Behold, my dear child Betgen, I have set before you many excellent and precious treasures, and all for your admonition. I pray you, take them to heart, and often read them over; so that you may thereby be instructed in the fear of God. And do not let this my letter (which I have written with much pains in my prison, with trepidation, fearing lest some one should suddenly surprise me), to lie there idle as a dead fable; but lay it to heart, for a child that loves her father will also love that which comes from her father, and often read it over with delight, thereby remembering her father’s affectionate favor. For as a man, that has his delight in a treasure of money, which he has locked in his strong chest, often goes to contemplate the treasure, to count it over, and to make calculations with it; so do also you often look over and peruse this my letter; for it is of more value than many pieces of gold, for it points you to the fountain of life, whereby your soul may live for ever, if you will be subject to the truth. However, my child, you are young yet, and your mind cannot yet comprehend it all; but I hope the understanding will come yet. Hence give good attention from your youth, to hear the words of God, and the Lord will give you wisdom; buy it of the Lord, for he will give it to you for nothing. Hence lay my words to heart, for they are not my words, but the holy word of the Lord, which Christ himself has taught us. Therefore, if you would be saved, keep the Lord’s commandments. For he that loves Christ, and will be his disciple, the same will continue in his word; with him he shall keep his supper in the kingdom of God, his heavenly Father, and he will go before them and serve them, and dwell with them for ever. But he that will be God’s servant here, must submit to much temptation; he must also take his cross upon him, and thus daily follow him; for Christ says: Ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice; but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world. Even as appears now, my child; because I fear God, and according to my weak ability separate from the world, therefore the world hates me. And through their wicked hatred and envy they have imprisoned me, and it may very soon come to pass, that they shall kill me for the name of Jesus Christ, and for the testimony of his holy word, wherein I also stand steadfast through the grace of the Lord, to risk for it all that I have. For I have nothing which I have not received from the Lord; hence we must willingly surrender it again for his holy name, for what we possess here in this world is but lent us; hence they are foolish who set their heart upon temporal things. For he that fears God must possess all things as though he had them not, for our goods are a prey to every one. All they that fear God are thrust out of their houses, and they will spoil and scatter them. By this it is known who are God’s chosen children: they are tried as gold in the fire.
Therefore, my child, search the holy Scriptures; they shall show you, that the godfearing must enter into the kingdom of God through much tribulation and suffering. But the ungodly world is not worthy to suffer for the name of the Lord, for they do not know the name of Christ in the spirit. For if they had known him, they would in former times not have crucified the Lord of glory. Hence, if they hated, persecuted and envied Christ the Son of God, and said that he had a devil, how much the more his disciples! But the Lord be thanked, all their upbraiding, reviling and envying is of no avail, but the word of God; and Christ says: Blessed are ye, when men speak evil of you falsely; rejoice and be glad, for your reward shall be great in heaven. Matt. 5:11,12. Peter says: The Holy Spirit of God resteth upon him. 1 Pet. 4:14. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. 2 Cor. 1:5.