# A Letter From Sijntjgen Van Rousselare.

16th century (source section) · Historical source

Source: Martyrs’ Mirror. Original heading: A LETTER FROM SIJNTJGEN VAN ROUSSELARE.

Century of containing source section; exact event date not assigned

Grace and peace. Written at Antwerp, in prison,
I, Sijntgen, who am unworthy, am imprisoned for
the testimony of the Lord, and daily expecting my
sentence; the Lord grant us, that we may offer up
our sacrifice to his praise and glory; and to the salvation
of our souls. Amen.

The great grace and mercy of God the Father,
and the great love of the Son, and the power of the
Holy Ghost, confirm you, my very dear sister in
the Lord, and us, unto the end, that we may be
found worthy in the day of the Lord, through grace
to receive the beautiful promises, when the Lord
shall say; “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit
the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world.” O what great joy will then be
prepared for us, if we only hold the beginning of
the Christian life steadfast unto the end; hereunto
confirm us the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob, whose power is great, even
as the prophet declares, that with his three fingers
he encircles the whole earth; and unto his name
every knee must bow in heaven and earth, and every
tongue must praise him; the Lord of hosts is
his name, the Lord Sabaoth, the Mighty One in
Israel, for whose name we are imprisoned here; to
him alone be praise and glory, forever and ever.
Amen. Is. 40:12; 45:23; 54:5.

For he has created and made heaven and earth
out of nothing. This same bleeding, naked, crucified
Christ I wish you, my very dear sister in the
Lord, as an affectionate and Christian greeting;
may he keep and comfort you in all affliction that
may come upon you and us for his name. After
all loving and Christian salutation, I inform you,
my dear lamb and sister in the Lord, that my
mind is still determined (eternal praise and glory
to the Lord for his grace) as it was when I
unworthily bowed my knees before the Lord, thereby
showing that I desired to obey him in every
thing, in affliction as well as in joy, even as the
apostle also admonishes us, that it is given unto us
not only to believe in Christ, but also to suffer for
him. O my dear sister in the Lord, the servant is
not above his Lord, nor the disciple above his master,
and Christ has also told us: “The world shall
rejoice, and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow
shall be turned into joy.” And further: “Ye shall
weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice, but be
of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John
16:20,33. And our faith is the victory that overcometh
the world, by which we must overcome
princes and magistrates, through the grace of the
Lord. 1 John 5:4. O my dear sister in the Lord,
it is true, we are here as sheep for the slaughter;
but in all these things we are more than conquerors
through him that loved us, as the apostle says;
Who shall separate us from the love which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord? Shall tribulation, or distress,
or persecution, or peril, or sword? As is
written. Rom. 8:35.

O my dear lamb, he is such a faithful King whom
we serve; he will not forsake us but assist us in water,
sword and fire: for he says by the prophet Isaiah:
Though a mother should forsake her own child, yet
will I not forsake thee, but keep thee as the apple of
mine eye. Is. 49:15; Zech. 2:8. O my dear sister,
this is for us a glorious comfort in our present tribulation,
and distress, which is temporal and light, says
the apostle, and worketh for us a far more exceeding
and eternal weight of glory, while we look not
at the things which are temporal, but at the things
which are eternal; for eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man,
the things that God hath prepared for them that
love him. 2 Cor. 4:17,18; 1 Cor. 2:9. O my dear
sister in the Lord, let us choose much rather to suffer
affliction with the children of God, than to enjoy
the pleasures of sin for a season, and let us esteem
the reproach of Christ great riches, and with the
prophet David, much rather go into the holy sanctuary
of the Lord, than in the path of the ungodly,
for though he flourishes here, he must perish, for
the wise man says that the hope of the ungodly is
like dried thistle-down. Wis. 5:14. But we, dear
sister in the Lord, have a sure hope; though here
in the sight of the unwise we seem to die, we know
that we shall live forever, for it is written: They
that here sow in tears shall reap with everlasting
joy and gladness, and bring their sheaves into God’s
garner. Wis. 3:2; Ps. 126:5,6. O my dear sister
in the Lord, when this mortal shall put on immortality,
how gloriously we shall then be crowned with
glorious joy, for then our joy shall not be taken
from us. 1 Cor. 15:53; 2 Esd. 2:45. O my dear
lamb and sister in the Lord, let us freely trust in
our King, for his promises will not fail, for he will
not put us off, as do these carnal lords, all of which
passes away, but he will out of grace give us life
eternal.

O my sister in the Lord, my desire is, to go and
rest under the altar, with all my dear brethren and
sisters who freely delivered up their lives unto the
death, and are resting under the altar; I hope that
we shall soon come to them, for we are of good
courage here, by the grace of the Lord, to take,
with Caleb and Joshua, the promised land. Though
our enemies are many, we hope to devour them
like bread, for we have overcome nearly all our enemies,
but now we have before us the greatest or
last enemy, which is death, but we have a strong
comfort, which is the God of Jacob, who gives us
strength when the need is greatest; though the billows
then come against us, we hope as David says,
by our God to leap over a wall, and with Paul to
say: I can do all things through Christ, which
strengtheneth me; and we hope thus to press
through, even as Christ says: Strive to enter in at
straight gate, for narrow is the way which leadeth
unto eternal life. And Christ further says that the
kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent
take it by force. Num. 14:9; 1 Cor. 15:26;
Ps. 18:29; Philip. 4:13; Luke 13:24; Matthew 7:14;
11:12.

O my dear sister in the Lord, when flesh and
blood must remain on the posts and stakes, then is
the time of the severest conflict, for Satan also well
knew to say this, when he tempted godfearing Job.
920
Job 2:4,5. When flesh and blood are touched,
then the true faith is tried as gold in the furnace
and then we must strive lawfully, to obtain through
grace, the crown of eternal life, for it is written:
Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I
also will keep thee from the hour of temptation.
And I will not blot out his name out of the book of
life. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed
in white raiment, and I will make him a pillar in the
temple of my God, and I will lead him to the fountain
of living water. 1 Pet. 1:7; 2 Tim. 2:5; 1 Cor.
9:25; Rev. 3:10,5,12. O my dear sister in the
Lord, what glorious promises are given us, if we
only endure steadfast unto the end. To this end,
may the Lord grant us and you his grace, that we
may help sing the new song in Zion, with the hundred
and forty-four thousand, which were not defiled
with women: for they are virgins, because they
did not commit whoredom with the daughters of
Babylon. Rev. 14:3,4. Herewith I will commend
you, my dear sister, to the Lord and to the word of
his grace, which is able to keep you and us unto
eternal life. And I herewith take leave from you,
and bid you adieu on this earth, till we meet where
parting will be no more, where the streets are of
pure gold, and the gates of pearls and precious
stones. Rev. 21. Adieu, adieu, my dear sister in
the Lord: Written by me, Sijntgen van Rousselare
wife of Jeronymus, your weak sister in the Lord;
take my simple letter in good part, since it has been
written out of true love; for my gift is not very
great. And greet with the peace of the Lord, in my
name your people where you live and all dear
friends, known and unknown, especially your
brother and sister Passchier my familiar acquaintances.
My fellow prisoners greet your love cordially
with the peace of the Lord. Pray the Lord heartily
for us; we will most gladly do the same for you
according to our weak ability. And let us always
persevere steadfastly, that no one may take our
crown, but that we may with the wise virgins enter
into joyful rest. Amen.

Sijntgen van Rousselare.





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