The Fifth Letter of Maerten van der Straten, to Servaes Janss

I, Maerten van der Straten, imprisoned for the Word of the Lord, wish you, my dear and much beloved brother in the Lord, Servaes Janss, much grace and mercy from God our heavenly Father, and also to all who have been redeemed from the earth and cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to the word of the prophet, bore our reproach, took our sins upon Himself, and restored to us what He had not taken away, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God His Father; to whom be glory, power and honor forever and ever. Amen.

Out of a fond heart a loving greeting to you, my beloved, dear friend and brother in the Lord, whom I love according to the peculiar privilege of Israel. This the Lord knows, who according to the words of Jeremiah, tests men's hearts and inward parts, and according to David, knows men's thoughts when they are still far off. Jeremiah 17, verse 10; Psalm 139, verse 2.

Further, after all proper and Christian greeting, let me please inform your love that I, the Lord be praised forever, am in fairly good health according to the flesh; and according to the spirit my mind is still set to serve God all the days of my life. I have, moreover, the undoubted confidence concerning you, that you also are well in soul and body, ready to keep the covenant which you once made with the Lord our God, when you bowed your knees before God and His glorious majesty. May this only, eternal, and only wise God endow you, according to the word of the prophet (Joel 2, verse 28), with His Holy Spirit, so that you, led by Him, may lead a good and chaste life among the Gentiles, as Christ teaches us in the Gospel, saying: "Let your light so shine before men, that they, seeing your good way of life, may glorify God your Father."

So, O my dear brother, let us, according to the writing of the apostle, diligently strive to be foremost in virtue; as Paul also says, that we should prove ourselves the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleepless watches, in fastings, by purity, by knowledge, by patient endurance, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love, by the Word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed. For God can wound, and heal again, as is written in the Book of Kings: "The Lord kills, and makes alive; he brings down to the grave, and brings up." Titus 3, verse 8; Second Corinthians 6, verses 4 to 9; Deuteronomy 32, verse 39; First Samuel 2, verse 6.

So, O my dear brother, if you are visited at any time, out of bonds as well as in, do not be grieved, and do not become weary in the way of the Lord, though it is narrow and straight; for it is better to suffer affliction for a little while with God's children than to possess all the treasures of Egypt. For though a man, as Christ says, should gain the world and lose his own soul, O what would he have then that he could give in exchange for it? Hebrews 11, verses 25 and 26; Matthew 16, verse 26.

Therefore, O my dear brother, let us seek the kingdom of God above all things, and let us not pursue what is earthly, as is written in the letter to the Colossians, by the holy apostle Paul, where he says: "If you then are risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then you also shall appear with him in glory." Colossians 3, verses 1 to 4. For it is a faithful saying: "If we suffer with Christ, we shall also reign with him." Second Timothy 2, verse 12. So let us not be weary in doing well, for according to Paul's writing, in due season we shall reap a most abundant harvest. Galatians 6, verse 9. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. Second Corinthians 4, verses 17 and 18.

So, O my dear brother, let us help the author of our faith, the Lord Jesus Christ, bear all His reproach, and let us, as Paul says, pursue holiness, without which no one shall see the Lord.

Hebrews 12, verse 14. And let us seek the Lord with tears while He may be found, and let us bring forth genuine fruits of repentance, so that the tower of Siloam may not fall upon us, for we have done evil long enough before the Lord. Isaiah 55, verse 6; Luke 13, verse 4. So let us now, as Paul says, use our members, which until now we have used from iniquity to iniquity, still more abundantly from righteousness to righteousness. And let us, moreover, praise the Lord, because He has revealed to us the pearl of great price that lies in the field, and is still hidden from so many. Matthew 13, verse 46. Therefore, O my dear brother, let us now, as good and faithful servants, put our talent out at interest, so that when our dear Lord comes we may have gained something, and may hear the words: "Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful in a few things, I will make you ruler over many things; enter into the joy of your Lord." Matthew 25, verse 23. So, my dear one, let us diligently look ahead of us, and watch carefully, that we do not defile our wedding garment, but may much rather be adorned with the five wise virgins, with the oil of love in our lamps, so that we, when our Bridegroom comes, may enter in with Him into His eternal kingdom, where, according to the word of Isaiah, and of the apostle, joy and gladness beyond understanding shall endure forever. Amen.

Further, my dear brother, because of my small gift I do not know much more to write to you, but I commend you to the only, eternal, almighty God, who, according to the word of Isaiah, has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and measured out heaven with the span, and held the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance; that He may keep you, so that you may receive a crown of glory. Isaiah 40, verse 12; First Peter 5, verse 4.

Furthermore, my dear brother, I ask you to excuse this simple letter which I, unworthy one, have written; for it would be better that you should write to me, but in order to fulfill your request I could not refrain from doing it.

Greet your dear wife, and also the acquaintances, in my name. Beliken van der Straten, my dear wife, also greets you and Tanneken much, and also the acquaintances. Further, all of us prisoners greet you from the heart. Pray the Lord diligently for us. Nothing more. Farewell, and do the best.

To your benefit as much as lies in me, by me, your weak brother and servant.

MAERTEN VAN DER STRATEN.