Part 166
COPY OF A LETTER WRITTEN BY HANS SYMONS TO HIS WIFE, IN HIS BONDS OR IMPRISONMENT AT ANTWERP, IN SEPTEMBER, IN THE YEAR A. D. 1567.
Grace, peace and mercy from God the heavenly Father; also steadfastness in the faith, and constant adherence to God in all temptations and tribulations, by the power and operation of the Holy Ghost; unto him, blessed forever, be praise and thanks. This I wish you, my most beloved wife and sister in the Lord, whom I love after a godly manner, as my own flesh, yea, have loved more than my own self, as evidenced by many favors and acts; this is my heartfelt greeting to you, and that it may go well with you, both in soul and body. Amen.
Further, my dear and much beloved wife, and sister in the Lord, know that I have received your letter, which comforts me in my bonds, because I learn that you still remember me and my fellow prisoners in the Lord, in your prayers, that the Lord would strengthen and comfort us, and help us finish the good work by him begun in us, to his praise and the salvation of our souls.
O dear lamb, I also beseech you on high from the bottom of my heart, to keep you from all error of unbelief, and to help finish, to his praise and honor, and to the salvation of your soul, the good work which he has begun in you.
Let us pray together with a broken heart, an humble spirit and a pure conscience, lifting up holy hands, without contention or strife, praying to God steadfastly in the faith, then will our prayer be a sweet savor and an acceptable offering to God; for every gift comes from the Father of lights.
O my dear wife, lay to heart the virtues which the Lord has caused to be proclaimed to you, as the prophet says: “He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.” Micah 6:8.
Always remember those who have walked the way before you through much tribulation, and have always remained valiant in the faith, with a firm confidence. Who was ever confounded that trusted in the Lord? says the prophet. Hence, dear wife, do not slightly esteem the great grace which the Lord has shown you. Always persevere steadfastly, and trust in the Lord with a firm confidence; he will not forsake you, nor will he leave you without comfort; for in time of need he succors his own, and says: “A mother may forget her child, yet will I never forget thee.”
Be of good cheer, I pray you, in your trial, which the Lord sends you, and take Job for an example, how patient he was; and the Lord blessed him.
I trust the Lord will let his merciful eyes rest upon you and upon all sorrowing and afflicted hearts, to comfort them by the Spirit by which he himself was comforted in his sufferings.
I am much troubled and afflicted in my heart, when I think of you, and of my four poor little lambs, whom I must all leave.
I pray you, Tanneken, remember them in your heart as long as you live.
Do not forget my request of you, namely, that you walk in the law of your Lord all the days of your life, and that you be to my and your children, whom the Lord has given us during the time of our wedlock, a pattern in all humility and obedience, in instruction in righteousness; and take for remembrance the Maccabean mother, how she strengthened her children, that they should not forsake the law of God.
I commend them to you, my dearest wife, and to the Lord. He will help you; his hand is not shortened, that he cannot help us. For better is one child that fears God, than a thousand ungodly children; yea, it were better to die childless, than to leave ungodly children behind. I pray you, exercise good care over them: I commit them to you, and to the Lord, for I am taken from you and them, which greatly troubles me according to the flesh; but I remember that it is written: Whosoever forsaketh not everything, father, mother, sister, brother, wife, children, property, lands, yea, also his own life, the same is not worthy of me; in short, whosoever loveth aught more than me, is not worthy of me. I do not know what the Lord has seen in me, when I consider that I am so miserable and unworthy to suffer for his name. I can praise and thank the Lord for the great benefits which he has shown me in my bonds. Well do I now find, that the Lord has helped us unworthy ones, especially me.
According to the Spirit, my heart rejoices in the hope of future glory. I hope that I shall soon put off this mortal garment, and put on the immortal; may the Lord direct our hearts thereto, for we need help from the Lord of hosts, in our tribulation. See, my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, take this, with your little children, as a testament and as a remembrance from him who has lived with you in the bonds of wedlock for about five years. We must now part, because of the covenant which we made with God, never to depart therefrom; hence I must now depart from the marriage covenant, for the sake of the covenant which we made with God; I now go (though unworthily,) the way which the prophets, Christ, and his apostles went, through much tribulation and pain, with many tears, and must drink the cup of bitterness which they all drank. Though the Lord himself said: “Holy Father, if it be possible that this cup pass from me, let it be done; but if not, Holy Father, thy will be done;” yet he was given us for an example, that we should follow his footsteps in obedience; for Christ entered into his glory through much suffering, thereby leaving us an example that we should follow his steps.
Therefore, my beloved in the Lord, comfort yourself with his word, and remember that John writes, that the Lord said to his disciples and to his friends: In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, your tribulation shall be turned into joy. Hence, dear Tanneken, rejoice in the hope of future happiness, be patient in tribulation, continue instant in prayer, that the Lord would comfort you and not suffer you to fall into temptation, but with it also make a way of escape. Commend your matters to the Lord; I hope and trust in God that, if you continue in his laws, and constantly keep the Lord before your eyes, he will raise up some one who will help, comfort and assist you. Never separate from the godfearing. How pleasant it is to be among the Lord’s people! I say with Moses: I would rather suffer affliction with the people of God than enjoy temporal pleasure.
Always associate with the saints of the Lord; for among the holy, one becomes holy, says the apostle. And remember the words of the Lord: He that overcometh shall inherit all things, and be clothed in white raiment, and God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes.
O, dear Tanneken, it seems that there must be tears; for where no tears are, none can be wiped away. The Lord grant (as I trust in him that he will) that after this tribulation, which has come upon us for his name’s sake, and which is a sore affliction to my heart, we may rejoice together in the kingdom of God and of Christ. For, my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, whom I love from the bottom of my heart, together with my four little children, it is very hard for me when I think of your heavy burden, the spoiling of our property, and that the Lord has deprived you of the provider of your daily bread. I fain would, had it been the Lord’s pleasure, that he had spared us this affliction; however as it cannot be otherwise, we will commend our affliction to the Lord.
When I consider, Tanneken, our past time, I think that it is a fatherly chastisement, for he says: “Whom I love I chasten.” I well know that we have merited it at the hands of the Lord, since we ofttimes were disobedient in the sufferings sent us by him. When we (as is true enough) had little success, as the world counts success, we complained and murmured against God, because we had not more to live on, and many children were born to us; just as though God’s hand had been shortened, that he could not have fed us. And now that little vanishes away as a prey, and we must be satisfied; however, it is for the Lord’s sake; and for his sake I gladly suffer. The Lord gave it me, and for his sake I will also gladly resign it.
Hence, dear Tanneken, I have often before told you this. I do not write it to trouble you, but to indicate to you that God is chastening us; for he shows that he still loves us. Though the Lord chasten us, let us not cast his chastisement from us; for he that rejects chastisement and instruction will perish.
Therefore, my beloved, I earnestly pray the Lord for you, and for my four children whom God has given me--which you bore me, and brought forth in pain--that he would not forsake you, but comfort, strengthen and stablish you, and feed all my four little orphans, and their mother, both according to the soul and body. Always trust in the Lord; I trust he will not forsake you. Take counsel with the Lord, and with them that fear him; and take better heed to walk in the obedience of Christ. I am sorry from the bottom of my heart, that I have not improved my time better. And I ask you to excuse and forgive me in whatever I have grieved you; for I am heartily sorry for it; and wherein you may have grieved me, I forgive you all from the bottom of my heart. And I pray the Lord, that he would also forgive us the same, as I hope, and also trust in him, that he has done. I thank you for the good intercourse we had together during the time of our wedlock; and I thank also all the brethren and sisters in the Lord, for the intercourse I had with them in the faith, for their faces were always pleasing to me. The Lord grant us grace that hereafter we may all live together in joy with the Lord, and be crowned with the crown of salvation, with which all the saints of God will be adorned, and this out of pure grace. Amen.
This is my testament, my dear and much beloved Tanneken. In parting, let me tell you, that my mind is still unchanged in the Lord, namely, I, unworthy one, am determined to bear testimony to the Lord, and to seal the same with my blood, in token that it is the truth; nor do I know any other way to be saved through grace, for a witness to the world, to the honor of God, and to the salvation of our souls. Amen.
Cornelis, Mattheus, and Christian are also thus minded. Entreat the Lord for us all, that he would help us finish the good work by him begun in us, to his honor and to the salvation of our souls. Amen.
Pray the Lord for us all, and remember the prisoners, as being imprisoned with them. All four of us heartily greet you and them that live in the same house with you, with the peace of the Lord.
No more for the present; excuse my letter, for my mind is not in the best condition for writing. Herewith I commend you to God, and to the rich word of his grace. Amen.
By me, Hans Symons, your husband in the Lord, confined in prison at Antwerp.
A LETTER OF HANS SYMONS, WHICH HE WROTE IN PRISON AT ANTWERP, WHERE HE, WITH THREE OTHERS WAS BURNT, ON THE 13TH OF SEPTEMBER, 1567.
Grace and peace be unto you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforted us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted or comforted, it is all for our good, and for our salvation. 2 Cor. 1:3–6. This I wish you, my dear brethren and sisters in the Lord, Vincent, Kaerle, Willem, and Hans Symons, and Tanneken, Vincent’s wife, as a heartfelt greeting in the Lord. And brethren and sisters in general, I write this that you may remember me, what tribulation and distress I suffered in Antwerp for the testimony of our Lord Jesus Christ; and because the time has come that I must part from you all. Amen.
Further, my dear brethren and sisters in the Lord, and co-workers and followers of the Gospel, whom God has shown great mercy in this world, in that he, out of grace, revealed his will. Hence, dear brethren and sisters in the Lord, I beseech you from the depth of my heart, that you receive not the grace of God in vain, for he says: “I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee.” Therefore, dear brethren, let us not give offense to any one, that our ministry be not blamed; but let us approve ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in necessities and distresses. 2 Cor. 6:1–4. Hence, dear brethren, accept this as a sincere request from me, that you take heed to your calling, wherein you are called to holiness, for he says: “Be ye holy; for I am holy.” 1 Pet. 1:16. And I pray you, that you show love to one another all the days of your life, for Christ says: “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 13:35. If any prosper more than others, let one assist the other, and do not become alienated from one another, lest one be grieved on account of another; but exhort one another with the law of the Lord when ye come together, and always remember the days when you were illuminated--how zealous we all were when we came together, to speak of the great benefits which God has bestowed upon us, in that he has called us from the power of darkness into his marvelous light, which is kindled in our hearts, so that we have surrendered ourselves to serve the Lord all the days of our life, and no more to live to ourselves. Heb. 10:32; 1 Pet. 2:9; Romans 14:7.
O dear brethren and sisters, always write the law of the Lord into your hearts, and keep him ever before your eyes, and serve him faithfully unto the end of your lives; for if there is anything that is not clear, be it ever so small, in which the conscience is troubled, Satan produces, by way of accusation, all he can produce, in order that he may at least lead astray or trouble us; however, he frequently has cause, for we all sin in many things, as James says. Rev. 12:10; Jas. 3:2.
Therefore, dear brethren and sisters, awake, and make straight paths for your feet, that you may always be prepared for the Gospel of peace, which calls us only to peace, for beautiful are the feet of them that fear the Lord. Eph. 5:14; Heb. 12:13; Eph. 6:15; Rom. 10:15. Never separate from the church of the Lord; for it is the body of Christ, and he is the Savior of his body. And though sometimes there are some in it who do not truly follow the Lord, think: Lord, I have no right to sin too, because another sins, since the Lord has no pleasure in the multitude of sin, but that every one turn from his evil way, and he shall live. And I pray you and all the brethren and sisters in the Lord, that they do not think it a small thing to grieve their neighbor, whether by word or deed, or by the putting on of apparel. We can avoid this sometimes, but we will not, caring not that our neighbor is troubled thereby.
O dear brethren, when one is apprehended or put into bonds, or the Lord takes us from this world, it greatly troubles our conscience. And our stay here is so brief; hence prepare well your lamps, that when the bridegroom comes, you will not have to go for oil, for the doors will then be shut. What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what will you give in exchange for your souls? Matt. 16:25. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, but sanctify God in your hearts, and give thanks unto the Father, who has made you meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. Rom. 6:12; 1 Pet. 3:15; Col. 1:12. O dear brethren, how true and certain we daily find it to be, that it is the truth for which we must suffer, of which I am becoming convinced more and more every day, though I never doubted that it was the truth.
O dear brethren and sisters, continue herein unto the end, and you will prosper; and do not suffer yourselves to be deceived through philosophy, or vain deceit, through vain pomp and subtle inventions; for men are soon corrupted from their simplicity which they have in Christ, for it is a great grace which we have received from God, that the truth is revealed to us, which is hid from so many thousands. Col. 2:8; 2 Cor. 11:3; Eph. 1:9. Hence, my dear brethren and sisters, think now of us, how many tortures we have endured, how many sighs we have spent, how much weeping and supplicating to God we have done, with strong crying and tears unto him for help, that you might be able to keep unto the end the faith wherein you stand.
O dear brethren, it is so hard for us, and the cup which we must drink is so bitter. O how am I straightened till the child is born! These woes are so bitter, dear brethren; I speak the truth; it is impossible to make any one believe what pain it is to bring forth a child, except him who has experienced it; however, when it is born, then the pain is remembered no more. Thus it is also with me and my fellow-prisoners; we are now in the throes of travail, many a heart-grief fills us with anguish, and we must cry to God for help. And he comforts us, for he is a God of comfort, who can comfort all troubled hearts, as he also does. But I hope that we shall soon have brought forth; then we shall remember the anguish and distress no more, and all the tears, that now ofttimes course down our cheeks, so that at times we almost, with David, water our bed with our tears, will be wiped away; for he is faithful that promised it us, and will also keep it. We comfort one another much with the Lord’s promises. John 16:21; Isa. 26:17; 2 Corinthians 1:3,4; Ps. 6:6; Is. 25:8; 1 Thess. 5:24.
Therefore, dear brethren and sisters, exhort one another daily, and be subject to one another in love. And I pray you, dear brethren and brothers-in-law in the Lord, I pray you, exercise good care over my sisters, for you are placed over them; the watch over them is committed to you. Dear brothers, live with them according to knowledge, as I also trust you will do. I commend them to you from the heart. And you sisters in the Lord, and according to the flesh, I pray you from my inmost soul, in my bonds, which I suffer for Christ’s sake, that you bear with all modesty your husbands, whom the Lord and his church have given you, that you should live with them in all subjection and obedience. It well becomes women to honor their husbands, for a woman of understanding is the crown of her husband, and the wife is honored through the husband, and the husband through the wife. Therefore I entreat you, dear sisters, assist your husbands with all willingness, lest you discourage them. O if the wife knew what trouble and grief she can cause her husband in his work, she would shun to do it as she would shun poison; for the wife can cause her husband to consume soul and body in his labor. Encourage each other in spiritual and temporal matters, and always shun whatever might give rise to trouble, for Satan is wily; he is satisfied with any means by which he can cause contention; he walks about man, as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Hence I beseech you for the Lord’s sake, lay to heart what I write you with sighing; I do it because I love you all in my heart, and also all them that fear the Lord. I say with Moses: I would rather suffer affliction with the children of God, than enjoy the pleasures of sin. Always associate with those who fear the Lord, and pray, lest Satan take you unawares; for when it is least expected, the Lord comes, as I and my fellow-prisoners can testify. I trust the Lord has thus ordered it with us. We are now in it; may the Almighty God help us through, as I trust he will do. Help pray the Lord for us; for the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous avails much. Acts 12:5; Jas. 5:16. I beseech you, my dear brethren and sisters, take heed unto yourselves; the time is short, and it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Lord. 1 Cor. 7:29; Heb. 10:31. Call to remembrance the day when you were illuminated, how ardent we were in the law of God, to walk in it. v. 32. I hope you are better instructed in everything, than I can write. And above all, I pray you, keep the Lord before your eyes above all else, and love one another fervently; thereby men shall know that you are children of the Most High, for love abides forever, it never perishes. John 13:35; 1 Cor. 13:13,8. Be hospitable, remember them that are in bonds, comfort the sorrowing, remember the poor, each according to his circumstances--O, it gives such peace to the conscience. I wish indeed I had done much more. Heb. 13:2,3; 2 Cor. 1:4.
Herewith I commend you all to the eternal, Almighty God; may he comfort, strengthen and stablish you all, and us poor, forsaken sheep, deprived of all men, unto the end of our lives; for it lies not in the beginning, nor in the middle, but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Matt. 24:13. Behold, dear brethren, I go before, and hope to wait for you under the altar, where they cry: “Lord, Lord, when wilt thou avenge the blood of thy saints?” Rev. 6:9,10. But the Lord will shorten the days for his elect’s sake; and then will he clothe them in white raiment, and wipe away all tears from their eyes, and they will see sorrow no more, for it has never entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for them that love him. Matt. 24:22; Rev. 3:5; 1 Cor. 2:9. Herewith I bid you all a final adieu in this world, and thank you all for the good intercourse I have had with you in my life. And wherein I have grieved you, or any one else, forgive me; I am heartily sorry for it. I hope and trust to God that he has forgiven it me; and if there be any one who has wronged me, I forgive him from the bottom of my heart, no matter who he be. We four, Hans, Cornelis, Mattheus, and Christian, in bonds for the testimony of Jesus, greet you and all that fear the Lord with his peace. Amen.
The Almighty God keep you all from evil. Greet my mother, Charles and his wife; and Maeyken, who took care of my wife. Adieu to you all. This is my testament to you all, Vincent, Kaerle, Neelken, Willem, Hans, to each with his wife.
By me, Hans Symons, your dear brother, imprisoned at Antwerp for the testimony of Jesus.
A LETTER WRITTEN BY CORNELIS THE SHOEMAKER, TO HIS WIFE WHILE IN BONDS. HE WAS AFTERWARDS BURNED WITH THREE OTHERS, SEALING THIS LETTER WITH HIS BLOOD, IN THE GREAT MARKET PLACE AT ANTWERP, THE 13TH OF SEPTEMBER, 1567.
The grace and mercy of God the Father, the love of the Son, and the communion and peace of the Holy Ghost, who is sent us from the Father, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to the comfort of all true and faithful children of God; by whom we are led, taught and healed; the same keep your heart, understanding and mind in Christ Jesus, to the praise and glory of his heavenly Father, to the salvation of your troubled soul, and to the protection of all the brethren and sisters that fear and love the Lord. This I wish you, my affectionately and much beloved wife, as a heartfelt greeting.