O my brethren, knowledge or talk is of no account here, but a living faith which is adorned with the power of love, patience, hope, and with obedience, and that through the power of faith one can say with the three men Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego: O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, (O antichrist) that we will not serve thy god, nor worship the image, or the two golden calves which thou hast set up. Dan. 3:16–18. And that, if they should attempt to instruct one with high-sounding words of human wisdom, yea, with soft words and entreaties (Col. 2:4,8), we could say through the power of faith: “Begone, I want none of your advice;” and should then keep his lips sealed. But if one enters into more discussion with them than necessity requires, he will not escape unharmed. Hence I wish that all prisoners were instructed in this matter.
Few days pass that we do not talk together; yet, I observed as much brevity as possible in confessing and speaking, though frequently three or four hours were spent in this manner. O warn all prisoners, whenever you can, that they refuse everything; and remember us day and night, by praying to God. Thus we are also minded toward you, and I desire that you greet all believers much with the kiss of love, in our name.
O, how all believers lie at my heart, so that I very seldom forget them; yea, I remember them with earnest prayers and requests (as much as is possible to me through the grace of God) before the Lord. I cannot write you much, for writing is more precious than gold with me. Do not write us; as to the reason why, ponder it yourselves. The God of Israel keep you and us. Amen.
Matthias Servaes, your brother and prisoner of the Lord for the truth’s sake. As regards the children the bringing up of whom devolves upon the church, I adhere to the opinion you have heard of me. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all. Amen.
THE SECOND LETTER, WHICH MATTHIAS SERVAES, OF KOTTENEM WROTE IN PRISON TO HIS BROTHER.
The saving grace of God be with us all. Amen. I desire that as soon as possible a Dutch Testament be procured for my wife (who then was not imprisoned), for she cannot read the German print.
Further, my dear brother, I inform you that I am alone now, but the Lord is with me. It seems evident to me, that I shall have little opportunity of seeing our brethren that are also imprisoned, and it is quite probable that for the first my condition shall not be the best. Hence I know not how to thank God enough, and though I should like to be with my brethren, yet I prefer it much more as it is; for since it pleases God thus, I also deem it the best and most conducive to my salvation. And though it grieves me not a little, yet I do not count it pain, because the Lord has so ordered it with me. The following Thursday, the same morning that they brought me, at a very early hour, from the Franken tower, to our prison, our brethren were also to be tortured, for the tapers and candlesticks stood near the rack, and everything was ready; but when they brought me there, they began to talk with me, and to question me; and before they had done questioning me, and I had confessed my faith and office before many of them, and, in turn, had also put many questions to them, to which I was impelled by certain reasons, half the day had slipped by, and after long and much talking, when they could not answer me any further (for which I gave the praise to God alone, and not to me), one of them (he who had chiefly done the questioning and talking) said to me that baptism was our greatest error. Thereupon I replied: “If that is our greatest error, and you therefore apprehend and rack us, why do you not first place the abominable errors and ungodly life of the priests by the side of ours, and then judge one against the other, without respect of persons, as before the eyes and the judgment of God; and, whichever error then be found the greater, visit summary punishment upon it (if you have any for it).” But he did not deign me a reply.