HERE FOLLOWS A LETTER WRITTEN BY HANS MARIJNS, WHICH HE SENT FROM HIS PRISON TO HIS BELOVED BRETHREN AND SISTERS.
_Always have God before your eyes._
Grace, peace and joy from God our heavenly Father, wisdom, righteousness and truth, through Christ Jesus his beloved Son our Lord and Savior; together with the comfort and illumination of the Holy Ghost; these I wish you, much beloved brethren and sisters in the Lord, as a friendly greeting and eternal adieu in this sad world, where nothing is to be found but every sorrow of heart. I trust to go and rest, with all the elect saints of God, under the altar, and hope to wait for you there: to this end may the Lord grant us his grace, and may he keep me, miserable sinner, unto the end, as I hope and trust he will do. Amen.
Know, much beloved brethren and sisters in the Lord, that we are all well yet, the Lord be praised; and it is still the purpose of us all, to adhere to the holy truth of the Lord all the days of our life, for which we can never fully thank the Lord. O dear brethren and sisters, how could we fully thank him, that he so loves me unworthy one! I hope by his grace, that I shall suffer for his holy name, and I trust to hear with all the beloved saints of God: “Come, ye blessed of my Father and inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matt. 25:34. O dear brethren and sisters, what beautiful promises are given to them that overcome: That they shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father; that they shall be of the household of God; that they shall eat of the hidden manna, and of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. Rev. 3:12; Matthew 13:43; Eph. 2:19; Rev. 2:17; 2:7.
O why should I write you much; I hope and trust, that you yourselves are all taught of God. Hence, dear brethren and sisters, I know of nothing special to write you, save that we should always take heed well to keep that which is committed to our trust, that no man take our crown, for Peter says: The devil walketh about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist steadfast in the faith, 1 Tim. 6:20; Rev. 3:11; 1 Peter 5:8. O we shall be well rewarded, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end. Herewith I will commend you all unto the Lord, and to the rich word of his grace, which is able to build us all up for his heavenly kingdom. Amen. And I kindly pray you, also to see to my child a little as much as you can. I have also requested this of the sister at Vlissingen, and of Christian. You may advise together as is best; for I must now part from it, so that I cannot take care of it. But I am heartily satisfied with this, and am ready to forsake not only wife and child, but also body and life, if the Lord will only keep me, as he has hitherto done, and will yet do. O dear brethren and sisters, we are all of such good cheer. I and Hendrick and Gerrit greet you all much. Greet Hendrick and Maeyken much in my name, and Adrian and Gerrit Coelemey, and your companion Lieven, and Huybert; further, Yde and her husband, and Jacob Wit, and the rest of the brethren, and to all whom it is convenient to greet. Bid them all farewell in my name. Written on the third of February, in the year 1569, after I have been advised of my sentence. Farewell altogether, and be valiant always. I trust that we shall see one another again. Communicate to Geertgen occasionally something of the profit, as seems best to you; and do with her what is best, this I earnestly ask of you.