The Second Letter Of Jan Van Hasebroeck.

Abundant grace and peace be with you from God the heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, his dear and much beloved Son, our Lord, through whom we expect our salvation; may he by his Spirit confirm, strengthen, and comfort you in all your tribulation and temptation, outward and inward, that you may be able to stand firm and immovable in his truth, to the end of your life, to his praise, and to the salvation of your soul; this I wish you, my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, as a friendly greeting and adieu in Christ Jesus. Amen.

After all heartfelt greetings, my dear and much beloved wife, be pleased to know, that I am still reasonably well according to the flesh, the Lord be praised forever for his grace; and my mind is always ready yet to go on in what I declared and confessed before the rulers of the darkness of this world; and I trust by the grace of the Lord to seal the same with my blood and death, so that I unworthy one may obtain the promise, where he says: “Whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it; and whosoever shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.” Mark 8:35; Matthew 10:32. Therefore, my most beloved love, be of good cheer, and always comfort yourself, and be comforted with the words of the Lord; and do not grieve too much on account of the work and will of the Lord, for he worketh all things after the counsel of his own will (Eph. 1:11), and no one has ever been the Lord’s counselor. Hence, my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, though we have had little joy with each other during the time that the Lord has joined us together, and must now part with sorrow, we know that the Lord has promised us nothing here but tribulation and sorrow, as Christ said to his disciples: Ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice; and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. John 16:20. Christ also says: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” v. 33. He further says: “Blessed are they that weep now: for they shall laugh; but woe unto them that laugh now: for they shall weep.” Luke 6:21,25. Again, in another place he says: “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”

Thus, my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, comfort yourself with these beautiful words and promises of Christ, which partly also belong to you; for in that you are sorry, you are sorry after a godly manner. And Paul says, that godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of this world worketh death. 2 Cor. 7:9,10.

O my dear wife, Paul, in another place, further says, that our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Cor. 4:17,18. And the sufferings of this 740 present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Rom. 8:18. For the apostle says, that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1 Cor. 2:9. Therefore, my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, since we have such beautiful promises for this little and temporal suffering, be of good cheer, and always patient in your tribulation and temporal sufferings, continuing instant in prayer, patient in hope (Rom. 12:12), and wait for the time of your redemption with long suffering. I trust by the grace of the Lord to be an example and pattern to you, and to leap by my God over a wall (Ps. 18:29), to go to meet Christ, my bridegroom, as he has commanded me (Matthew 25:1); and also to go and await you under the altar of the Lord, where all God’s elect shall rest, until the number of their fellow brethren that must yet be killed for the testimony of Jesus, like we, is fulfilled. Rev. 6:9,11.

Therefore, my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, always wait with patience for the Lord your God, as did the wise virgins, who had oil in their vessels; and were ready to go in with their bridegroom, whereunto we all that believe in Christ are called, to sup with him. Rev. 3:20. For, as Christ himself says, Luke 12:37: Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. Matthew 24:46.

Hence, my dear wife and sister in the Lord, always be of good cheer, comfort yourself with the words of the Lord, and be patient and resigned in that which the Lord has ordered concerning you. Though he now comes to visit you with tribulation, suffering or poverty, think that Christ, when he was rich, for our sakes became poor, that through his poverty he might make rich us who were poor. 2 Cor. 8:9. And James, also, says, that God has chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him. James 2:5.

O my dear wife, think of old Tobit; when all his goods had been taken from him, and he had to flee with his wife and his son, he said: “And fear not, my son; true, we are poor, but we shall have much wealth, if we fear the Lord, keep his commandments, shun sin, and do good.” Tobit 1:20; 4:21.

Hence, my much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, Christ also says in the Gospel: “Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast body and soul into hell.” Luke 12:4,5. And in another place: “Fear not, little flock; for it is your father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Verse 32. And the prophet Isaiah also says: “Fear not men, nor the children of men, who must perish like grass; for all flesh is as grass; and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: the grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the word of the Lord abideth forever.” Is. 51:12; 40:6,8.

Further, my dear and greatly beloved wife and sister in the Lord, be pleased to know, that it was a great joy for me to hear that you were of such good cheer in your tribulation, and that you have committed us four to the Lord; wherefore I rejoice, and pray the Lord from the heart, that he would strengthen and stablish you, and give you his divine Spirit for a Comforter and Guide, since now is the time of which Christ said (Matt. 24:24), that many false prophets and false Christs should arise, yea, that even the very elect, if it were possible, should be led into error.

Therefore, my dear and much beloved wife, take good heed, that no robber deceive you by philosophy and vain deceit, after the rudiments of the world; and that you may not have labored in vain, but may receive your reward, so that no man may take your crown. Hence have your conversation always in heaven, from whence we look for our Savior, Christ Jesus our Lord; who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body. Philip. 3:20,21. Herewith I will commend you, my dear and much beloved wife, and both my children, to the Lord, and bid you farewell, until we shall meet hereafter, where men shall part us no more; for the apostle says, that the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, and with the voice of the archangel; and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord (1 Thess. 4:16,17): then men shall not part us. O my most beloved wife and sister in the Lord, I herewith bid you adieu, and commend you to the Lord, and to the word of his grace; and may the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, rule in your heart. Adieu, my dear wife, and greet much them that inquire after me, especially my brother, and bid him adieu, adieu. O adieu, my dear and much beloved wife. Jan Koopman and Hansken greet you most heartily, and also bid you adieu. Amen.