# Another Letter From Hans Bret, Written To His Beloved Mother, The 5th Of July 1576.

16th century (source section) · Historical source

Source: Martyrs’ Mirror. Original heading: ANOTHER LETTER FROM HANS BRET, WRITTEN TO HIS BELOVED MOTHER, THE 5TH OF JULY 1576.

Century of containing source section; exact event date not assigned

The unspeakable love, grace and peace of God
our dear heavenly Father, who is a Father full of
grace and truth, rich and abundant in mercy and
loving kindness, through the bitter suffering and
death of his only Son our Savior, who loved us,
and washed us from all our sins in his blood, and
from all the unrighteousness that we have done.
The power of the Holy Ghost strengthen you, and
comfort you in all your tribulation, affliction and
sorrow which you have for Christ’s word and truth,
in your persecution and suffering, in your grief
which you may have, as I understand, for my sake
according to the flesh. May he strengthen you in
the faith of the truth, wherein you now stand,
which God has revealed to you out of grace, that
you may overcome all sorrowfulness of the flesh,
which you may have. This, I your son, wish you
my chosen mother, with all my heart, to the salvation
of your soul, that we may meet together, and
may, with all those that have endured unto the end
in the belief of the truth, hear that glad and joyful
voice of the only Son of God: “Come, ye blessed,
inherit the kingdom of my Father, prepared for you
from the foundation of the world.” Amen.

My affectionately beloved mother, whom I love
from the heart, I commend myself to you with all
my heart, and inform you my chosen mother, that
I did not think that I should write you this letter
yet; but since it has pleased the good God, to keep
me in life until this present hour, I cannot forbear,
my dearest mother, to write you this parting letter,
perhaps the last in my life, and bid you, my dear
mother, adieu. For according to what I hear, the
time of my deliverance is near at hand; yet I know
not to this hour when, except that I hear that it is
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to be to-morrow, that I am to hear my sentence.
Not that I hear concerning myself alone, but of several,
of whom I think that I am one, if it pleases
the Lord. We have indeed heard this often, but
whether they do it to frighten us, I do not know.
I have never heard it from the people here in the
house, but from a girl of M.’s people that is imprisoned
here; she has told it me. If it is the will of the
Lord, let it be done, I am well resigned thereto.
The Lord be thanked, who strengthens me poor,
weak man here in these my bonds, by his Holy
Spirit, to resist all that should be a hindrance or
harm to my soul; for it is the day for which I have
longed; the Lord grant me strength unto the end,
that I may finish my conflict with joy, and gain the
victory, to the praise, glory, and honor of the
Lord’s holy name. Amen. Eph. 3:16; 1 Timothy
6:12; 1 Cor. 15:57.

Since, then, my dear mother, it has pleased the
good God, to count me, your son, worthy to suffer
for his name, to help fulfill the number of the righteous
that are under the altar, and rest till the number
of their brethren is fulfilled, who must also be
killed as they; console yourself herein, my dear
mother, and be not grieved on my account, this I
pray you; for, dear mother, the Lord has called me
to a better place than to remain in this wicked, evil
world. Though it is grievous to the flesh, I will not
regard it for the joy of which I shall partake with
all God’s righteous ones; for I say with Paul: “I
reckon that the sufferings of this present time are
not worthy to be compared with the glory which
shall be revealed in us.” Rom. 8:18.

O my dearest mother, who should not long for
this glory; who should not strive for it, and say
with Paul: “I groan and desire to be out of this
flesh; for I look for another dwelling, that is not
made with hands, but which is eternal in the heavens.”
2 Cor. 5. Then shall we, as John says, see
him in whom we now believe, not seeing him; then
shall we behold him with our own eyes, whose
brightness is greater than that of the sun. 1 John
3:2; 1 Pet. 1:8; Job 19:27. Who should now regard
this suffering or pain that can be inflicted upon
the flesh, and yet not without the Lord’s permission,
for when they have done all that they can,
according to the words of Christ, they can but kill
the body, but over the soul they have no power;
for we read in the book of Wisdom, that the souls
of the righteous are in the hands of the Lord. Matthew
10:28; Wis. 3:1.

Who should regard this temporal pain that men
may inflict upon this body, when such joy is promised
for a little pain, and great, unspeakable bliss,
yea, an eternal life, for a little of temporal life; for
Christ says: “He that loseth his life for my sake,
shall find it again hereafter.” Rev. 22:5; Matthew
10:39; Mark 8:35.

Behold once, my dear mother, how many laid
down their lives for the word of Christ and the
truth; and consider what man’s life is, which passes
away so quickly; it is, as James says, to be compared
to only a vapor that arises; for when the vapor
disappears and vanishes away, it is seen no
more, and is over very quickly; yea, it may be
compared to a bubble upon the water, which so
quickly perishes. Ps. 90:5; James 4:14. Why then
should we much regard this temporal life? it cannot
be compared with the eternal life.

Should you then, dear mother, be grieved on account
of our pain, that may be inflicted upon my
body, but which is for the faith and confession of
God’s holy word and truth? O no, my mother, let
not such grief come upon you; but I pray you, my
affectionately beloved mother, be of good cheer; I
hope by the help of the Lord, that your sorrow
shall be turned into joy. John 16:20.

O my beloved mother, let it go with you as it
went with Abraham, who had but one only son,
whom God had given him in his old age. Behold
how God tried this good man, when he commanded
him, that he should go and offer up to him his only
son Isaac. We do not read that he was grieved on
account of the command, nor was he grieved when
his son asked him: “My father, here is the wood:
but where is the sacrifice?” Abraham said to his
son with a fatherly voice, trusting in the almighty
God: “The Lord will provide it.” Thus Abraham
followed God’s command, and made his only, beloved
son Isaac kneel down upon the wood, drew
the sword from its sheath and raised it to cut off his
son’s head, and to sacrifice him. But the angel said
to him, that he should put the sword into the
sheath, and not harm the child. In all this time,
even to the last hour, we cannot read that this good
man was grieved, or afraid to obey God’s command.
My dear mother, why would you now be
grieved; the Lord does not try you in such a manner,
that you should kill your son, but he permits
it to be done by the generation of Cain, who always
thirst for the blood of the righteous Abelites that
please the Lord. My mother, do also trust the
Lord like the good man Abraham, and say: “The
Lord will provide it”; though your oldest son whom
you now have, be offered up. The Lord can raise
up another, if it pleases him; hence be resigned to
it. It does not go otherwise with me, than it went
with all the righteous that have ever pleased God,
from the beginning of the world until the present
time.

Consider how it went with the prophet Jeremiah,
who endured much grief, because he according to
the command of the Lord reproved the cities of their
sin. He was apprehended and cast into a miry
dungeon, yea, much grief came upon him, as the
Scriptures sufficiently testify concerning it; yea, so
that he resolved no more to preach in the name of
God. Behold, to such grief this man of God was
subject, who yet had been chosen by God, in his
mother’s womb, to proclaim his holy will. Jer. 38:6.

Again, behold John, who was sanctified in his
mother’s womb. He who was known to all the people
to be a prophet, did not Herod, for the sake of
a harlot, cause his head to be struck off in prison?
who nevertheless, according to the words of Christ,
was the greatest prophet born of woman. Luke
1:15; Matt. 14:5,10; 11:11.

See, my dear mother, if it went thus with those
who walked so worthily before the Lord—if they
killed those, what shall they do to us?

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Consider, that they did not hesitate to kill Christ
Jesus, who is the only Son of God, and the Son of
man, who, according to the testimony of the Scriptures,
is truly God and man, the Son of God, and
the Son of men, for he calls himself in many places
the Son of man; and he is confessed and is the true
living Son of God, who delivered us from the power
of Satan, from eternal death and damnation, and
opened our eyes when we were dead in our sins and
unrighteousnesses, and brought us into this marvelous
light; he has revealed to us his word and truth,
the gospel, which, as Paul says, is the power of
God unto salvation to every one that believeth.
Rom. 1:16.

Since, then, the good God, through his unspeakable
grace and goodness, has revealed to us his
word and truth, whereby our dark eyes have been
opened, and has given us to believe in him by whom
we might live forever, which is Christ Jesus, upon
whom the generation of vipers inflicted much pain
and torment, as the four evangelists abundantly
testify concerning it; how they scourged, mocked,
beat, and very miserably maltreated him, and placed
a crown of thorns upon his head; he had himself to
bear his cross to which they nailed him; they gave
him vinegar and gall to drink; they pierced his side
with a spear, and water and blood issued from the
same. Alas, so dreadfully did they deal with him;
all that went by opened their mouth and mocked
him, so that he was the most despised upon earth;
he was like the prophet David says and prophesies:
“I am a worm and no man; I am the most despised
among all men; they open their mouths against me,
and cast lots upon my vesture.” Psalm 22:6,7,14,18.

O dear mother, how bitter it is to describe the
sufferings of the immaculate Lamb of God, that was
subjected to so much suffering and sorrow; who
should be able to describe his sufferings which he
endured for our sakes? Should we then not suffer
a little for his sake, when he shall so gloriously recompense
all that suffer for his sake? for he says:
“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’
sake;” and again: Blessed are they that suffer
reproach for my name’s sake; for great is their
reward in heaven. Matt. 5:10–12; Luke 6:22,23.
Now you may perceive that the Lord will not leave
unrewarded all those that suffer for his word and
the truth; who in suffering adhere steadfastly to his
gospel; who depart not from his word and truth
which he has spoken with his mouth; who depart
not from the narrow way that leads to eternal life;
who were not ashamed to confess the truth before
this adulterous generation, who did not fear those
that kill the body, but much rather feared him that
can cast soul and body into hell, into eternal darkness
and torment, where there will ever be weeping
and gnashing of teeth, where the flames shall
never be extinguished, where the smoke shall ascend
forever and ever, where the worm shall never
die; who resemble not, as Peter says, the dog that
swallows again that which he has vomited (2 Peter
2:22); that are not like the sow which, when she
has once been washed and cleansed, goes and wallows
again in the mire; who do not call light darkness,
and darkness light (Is. 5:20); who do not
call truth lies, and lies truth; who intend with Eleazar
to persevere, and not to dissemble (2 Maccabees
6:18); who do not reject the truth, when they well
know that it is the truth; who do not hearken to
the devilish doctrine of the papists (1 Tim. 4:1–3);
who follow not the priests of Jezebel, who thirst for
the blood of the righteous, who love and serve God,
and love him with all the heart and with all the
soul; who seek to follow Christ’s footsteps, to live
and walk according to his will; who seeks to please
him and not men (Gal. 1:10), for James says:
Whosoever will be a friend of God, must be the enemy
of the world (James 4:4); who seeks to walk
the narrow way; who desires to forsake unrighteousness;
who forsakes the counsel of the flesh and follow
the counsel of the Spirit; who forsakes this
earthly good, and seeks after the heavenly; who
regards the temporal as nothing, and seeks after the
eternal and imperishable; who looks not at this visible,
but hopes for the invisible (2 Cor. 4:18); who
regards not this life, but seeks to obtain eternal life,
who now delights not in this temporal joy and pleasure,
but in the eternal joy and bliss; to those who are
thus, there is promised that they shall inherit forever
and ever that promised land, the eternal life, where
they shall be crowned with great glory; they shall, as
Malachi says, leap as calves of the stall (Mal. 4:2);
palm branches shall be given into their hands
(2 Esdras 2:46); they shall, as John says, sing the
new song before the throne of God (Rev. 14:3),
they shall be arrayed in fine, white linen (19:8);
they shall shine forth as the sun (Matt. 13:43);
they shall forever be in joy, such joy (Paul says) as
ear has never heard, eye never seen, nor has man’s
heart been able to conceive of the joy of which the
righteous that endure steadfast unto the end shall
partake. Who should now depart for any reproach
or contempt? who should now depart for any persecution
or tribulation or any temporal life?

O it is better to leave flesh and blood at the stake,
than to suffer one’s self to be despoiled of the eternal
salvation of one’s soul, of one’s Father’s inheritance
which is obtained through Christ. Hence Paul
says: Who can separate us from the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus? tribulation, or distress,
or persecution, or famine, or nakedness? We
may say with the apostle, that we are persuaded
that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things present, nor things
to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other
creature, shall be able to separate us from the
love of God. Rom. 8:17,35. Let us then not fear,
since, my dearest, there is nothing that can separate
us from God, if we love him from the heart, for
John says: where love is there is no fear; for love casteth
out fear. 1 John 4:18. This you may also perceive
by the words of Paul, where he says: Though
I had faith, so that I could remove mountains; yea,
though I gave all my goods to the poor, and suffered
my body to be burned, and had not love, it
would profit me nothing. 1 Cor. 13:2,3. Hence
there must be a burning love to Christ, we must with
the wise virgins have our lamps burning, and so
wait for our Bridegroom, that is we must be kindled
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with a fervent love, and thus wait for Christ Jesus
our Bridegroom, till he comes.

Behold, hereby we are to know who loves Christ,
for he says: “He that loveth me keepeth my commandments,
and the Father will come to him, and
we will make our abode with him.” John 14:23.
But without loving Christ, and keeping his commandments,
we cannot enter into life. For he says
himself: “If thou wilt enter into life, keep my commandments.”
Matt. 19:17. And what is his commandment,
but to love him; and he that loves him
will not depart from him because of any pain that
may be inflicted upon the flesh, as I stated before
with the words of Paul which he wrote to the Romans.
But if a man do not love Christ, there is vain
faith, which cannot please God, for Paul says: This
is true faith, which worketh by love, that is, by
the love which one has to God to keep his commandments;
hence James says, that faith without
works is dead. James 2:26. And this can easily be
perceived; where there is true faith, there will also
good fruits appear, for a good tree will bring forth
good fruits, but of a corrupt tree evil fruit will spring
forth; for a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit,
neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit; so
it is also with man; he that has a true faith will
bring forth good fruits that are pleasing to the Lord.
Matt. 7:17,18.

But where there is a faith that is vain and not
true, there you will not perceive good fruits, but all
evil, for James says that the devils also believe and
tremble. James 2:19.

Now it may be considered how many there are
that have also a vain faith, and yet boast that they
believe truly, yea, even these papists, they can say:
I believe in Christ Jesus, that he died, was crucified,
etc, but they deprive him of his honor; to be
brief, they do not obey him in that which he commands,
they do after the lusts of their father, the
devil. Christ says: for he was a liar and deceiver
from the beginning. John 8:44.

O how dreadful it is, that some hearken to such
liars and deceivers, and confess the devilish doctrine
to be the doctrine, word and truth of Christ,
whereas God says by the prophet: Cursed is he that
maketh and honoreth idols. O what are they also
doing, who say that the true body of Christ is in
the little house with which they walk along the
streets, with their bells, torches, and lanterns. O
what abomination it is to call this the truth, while it
is but bread and wine. While I am here, my
mother, I sometimes sing a spiritual song; but
though they forbid it me, I will therefore not cease,
as long as they do not fetter my tongue; yea, if I or
some of Menno’s people sing, then the servants
sing a profane song, so that the good may not be
heard.

O I am so glad that my dearest brother whom I
have upon earth in the Lord, has so remembered
me, poor prisoner, with a hymn and a letter by his
own hand. It rejoiced me so much inwardly in my
soul that I cannot describe it to you. I pray you to
thank him heartily, and ask him to write again, and
you also, for I think that I shall be here yet eight
days longer; but when I began to write this letter
to you, I did not think that I should write so much,
for I thought that by this time I should have heard
my sentence. But since it has pleased the Lord,
that I am still to remain here in this prison, I hope,
according to the advice of Paul, to abide the time
with patience, till it shall please the Lord; and thus,
according to the words of Christ, to possess my
soul in patience, for I commit myself into the hands
of the Lord, that it may be done with me according
to his divine will, to the praise, glory and honor of
his holy name, and to the salvation of my soul, now
and forever.

Hence, then, my dear mother, I bid you adieu
once more; adieu, my chosen mother, adieu, my
worthy mother, who gave birth to me in pain and
anguish. I pray you, my dear mother, be resigned
to the work of the Lord, be not grieved on my account,
be of good cheer; since our God has so
ordered it that I am to be separated from you, so
that you shall see me no more in this flesh, be resigned
thereto, for there can nothing happen to
me without the Lord’s permission, for the Lord is
my keeper, my protector and my defender, for the
prophet David says, that the angel of the Lord encampeth
round about them that fear him. Psalm
34:7. Think not that there is any one that can
harm me, for Christ tells us that the very hairs of
our head are all numbered, and not a sparrow falls
to the ground without his will; of how much more
value are we than the little sparrows! Matt. 10:30.
Hence, though it is so with me that I am cast into
prison for the word and truth of Christ, to confess
his name before these cruel men, and suffer contempt
and reproach, full of vexation, yea, finally to
be put to death by them, rejoice therein according
to the words of Christ, when he says: “Rejoice,
and be exceeding glad when men shall revile you
and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my
name’s sake.” Matt. 5:11.

Remember what Peter says: “Think it not strange
as though some strange thing happened unto you.”
1 Pet. 4:12. Why? Because it has gone thus with
all God’s children that have ever pleased him, for
Christ says: “In the world ye shall have tribulation
but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33. Hence we need not, according to the
words of Peter, think it strange, for the Scriptures
sufficiently declare all this, wherefore also Paul
says: “It is given unto us, not only to believe in
Christ, but also to suffer for his name.” Philippians
1:29. Consider what the prophet David says:
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous.” Psalms
34:19.

Behold, Christ himself, the author of faith, had to
suffer, and thus to enter into his glory. If they
have called the master of the house Beelzebub, what
shall they then do to his servants? If they have
cast out and killed the heir, what shall they do to
those that are sent? Hence the Lord laments over
Jerusalem, and says: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them
which are sent unto thee, how often would I have
gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth
her chickens under her wings, and ye would
not!” Matt. 23:37. Behold, how they have always
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killed those that were sent by God, and shall yet
do so. For Christ says to his disciples: “Ye shall
be put out of the synagogues, and whosoever killeth
you will think that he doeth God service thereby.”
John 16:2.

Now he that will be a good and faithful disciple
of Christ and serve his Lord in faithfulness, must
willingly bear all that is laid upon him for the Lord’s
sake, for Paul says: “All that will live godly in
Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” And again:
“We must through much tribulation enter into the
kingdom of heaven.” Luke 14:27; 2 Tim. 3:12;
Acts 14:22.

Since, then, the kingdom of heaven must be
taken through much affliction and vexation, let us
with Paul rejoice in the afflictions which we suffer
for the name of Christ, for we see how Peter and
John, when they came from the council, rejoiced
that they had suffered reproach and been scourged
for Christ’s sake. Acts 5:41. Thus, my dear
mother, do also rejoice with me, and thank the
good God, that he counts a poor, weak, unworthy
man fit to suffer for his word and truth.

Praise and glorify the Lord for his grace; sing
praise to him for his benefits; say with me: Thanks
be to the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and
the God of Jacob, for his unspeakable mercy and
goodness which he has shown us poor men. Say
with David: Where is a god like unto our God? to
him be praise and glory forever and ever. Amen.

I bid you adieu, my dearest mother, adieu; if I
should write you no more, and if this should be
the last letter, I bid you adieu, my beloved mother,
and take leave from you, if it should be the last
time; my mother whom I love, adieu, for I leave
you for the Lord’s sake, and also hope to lay down
my life for his sake, for the Lord has promised
me another life, which shall endure for ever, and
never pass away; not like this life, which must
perish, for this life, or the temporal pleasure of this
world, is not to be compared to the joy and gladness
that is promised to the righteous that endure
steadfast unto the end; where one day, as David
says, is better than a thousand here in joy and
pleasure. Ps. 84:10.

I hope by the help of the Lord soon to partake
of the eternal joy. Then I shall be freed from all
sighing, weeping and sorrow; then I shall neither
thirst nor hunger any more; then I shall no more
feel heat or cold; then I shall be released from all,
and for ever triumph with the Lamb. Hence, grieve
not, neither weep nor sigh; though I go before, we
shall meet again; be of good cheer, my chosen
mother; the Lord comfort you with his Holy Spirit,
in all your tribulation and sorrow. John 14:16.

I might be grieved more than you, for your sake,
for I leave you here in this evil world, where you
are subject to all sorrow, tribulation and affliction,
while I depart from tribulation into joy, from this
life into the eternal life: but we need not be sorrowful,
but resigned to the work of the Lord, for
Paul says; “All things work together for good to
them that believe;” hence, remember what we
pray: “Lord, thy will be done in earth, as it is in
heaven.” Rom. 8:28; Matt. 6:10.

Therefore, let us take heed, that we do not will
anything contrary to the will of the Lord, but that
we be patient and longsuffering in all things, so
that there may be fulfilled in us the passage contained
in John’s Revelation: “Here is the patience
of the saints.” Rev. 14:12. Therefore, dear mother,
be patient in all that has now come upon you, and
that may yet come upon you.

Farewell, my affectionately beloved mother, and
I pray you, when you begin your prayer to God,
remember me poor, weak man, your son, imprisoned
here for the testimony of the only Son of God,
as I hope and doubt not that you do; for James
says that the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous
avails much, and he adduces an example, and
says, that Elias was a man like us, and he prayed
that it should not rain, and it came to pass so; and
he prayed again, that it should rain, and it rained.
This, James tells us, to show how effectual the
prayer of the faithful is. James 5:16; 1 Kings 17:1;
18:45.

Christ also says: “What things soever ye desire,
when ye pray, if ye believe and doubt not, it shall
be done unto you.” Mark 11:24. The Scriptures
abundantly testify, that the prayer of the righteous
penetrates through the clouds, so that they are
heard by the Lord. Herewith I take leave from
you, dear mother, if it should be the last time, and
I commend you to the God of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob; the God of all comfort console you; the
strong God strengthen your faith, to resist all the
fiery darts of the wicked one; the Lord keep your
going out and your coming in, now and for ever
Amen.

Adieu, my dearest mother, adieu in this life, till
we see each other in life eternal, with Christ our
only Head and Bridegroom. Amen.

Greet my dearest brother in the Lord Christ Jesus,
the dearest brother I have on earth; greet him very
cordially, and also my chosen dear master, if he is
with you. Greet my beloved brother D. B., when
you write to him. My mother, take this my simple
letter in good part, since I have written it out
of love, according to my little knowledge, which
the Lord, through grace, has given me unworthy
man. The Lord be with us all. Amen.

By me your son, whom you well know, at present
confined in prison, at Antwerp, on the 7th of July,
A. D. 1576, for the Gospel, and for the confession
of the only Son of God, Christ Jesus our Savior,
whom the world does not confess, but denies.

Hans Bret.





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