Hence, I beseech you, my dear wife Lijsken, by the mercies of God, constantly to have the word of the Lord before your eyes, and not to suffer yourself to be moved from your faith, by the sleight of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive you; for I know that you will suffer much temptation yet. Therefore, my most beloved, look not unto men; for cursed is the man, says the prophet, that trusteth in man; yea, the fear of man bringeth a snare, says the wise man. Jer. 17:5; Prov. 29:25. And regard not the torture of flesh and blood; for this is the heat of the sun, yea, the storms by which the work of the Lord is tried. Matt. 13:6; 7:25. Hence confess Christ now, and he shall confess us before his heavenly Father; for he will try the third part with fire, as gold in the furnace, and all that remains shall be found pure gold. Matt. 10:32; Zech. 13:9; 1 Peter 1:7. You have partly passed through the trial, and have remained steadfast in it, eternal glory, praise, and honor to the Lord, and may the gracious Lord strengthen you, that as you have commenced, you may be found pure gold before God and all his church.
Thus, my most beloved, continue steadfast in the doctrine of Christ; for now is the day of which Christ spoke, that we should be brought before lords and princes, for a testimony to his name, and that we should be rejected by all men; but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Matt. 10:18; 24:13. And Christ says: “If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; and the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father nor me.” John 15:20; 16:2,4,3. Behold, my dear wife, thus Christ has warned us how they should deal with us. Therefore, my dear, fear not, neither despond, though you now are confined with Daniel in the den of lions; trust in the Lord, and he will preserve you, that they shall not destroy you; he will also deliver you from their teeth, that they shall not tear you. Forsake him not and he will not forsake you; for he says: He that despiseth you, despiseth me; he that persecuteth you, persecuteth me; he that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of mine eye. Luke 10:16; Acts 26:14: Zech. 2:8.
If they then do not persecute us, but the Lord, fight valiantly, as a pious soldier of Christ, and contend for his glory. And even as he fought unto death, so by the grace of God do also you; for Paul says, if a man strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully. 2 Tim. 2:5. Therefore, my dear, put on the whole armor of God, and be not ashamed to confess his word before men, but always remember the words of Christ: “Whosoever shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven; but whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him also shall I be ashamed before my heavenly Father. For whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; but whosoever loses his life for the sake of the Gospel, shall find it. But he that loveth aught more than me, cannot be my disciple; yea, no man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. And Paul says: It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him; but if we deny him, he also will deny us. Eph. 6:11; Matt. 10:32; Mark 8:38; Matthew 16:25; 10:37; Luke 9:62; 2 Tim. 2:11,12.