# Copy Of A Letter Written By Hans Symons To His Wife, In His Bonds Or Imprisonment At Antwerp, In September, In The Year A. D. 1567. · Page 2 of 3 [Previous page: COPY OF A LETTER WRITTEN BY HANS SYMONS TO HIS WIFE, IN HIS BONDS OR IMPRISONMENT AT ANTWERP, IN SEPTEMBER, IN THE YEAR A. D. 1567.](/en/stories/mm-copy-of-a-letter-written-by-hans-symons-to-his-wife-in-his-bonds-or-imprisonment-at-antwerp-in-september-in-the-year-a-d/) · [Book contents](/en/sources/martyrs-mirror/#book-contents) · [Next page: COPY OF A LETTER WRITTEN BY HANS SYMONS TO HIS WIFE, IN HIS BONDS OR IMPRISONMENT AT ANTWERP, IN SEPTEMBER, IN THE YEAR A. D. 1567.](/en/stories/mm-copy-of-a-letter-written-by-hans-symons-to-his-wife-in-his-bonds-or-imprisonment-at-antwerp-in-september-in-the-year-a-d/part-3/) 682 According to the Spirit, my heart rejoices in the hope of future glory. I hope that I shall soon put off this mortal garment, and put on the immortal; may the Lord direct our hearts thereto, for we need help from the Lord of hosts, in our tribulation. See, my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, take this, with your little children, as a testament and as a remembrance from him who has lived with you in the bonds of wedlock for about five years. We must now part, because of the covenant which we made with God, never to depart therefrom; hence I must now depart from the marriage covenant, for the sake of the covenant which we made with God; I now go (though unworthily,) the way which the prophets, Christ, and his apostles went, through much tribulation and pain, with many tears, and must drink the cup of bitterness which they all drank. Though the Lord himself said: “Holy Father, if it be possible that this cup pass from me, let it be done; but if not, Holy Father, thy will be done;” yet he was given us for an example, that we should follow his footsteps in obedience; for Christ entered into his glory through much suffering, thereby leaving us an example that we should follow his steps. Therefore, my beloved in the Lord, comfort yourself with his word, and remember that John writes, that the Lord said to his disciples and to his friends: In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, your tribulation shall be turned into joy. Hence, dear Tanneken, rejoice in the hope of future happiness, be patient in tribulation, continue instant in prayer, that the Lord would comfort you and not suffer you to fall into temptation, but with it also make a way of escape. Commend your matters to the Lord; I hope and trust in God that, if you continue in his laws, and constantly keep the Lord before your eyes, he will raise up some one who will help, comfort and assist you. Never separate from the godfearing. How pleasant it is to be among the Lord’s people! I say with Moses: I would rather suffer affliction with the people of God than enjoy temporal pleasure. Always associate with the saints of the Lord; for among the holy, one becomes holy, says the apostle. And remember the words of the Lord: He that overcometh shall inherit all things, and be clothed in white raiment, and God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes. O, dear Tanneken, it seems that there must be tears; for where no tears are, none can be wiped away. The Lord grant (as I trust in him that he will) that after this tribulation, which has come upon us for his name’s sake, and which is a sore affliction to my heart, we may rejoice together in the kingdom of God and of Christ. For, my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, whom I love from the bottom of my heart, together with my four little children, it is very hard for me when I think of your heavy burden, the spoiling of our property, and that the Lord has deprived you of the provider of your daily bread. I fain would, had it been the Lord’s pleasure, that he had spared us this affliction; however as it cannot be otherwise, we will commend our affliction to the Lord. When I consider, Tanneken, our past time, I think that it is a fatherly chastisement, for he says: “Whom I love I chasten.” I well know that we have merited it at the hands of the Lord, since we ofttimes were disobedient in the sufferings sent us by him. When we (as is true enough) had little success, as the world counts success, we complained and murmured against God, because we had not more to live on, and many children were born to us; just as though God’s hand had been shortened, that he could not have fed us. And now that little vanishes away as a prey, and we must be satisfied; however, it is for the Lord’s sake; and for his sake I gladly suffer. The Lord gave it me, and for his sake I will also gladly resign it. Hence, dear Tanneken, I have often before told you this. I do not write it to trouble you, but to indicate to you that God is chastening us; for he shows that he still loves us. Though the Lord chasten us, let us not cast his chastisement from us; for he that rejects chastisement and instruction will perish. Therefore, my beloved, I earnestly pray the Lord for you, and for my four children whom God has given me—which you bore me, and brought forth in pain—that he would not forsake you, but comfort, strengthen and stablish you, and feed all my four little orphans, and their mother, both according to the soul and body. Always trust in the Lord; I trust he will not forsake you. Take counsel with the Lord, and with them that fear him; and take better heed to walk in the obedience of Christ. I am sorry from the bottom of my heart, that I have not improved my time better. And I ask you to excuse and forgive me in whatever I have grieved you; for I am heartily sorry for it; and wherein you may have grieved me, I forgive you all from the bottom of my heart. And I pray the Lord, that he would also forgive us the same, as I hope, and also trust in him, that he has done. I thank you for the good intercourse we had together during the time of our wedlock; and I thank also all the brethren and sisters in the Lord, for the intercourse I had with them in the faith, for their faces were always pleasing to me. The Lord grant us grace that hereafter we may all live together in joy with the Lord, and be crowned with the crown of salvation, with which all the saints of God will be adorned, and this out of pure grace. Amen. ## Original source [Read this passage on Project Gutenberg](https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/65855/pg65855-images.html#Page_682) [Edition details](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65855) [Previous page: COPY OF A LETTER WRITTEN BY HANS SYMONS TO HIS WIFE, IN HIS BONDS OR IMPRISONMENT AT ANTWERP, IN SEPTEMBER, IN THE YEAR A. D. 1567.](/en/stories/mm-copy-of-a-letter-written-by-hans-symons-to-his-wife-in-his-bonds-or-imprisonment-at-antwerp-in-september-in-the-year-a-d/) · [Book contents](/en/sources/martyrs-mirror/#book-contents) · [Next page: COPY OF A LETTER WRITTEN BY HANS SYMONS TO HIS WIFE, IN HIS BONDS OR IMPRISONMENT AT ANTWERP, IN SEPTEMBER, IN THE YEAR A. D. 1567.](/en/stories/mm-copy-of-a-letter-written-by-hans-symons-to-his-wife-in-his-bonds-or-imprisonment-at-antwerp-in-september-in-the-year-a-d/part-3/) --- Page: https://history.truechristian.church/en/stories/mm-copy-of-a-letter-written-by-hans-symons-to-his-wife-in-his-bonds-or-imprisonment-at-antwerp-in-september-in-the-year-a-d/part-2/ [Contribute a correction or addition](https://github.com/trueChristian/history.truechristian.church/issues/new?title=Correction%3A+Copy+Of+A+Letter+Written+By+Hans+Symons+To+His+Wife%2C+In+His+Bonds+Or+Imprisonment+At+Antwerp%2C+In+September%2C+In+The+Year+A.+D.+1567.+%C2%B7+Page+2+of+3&body=%23%23+Page+or+topic%0ACopy+Of+A+Letter+Written+By+Hans+Symons+To+His+Wife%2C+In+His+Bonds+Or+Imprisonment+At+Antwerp%2C+In+September%2C+In+The+Year+A.+D.+1567.+%C2%B7+Page+2+of+3%0A%0APage%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fhistory.truechristian.church%2Fen%2Fstories%2Fmm-copy-of-a-letter-written-by-hans-symons-to-his-wife-in-his-bonds-or-imprisonment-at-antwerp-in-september-in-the-year-a-d%2Fpart-2%2F%0A%0ARecord%3A+mm-copy-of-a-letter-written-by-hans-symons-to-his-wife-in-his-bonds-or-imprisonment-at-antwerp-in-september-in-the-year-a-d--b00025-o000000%0A%0ADate+currently+shown%3A+1567%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.)