_The first letter of Christian Langedul, written to his wife, Maeyken Raedts, on the 11th of August; in which he relates the joy of his mind, as also, on the other hand, his sorrow for his wife and children, and, finally, how he and his fellow-prisoners were examined._
I wish you grace and peace all the days of your life, from God our heavenly Father, through Christ Jesus, in the power of his holy Spirit. Amen.
My chosen and most affectionately beloved wife, and sister in the Lord because of the faith, as I hope by the grace of the Lord, and that this relationship will exist forever. Matt. 12:50; Gal. 3:26.
Had it been possible for me, I should have written you sooner the great grace, joy and comfort that I have enjoyed during this brief time in prison; and I pray the Lord to let me enjoy said blessings unto the end, to my salvation; however, the Lord knows the great sorrow and tears I have had, and still have, and shall yet have, before my departure comes, for you, the children, grandmother, and for all the friends.
I have wondered, and am still unable to comprehend what a God it is that we have; for he is the God of all comfort, who comforts me in all my temptations; and I hope that he will also comfort you whenever you need comfort. 2 Cor. 5:3.
My most beloved wife, be of good cheer in all your sufferings which you have with me; for the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory which shall be revealed in us; for we have thus accepted our pilgrimage, and always counted these costs. Hence comfort yourself with the word of the Lord, as I hope you will do; and I also have confidence in you, that you will not make me more sorrowful than I am already; I know you to be too brave for it. Thus I hope that the Lord will strengthen us unto the end. Always pray the Lord for us, for we need it, for the prayer of the righteous avails much, of whom you are one in my heart’s estimation, and I hope to see you after this life in the eternal, where we shall part no more. And in whatever I have at any time grieved you, forgive me for the Lord’s sake, for I gladly forgive them everything, who have sinned against me, so that I hope that the Lord will forgive me everything; all my sins and weaknesses. I cannot sufficiently wonder at, nor thank the Lord enough for what he does for me; he is too wonderfully good a God, this I now truly realize.
Thus I inform you that we were all examined to-day before the Margrave, and of us six we four freely confessed our faith, for it had to be: either the soul or the body had to be sacrificed; the Lord had to be either forsaken or confessed.
Thus, Hans Symons, Cornelis the shoemaker, and Mattheus, confessed as also, I unworthy one, and I hope to keep it to the praise of the Lord, but not through my own power or merit, but by the power and grace of God; for through weakness we are made strong, this I must confess. Eph. 1:19; 2 Cor. 12:9. Hence be of good cheer in the Lord, and do the best with the children, of whom I dare not think, for they lie heavily on my heart.
When the Margrave examined me to-day, concerning my faith he asked me about nothing but baptism, and I held out against him as long as I could, by saying that I knew but one baptism according to the Gospel and Christ’s own command and injunction; but his constant question was: “Say yes or no, whether you are satisfied with the baptism you received in your infancy, or whether you have received another?”