# Another Letter Of Jacob The Chandler, Written In Prison; In Which He Admonishes His Fellow-Ministers, Not To Flee As Hirelings, And To Let Christ’S Sheep Go Astray Through Lack Of Instruction; But Faithfully To Discharge The Office Imposed Upon Them.

16th century (source section) · Historical source

Source: Martyrs’ Mirror. Original heading: ANOTHER LETTER OF JACOB THE CHANDLER, WRITTEN IN PRISON; IN WHICH HE ADMONISHES HIS FELLOW-MINISTERS, NOT TO FLEE AS HIRELINGS, AND TO LET CHRIST’S SHEEP GO ASTRAY THROUGH LACK OF INSTRUCTION; BUT FAITHFULLY TO DISCHARGE THE OFFICE IMPOSED UPON THEM.

Century of containing source section; exact event date not assigned

As he had himself been in Friesland, and had
heard from the lips of both parties the difficulty
that had arisen among the people of God, and
understood that they had on both sides sinned
against God and their neighbor, and made themselves
blamable, he therefore made much mention
concerning this matter in this letter, as you, kind
reader, may see.

I, Jacob the Chandler, imprisoned for the Lord’s
sake (Eph. 3:1; 2 Tim. 1:8); wish all the elders
and ministers of the churches in Flanders, who
oversee the flock of Christ, and L. V. or A. D.,
wisdom, knowledge and true love from God the
heavenly Father, grace, mercy and peace, through
our Lord Jesus Christ, and true comfort, strength
and power, through the Holy Ghost, to serve and
oversee the church aright, to be with her as a
father, and faithfully to assist her in every need,
to the upbuilding of the church, to the praise of
the Lord, and to the salvation of your souls. This I
wish you, my dear and beloved brethren, as a
friendly greeting, and a cordial adieu.

After all proper and Christian greetings, I pray
all my dear brethren, to consider my letter in love,
even as I testified before the Lord and all the
godfearing, that it has been done by me out of love.
For having heard that many who oversee and
care for the church seek to be released, in order
to journey out of the country, love for the people has
prompted me to write you, in order to admonish
you that you should rightly think of the
poor children whom you would leave behind in
great misery; whom you have begotten again
through the incorruptible seed, and brought into
the true way, yea, some of whom have not yet
been fully regenerated, and can not rightly discern
between good and evil; and if you thus go away
and leave the poor children, they are in great
peril of perishing, and straying back into the
world. Hence, dear brethren, consider how little
joy it will be for you when you will hear this of
them; for we would not like to leave our natural
children in any need if we could with a good conscience
help the matter. Now, you may think
within yourselves: “I have served the church a
long time; another may now serve.” But I say,
dear brethren, with David: “Be not as the horse,
or as the mule, which have no understanding:
whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle,
if they will not come unto thee.” Ps. 32:9. For
we must not render the service of servants, which
is often reluctantly rendered, and who look to one
another, for they serve for wages, and do not seek
the advantage of the house. But we must render
the service of children, which is given from love,
for they live unto their father, and not to themselves,
as Christ did not live to himself, but to him
that sent him to be a minister of the kingdom,
and conducted himself among them as one that
serves (Matt. 20:28; Luke 22:27); which service
was given from love, not a year or two, but all
the days of his life, for he was obedient unto death.
Philip. 2:8. And he appointed unto his apostles
the kingdom, as his father had appointed it unto
him, so that they who according to the gift were the
greatest in the kingdom, had to be their ministers
and servants. And the apostles took help, and
ordained in the church pastors, teachers, ministers,
helps, governments, and the like (2 Tim. 2:2;
Tit. 1:5; 1 Cor. 12:28), and appointed unto them
the kingdom, as Christ had appointed it unto the
disciples, namely, to serve the kingdom from love,
and to live therein to the Lord and their neighbor,
and not to themselves. Hence the apostle complains
of some, saying: “All seek their own, and
not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.” Philippians
2:21. Thus met all that serve in the kingdom,
who are chosen according to the rule and
ordinance of the Scriptures to serve the church,
give themselves to the church from love, yet, my
dear brethren, with this understanding: if for the
church’s sake you suffer loss in temporal matters,
it is her duty to assist you. Deut. 12:19; Sirach
7:31; Luke 10:7.

Hence, my dear brethren, let every one of you
take heed to himself; for we certainly believe that
the choosing of the church is from God. Let us
therefore consider; if the Lord has chosen us to
serve him in this way, we must give ourselves
to the Lord, whenever we have good reasons for it,
in this that we can satisfy the church, though we
may say: There are others to whom this belongs
more properly than to me. This is no reason that
avails before the Lord. If one might thereby excuse
himself, Jonah could easily have found such a reason;
but because he refused to go and proclaim to
780
the Ninevites the will of the Lord, he had to go into
the belly of the whale; even as I unworthy one have
seen some in my time, who refused too much, but
it did not turn out to their good. Likewise, Moses
and others sought excuses (Ex. 4:10; Jer. 1:6); but
it did not avail them, the Lord said: Do not I know
whom I will send? For he needs no counselors; he
well knows for what he wants to use us. Nevertheless
the example of Moses is much followed in the
churches, and it is regarded as an honorable thing
for a man to refuse; yet it does not please the Lord,
for he was angry at Moses. But the prophet Isaiah
did not do thus, but said: “Send me, Lord; and
with this the Lord was not displeased.” Is. 6:8.
Elisha, also, asked for a double portion of Elijah’s
spirit. Elijah said: Thou hast asked a hard thing;
nevertheless, it shall be so unto thee. 2 Kings
2:9,10. And on this wise Paul says: “If a man
desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good
work. 1 Tim. 3:1.

See, dear brethren, thus we must follow what is
honorable and praiseworthy before the Lord, and
think, they that minister well purchase to themselves
a good degree, and great boldness in the
faith, v. 14; Matt. 25:21. As the children of this
world, when they can get into the service of any
lord, they endeavor to serve faithfully, that they
may obtain a higher office; so must we also endeavor
to serve the Lord in that wherein we are
called, that we may obtain power to rule the heathen
with a rod of iron. Ps. 2:9; Rev. 2:27. Therefore,
my dear brethren, remain together, as long as it is
possible for you, and you can encourage one another;
but when you begin to separate, you make
one another weak; hence remain faithfully together,
and take heed to your ministry. You that care for
the poor, exercise diligent care over them, visit
them frequently, and see how they do; admonish
them with a fatherly heart to labor (Eph. 4:28;
2 Thess. 3:12), and comfort them in their tribulation,
for a consoling word helps the afflicted more
than the gift. And cleave firmly with your heart
in love to your ministers of the word; for you must
be one heart with them, and you will be the better
able to keep the people in peace; for if the rulers
of a country are not at peace among themselves,
there cannot well be peace in the land. So also in
the churches, if the ministers are at variance with
one another, there cannot well be peace among the
common brethren. Hence, dear brethren, remain
at peace with one another; and you deacons, be
a support to the ministers of the word, and take
their part; for they must blow the trumpet, that
the drowsy may awake (Isa. 62:6; Joel 2:1); and
some drowsy people are of such a nature, that they
do not like to be waked up: so also some that have
become drowsy in sin do not like to be waked up.
Hence there is sometimes much talk behind the
back of such; therefore you and all pious brethren
must defend your man, and talk to the backbiters,
and admonish them, and you will encourage your
man. And you, dear brethren, who oversee the
church with the word of the Lord, remain with the
church as long as is possible for you; for if you
want to go away, you discourage the other ministers,
and weigh them down completely, and scatter
the flock. Hence I pray you, for the people’s sake,
as one that loves them with a pure heart, do not
forsake them, but remain with them, and look at
those unto whom Christ appointed the kingdom,
as it had been appointed unto him by his Father,
how diligently they exhorted the kingdom, and fed
the flock. For they deemed it profitable to admonish
and to strengthen them, and to stir up their pure
minds, as long as they were in the body, that after
their decease they might remember the same. 2 Peter
1:13. For the apostle had exhorted them for three
years day and night with tears. Acts 20:31. And
he taught the bishops of Ephesus, that they should
take heed unto themselves, and to the flock, v. 28.
Now you will perhaps say: “We are no bishops.”
Then I say: They must not all be bishops who exhort
the church, or proclaim the word of the Lord;
but every one must be faithful in his ministry. For
there are manifold ministries (1 Cor. 12:5); if any
have a ministry, let him wait on his ministering;
if any teach, let him wait on his teaching; if any
exhort, let him wait on his exhortation (Romans
12:7,8), and thus feed the flock of Christ, not by
constraint, but willingly, for the Lord would be
served from love, even as he served from love.
1 Pet. 5:2. Hence the apostle writes: If I do this
thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my
will, a dispensation of the Gospel is committed unto
me. 1 Cor. 9:17.

Therefore, dear brethren, accept them gladly,
and bring them up with the rational, sincere milk
(1 Pet. 2:2), like a good nurse, who so loves her
child which she nurses, though she has not given
birth to it, that she cannot give it up without tears,
when the father comes and takes it home, notwithstanding
it is a stranger to her according to the
flesh. How much more then shall you love your
children, and not forsake them as long as you can
remain with them, since you not only nursed them,
but may have given birth to a great part of them;
and they are your brethren and sisters in the Lord,
whereby you are the more bound to them in love,
to serve and protect them. As a hen protects her
chickens under her wings from the birds of prey;
so do you also protect them from evil, wild beasts
that cause discord and offenses contrary to the doctrine
of Christ; for their word will eat as doth a
canker, and will destroy like the pestilence. Romans
16:17; 2 Tim. 2:17. Hence, protect them herein,
and separate from such persons; keep the flock in
peace as far as is possible for you, and avoid all
strife, and do not meddle with it as far as you can
keep out of it; for he that meddleth with strife not
belonging to him is like one that taketh a dog by
the ears, and by strife many a heart is polluted.
Always speak, as much as you can, what tends to
peace, and not to division, for that is not the time
then; for a division is very soon made, which can
only with great difficulty be healed, and so many
a simple soul perishes thereby. And in my judgment
it is no usage of the Scriptures, in times of
decay to settle differences by excommunication,
though this is sometimes done through zeal; but it
is good to be always zealously affected in a good
781
thing. Gal. 4:18. For he that transgressed the
law of Moses died without mercy under two or
three witnesses (Deut. 17:6; Heb. 10:28); for this
example we have first in the Old Testament, where
they also had an excommunication, to punish the
wicked with death. Nevertheless, the Lord was not
willing to use the excommunication, nor did he give
the prophets any charge, that the excommunication
should be used, but he called to them, that they
should repent and be converted, and he would be
merciful to them, and purge them most purely from
their dross; for he can do this, dear brethren, without
injuring the gold or silver. Isa. 1:16; Jer. 4:14;
Joel 2:12; Isa. 1:25.

In the second place we have this example in the
Testament, first in the case of John and the churches
in Asia, how lamentably they had decayed; yet John
did not make use of excommunication with respect
to them, nor do we find that the Lord once asked
him why he had not done this; but he called them
to repentance through John, which if they would
not do, he would remove their candlestick out
of his place. Rev. 2 and 3. And whether the apostle
insisted as strongly on excommunication, in regard
to that one fornicator, in the second epistle to
the Corinthians, as he did in the first, this every
one may consider; for the apostles always had a
godly care for the simple, and sought to prevent
divisions, as far as was possible for them; hence
they tried every means to allay strife, as can clearly
be seen in the Acts of the Apostles. For when the
Jewish brethren came to trouble the believers among
the Gentiles, saying: Except ye be circumcised according
to the law of Moses, ye cannot be saved: so
that there was a great uproar among the people,
there rose up also at Jerusalem certain of the sect
of the Pharisees which believed, saying, that it was
needful to circumcise them, and to command them
to keep the law of Moses; which was certainly great
injudiciousness. Yet the elders and the apostles did
not persist in charging them with their unwise
course, for fear of division, but met the Jewish
brethren, to avoid division, and adopted certain
articles from the law, which were not contrary to
the evangelical truth, and determined that those
who had been converted from among the Gentiles
should not be troubled, and that no burden should
be laid upon them, than that they should abstain
from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and
from things strangled, and from fornication. Acts 15;
1 Cor. 10:28; 1 Thess. 4:3; Gen. 9:4; Lev. 7:26.
By this the Jews were pacified, for they might easily
think that they were right in a measure at least,
because some articles from the law were imposed
upon the Gentiles. As also in the twenty-first chapter,
how they allayed the strife or offense that was
between the Jews and Paul. They had heard that
Paul taught to forsake Moses; hence the elders
advised that Paul should take four men unto him,
and go into the temple, and purify themselves and
shave their heads. This they were not bound by
conscience to do, but they did it for the sake of the
Jewish brethren, for they [the elders] said: They
will know that those things whereof they were informed
concerning thee are nothing. Then he went
to signify to them the accomplishment of the days
of purification. Acts 21. For when they were pacified
it was easier to persuade them that the law had
an end in Christ. Rom. 10:4. But they did not determine,
that Paul should stand still in his ministry
till he had pacified them; for this would frequently
have had to be done, since there was often talk
about him, as can well be seen in the epistle to
the Corinthians but with him it was a very small
matter that he should be judged of them, or of
man’s judgment, for he says: I judge not mine own
self. 1 Cor. 4:3. Nor does this tend to peace, but to
more strife; for a church cannot be kept in quietude
when she has to lose her pastor, because there are
persons that talk about him, and do not know what
the matter is, nor whether they say it justly or
unjustly of him. Hence the accuser must come before
his church, and accuse him there; if they are
matters of which they cannot agree together, the
church may hear the matter, and if the accused is
guilty, she may help punish him; thus she will be
delivered from his hand, so that he can make no
trouble. And thus the matter must first be proven,
before the church can be helped, and also before
punishment can take place. Hence Paul writes to
Timothy: Against an elder receive not an accusation,
but before two or three witnesses. 1 Tim 5:19.
For he well knew that there is often much said about
them. Therefore, dear brethren, continue steadfast,
this I pray you for the sake of God’s truth, and do
not forsake them, namely, your men, before they
are forsaken by the Lord; but always seek to build
up one another, that the churches may be supplied,
and the flock fed; that Jerusalem may have watchmen
upon her walls who do not sleep or hold their
peace day and night, but remember the Lord and
their flock, and say: For Zion’s sake will I not
hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not
rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as
brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that
burneth. Is. 62:6,2.

Thus, my dear brethren, do the best with the
poor sheep, stand by them faithfully, and do not
forsake them in this great need, but exhort and
comfort them with these words: how our fathers
were tried in many ways, and became the friends
of God, since they had to overcome through much
affliction. Judith 8:25; Deut. 8. Likewise, Isaac,
Jacob, the prophets, and all that loved God, remained
steadfast, as the angel said to Tobit: “Because
thou didst please God, it was not possible
that thou shouldest remain without temptation.”
Tobit 12314; Prov. 3:12. And if you fall into affliction
for their sakes, think of what the apostle writes:
Therefore, I endure all things for the elect’s sake,
that they may also obtain salvation—even as has
now fallen to me unworthy as I am. For if it had
not been for the church, I think I would have remained
in the country of Cleves; but I can with
David say to the Lord: My times are in thy hand.
Ps. 31:15. And it was his will to bring my time
to an end, as the facts show. But the apostle says:
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up
782
that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in
my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church.
Col. 1:24; Rom. 12:5; Eph. 1:23. And if you
suffer for the church, you have acted according to
the love of Christ, given your life for the brethren
and for the sheep. John 10:11; 1 John 3:16. Thus,
my dear brethren, watch, stand fast in the faith, quit
you like men, and let all your things be done with
charity.

Finally, I will address myself briefly to my dear
sisters, namely, to your wives, to exhort and entreat
them to be patient with their husbands, and not to
importune them, in order to get them out of the
country. But consider the great distress, and have
pity and compassion with the people, and think,
that we must help bear that with which the Lord
tries our husbands, and by faith possess our souls in
patience. Luke 21:19; Heb. 10:36. As when God
tried Abraham, that he should offer up his son,
Sarah had to help bear it, for she would have had
to miss her only son, if the Lord had not given him
back to Abraham. Yet we can not see that Sarah
resisted Abraham; she obeyed Abraham as her lord,
and suffered him to live by his faith in all in which
the Lord tried him, and admonished him herself,
that he should cast out the bondwoman and her
son. Gen. 21:10. Thus also you, my dear sisters,
obey your husbands, and let them live by their faith
in all in which they are tried by the Lord. Genesis
3:16; Eph. 5:22; Col. 3:18. And do not discourage
them, but rather refresh their mind when you see
that they are burdened through the trouble which
they have with the people, and remember that you
are Sarah’s daughters, as long as ye do well, and
are not “afraid with any amazement.” 1 Pet. 3:6.
Hence, dear sisters, be of good cheer, and trust
your God; he will not suffer you to be tempted
above that you are able, but will with the temptation
also make a way to escape, that you may be
able to bear it. 1 Cor. 10:13; 2 Pet. 2:9. For God
knows our strength, that it is nothing, hence he
cares for us, for he hath said, I will never leave
thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say,
the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man
shall do unto me. Ps. 37:25; Josh. 1:5; Hebrews
13:5,6: Ps. 118:6. But we must slay and overcome
them in the name of the Lord, for they are
but dust and ashes, and shall perish as grass, yea,
the moth shall eat them like wool, as Isaiah says;
and he further says: I am he that comforteth you;
who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man
that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be
made as grass? Is. 40:6; 1 Pet. 1:24; Is. 51:8,12.
For with them there is only an arm of flesh, but
with us is the Lord himself, who will help us, and
fight our battles. 2 Chron. 32:8; Jer. 17:5; Wisdom
4:28. Although they are now like mad men,
who spare none, but spoil and destroy those that
fear the Lord, and exalt themselves very greatly, so
that almost every one is afraid of and trembles before
them, yet the Lord shall humble and destroy
them when their spoiling and destroying shall have
an end. 2 Esd. 16:71; Is. 14:14. But now, dear
sisters, we must be tried as gold in the fire, that our
trial may work patience, and that patience may have
her perfect work. Zech. 13:9; Wis. 3:6. For when
we are patient in our tribulation, we overcome and
do not get weary or faint; yea, though our outward
man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by
day. 2 Cor. 4:16. And we choose rather to suffer
affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the
pleasures of sin for a season; and esteem the reproach
of Christ greater riches than the treasures in
Egypt, having respect unto the recompense of the
reward. Heb. 11:25,26.

See, dear sisters, take courage, and go forth with
the widow Judith against the proud Holofernes,
who had been sent forth by King Nabuchodonosor,
to bring every country under his power. And he
pretended that he was God; yet his servant, Holofernes,
was slain by Judith. Judith 2:5; 13:8. Thus
also has now the son of perdition, who is called God
upon earth, sent forth a proud messenger, and
thinks thereby to bring everything under his power.
But, as I hear, he has been vanquished at Kortrijck,
by a poor, simple widow, even as Christ vanquished
the scribes and Pilate. Thus you must also go forth
dear sisters, to overcome him by faith. And take
an example also from the woman Jael, who slew
Sisera, the adversary and enemy of the house of
Israel. She took a hammer, and drove a nail
through his head, so that he lay there dead. Judges
4:21. Thus must you also, my dear sisters, go forth
by faith against the enemy and adversary of the
house of Israel, who through his children and servants
makes so much clamor and ado, namely, the
devil or Satan, and must with the hammer of the
divine word drive the nail, Christ Jesus, through his
head, and say with the apostle: “Thanks be to God
which giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus
Christ.” 1 Cor. 15:57. And he also says:
“Thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to
triumph in Christ.” 2 Cor. 2:14.

Thus, my dear sisters, be always valiant, and patient
withal, and exhort your husbands to stay with
the flock; and know that whatsoever good thing
any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the
Lord, Eph. 6:8.

Therefore, be steadfast, immovable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as
ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
1 Cor. 15:58.

Herewith I will commend you, my dear and much
beloved brethren and sisters, to the great Almighty
God, who alone is wise, and pray him to put into
your heart to do that which is acceptable before
him. And I pray you to receive my letter which
has been written out of love, in good part; and if
there are any views in it that are not like your own
suffer them in love, for we stand, I hope, in one
faith. For I am not conscious of any change in me;
what I unworthy one, have taught the church and
the people, in that I still stand unchanged, the
Lord be praised for his grace, who has for about
eighteen years kept me therein. Greet all brethren
and sisters that live among you beloved very much
in my name. Herewith I will bid you adieu; adieu,
my dear brethren with your wives, till we see one
another in eternal joy; the Lord grant you his
grace, that we may find one another there. Written
783
the 31st of May and the 1st of June, by me, Jacob
de Roore, in my imprisonment.

Wherefore, let them that suffer according to the
will of God commit the keeping of their souls to
him in well-doing, as to a faithful Creator.
1 Pet. 4:19.





---

Page: http://history.truechristian.church/stories/mm-another-letter-of-jacob-the-chandler-written-in-prison-in-which-he-admonishes-his-fellow-ministers-not-to-flee-as-hireli/

[Contribute a correction or addition](https://github.com/trueChristian/history.truechristian.church/issues/new?title=Correction%3A+Another+Letter+Of+Jacob+The+Chandler%2C+Written+In+Prison%3B+In+Which+He+Admonishes+His+Fellow-Ministers%2C+Not+To+Flee+As+Hirelings%2C+And+To+Let+Christ%E2%80%99S+Sheep+Go+Astray+Through+Lack+Of+Instruction%3B+But+Faithfully+To+Discharge+The+Office+Imposed+Upon+Them.&body=%23%23+Page+or+topic%0AAnother+Letter+Of+Jacob+The+Chandler%2C+Written+In+Prison%3B+In+Which+He+Admonishes+His+Fellow-Ministers%2C+Not+To+Flee+As+Hirelings%2C+And+To+Let+Christ%E2%80%99S+Sheep+Go+Astray+Through+Lack+Of+Instruction%3B+But+Faithfully+To+Discharge+The+Office+Imposed+Upon+Them.%0A%0APage%3A+http%3A%2F%2Fhistory.truechristian.church%2Fstories%2Fmm-another-letter-of-jacob-the-chandler-written-in-prison-in-which-he-admonishes-his-fellow-ministers-not-to-flee-as-hireli%2F%0A%0ARecord%3A+mm-another-letter-of-jacob-the-chandler-written-in-prison-in-which-he-admonishes-his-fellow-ministers-not-to-flee-as-hireli%0A%0ADate+currently+shown%3A+16th+century+%28source+section%29%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.)