# Valedictory.

Date not assigned · Historical source

Source: Martyrs’ Mirror. Original heading: VALEDICTORY.



Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.27 We have
longed much for the hour that would bring us to
the conclusion of our work. This hour has come;
and therefore we will now rest.

Receive this according to the nature of love. We
have had naught in view, but that it should promote
the honor of God, and your, our, and the salvation
of all men. Your and our days are drawing to a
close. O, may God grant, that the end of your
and our life may be the beginning of the true and
blissful life; that the setting of your and our days
which are but misery and vanity, may be the rising
of the eternal and glorious day of immortal glory.28

O Lord, bless us and all who may read this work;
that they and we, in the true faith and with a godly
conversation, may spread abroad thine honor, and
afterwards, being honored by thee, receive a like
reward.

We look forward with joy to the day which can
bring us consolation. It will deliver us from this
evil and perverse world. It will bring us to the true
rest, where unrest will be no more, It will give us
what our heart desires. O that this time had come
already!

The Lord Almighty calleth me:

My earthly work is done; and now

I long to get away from thee,

O world so vain! O house of pain!

For though my flesh in thee yet moves,

The soul immortal heavenward tends.29

This was spoken by one of the ancients, when he
thought that he had finished a good work, and that
the hour of his departure was near at hand. Certainly
a great confidence springing from a well-meaning
heart. We say in the same manner: Our
earthly work is now finished. We do not know that
we shall be able to do much more good upon earth.
But as long as we are here, we hold ourselves bound
to our Creator, being confident that we have not
lived in vain. We have, in our weakness, done
20what we could for the promotion of our own and
the welfare of our fellow-men.

Be then, O God, gracious unto the least of thy
servants, and grant that none of his natural or spiritual
kindred, or of those who have been instructed
by him, may be lost, but that they all may come
to the rest of thy saints and be eternally saved.

With this, beloved reader, whoever you may be,
we commend you to the Lord; and to you we commend
the consideration of the things which you will
find here; feeling assured that if you will do so,
you will certainly receive that for which we have
prayed the Lord in your behalf.

Yours very affectionately, as seeking your soul,

Thielem J. van Braght.

Dort, July the 31st, 1659.





---

Page: http://history.truechristian.church/stories/mm-valedictory/

[Contribute a correction or addition](https://github.com/trueChristian/history.truechristian.church/issues/new?title=Correction%3A+Valedictory.&body=%23%23+Page+or+topic%0AValedictory.%0A%0APage%3A+http%3A%2F%2Fhistory.truechristian.church%2Fstories%2Fmm-valedictory%2F%0A%0ARecord%3A+mm-valedictory%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.)