSTRUCTION; BUT FAITHFULLY TO DISCHARGE THE OFFICE IMPOSED UPON THEM.

As he had himself been in Friesland, and had heard from the lips of both parties the difficulty that had arisen among the people of God, and understood that they had on both sides sinned against God and their neighbor, and made themselves blamable, he therefore made much mention concerning this matter in this letter, as you, kind reader, may see.

I, Jacob the Chandler, imprisoned for the Lord’s sake (Eph. 3:1; 2 Tim. 1:8); wish all the elders and ministers of the churches in Flanders, who oversee the flock of Christ, and L. V. or A. D., wisdom, knowledge and true love from God the heavenly Father, grace, mercy and peace, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and true comfort, strength and power, through the Holy Ghost, to serve and oversee the church aright, to be with her as a father, and faithfully to assist her in every need, to the upbuilding of the church, to the praise of the Lord, and to the salvation of your souls. This I wish you, my dear and beloved brethren, as a friendly greeting, and a cordial adieu.

After all proper and Christian greetings, I pray all my dear brethren, to consider my letter in love, even as I testified before the Lord and all the godfearing, that it has been done by me out of love. For having heard that many who oversee and care for the church seek to be released, in order to journey out of the country, love for the people has prompted me to write you, in order to admonish you that you should rightly think of the poor children whom you would leave behind in great misery; whom you have begotten again through the incorruptible seed, and brought into the true way, yea, some of whom have not yet been fully regenerated, and can not rightly discern between good and evil; and if you thus go away and leave the poor children, they are in great peril of perishing, and straying back into the world. Hence, dear brethren, consider how little joy it will be for you when you will hear this of them; for we would not like to leave our natural children in any need if we could with a good conscience help the matter. Now, you may think within yourselves: “I have served the church a long time; another may now serve.” But I say, dear brethren, with David: “Be not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, if they will not come unto thee.” Ps. 32:9. For we must not render the service of servants, which is often reluctantly rendered, and who look to one another, for they serve for wages, and do not seek the advantage of the house. But we must render the service of children, which is given from love, for they live unto their father, and not to themselves, as Christ did not live to himself, but to him that sent him to be a minister of the kingdom, and conducted himself among them as one that serves (Matt. 20:28; Luke 22:27); which service was given from love, not a year or two, but all the days of his life, for he was obedient unto death. Philip. 2:8. And he appointed unto his apostles the kingdom, as his father had appointed it unto him, so that they who according to the gift were the greatest in the kingdom, had to be their ministers and servants. And the apostles took help, and ordained in the church pastors, teachers, ministers, helps, governments, and the like (2 Tim. 2:2; Tit. 1:5; 1 Cor. 12:28), and appointed unto them the kingdom, as Christ had appointed it unto the disciples, namely, to serve the kingdom from love, and to live therein to the Lord and their neighbor, and not to themselves. Hence the apostle complains of some, saying: “All seek their own, and not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.” Philippians 2:21. Thus met all that serve in the kingdom, who are chosen according to the rule and ordinance of the Scriptures to serve the church, give themselves to the church from love, yet, my dear brethren, with this understanding: if for the church’s sake you suffer loss in temporal matters, it is her duty to assist you. Deut. 12:19; Sirach 7:31; Luke 10:7.

Hence, my dear brethren, let every one of you take heed to himself; for we certainly believe that the choosing of the church is from God. Let us therefore consider; if the Lord has chosen us to serve him in this way, we must give ourselves to the Lord, whenever we have good reasons for it, in this that we can satisfy the church, though we may say: There are others to whom this belongs more properly than to me. This is no reason that avails before the Lord. If one might thereby excuse himself, Jonah could easily have found such a reason; but because he refused to go and proclaim to 780 the Ninevites the will of the Lord, he had to go into the belly of the whale; even as I unworthy one have seen some in my time, who refused too much, but it did not turn out to their good. Likewise, Moses and others sought excuses (Ex. 4:10; Jer. 1:6); but it did not avail them, the Lord said: Do not I know whom I will send? For he needs no counselors; he well knows for what he wants to use us. Nevertheless the example of Moses is much followed in the churches, and it is regarded as an honorable thing for a man to refuse; yet it does not please the Lord, for he was angry at Moses. But the prophet Isaiah did not do thus, but said: “Send me, Lord; and with this the Lord was not displeased.” Is. 6:8. Elisha, also, asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. Elijah said: Thou hast asked a hard thing; nevertheless, it shall be so unto thee. 2 Kings 2:9,10. And on this wise Paul says: “If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 1 Tim. 3:1.