The Second Letter from Maerten van der Straten to his Wife

I, Maerten van der Straten, your dearly beloved husband and brother in the Lord, wish you, my affectionately beloved wife and sister in the Lord, Beliken van der Straten, much grace and mercy from God our heavenly Father; and may the love of His Son always be multiplied to you, and the power of the Holy Ghost dwell in you richly, so that by it you may lead a chaste conversation among the heathen, and be a light to those who sit in darkness, so that you, according to Isaiah's writing, may see the King in His beauty (Isaiah 33, verse 17) and be numbered among the royal host who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb, our Lord Jesus Christ, who bore our reproach, healed our wounds, and restored for us what He had not taken away, so that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God His Father; to whom be honor, power, glory, and praise, forever and ever. Amen. Psalm 69, verse 4; Galatians 1, verse 4.

Cordially written to you, my chosen, dearest love Beliken van der Straten, whom I love from the heart, indeed, more than my own life, for you are flesh of my flesh. In short, you are mine and I am yours. So I thank the Lord without ceasing that He has given you to me; for I would not have thought that God would give me such a faithful helpmate, with whom I have found so much love and patience; but God has in every way shown me more mercy than I am worthy of, and I hope He will do so still, when I shall need it most, for He is a gracious God, who, according to Paul's writing, is rich in goodness and abounds in mercy. Ephesians 2, verse 4.

Further, my dearly beloved, after this my brotherly salutation, let me please inform your love that my mind, God be praised, is fixed by His help to live and die in the truth. However, my love, I trust that through the grace of the Lord you are minded the same way, to fear His name by His help all the days of your life. May the Lord of lords, and God of gods, grant you and all of us His grace to this end.

Furthermore, Beliken, my love, I understand that it is your request that I write to you once more, which it is impossible for me to refuse you; yet I am unworthy to write to you, because of the thorn which I have in my flesh, for my weakness is so great that I might well say: "Oh, that my head were waters, that I might day and night bewail my miserable weakness" ; for my weakness is exceedingly great, and my sorrow besides is not small, for when I think, O Beliken, my only lamb, that I must part from you, and leave you among this adulterous generation, oh, then my heart is burdened to death; and when I think, if God should take you out of the flesh before me, oh, then my heart is troubled still more, for I feel that after your departure I should not see a single happy day. Thus my thoughts distress me on every side, so that I may well say with Susanna, "Oh, in what a great strait am I now!" Susanna, verse 22. Indeed, this miserable state has so laid hold on me that I may well cry to God and say with Hezekiah: "O Lord, ease me, for I suffer distress" (Isaiah 38, verse 14), indeed, such distress as the hinds suffer when they writhe to bring forth. Moreover, I am often more despondent than Jonah when he was struck down by the sun, Jonah 4, verse 8. So I may also well say: "O tribulation and vexation, how long will you live in me?" Indeed, moreover, I may well say with David: "My enemies plowed upon my back, and made their furrows long." Psalm 129, verse 3. But then I comfort myself again, O my love, when I remember that God, as Paul says, chastens whom He loves, and scourges every son whom He receives; and with the temptation also makes a way to escape, so that one may be able to bear it, which I have often experienced. Hebrews 12, verse 6; First Corinthians 10, verse 13. So I also thank the Lord, who has everywhere delivered me from the snare of the fowler. Psalm 91, verse 3. Therefore I will also praise the Lord with David and glorify Him among many, for He stands at the right hand of His poor, to save him from those who condemn his soul. Psalm 92, verse 1; Psalm 109, verse 31. So, O my chosen, dearest love, let us cleave firmly to the Lord, and not stumble, though the wicked persecutes him who is more righteous than himself. For Job says: "The ungodly pluck the child from the breast and make it an orphan in the city; they cause men to sigh, and the souls of the slain to cry out; and God does not trouble them." Job 24, verses 9 and 12. But it is nevertheless certain that God will not always say amen to their course. For He says through the prophet: "I hold my peace for a time, and am still, but at the last I will avenge myself on my enemies." Isaiah 42, verse 14. For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live forever. If I whet my glittering sword, and my hand takes hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to my enemies, and will reward those who hate me. [n1084-1] I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh over the blood of the slain, and over the captives, and over the uncovered head of the enemy. So Moses says: "Rejoice, all you who are his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and render vengeance to his adversaries; but he will be merciful to the land of his people." Deuteronomy 32, verses 40 to 43. Thus, O my love, my only lamb, let us be of good courage: though we must now sow in tears, we shall in due time, I hope, reap an abundant harvest. For God says through the prophet: "Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all you who love her; rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn for her; that you may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that you may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory." Isaiah 66, verses 10 and 11.

Thus, O my chosen, dearest love, let us for a little while help the Lord bear His reproach; for it is a faithful saying, says Paul: "If we suffer with Christ, we shall also reign with him, and if we die with him we shall also live with him; and then all tears shall be wiped away from our eyes, and all our tribulation shall be changed into eternal joy." So, O my love, let us diligently pray the Lord that this promise may be fulfilled in us, and that we may be found citizens in the beautiful city where the walls are of sapphire and the streets pure gold. Revelation 21, verse 18.

Further, my love, I will commend you to our dear Lord; may He keep and govern you as His daughter, for I take leave now and bid you adieu.

Oh, adieu, my affectionately beloved, for we must part in tears. Oh, adieu, Beliken van der Straten, my very dear wife, whose hand I took with tears of joy. Oh, bitter parting, how hard it is for me! Once more I say adieu. O Beliken, my chosen, dearest love, I thank you most affectionately for all your pure love. May the Lord repay you. Greet for me those who are with you. Adrian also greets you much. The Lord be with you.

Written in my bonds, by me, your weak brother and servant, as much as I am able.

MAERTEN VAN DER STRATEN.