# Another Letter From Mr. Jelis Matthijss To His Wife.

16th century (source section) · Historical source

Source: Martyrs’ Mirror. Original heading: ANOTHER LETTER FROM MR. JELIS MATTHIJSS TO HIS WIFE.

Century of containing source section; exact event date not assigned

My dearly beloved chosen wife and sister in the
Lord, I wish you folks much strength and comfort
from God the merciful dear Father, through the
consolation of the Holy Ghost, whereby he comforts
all afflicted, sorrowing hearts that are oppressed
for his testimony, even as is the case with
you at this present time, so that it troubles you
greatly though you have been so much taught by
the Holy Ghost, that you well know that it is the
will of our Lord and Master to whom we have
bowed our knees, to serve and be faithful to him in
every distress, tribulation and temptation; for he
has chosen and called us both to the end that we
should keep his name amidst much tribulation and
pain, and should not become weary of these few
stripes and fatherly chastenings (Job 5:17); for
thereby he makes us true heirs of his heavenly kingdom,
if we receive them in resignation and patience,
and are exercised thereby; to which may the merciful,
dear Father strengthen us with the power of his
Holy Spirit. Amen.

Further, my dearly beloved wife, since I presume
that your heart is much troubled and sorrowful on
my account, and you, as I believe, would like to
hear and know how it is with me, I cannot forbear
to write you a little about how it went with us. I
did write to you on our last night (as I thought),
and asked the bailiff whether I might write a little
yet to my poor, sorrowing wife. He said, “yes.”
But we were not allowed to go up stairs again, and
had to remain in the kitchen; and Huyge would
not consent to my writing, except he might hold it,
and hand it to the bailiff, as I think he has done;
yet I hope that you will yet get it. Further, my
dear lamb, know, first of all that my purpose is still
unchanged, and I am ready to await in patience all
that God the merciful, dear Father and the enemies
of the truth will impose upon me. Further know,
you folks, that we had not heard of any trouble of
the flesh; but in the evening, about nine o’clock,
Huyge came up stairs with his wife, saying: “Mr. Jelis
and Willeboort, come down; there is somebody
that wants to speak with you.” Then our women,
especially Maeyken, began to cry and weep greatly.
I asked him whether we were not to come up again,
to which he gave me but little reply. Hence I immediately
divested myself of my cassock, and put
on my old jacket. I then kissed my blood, namely,
the child, took off my hat, and briefly addressed
myself to God, the merciful, dear Father, that he
would preserve the child all the days of its life; my
heart experienced some sadness over it, but it did
not last long. When I came down, the stadtholder
was standing there, and a short time afterwards also
the bailiff came, and catching sight of me said:
“Well, Mr. Jelis, the time has come,” or some such
words. I then stepped up to him a little closer, my
heart being quite joyful, and said to him in a very
friendly manner: “My lord, I have known you for
eight or ten years, and looked upon you as an honest
man; how comes it that you want to take us in
this manner by surprise? We certainly have not
heard a word of it.”

He replied: “There is time enough; it will not be
yet; but make yourselves ready for to-morrow at
five o’clock.” I then exchanged a few more words
with him, saying: “O man, man, what a great burden
you put upon yourself; I would from my heart,
that you were not a judge over us, not however for
our flesh’s sake, for we are of very good cheer as
regards that;” and I took up a tankard that stood
there, and drank his health. When he had gone
away, I began to write, and wrote until about five
o’clock, when he returned and gave orders that the
servants should take us up; and as to how it went
up in the city hall, you probably have heard.
When we came away from there, we were both
locked up in a room, and as I was fettered, I could
not write to you.

I inform you further, that the next day, that is,
this morning, the bailiff and the stadtholder summoned
us down, and brought us both into a separate
subterranean dungeon, which was very dark,
and they had also darkened the window. They
said: “You will have to remain here until it will be
otherwise.” The stadtholder said: “We are all
mortal, we do not know ourselves when we are to
die.” I said nothing. When I stood in the dungeon,
the bailiff looked at me, and I cast my eyes
up heavenward, and said: “O God, preserve us,”
or such a word or two.

It seemed as though the bailiff wanted to say:
“Yes, it comes through you;” however, he did not
give utterance to it, and went away with the other,
and our God was not far from us, with the consolation
of his Holy Spirit, and made my heart joyful,
so that I could not refrain from singing a hymn.

In the afternoon we were given a bit of a candle,
and I commenced to write this, which I should have
liked to send to you before night, but I was not
able to do so; hence accept it in love.

O my affectionately beloved lamb, I think our
hour is fast approaching; for it seems that the ruler
of this world will come this night. Hence I beseech
you by the bleeding wounds of our dear Lord Jesus
Christ, and for the sake of the eternal salvation of
your soul, that you will never let it leave your
heart, how I walked before you; and when my
blood—which I hope you will bring up in the fear
of God—has attained to years of understanding, admonish
him with it, and do you, my most beloved,
not forget it either; but let my blood be a perpetual
testament and memorial to you, how I, according
to my feeble ability, have been an example to you.
Still, I would that I had been able to walk more
holily and blamelessly before you; but you know
that according to my feeble ability I sought to
please the Lord, and, according to my weakness,
walked with boldness in the way of the cross, which
it is my heart’s desire, that also you will do; and
do not forsake it; but it is my fatherly entreaty, that
you give more diligence to make your holy calling
and election surer and surer; for the day of the
Lord is not far off, in which he will reward every
one according to his works. Then, my faithful
lamb, he will find the lukewarm slothful and heedless,
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who now bear the name of Christians, and do
indeed bear the vessels, but have not the oil of love
and righteousness in them. Hence, my flesh, my
blood, I entreat you kindly, not to regard the lukewarm,
slothful, heedless, and fearful; but prove
yourself, and daily examine yourself, whether you
are truly walking in the faith of the Son of God. If
you thus examine yourself, you may prove and
know what is yet necessary for you to put off. 2 Corinthians
13:5.

O always strive for humility, since a humble
heart is in the best condition for self-examination;
for such an one constantly bewails his weakness and
insignificance before the Lord, fearing lest at last he
might yet come to shame in this perilous, fearful
time, through the manifold and subtle snares and
nets; wherefore such a regenerate child of God has
a heartfelt desire to be at home, and to be delivered
from this miserable, spotted garment of the flesh,
knowing full well that he is walking amidst great,
perils; hence he rejoices when he hears of the cross
of Christ; he is not minded, lightly to flee before
the ungodly, except when necessity demands it.
But the lukewarm, slothful and heedless, who sometimes
think that they are rich enough, and have
need of nothing, they in the meanwhile, as soon as
they hear aught that the ungodly only form a compact
to extirpate the righteous, are greatly disconcerted
or are more fainthearted, and this sometimes
is not yet all, but they come to their neighbor,
whose heart they ought to encourage, and make
him fainthearted too.

But you, my faithful lamb, be courageous, this I
heartily entreat you, and look not to the aforementioned,
nor to those who now so unfaithfully depart
from the Lord, whether through cross, or persecution,
or false doctrine. O, if they previously had
daily examined themselves, and had had a taste
for heavenly things, they would not have suffered
themselves to be deceived so easily, or have dreaded
the cross so much; but they would heartily desire
to confess the name of their God among this wicked
and perverse generation, and entreat their Lord
from their hearts, that they might be strangers in
the land, to the praise of their God, and the edification
of their neighbor.

Further, my dear, faithful, beloved, and chosen
wife, whose soul I love as dearly as my own, it is yet
my Christian and fatherly request, that you will
take care all the days of your life, that you may
come to the place where I shall soon be, so that we
may not be separated in the eternal habitations. O
that it might be God’s holy will and pleasure, and
be possible, that I might drink the cup of bitterness
for you. Yea, though it were thrice, I think I
would most willingly do it, from the heart, so that
you might also be saved.

O then I should accept my departure with a still
much more joyful heart, and should certainly have
no apprehension that you should ever be moved
from the simplicity of our dear Lord Jesus Christ;
however, I feel no apprehension, as long as you
continue as I now leave you; for you fear the judgment
of the ungodly. Hence I desire with Sirach,
that you remember in all your undertakings what he
says, namely: My son, whatsoever thou takest in
hand, remember the end, and thou shalt never sin
(Sir. 7:36), namely, such sins as could keep you
out of God’s kingdom; for as regards your daily
frailties and mis-steps before God, they will not condemn
you or bar you out, for with reference to this
the holy apostle John says: If any man sin, we have
an advocate with God the Father, who maketh intercession
for us, which is Christ Jesus, the high
priest, who entered in, namely, into the holy of
holies, and made an eternal offering and atonement
for his people and generation, and sat down on the
right hand of God his Father, as an advocate and
intercessor for our daily stumblings and fallings, as
the apostles say. 1 John 2:1; Rom. 8:34; Hebrews
9:12; Ps. 110:1; Col. 3:1. See, my faithful
and dearly beloved lamb, to this intercessor and advocate
I direct you, and not to the deceased saints,
as the blind leaders of this world do.

Therefore, flee to him for refuge in your great
distress; remember that his ear is not heavy that he
cannot hear you, and his hand not shortened that
he cannot help you; for his eyes are upon his saints
(Ps. 34:15), whom he has so dearly purchased with
his own precious blood; and he listens to their calling,
sighing and crying: for he calls those blessed
already, who here weep and suffer for righteousness’
sake, of whom you are one now. Matt. 5:4. Hence,
O my flesh, my blood, comfort yourself with these
promises, this I pray you; for those who sow here
in tears, shall hereafter reap in great joy. Ps. 126:5.
O, therefore do not think, my dear lamb, that the
tears you now weep will have been wept in vain; for
they have already come before the face of the
Lord. Hence, be patient yet for a short time, this I
entreat you; for he will not have you here long, I
hope, but will also take you away from the evil to
come, and bring you to sure rest in his chamber, as
the prophet Isaiah (57:1,2) says. Because you, according
to your feeble ability, desire to walk uprightly
unto the end, to which may the merciful,
dear Father help you, through the help and power
of his Holy Spirit; faithful is he who will doubtless
do it. 1 Thess. 5:24. Further, my dear, chosen
and beloved wife and sister in the Lord, as I cannot
yet draw my fatherly and solicitous heart away from
you, but would so gladly from my inmost soul, present
you, in and according to your weakness, perfect
and blameless before God, it is my humble and
kindly request, that you will sincerely love your
neighbor, and always remember the poor saints of
the household of God, even as you have hitherto
had such a disposition. Let your love herein not
grow less, but much rather increase. Always remember
Christ’s words, where he says: “The poor
ye will always have with you.” Matt. 26:11. And
it is manifest that there are always poor among or
in the house of God. Heb. 3:6. Bear in mind that
it is a great and acceptable work before the Lord;
wherefore Sirach says that the alms of a man is as
a purse on the way with him; and it will spare him
in the judgment. Yea, it blotteth out sin, and covereth
the multitude thereof: for mercy glorieth
against judgment, says James. 2:13. Hence, give
diligence also in this, as I am confident you will;
653
and though there is no necessity for writing you this,
yet I hope it will tend to your best interests, so that
after my departure you will not grow slack. I furthermore,
entreat you yet, my dearly beloved lamb,
that you will always associate with the pious, that
you may attain to greater piety and discretion. And
desire the reasonable, sincere milk, namely, to hear
the word of God, that you may thereby grow and
increase in every good work. 1 Peter 2:2. And
live in quietness (you know what I mean); this I
earnestly entreat you; and wait for the day of your
redemption, which, perhaps, is not far off. Herewith
I will take my leave and eternal adieu from
you, my flesh, my blood, and humbly entreat you
once more, for the sake of the eternal salvation of
your soul, and by all the great love that you have
ever had to me, that after my departure you will be
mindful of my writing, and heartfelt entreating and
admonishing; whether done by writing or orally;
and do not let it remain with you as a dead letter
or a fable, but make frequent use of it as a prescription
tending to your health, and keep it in the
strong box of your heart as a perpetual treasure and
memorial; for it will bring you more profit than
many pieces of fine gold and silver. O the time is
approaching rapidly, and I will therefore cease
writing and everything else; hence it is my affectionate
request, if you love me and the eternal salvation
of your soul, fulfill my request, according to
your feeble ability, and depart neither to the right
nor to the left, whether through the cross of bonds
or imprisonment, or any other cause; and if God, the
merciful, dear Father makes you worthy to suffer
for his name, be not afraid; for I should never have
thought that bonds and imprisonment could cause
so little conflict to one that has renounced himself,
and has a heartfelt desire to be at home; hence, fear
them not. Now, my affectionately beloved, chosen
lamb, and dear sister in the Lord, my time is fulfilled,
the days are spent, the years are finished; I
have fought a good fight, I have finished my course,
I have kept the faith (2 Tim. 4:7); so that my enemies
who set themselves against me have been
put to shame (Psalm 53:5); for through my
God I have gained the victory, who has delivered
me out of the jaws of the lions and the
mouth of hell, and shall also deliver me from
every evil (2 Tim. 4:17,18), and save me at
his coming, and give me the true promised land,
which I have seen by faith, and tasted of its fruits,
wherefore I have a heartfelt longing for it. O assist
me to thank and praise the merciful, dear Father,
that I have safely come through the wilderness of
this evil, wicked and perverse world, and am now
standing before Jordan, through which only I have
yet to pass. Though it is somewhat terrible to behold,
yet I do not fear it at all, for I am sure that
my God will succor me, and make me ready, so
that I shall pass through it safely and unharmed;
for faithful is he that promised it to me, and he will
never leave me, nor forsake me, so that I may
boldly say: The Lord is with me; I fear not what
man may do unto me. Ps. 56:4; Heb. 13:5,6.
They have come for me.





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