Most dearly beloved mother, let me please inform you, that I am well according to the flesh, thanks to the good God; but according to the spirit, I thank the Lord, and praise him for his unspeakable grace, that he gives me strength by his Holy Spirit, so that my mind is unchanged, the Lord be thanked. And I trust in the Lord that he will give me strength by his Holy Spirit, even as he through grace has hitherto done to this hour, to me poor man, for which the Lord be praised forever. For from him alone we expect our strength, to withstand these cruel wolves, so that they can have no power over our souls, for they are more cruel than wolves--they are not satisfied with our body, that they tear that; but they seek to devour and kill our souls, as I told three priests. Is. 40:29; Zeph. 3:3. However, according to the words of Christ, they cannot harm our souls; for when they have done all that they can (however not without the Lord’s permission), they can but kill our body, which I gladly suffer for the name of Christ, and have a desire to be delivered from this flesh, and to be in joy with Christ, who has prepared for us a dwelling not made with hands, but which is eternal in the heavens. Rom. 7:24; 2 Peter 1:14; Phil. 1:23; 2 Cor. 5:1. We now look not at the things which are seen, but hope in the things which are not seen--in the imperishable, to be crowned with the crown of eternal life, yea, to be clothed in fine, white linen, and to rest with the souls that are under the altar, that were slain for the word of God, until the number of our brethren is fulfilled, who shall also be killed, according to the testimony of John in his Revelation. 2 Esdras 2:43; Rev. 19:8; 6:9,11.
Therefore I long, dear mother, from one Saturday to another, to offer up my sacrifice. I had so fondly hoped, that I should this day offer up my sacrifice, but it has not pleased the Lord; hence I hope to offer up my sacrifice next Saturday, if it please the Lord, and to have with the Lord that joy and gladness which ear has never heard, and of which the heart of man cannot conceive, yea, which is prepared for the righteous, who were not ashamed to confess the name of the Lord before this adulterous generation, as long as they had breath to speak, in their bodies, yea, until they were deprived of speech. 1 Pet. 1:8; 1 Cor. 2:9; Mark 8:38. Therefore, my dearest mother, rejoice, and thank the Lord, that he counts me, your son, an unworthy man, worthy to suffer for his name, and to offer up my body to him, to the praise of his holy name. Acts 5:41; Rom. 12:1.
For, my dear mother, there happens to me nothing but what has happened to all God’s righteous ones, from the beginning of the world until this present day. If they killed Christ, the Author of faith, in whom was no sin, what shall they do to the servants? for the disciple is not above his master, says Christ. Hence console yourself, my dear mother, and rejoice therein; for they can do no more to me, than the Lord permits them. For the Lord says: That the very hairs of our head are all numbered. Not a sparrow falls to the ground without his will; but of how much greater value are we than the sparrows. Matt. 10:29–31. Yea, he says that we are not to fear them that kill the body, for they have no power over the soul. Hence be resigned, and pray the Lord for me and my fellow prisoners.