Confession Of A Woman Called Claesken, Who Laid Down Her Life For The Testimony Of Jesus, A. D. 1559.

A letter by Claesken to her friends according to the flesh, and also according to the spirit, written in prison, the 14th of March, A. D. 1559, at which time, or thereabouts, she, her dear husband, and her brother Jacques, were put to death for the testimony of Jesus.

The Lord, through his great grace and mercy, grant that all those who hunger and thirst after righteousness may be filled.

My dearly beloved friends, N., my heartfelt prayer and request of you is once more, that you will peruse and search the holy Scriptures, and learn to fear the Lord from the heart; for “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Prov. 9:10. Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets; she crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. Because I have called, and ye refused: I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at nought all my counsel and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: they would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices . . . but whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil. Prov. 1:20–31, 33; Isaiah 65:12; Ps. 2:4; Job 27:6.

Behold, my dear friends, lay this to heart, that the Lord will not hear those who do not fear him now (John 9:31); and how precious the fear of the Lord is to him that will choose it; for nothing is to be compared to her. The fear of the Lord is honor, and glory, and gladness, and a crown of rejoicing. The fear of the Lord maketh a merry heart, and giveth joy, and gladness and a long life. Whoso feareth the Lord, it shall go well with him at the last, and he shall find favor in the day of his death. The love of God is honorable. Those to whom wisdom showeth her face, love her through seeing her, and in the knowledge of her benefits. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom; and the fear of the Lord is true religion. The knowledge of religion shall keep the heart, and justify it; it shall give joy and gladness. The godfearing shall prosper in the day of life, and at his end he shall be blessed. To fear the Lord is fullness of wisdom. The fear of God is a crown of wisdom, making peace and perfect health to flourish. The root of wisdom is to fear the Lord: but unto the sinner wisdom is a curse. The fear of the Lord driveth out sin; for he that is without fear cannot be justified. Sir. 1:11. Be not faithless; for into a malicious soul wisdom shall not enter, nor dwell in the body that is subject unto sin. John 20:27; Wis. 1:4.

My beloved friends, lay it to heart, how great a difference there is between those who fear the Lord, and them that do not fear him. Mal. 3:18. Search well the Scriptures, that you will not be like the cities concerning which Christ says in the gospel, that because they did not lay to heart his mighty works, which were done in their presence, it should be more tolerable for those of Sodom and Gomorrah at the day of judgment, than for them. Matthew 11:20. Therefore dear friends, the Lord does yet even now show such mighty works through us before your eyes; let it strengthen you, as Paul says that many of the brethren waxed confident in the Lord by his bonds, and were much more bold to speak the word without fear. Philip. 1:14. My dear friends, consider well, when the Lord did his mighty works, he did not do them for the sake of a single individual, as we read in John, when he raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:42), but that the people should see his mighty deeds, and believe in him, though only some believed in him, and some were offended at him, and said: Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? Thus it is 591 also at the present day with those who do not believe; for though they well see how strong and mighty the Lord is with us, yet they are offended at it, and say that we do this from stubbornness. And when we say that the righteous must suffer persecution, they say that we are persecuted for anabaptism. Thus it is to them a cause of offense; but those who believe God well know that we must suffer for righteousness sake; these, I hope, it will strengthen, and to us, be a trial unto our eternal salvation, through the grace of God. 1 Pet. 2:6,8; Matthew 5:10.