SEVERAL LETTERS WRITTEN IN PRISON, BY ADRIAN CORNELISS, INCLUDING A PRAYER, AN ADMONITION, AND A CONFESSION OF ADRIAN CORNELISS, GLAZIER, WHO WAS IMPRISONED AT LEYDEN, AND ALSO PUT TO DEATH THERE FOR THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS, IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD, 1552.

His Prayer to God.

O Lord of heaven and earth, who hast made all things out of nothing, who hast given me members after the image of thy Son, I hope to offer them up now for thy holy name; for thou art the Lord, before whom every knee must bow, both in heaven and upon earth: hear my prayer, and let my incense be acceptable before thee. Take not thy grace from me, a polluted man of unclean lips; purify my mouth, that thy name may be praised thereby. Incline thine ear to me, and thou shalt see how they fall upon me; but it is better for me to fall into the hands of men, than to sin in thy sight; for thine eyes are as a flame of fire, and thy word as a sharp, two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and thou art a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, and there is nothing hid before thine eyes. Therefore I exclaim with David, thy dear prophet, that it is better to fall into the hands of men, than into thy wrath. Matt. 11:25; Gen. 1:27; Rom. 12:1; Philip. 2:10; Is. 6:5; Susanna 23; Revelation 1:14; Heb. 4:12,13.

O Lord, lead me into the land of Haran, in which I have not so much inheritance as to set my foot on, namely, the promised land, which I pray thou wilt give me, out of grace, and not for my own works or merits. Acts 7:4,5. Deliver me with Lot from this generation. Preserve me, Lord, from the fierce teeth of the lions, which are many, yea, from the ferocious evening wolves, that let nothing remain till the morning, whose feet make haste to shed innocent blood. Zeph. 3:3; Prov. 1:16. O Lord, preserve me with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that the fire of blasphemy which proceeds out of their mouth, may not harm me. Dan. 3:27. O Lord, let my prayer be heard with that of Tobit and Sarah; hear my prayer with that of Elijah, and receive me as a burnt-offering, living, holy and acceptable unto thee, that the prophets of Jezebel may be confounded, and seduce thy people no longer. Tobit 3:1,11; 1 Kings 18:36; 19:4. Lord, preserve me with Joseph from the wicked woman, that I may rather suffer myself to be deprived of my garment, namely, my first body; for we read: “He which is joined to a harlot is one body with her.” Genesis 39:7; 1 Cor. 6:16. Preserve me, Lord; for I call heaven and earth to witness, that I die innocently; for whosoever seeks to save his life, shall lose it; and whosoever loses his life for thy sake, Lord, and the Gospel’s, shall preserve it. 1 Macc. 2:37; Matthew 16:25. Hence, I cry with old Eleazer: “I will rather die gloriously than live stained with abomination.” 2 Macc. 6:19.

O Lord, behold, the burning wrath of a great multitude is kindled over us, and they shall take away certain of us, and feed the idle with things offered unto idols; but thou, Lord, preservest me, thou givest thy servant bread in time of need, and water when he is thirsty, and in the day of tribulation thou forgivest sins. 2 Esdra 16:68; Sir. 2:11. And thou hast said to thy dear prophet, that though a mother forget her child to which she herself has given birth, yet wilt thou not forget us; for it is thy word, Lord. Is. 49:15. Thou hast spoken through thy dear apostle Paul: Come out from this wicked generation, and touch not the unclean thing. Then thou wilt deliver us, and be our Father, and we shall be thy sons and daughters. 2 Cor. 6:17,18. We now also go forth without the camp, and will help bear thy reproach. Heb. 13:13. Lord, teach us to pray according to thy will, that we may pray in spirit and in truth, that we may truly call thee Father; for a son must honor his father, and a servant his master. Mal. 1:6. Grant us therefore to be partakers of the word which declares: These are 508 they who have not loved their life, but have delivered it into death; for those that are slain by men, have a better hope to expect from God, namely, that they shall be raised again; for thou provest thy chosen; thou triest them as gold in the furnace, and thou receivest them as an offering of burnt sacrifice. Ps. 66:10. Lord, now let thy servant depart in peace. Holy Father, sanctify thy Son, that I may be found unblamable at thy appearing. Keep me, holy Father for thy holy name’s sake. Amen. Luke 2:29; John 17:11.