O my chosen mother, think not that there is aught that might rob me of my salvation, for Paul says; Who can separate us from the love of God? Neither hell, the devil, nor death. Christ has conquered all, so that I may say: O hell, where is thy pain? O death, where is thy power? Christ has vanquished death; Christ has bruised Satan’s head, so that he can but bite the heel, which he indeed does, but that is of no account. Who therefore, says Paul, can lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is Christ that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died. Rom. 8:35; Heb. 2:14; Rom. 8:33,34.
Hence, my dear mother, be armed with me, and all God’s righteous ones, as Paul says, with the armor of God on your body, the helmet of salvation upon your head, and the sword of the Spirit in your hand; and above all, take the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one, for the prophet says: Be of good courage; you shall at last climb upon the devil’s shoulders. Eph. 6:13; Bar. 4:25.
Therefore my mother, if you should hear any thing of me that is not true--for the devil is crafty, and deals much in lies, to grieve the righteous--do not hearken to it; as I also trust that you will not: for my mind is unchanged, for which I thank the living God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and to his name be praise for ever and ever, through his only Son Jesus Christ our Savior, who strengthens me, poor, unworthy, despised man with his Holy Spirit, to resist all the enemies of the truth, who seek to spoil me of my salvation (Col. 2:8), for which they have no power, for the Lord is my strength, as the prophet says: He is my song; I shall with joy draw water out of the well of the Savior. Is. 12:2,3. Again the Lord says by the prophet Isaiah; I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not: I will help thee. Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye few men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy Redeemer. Is. 41:13,14. Of whom should we be afraid, for the Lord hath said it. Therefore, my mother, take courage with me, to overcome, like Joshua and Caleb, the great and strong giants, the princes of this world, and not to fear them, and thus to take the promised land, the kingdom of heaven. Of whom should I be afraid, when we have this glorious consolation, that they that trust in the Lord, shall not be ashamed, for the prophet says that the Lord will not forsake the righteous even unto death; yea, the Lord says by the prophet Isaiah: “Can a mother forget her child, that she should not have compassion on the fruit of her womb? and though she forget, yet will I not forget thee; for I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands, saith the Lord.” Ps. 25:3; Is. 49:15,16. Remember, again, how the Lord speaks by the prophet Malachi, saying: The Lord has a book of remembrance before him, in which he has written all them that fear him, and he shall deliver their souls from death. Mal. 3:16. Happy are those then, that have feared the Lord, for David says: “Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord.” They who then have not been ashamed to walk in the ways of the Lord, their names are recorded in heaven in the book of life. Luke 10:20. Hence rejoice with me, my mother; I should like to write you still more, that you would always walk in the ways of the Lord, and never depart therefrom, and bring many to the knowledge of the truth, but my paper is failing me. I pray you, my dear and beloved mother, take this little knowledge and simple writing from me in good part, for I write you out of love, and impart to you of this little gift which the Lord, through his unspeakable grace, has given me, unworthy man.