The Sixth Letter from Maerten van der Straten, and Beliken his Wife

I, Maerten van der Straten, and Beliken van der Straten, my most dearly beloved wife, both of us prisoners for the word of the Lord, wish our very dear brother and sister much grace and mercy from God our heavenly Father, who dwells on high, in a light which, as Paul writes, no one can approach. We also wish that you may have the love of His Son, that you may be a light for those who sit in darkness, and that you may shine as a bright morning star among the blind who go astray in the way, so that afterward, as Isaiah writes, you may behold the King in His beauty, and meet with that perfect and unspeakable joy and gladness that will last forever and ever. This we wish for our dear friends in the Lord, with all the strength of our souls, out of an affectionate heart.

A cordial, loving greeting to you, our very dear brother Adam V. L., and to Mariken, your very dear wife. We two prisoners, as we said above, love you, as Paul says, with a godly love, and out of a pure heart, as Peter writes; the Almighty Lord knows this, who sees through everything with eyes that are like a flame of fire.

Further, after all proper and Christian greeting, let me please inform your love that I and my dearly beloved lamb, whose hand I took with tears of joy, are still, the Lord be praised forever, in reasonably good health according to the flesh; and according to the spirit, God be praised, our mind is still fixed, by the help of the Lord, to prefer with Eleazar an honorable death to a shameful life. But, dear brother and sister in the Lord, we are also confident beyond a doubt that you are both well in soul and body, ready to keep the covenant you made with Almighty God, about which Moses exhorts us, that we should always remember the covenant we once made with the Lord of lords. Deuteronomy 4, verse 9. And Paul instructs us still more fully, that we are to call to remembrance the day in which we were enlightened. Hebrews 10, verse 32. The merciful King, and God of gods, who, according to the word of the prophet, in time of need gives bread, and in thirst water, and in the day of tribulation forgives sin, may strengthen and confirm you and us all with His Holy Spirit, so that we, as Luke writes, may serve Him in true righteousness and holiness all the days of our lives. And let us, O dear friends, always keep the Lord before our eyes, as David did, who says: "I have set the Lord always before me." Psalm 16, verse 8. And again he says: "One thing I have desired of the Lord, and that I will seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. "For in the time of trouble he will hide me in his pavilion; in the secret of his tabernacle he will hide me; he will set me up upon a rock." Psalm 27, verses 4 and 5. So, dear friends, let us always seek the face of the Lord with humility, and take good heed to our calling, redeeming the time, because the days are evil, as Paul says (Ephesians 4, verse 1; Ephesians 5, verse 16); for the tongues of the builders of the tower of Babel have come to disagree. For David says: "Violence and strife are in the city. Day and night they go about it upon its walls; mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it. Wickedness is in its midst; deceit and guile do not depart from her streets." Psalm 55, verses 9 to 11. And, as the prophet says: "They do not fear God; for they lay their hands on his peaceable ones, and break his covenant," verses 19 and 20. "Their mouth," as David says, "is smoother than butter, but they have war in their hearts; their words were softer than oil, yet they are drawn swords," verse 21. So, O dearly beloved friends, let us always watch carefully in the spirit, and fear our God from the heart, and cling to Him with prayer and supplication, just as the royal prophet David says: "As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord will save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, I will pray, and cry aloud; and he will hear my voice," verses 16 and 17.

So, dear friends, when you are distressed, call upon the Lord, and do not let the waters of Marah (Exodus 15, verse 23) become too bitter for you; but remember that, according to Paul's words, we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. Just as Christ also teaches us in the Gospel, saying: "The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force." Matthew 11, verse 12. So, dear brother and sister, let us willingly bear our cross, and give our back to those who strike us, and not mind it however great the heat of the sun; for the servant is not above his master or lord; for if they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of His household? Matthew 10, verse 25. For Peter teaches us, saying: "Since then Christ has suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind; for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so that he should no longer live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. "For the time past of our life may suffice us to have done the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lewdness, lusts, excess of wine, revelings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries," First Peter 4, verses 1 to 3.

So, O dear friends, let us no longer live according to the wisdom of the flesh, to indulge its lusts, but let us walk, as Paul writes, only as becomes the Gospel, and let us not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what likeness or fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what harmony has Christ with Belial? Or what part has he who believes with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are, says Paul, the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. Therefore come out from among them, and be separate, says the Lord, and do not touch the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. Philippians 1, verse 27; Second Corinthians 6, verses 14 to 18.

Therefore, O my dear brother and sister, let us serve the Lord with a faithful heart, and hold our foot back from every evil way, and let us lead a chaste and pure manner of life among the Gentiles, so that we, as Paul writes, may not give the slanderer occasion to speak evil; but let us in all things seek the glory of the Lord with a simple heart, so that we, according to the word of Paul, may adorn the Gospel by good works. Titus 2, verses 8 and 10. So, O dear friends, do not grow weary in doing good; for what you now sow in tears, that you will in due season, as Paul writes, reap with joy in great abundance. So let us with fasting and weeping entreat the Lord, that we may be able to withstand in the evil day, so that we may live with Him forever and ever. Amen. John 3, verse 8; Ephesians 6, verse 13.

Further, my beloved friends, we do not know much more to write you at this time, because of the simplicity of our understanding; but we commend you to the Lord, and to the word full of consolation, and bid you farewell.

I, Maerten van der Straten, and Beliken van der Straten, my love, have written this little out of affection and according to your request, and we ask you to accept it in good part. We also ask for the help of your prayers.

Farewell; greet the acquaintances in our name. We thank you for all the good you have shown us. Adriaen also greets you much; and Hansken, Margriet and Lou also greet you much; Dingentgen and all of us together ask you to pray for us. Nothing more, but do the best first and last.

From us your dear friends,

MAERTEN AND BELIKEN VAN DER STRATEN.