O my dearest wife, my flesh, my bone, my dear friend, my lamb, not on my heart, but in my heart, and henceforth my poor widow, whom I must leave according to the pleasure, goodness, will and counsel of God, who has deemed it well that I should according to his pleasure lie in bonds here for his eternal truth’s sake, which, my dear wife and sister in the Lord, I hope by the grace of God to seal with my death, to pay now the obedience which we owe to God, that is, the denying of ourselves, that we may love nothing above him, neither father, nor mother, nor wife, nor child, nor our own life; or God threatens us with his eternal judgment. He that loveth aught more than me can not be my disciple, much less my son; and they that are not sons are bastards, who shall have neither part nor inheritance with God. Eph. 5:5. And this is the reason, my dear wife, that, though you and my little children lie so deeply in my heart, you must, against my nature, be cast out from it; for you may not be an idol to me, nor I to you, as much as we love our dear-bought souls. 1 Cor. 6:20. Hence know by this, my dearest wife, that I will commend you and my little children to the great, almighty, and eternal God, who is rich in mercy over all them that fear and love him, that through his goodness and great power he will bring you to the eternal, glorious and undefiled inheritance among all them that are sanctified. The God of all comfort, and Father of all grace, who is called the true Father in heaven or upon earth, the same grant you, my dear wife, Janneken Verstralen, that through his unfathomable mercy, and immeasurable goodness, and the riches of his grace, may be strengthened by his Holy Spirit in the inner man, and that Christ, his blessed Son, may dwell in your heart by faith (Ephesians 3:16,17), that you, my love, may be clothed with the cloak of righteousness and have the loins of your mind girt about with the girdle of truth, and the bond of love (6:14; Col. 3:14); yea, that the basket of grapes and the bundle of myrrh may hang between both your breasts, in your heart, namely, Christ Jesus, whereby you may be preserved from the pestilence that walketh in darkness (Ps. 91:6), and thus shine with an eternal crowns as a daughter born of royal seed, the living word of God, and may gain the victory of a good fight: may this be done to the praise and glory of the almighty God, and to the salvation of your soul. Amen.
This I, Hendrick Verstralen, your husband, prisoner in the Lord for the eternal truth’s sake and the testimony of Christ, send to you, my beloved wife and sister in the Lord, as a salutation and good wish of my heart, and as my last adieu. Adieu my dearest on earth; adieu, sister in the Lord. O strong is the truth; it conquers all things, 1 Esd. 4:35. O my own rib, who are taken out of the middle of my body, how should I not love you, you my wife, who loves my soul more than my body, as I understand from your letter, which is a great joy to me, and a perpetual comfort; I have read it with many tears. I thank you much, my lamb, for your earnest solicitude for me. I further pray you, my dear wife, whom I have wedded honorably before God and his church, now that our parting is at hand, help us and all the godfearing to pray and supplicate to God for a little while yet, until Maeyken, our dear sister, and I your husband, who now are still in our greatest conflict, under the bloody banner which Christ, the author of faith, and chief captain, has borne himself in the midst of his saints, that with him, we may through our death, overcome our enemies, with God nail our flag to the mast, and with peace and rest enter into our chambers (Isaiah 26:20), and wait for the coming of our Lord, who shall through his grace raise us up from the earth unto life eternal. And, my dear lamb, my flesh, my blood, be patient in your tribulation; continue now with Judith and Anna the prophetess instant in prayer, serving your God day and night, in the house of the Lord, which is his church. See, my dear wife, I hope that you will do according to Paul’s advice (1 Cor. 7:32), now that you are unmarried; that you will serve the Lord unhindered, and seek to please him, and to be holy in soul and body. Hearken, my wife, my dearest love on earth, follow my advice for the Lord’s sake; go and sell all that you can spare, which is little, and live as plainly as possible, for a widow can get along with very little; and seek an honorable, quiet girl that does not keep company with youthful companions; and flee youthful lusts, and do the best with my little children. The Lord shall care for you; he who gives the wild ass his food in the wilderness, when he cries for thirst, and who feeds the young ravens that cry unto God, as David says (Psalm 147:9), will also feed you, my dear lamb, when you, my widow, my chosen lamb, shall with my young orphans cry to God. Though your tears fall here upon earth, they shall not cease until they penetrate the clouds and appear before God. Then shall you find consolation, as David says: “The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles; yea, the angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him from the heart.” Ps. 34:17,7.