Herewith I will commend you to the Lord, and to the word of his grace; may he strengthen and stablish you in his truth unto the end of your lives, to his praise, and to your salvation, and the salvation of us all.
This afternoon a little, lean priest visited us. I believe he is a Jesuit, and that he sometimes preaches in Koppeken’s church. There is very little in the man. The Bailiff accompanied him. He (the priest) damned us exceedingly, which was about all he had to say. I was with them about two hours. It would take too long to write all. His arguments were very weak. It seems strange to me that the lords are not ashamed to come with such men, who will by no means defend themselves with the Holy Scriptures, but with the teachers of the Roman church, with Ambrose, Jerome, and Augustine, whom [they say] we are to believe. I then confessed that it could not be proven with the apostolical writings that the apostles baptized infants; also, that baptism belonged to believers, and that infants had no faith. But he constantly asserted that the ancient teachers had written it, and that the holy Roman church so observed it, hence also we had to observe it. A poor argument. The others had something at least, but he was too wretchedly deficient. Hence it would be too tedious to write about it.
Herewith I commend you to God. Written at Antwerp, in prison, by me, your weak brother in the Lord, and also according to the flesh, Christian Langedul, imprisoned for the testimony of the Lord and my conscience, the 10th of September 1567.
_Christian Langedul’s leave and last adieu to Maeyken Raedts, his wife after he was sentenced to death._
Grace and peace from our heavenly Father, through Christ Jesus, this I wish you, my dear and chosen wife and sister in the Lord; and may the Comforter, the Holy Ghost comfort you in your tribulation, as he will do according to his promise. And I trust, my wife, that all (whether tribulation or sorrow), will tend to salvation to the Christian, as I also trust it will conduce to your salvation, and also to mine, although no tribulation for the present seems to be joyous, and this according to the words of the apostle. Heb. 12:11. However, afterward, my beloved, it will work the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them that by good works seek eternal life, as we have done according to our weakness, for thus I may well say, and I speak it from the heart. Nevertheless, I expect to inherit salvation through the grace of the Lord, and am of good cheer herein; I will therefore thank the Lord forever for his love. O my love, the wine-press must now be trodden; and I am quite ready for it, the Lord be praised. Truly, he is a God of all comfort who comforts us in all our tribulation. O that I could fully thank the Lord for all the comfort and strength he grants to me, unworthy one.
Therefore, my beloved, comfort yourself in the Lord, and in his word; therein you will find such great consolation and refreshment; and may the Holy Ghost dwell in you with all wisdom as I doubt not that the Spirit of God does dwell in you, and that he will guide you into all truth and righteousness.
Your letter I received this noon; I thank you very much for it. J. was here, but we could scarcely speak together. I felt somewhat sorry on account of it afterwards, when I parted from him; but the jailer drove us away, saying that the lord was coming, which I half thought was not so; nor was it so, for the lord did not come. I would fain not have parted from him in this manner, but the Lord disposes. Tell J. T. and his wife; that I wish their salvation from all my heart, and that he and she, and all men, might know the truth. If I promised it to him in weakness, I hope, by the grace of God, tomorrow to demonstrate it in power. J. told me that you were writing me another letter. O my love, you put yourself to too much trouble, I fear; do rest, for it will soon be over with me.