ANOTHER LETTER WHICH JAN THIELEMANS WROTE FROM PRISON.

I wish you, my much beloved brethren and sisters in the Lord, and all those who shall see my letters, or hear them read, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the communion of the Holy Ghost, for a friendly and worthy greeting. Accept it in love. Amen.

After good and proper greetings, I undertake to write a little to you, my beloved, dear friends. I beseech you all by the mercies of our dear Lord Jesus Christ, that you would all diligently take heed to yourselves299 in all love, peace and truth, according to the words of the Gospel, while, dear children, you still have time from the Lord, through his great love shown you; since the time is so precious, for when it is past, and one has not taken good heed, it is lamented with sorrow. Hence Paul says: Let us take heed to ourselves, to provoke to love in good works.300 Therefore let us be the least, meanest, and lowliest, to bear all that is consistent with love and truth. For thus said Christ Jesus, the eternal truth, himself; when the disciples asked who should be the greatest among them, he took a child, and set it in the midst of them, and said: Except ye become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Matt. 18:3. Hence we may well perceive from the words of Christ, that we are to be, and must be, a prepared people; or we are not what we think ourselves to be, or, for what people take us.

Hence, my much beloved friends, we must approve ourselves in all things as the ministers of God. Now, no more is required in them, than that they be found faithful; for God is not unrighteous to forget your love, and your good and kind works. 1 Cor. 4:1,2; Heb. 6:10. Therefore be steadfast and immovable in the work of the Lord, always knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord; hoping by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that it will yet be most richly rewarded to you, when he will say: Come, ye blessed, inherit the kingdom of my Father. 1 Cor. 15:58; Matt. 25:34. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Matt. 13:43. Then shall it be seen what difference there shall be between the righteous and the wicked, and between them that have served God, and them that have not served him. Mal. 3:18.

Therefore, my greatly beloved in the Lord, take diligent heed to yourselves. Rather suffer from another—even though it should be one friend from another—than that another should suffer from you. Rather bear from another—even though it should be a friend—if it be consistent with the truth, than that a friend should suffer from you. Hence it is written: If thou come to serve the Lord, prepare thy soul for temptation. Sir. 2:1. For it will come very convenient even if one has put himself in the lowest place.

Hence, beloved friends in the Lord, abide in that which you have heard from the beginning. If you abide in it, you shall continue in the Father, and in the Son. And this is his promise, even eternal life. 1 John 2:24,25. What do we care for the world, or for what there is in it; for the world shall pass away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. And it is certainly our chief concern to be saved; as Peter says, Acts 15:11: “We believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved.” Even as he says also in another place: I have briefly written to you, by our brother Silvanus, namely, that this is the grace of God wherein ye now stand. Therefore hold that fast which you have, that no man take your crown. Rev. 3:11. If you overcome, you shall inherit all things. Hence add to your faith, virtue; to virtue, knowledge; to knowledge, temperance; to temperance, patience; to patience, godliness; to godliness, brotherly kindness; to brotherly kindness, charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Pet. 1:5–11. Having therefore such great and glorious promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness. 2 Cor. 7:1. As John also testifies, saying: Let us purify ourselves from sin, even as he is pure. For whosoever committeth sin doeth wrong; for sin is wrong. Therefore came he into the world, that he might take away sin; for in him is no sin. Whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. 1 John 3:3–6. The same John further testifies, and says: “Ye are of God, little children, [and have overcome them:] because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; but he that knoweth not God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.” 1 John 4:4–6. With this Christ agrees, saying: “The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.” John 7:7. As he further says in another place: “Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me: thine they were, and thou gavest them me. Not, Father, that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil.” John 17:11. In another place 706 Christ says: “Every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” 3:20.