# Another Letter Of Jacob The Chandler, Written In Prison.

16th century (source section) · Historical source

Source: Martyrs’ Mirror. Original heading: ANOTHER LETTER OF JACOB THE CHANDLER, WRITTEN IN PRISON.

Century of containing source section; exact event date not assigned

I, Jacob, imprisoned for the Lord’s sake, wish my
dear brother much grace, mercy and peace, from
God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and
that he would strengthen and enlighten you by his
Spirit, according to his pleasure, to the revelation
of his knowledge, that you may do his will, so that
you, according to the true judgment of God, may
be found worthy for his kingdom, through Jesus
Christ, to whom be praise forever and ever. Amen.
Eph. 3:1;2 Tim. 1:8; Eph. 3:16; Rom. 16:27.

Very dear and in God beloved brother, as I have
remembered by writing many of the godfearing, I
can finally not forget to write a little to you in token
of the good fellowship which we had together for a
time, in Christ Jesus, through faith, but which must
now for the Lord’s sake be broken and severed.
For, as a wife must, for the husband’s sake, leave all
good acquaintance and fellowship which she has besides
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her husband, and go with him where he
pleases, so we must also for the Lord’s sake, forsake
all good acquaintance and fellowship which we aside
from the Lord have with any person and this
through faith in and love to Christ Jesus; for we
have not seen him with our bodily eyes (1 Pet. 1:8);
hence it is evident that it must be done by faith.
For if we love a thing because we see it, it is not
done by faith, for this love results from sight, but if
we love a thing for what we hear of it, love arises
through faith in what we hear of it. As Rebecca,
though she did not know Isaac, and, as may be perceived
from the Scriptures, had never seen him, yet
she, through the words of Abraham’s servant, so
loved him that for his sake she left all that she had
in Syria and went to meet Isaac. So we must also
for the Lord’s sake, through faith, and not through
sight, forsake every thing that we have in this
world, not only in spirit, as may have been done by
us for a time, and which is the smallest part; but
now everything must be forsaken indeed by me, unworthy
one, in the hope of meeting him in the air,
and being ever with the Lord. 1 Thess. 4:17.

Hence Peter writes: “At the appearing of Jesus
Christ; whom having not seen, ye love; in whom,
though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice
with joy unspeakable and full of glory; receiving
the end of your faith, even the salvation of your
souls.” 1 Pet. 1:7–9. Behold, dear brethren, then
we shall walk no more by faith, being absent from
the Lord, but by sight; then shall the pilgrimage
be over, then hope shall cease, then shall we receive
what we now hope for, namely, we shall inherit all
things, for the marriage shall then be at an end, for
the bridegroom shall come for his bride, which is
his church. Then shall the vision which John writes
be complete: “And I saw a new heaven and a new
earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were
passed away; and there was no more sea.” Revelation
21:1. Mark, dear brethren, he says,: “There
was no more sea;” for it is much understood to relate
to this present time. But we still have a sea,
whether this be meant in a natural or a spiritual
sense, however one may understand it. For in the
fourth chapter (v. 6) we read of a sea of glass, but
as I understand it, John speaks of the natural sea,
and of the natural heaven and earth. And at the
last day, when heaven and earth, according to the
words of Peter, shall be dissolved by fire, and be
renewed, we find nothing about a natural sea, but it
says: “Nevertheless, we, according to his promise,
look for a new heavens and a new earth wherein
dwelleth righteousness:” for God faithfully keeps
his promises. 2 Pet. 3:12,13; Is. 65:17. Then shall
his righteousness be revealed; for when God shall
give to every one in his body according to that he
hath done, whether it be good or bad, then shall
God’s righteousness be manifest in righteousness as
well as in unrighteousness, since he will faithfully
keep his promise to every one. Jer. 17:10; 2 Corinthians
5:10; Rev. 2:23.

And John further writes: And 1 John saw the holy
city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of
heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven,
saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,
and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his
people, and God himself shall be with them, and be
their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from
their eyes; which, dear brethren, has not yet been
done, for the tears are still flowing here from the
eyes of those who are renewed by Christ. Revelation
21:2–4; 2 Cor. 6:16; Jer. 24:7; Zech. 8:8;
Is. 25:8; Rev. 7:17; John 16:20. But when the
righteous shall stand in great boldness before the
face of such as have afflicted them (Wis. 5:1), then
shall the tears be wiped from the eyes; for there
shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying,
neither shall there be any more pain: for the former
things are passed away. And he that sat upon the
throne said, Behold, I make all things new. Revelation
21:4,5; 2 Cor. 5:17. Hence Peter writes:
Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved,
what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy
conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting
unto the coming of the Lord. 2 Pet. 3:11,12. For
if we are to inherit the new things, we must here be
renewed in spirit; for otherwise we cannot arise to
eternal life, for they that have done evil shall come
forth unto the resurrection of damnation. John
5:29. Therefore Peter writes: Wherefore, beloved,
seeing, that ye look for such things (namely, since
you expect to inherit the new heavens and the new
earth, according to God’s promise), be diligent that
ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and
blameless. And account that the longsuffering of
our Lord Jesus Christ is your salvation; for God is
longsuffering, and not willing, that any should
perish, but that they should come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:14,15,9; Ezek. 18:32; 1 Tim. 2:4. For
if the Lord had come eighteen or twenty years ago,
we would, it is to be feared, not have been prepared
yet; therefore his having been longsuffering to us-ward
will be for our salvation, if we are now found
without spot and blameless in the peace of God.

Hence, my dear brethren, take heed to yourselves,
and prepare yourselves for the Lord; for our
dear Lord stands perhaps also before your door,
with the ring in his hand ready to knock. Therefore,
dear brethren, prepare your hearts for the
Lord, so that, when he comes and knocks, you
may stand ready to open to him; for he comes at a
time when we least expect him. Hence be sober
and watch, and gird up the loins of your mind, and
always act manfully in truth, as a valiant hero, to
oversee our poor little flock; and lead them into
the true pasture of the divine word that they may
be fed; for man doth not live by bread alone, but
by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of
God. Deut. 8:3; Matt. 4:4. Hence David says:
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want; he
feedeth me in rich pastures, and leadeth me to the
refreshing waters.

But though Christ is the true Shepherd, he has
ordained divers ministries in the church (1 Corinthians
12:5) to oversee the sheep, and to lead them
to the pasture; for though the children have bread,
some one must cut it for them. Hence, dear brother,
do the best in this time of need, and stay with them,
and, when the chief Shepherd shall appear, you
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shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
And always see diligently to it, that the church be
not left uncared for, but that she may always be
served with all the ordinances. Abandon excessive
subtilty and human opinions, and tell the people to
act according to God’s truth; even as I briefly wrote
to our church, and would have written more yet, if
I had had more paper. Thus, my dear brother, always
act wisely, and keep yourself pure; beware of
meddling with the strife of others; examine a matter
well, before you meddle with it, for he that meddleth
with the strife of others is like one that taketh a dog
by the ears. Prov. 26:17. But whatever you can
speak to promote peace, that do; but speak not
what tends to division, for then is not the time. But
if a false doctrine arise against the established and
well-tried articles of the truth, act as a man, yet
with kindness and longsuffering; defend the truth,
and turn the foxes out of the vineyard of the Lord,
that the tender branches may not be bitten off or
torn from the vine, Christ Jesus, but that it may remain
sound and fruitful in the Lord.

Therefore, dear brother, exercise yourself in the
Scriptures, and give up a part of your temporal business,
that through habit your mind may be practiced
in discerning good and evil; for temporal
business is a great hindrance to spiritual gifts, for
thereby the thoughts are filled with anxiety, and become
widely scattered. Hence, dear brother, remember
that the apostle says, that bodily exercise
profiteth little; for it profits the body, but not the
spirit. The Lord has blessed you much according
to the flesh, so that you are not urged by necessity.
But godly exercise is profitable unto all things, for
it profits the spirit and the body, since it cares for
both, remembers the inner man, and does every
thing that tends to his salvation. Such is the nature
of godliness; and it does not neglect the body, but
knows how to use the temporal things with moderation.
And it casts its care upon the Lord, knowing
that he cares for it. Hence the apostle says,
that it has the promise of the life that now is, and of
that which is to come. Therefore, dear brother, if
you be risen with Christ, seek those things which
are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of
God. Set your affection on things above, not on
things on the earth; and be not like a mole, whose
mouth is always digging and rooting in the earth,
and which, moreover, is so blind, that he hardly
sees the heavens. Not, dear brother, that I say,
that you are so; by no means, for I have a better
confidence concerning you. But when we thoroughly
examine ourselves, we find ourselves to be
of such a nature, that we are earthly-minded, and
blind in divine things; and though we are enlightened
through Christ Jesus, that we have obtained
sight in divine things; and been renewed through
him, we nevertheless sometimes follow too much our
innate nature, by which nature faith must sometimes
bow and show its back, for it is crushed down by
the innate nature, which through unbelief and want
of confidence toward God still bears its fruits, whence
it comes that men make shipwreck in the faith; for
when two vessels that are enemies to each other
meet on the sea, one is seen to vanquish the other.
Thus also, faith and unbelief coupled with man’s
nature, are enemies to each other, so that they conquer
each other. Hence, if we do not by faith firmly
resist with the inner man, we shall in the course of
time be overcome; for unbelief has much support,
in the first place, from Satan, who works in the
children of unbelief (Eph. 2:2), in the second place,
from our own flesh. Therefore consider, dear
brother, if a city is betrayed from within, how great
resistance must be made, before the enemy can be
put down, and the city possessed in peace. Thus
also must we show great diligence, before we overcome
all these enemies. In the first place, our own
flesh, which is prone to all evil, for it lusts against
the Spirit. Gal. 5:17. Hence we must observe how
prudent the kings of this world are. When they
feel that their enemies begin to bestir themselves,
they make provision and strengthen themselves, to
resist those enemies. But we, who like kings and
men, ought to be prudent in that which is good,
and simple as children in that which is evil, when
we feel that our enemies begin to bestir themselves,
go to meet them; but it is not done through faith,
but through unbelief, namely, when we feel that
our own nature, which is earthly minded, is not
content with a fair profit, but would rather have still
more—for it loves money, and hence will not soon
be sated therewith—we meet it—we set up two or
three additional looms and do not rightly consider
how hurtful it is to our faith, and how widely our
thoughts are thereby scattered; so that we become
much more concerned with temporal, than with the
spiritual things; and thus the spiritual gifts decrease,
while they ought to increase, and we have no desire
to offer our hand to the flock of Christ, and to feed
it with what we have received from the Lord. Truly
does the apostle say: Godliness with contentment is
great gain. For we brought nothing into this world,
and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 1 Timothy
6:6,7; Heb. 13:5.

And now, dear brother, though we think, I do
not seek to lay up treasures, I do not want to keep
the gain for myself alone, consider also, that we are
not for ourselves, for we are servants of a great
king. Now, if you were a king, and had servants,
and appointed one to be your chamberlain, and another
to be your halberdier; suppose the chamberlain
should forsake the office in which you wished
him to serve you, and should want to be a halberdier;
consider whether you would be well satisfied
with that servant. Thus also, dear brother, the Lord
has appointed you his servant, that you should
serve him with the spiritual gift which you have received
from him; and if you want to forsake that,
and exercise yourself with that which is temporal,
to serve him with it, consider whether you will
thereby please the Lord. And if you will assign as
a reason, that it is not your office, know that they
must not all be teachers who exhort the church;
this is no rule laid down in the Scriptures. Therefore;
my dear and much beloved brother, take heed
to yourself, and surrender yourself to the Lord,
and stay with the church; this I pray you with
all my heart, that the little flock may remain together.
I hope the Lord will help and keep you
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until the proper time, if you seek him with all
your heart; lay it to heart, this I pray you. I
should have written you more concerning it, but
there is no opportunity. I hope to write you another
letter, if the Lord grants time; you may
also lay that to heart. Herewith I commend my
dear brother to the Lord, and bid you a cordial
adieu. Receive my letter in good part, for it has
not been written only for your sake; I wish that
it might be read by M., or at M’s., and by all
our ministers.

Written in my prison to my dear brother, D. B.,
by me,

Jacob the Chandler,

On the 29th and 30th of May, A. D. 1569.

Alle die lijden na den Wille Godts, wilt hieropmercken,

Die bevelen haer Zielen den getrouwen Schepper met goede Wercken. (1 Peter 4:19.)





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