# Another Letter Which Jan Thielemans Wrote From Prison.

16th century (source section) · Historical source

Source: Martyrs’ Mirror. Original heading: ANOTHER LETTER WHICH JAN THIELEMANS WROTE FROM PRISON.

Century of containing source section; exact event date not assigned

I wish you, my much beloved brethren and sisters
in the Lord, and all those who shall see my letters,
or hear them read, the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ and the communion of the Holy Ghost, for
a friendly and worthy greeting. Accept it in love.
Amen.

After good and proper greetings, I undertake to
write a little to you, my beloved, dear friends. I beseech
you all by the mercies of our dear Lord Jesus
Christ, that you would all diligently take heed to
yourselves299 in all love, peace and truth, according
to the words of the Gospel, while, dear children,
you still have time from the Lord, through his great
love shown you; since the time is so precious, for
when it is past, and one has not taken good heed,
it is lamented with sorrow. Hence Paul says: Let
us take heed to ourselves, to provoke to love in
good works.300 Therefore let us be the least, meanest,
and lowliest, to bear all that is consistent with
love and truth. For thus said Christ Jesus, the
eternal truth, himself; when the disciples asked who
should be the greatest among them, he took a child,
and set it in the midst of them, and said: Except
ye become as little children, ye shall not enter into
the kingdom of heaven. Matt. 18:3. Hence we may
well perceive from the words of Christ, that we are
to be, and must be, a prepared people; or we are
not what we think ourselves to be, or, for what people
take us.

Hence, my much beloved friends, we must approve
ourselves in all things as the ministers of
God. Now, no more is required in them, than that
they be found faithful; for God is not unrighteous
to forget your love, and your good and kind works.
1 Cor. 4:1,2; Heb. 6:10. Therefore be steadfast
and immovable in the work of the Lord, always
knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord;
hoping by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
it will yet be most richly rewarded to you, when
he will say: Come, ye blessed, inherit the kingdom
of my Father. 1 Cor. 15:58; Matt. 25:34. Then
shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the
kingdom of their Father. Matt. 13:43. Then shall
it be seen what difference there shall be between the
righteous and the wicked, and between them that
have served God, and them that have not served
him. Mal. 3:18.

Therefore, my greatly beloved in the Lord, take
diligent heed to yourselves. Rather suffer from another—even
though it should be one friend from
another—than that another should suffer from you.
Rather bear from another—even though it should
be a friend—if it be consistent with the truth, than
that a friend should suffer from you. Hence it is
written: If thou come to serve the Lord, prepare
thy soul for temptation. Sir. 2:1. For it will come
very convenient even if one has put himself in the
lowest place.

Hence, beloved friends in the Lord, abide in that
which you have heard from the beginning. If you
abide in it, you shall continue in the Father, and
in the Son. And this is his promise, even eternal
life. 1 John 2:24,25. What do we care for the
world, or for what there is in it; for the world shall
pass away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth
the will of God abideth forever. And it is certainly
our chief concern to be saved; as Peter says, Acts
15:11: “We believe that through the grace of the
Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved.” Even as he
says also in another place: I have briefly written
to you, by our brother Silvanus, namely, that this
is the grace of God wherein ye now stand. Therefore
hold that fast which you have, that no man
take your crown. Rev. 3:11. If you overcome,
you shall inherit all things. Hence add to your
faith, virtue; to virtue, knowledge; to knowledge,
temperance; to temperance, patience; to patience,
godliness; to godliness, brotherly kindness; to
brotherly kindness, charity. For if these things
be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall
neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge
of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these
things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath
forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to
make your calling and election sure: for if ye do
these things, ye shall never fall: for so an entrance
shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the
everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ. 2 Pet. 1:5–11. Having therefore such
great and glorious promises, dearly beloved, let us
cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and
spirit, perfecting holiness. 2 Cor. 7:1. As John
also testifies, saying: Let us purify ourselves from
sin, even as he is pure. For whosoever committeth
sin doeth wrong; for sin is wrong. Therefore came
he into the world, that he might take away sin; for
in him is no sin. Whosoever sinneth hath not seen
him, neither known him. 1 John 3:3–6. The same
John further testifies, and says: “Ye are of God,
little children, [and have overcome them:] because
greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the
world. They are of the world: therefore speak they
of the world, and the world heareth them. We are
of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; but he
that knoweth not God heareth not us. Hereby
know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.”
1 John 4:4–6. With this Christ agrees, saying:
“The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because
I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.”
John 7:7. As he further says in another place:
“Father, keep through thine own name those whom
thou hast given me: thine they were, and thou gavest
them me. Not, Father, that thou shouldst take
them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep
them from the evil.” John 17:11. In another place
706
Christ says: “Every one that doeth evil hateth the
light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds
should be reproved.” 3:20.

Thus, my much beloved friends, while we are yet
in this sad world, and the Lord still grants us time,
we must take most diligent heed to the word of the
Lord, and do our very best to follow the same; for
thus Paul teaches us, saying: As many as walk according
to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy.
Gal. 6:16. For thus we read in another place: This
people doth not understand, neither lay they to
heart, that the grace and mercy of God are over
his chosen and over his saints; even as Moses says,
that his mercy is shown to thousands of them that
love him, and keep his commandments. Ex. 20:6.
True, there are many in the world, who say that
they love the Lord; but they do not show it by
their works, for their works show well enough
whom they love; for Christ says: He that loveth
me will keep my word, or obey my commandments,
These are they who can stand before him; for thus
also says Christ: He that hath my commandments,
and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. John
14:21. But he that does not keep his commandments,
does also not love him; for John in his epistle
declares: “This is the love of God, that we keep
his commandments: and his commandments are
not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh
the world: and this is the victory that overcometh
the world, even our faith. Who is he that
overcometh the world, but he that believeth that
Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” 1 John 5:3–5.
Therefore “love not the world, neither the things
that are in the world. If any man love the world,
the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is
in the world, namely, the lust of the flesh, and the
lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the
Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth
away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the
will of God abideth forever.” 1 John 2:15–17.
Hence, my much beloved friends, be not conformed
to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing
of your mind, that ye may prove what is that
good and acceptable will of God. Rom. 12:2. Even
as Paul says also in another place: Grace be to you,
and peace, from God the Father, and from our Lord
Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins, that he
might deliver us from this present evil world. Galatians
1:3,4. Thus, my dear friends, this grace has
been given you, namely, that you have tasted that
the Lord is gracious, to whom you are come as
unto a living stone, which was disallowed of men,
but before God was chosen and precious. Therefore,
be ye built up a spiritual house, and a holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable
to God through our Lord Jesus Christ; that you
may lift up holy hands to the Lord, without strife
and discord (1 Tim. 2:8), and make intercession
and give thanks for all men; and the Lord of peace
shall be with you. 2 Cor. 13:11.

But if God be with you, who shall be against
you, who spared not his own Son, but delivered
him up for us all? Who shall lay anything to the
charge of his elect? It is God that justifieth them.
Who shall condemn them? It is Christ that died
and is risen again, who is even at the right hand of
God, and also maketh intercession for us. Hence
Paul says: Who shall be able to separate us from
the love of God? tribulation, or persecution, or
death, etc. Rom. 8:31.

Thus, my much beloved brethren and sisters in
the Lord, I will shorten my simple letter which I
have written in bonds, in which we daily look for
the redemption of our bodies. Hence receive this
letter kindly, and think of what has in times past
proceeded forth from my unworthy lips (not I, but
the grace of God through me, 1 Cor. 15:10).

Herewith I bid you an eternal, Christian adieu,
and expect you all in the second resurrection, that
we may meet him in the air, and ever be with
the Lord. Comfort one another with these words.
1 Thess. 4:17,18. Once more I bid you adieu, my
dear friends. Herewith I commend you to the Lord,
and to the word of his grace, which is able to build
you up, and to give you an inheritance among all
them which are sanctified. Amen. Acts 20:32.

Written in bonds, by me, Jan Thielemans,

Your weak brother in Christ.





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