A Letter from Adriaenken, Jan's Daughter, of Molenaersgraef

Grace and peace from God our heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord and Savior, and the cooperation of the Holy Ghost, be multiplied to your love, and to all the God-fearing, for consolation in your pilgrimage, to the praise of the Lord, and to the salvation of all your souls. Amen.

After this my heartfelt greeting and good wish, please know, my dearest and dearly beloved husband and brother in the Lord, that I, your dearly beloved wife and sister in the Lord, called Adriaenken, Jan's daughter, am still of good cheer in the Lord, and I can never thank the Lord of lords enough for His daily greatness in showing His grace to me, an unworthy one. [n1064-1] Eternal praise and glory be to Him, forever and ever. Amen.

Please know further, J. A., my dearly beloved husband, that I, your dearest, beloved wife and sister in the Lord, could not well refrain, but had to leave your love a few lines in remembrance of me, because of the great love which we have had for each other, and which I hope will remain forever, and that no one shall separate us from it; and though we are separated from each other according to the external body, yet love remains. [n1064-2] And, in the second place, to comfort you a little, that you would moderate your grief, as one who well knows that these are the costs of our house, which we have founded upon the rock Christ, which house will now certainly continue to stand, through the grace and power of the Lord, though many a storm beat upon it; in which we rejoice, that we have such a faithful Helper in distress. But it is not fitting that we keep this joy to ourselves alone; we must spread it, so that you, my dearest on this earth, and all the God-fearing, if it were possible, might also rejoice, in order that you, my especially beloved husband, and all the God-fearing, may steadfastly persevere, and not be afraid. Though our enemies are so many, we say with the prophet Elisha: "There are more with us than against us," Second Kings 6, verse 16. As Paul also says: "If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how will he not also freely give us all things with him?" Romans 8, verses 31 and 32. And the prophet David says: "The Lord is an invincible shield to all who trust in him; and a faithful helper in distress, for he hears the cry of the afflicted." So, my dearest, go on in confidence in the promises of the Lord, for He is a faithful, true God: there is none like Him; all His promises in Him are Yes, and not No, both to help us in distress in this present time, and to give eternal life hereafter to those who believe in Christ.

We two unworthy lambs of Jesus Christ now go quite near to the city full of all good things, which has become our inheritance through the merits of Christ; indeed, we are going out from tribulation, out from all difficulty and peril, and leave you and all the other dearest brothers, sisters and friends in this dismal wilderness, even in this wicked world full of all unrighteousness, where on every hand there are evil examples, to the harm and sorrow of our soul, for one cannot well touch pitch and remain undefiled by it. [n1064-3] So it is our conviction that it is the Lord's pleasure to take us two weak lambs away speedily, that we may not be deceived, like Eve, but saved in and through faith in Jesus Christ. And that the only wise, good and merciful God first tries us somewhat in this one chastisement, this is a token of grace and of special love, for He now deals with us unworthy ones as a dear father deals with his children and bears affection for them, whereby He confirms, according to His great mercy, that He does not know us as bastards, but as true heirs. Hebrews 12, verse 8.

Therefore we are of good cheer; whatever the Lord allows to come upon us is all for our good, for in tribulation He forgives sin; therefore His holy will be done for our profit, that is, for our salvation, which is our greatest desire; therefore we endure everything, and are patient, after the example of Job, the prophets, the apostles, and the end of our Lord, and other martyrs after them. We now go steadfastly forward, to finish our conflict by the help of the Lord with a faithful heart, even to death, for we know and believe that the crown of eternal life is prepared for us. Amen. So, my dearly beloved husband and dearest brother in the Lord, I, your especially and dearly beloved wife, Adriaenken Jans, your dearest sister in the Lord, who have married each other before the Lord and His church, will herewith bid your love farewell, and await you there with your and our dearest Bridegroom, Christ Jesus. Therefore hold fast what you have, for it is the only and unadulterated truth, so that no one take your crown, for Satan works wonderfully in his own.

The superior of the Franciscan convent said to me: "Give me Jan Wouterss, he at least said that he is sorry for it." O villain, I thought; I well know your trickery. Thus the Lord kept me, that we may always triumph in Christ: He will still, according to His promise, help us on further in the way to the promised land of our rest.

Herewith I commend you, my dearest husband and beloved brother in the Lord, to the Almighty God, and to the rich Word of His grace, which is able to build you up, to keep you from evil and to bring you to the eternal inheritance; there I hope to see you with eternal joy, to that end may the good God grant His grace. Amen. Take this, my brief letter, in good part. I do not think it necessary to write much, for the God-fearing have left us, through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, an abundance of writings, for correction, for doctrine, for consolation and strengthening.

I, Adriaenken, Jan's daughter, your heartfelt and dearest wife and sister in the Lord, greet you, my most beloved husband and dearest brother in the Lord, affectionately with the kiss of eternal love and peace of Christ, with the mouth of my heart, present with you in spirit.

Finally, I herewith bid you farewell once more, and thank you as much as lies in me, for your good company and faithfulness.

Written by me, your beloved wife Adriaenken Jans, imprisoned for the testimony of the gospel of Christ, to the praise of the Lord, to the comfort and joy of our neighbor, for a light to those who are yet in darkness, to the confusion of those who have condemned us as apostates, and to the salvation of our souls. Amen.

I and my fellow prisoner greet you and all the God-fearing much.

We had hoped to offer up our sacrifice on Monday before Mary, and so to enter into rest; but we were not so fortunate. So we hope that it will soon come to pass, if the Lord has so ordered it; but if our tribulation is to last a little longer yet, the will of the Lord be done for our salvation. Amen.

Written in my bonds, the day after Mary in Lent, in the year 1572, by me,

ADRIAENKEN JANS.