A Letter from Sijntgen van Rousselare

Grace and peace. Written at Antwerp, in prison. I, Sijntgen, who am unworthy, am imprisoned for the testimony of the Lord, and am daily expecting my sentence. May the Lord grant us that we may offer up our sacrifice to His praise and glory, and to the salvation of our souls. Amen.

The great grace and mercy of God the Father, and the great love of the Son, and the power of the Holy Ghost, confirm you, my very dear sister in the Lord, and us, to the end, that we may be found worthy in the day of the Lord, through grace to receive the beautiful promises, when the Lord will say: "Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Oh, what great joy will then be prepared for us, if we only hold the beginning of the Christian life steadfast to the end. To this end may the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob confirm us, whose power is great, just as the prophet declares, that with His three fingers He encircles the whole earth; and to His name every knee must bow in heaven and earth, and every tongue must praise Him. The Lord of hosts is His name, the Lord Sabaoth, the Mighty One in Israel, for whose name we are imprisoned here. To Him alone be praise and glory, forever and ever. Amen. Isaiah 40, verse 12; Isaiah 45, verse 23; Isaiah 54, verse 5.

For He has created and made heaven and earth out of nothing. This same bleeding, naked, crucified Christ I wish you, my very dear sister in the Lord, as an affectionate and Christian greeting. May He keep and comfort you in all affliction that may come upon you and us for His name. After all loving and Christian salutation, I inform you, my dear lamb and sister in the Lord, that my mind is still determined (eternal praise and glory to the Lord for His grace) as it was when I unworthily bowed my knees before the Lord, thereby showing that I desired to obey Him in everything, in affliction as well as in joy, just as the apostle also admonishes us, that it is given to us not only to believe in Christ, but also to suffer for Him. O my dear sister in the Lord, the servant is not above his Lord, nor the disciple above his master, and Christ has also told us: "The world shall rejoice, and you shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy." And further: "You shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 16, verses 20 and 33. And our faith is the victory that overcomes the world, by which we must overcome princes and magistrates, through the grace of the Lord. First John 5, verse 4. O my dear sister in the Lord, it is true, we are here as sheep for the slaughter; but in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us, as the apostle says

"Who shall separate us from the love which is in Christ Jesus our Lord? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or peril, or sword? As it is written." Romans 8, verse 35.

O my dear lamb, He is such a faithful King whom we serve. He will not forsake us, but will assist us in water, sword and fire, for He says by the prophet Isaiah: "Though a mother should forsake her own child, yet I will not forsake you, but will keep you as the apple of my eye." Isaiah 49, verse 15; Zechariah 2, verse 8. O my dear sister, this is for us a glorious comfort in our present tribulation and distress, which is temporal and light, says the apostle, and works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we look not at the things which are temporal, but at the things which are eternal; for eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man, the things that God has prepared for those who love Him. Second Corinthians 4, verses 17 and 18; First Corinthians 2, verse 9. O my dear sister in the Lord, let us much rather choose to suffer affliction with the children of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, and let us esteem the reproach of Christ great riches, and with the prophet David much rather go into the holy sanctuary of the Lord, than in the path of the ungodly; for though he flourishes here, he must perish, for the wise man says that the hope of the ungodly is like dried thistledown. Wisdom 5, verse 14. But we, dear sister in the Lord, have a sure hope. Though here in the sight of the unwise we seem to die, we know that we shall live forever, for it is written: Those who here sow in tears shall reap with everlasting joy and gladness, and bring their sheaves into God's garner. Wisdom 3, verse 2; Psalm 126, verses 5 and 6. O my dear sister in the Lord, when this mortal shall put on immortality, how gloriously we shall then be crowned with glorious joy, for then our joy shall not be taken from us. First Corinthians 15, verse 53; Second Esdras 2, verse 45. O my dear lamb and sister in the Lord, let us freely trust in our King, for His promises will not fail, for He will not put us off, as these carnal lords do, all of which passes away, but He will out of grace give us life eternal.

O my sister in the Lord, my desire is to go and rest under the altar, with all my dear brothers and sisters who freely delivered up their lives to the death, and are resting under the altar. I hope that we shall soon come to them, for we are of good courage here, by the grace of the Lord, to take, with Caleb and Joshua, the promised land. Though our enemies are many, we hope to devour them like bread, for we have overcome nearly all our enemies, but now we have before us the greatest or last enemy, which is death; but we have a strong comfort, which is the God of Jacob, who gives us strength when the need is greatest. Though the billows then come against us, we hope, as David says, by our God to leap over a wall, and with Paul to say: "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me;" and we hope thus to press through, just as Christ says: Strive to enter in at the strait gate, for narrow is the way which leads to eternal life. And Christ further says that the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. Numbers 14, verse 9; First Corinthians 15, verse 26; Psalm 18, verse 29; Philippians 4, verse 13; Luke 13, verse 24; Matthew 7, verse 14; Matthew 11, verse 12.

O my dear sister in the Lord, when flesh and blood must remain on the posts and stakes, then is the time of the severest conflict, for Satan also knew well to say this, when he tempted God-fearing Job. Job 2, verses 4 and 5. When flesh and blood are touched, then the true faith is tried as gold in the furnace, and then we must strive lawfully, to obtain through grace the crown of eternal life, for it is written

Because you have kept the word of my patience, I also will keep you from the hour of temptation. And I will not blot his name out of the book of life. He who overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment, and I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and I will lead him to the fountain of living water. First Peter 1, verse 7; Second Timothy 2, verse 5; First Corinthians 9, verse 25; Revelation 3, verses 10, 5 and 12. O my dear sister in the Lord, what glorious promises are given us, if we only endure steadfast to the end. To this end, may the Lord grant us and you His grace, that we may help sing the new song in Zion, with the hundred and forty-four thousand, who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins, because they did not commit whoredom with the daughters of Babylon. Revelation 14, verses 3 and 4. With this I will commend you, my dear sister, to the Lord and to the Word of His grace, which is able to keep you and us to eternal life. And with this I take leave of you, and bid you adieu on this earth, till we meet where parting will be no more, where the streets are of pure gold, and the gates of pearls and precious stones. Revelation 21. Adieu, adieu, my dear sister in the Lord. Written by me, Sijntgen van Rousselare, wife of Jeronymus, your weak sister in the Lord. Take my simple letter in good part, since it has been written out of true love, for my gift is not very great. And greet with the peace of the Lord, in my name, your people where you live, and all dear friends, known and unknown, especially your brother and sister Passchier, my familiar acquaintances. My fellow prisoners greet your love cordially with the peace of the Lord. Pray the Lord heartily for us; we will most gladly do the same for you according to our weak ability. And let us always persevere steadfastly, that no one may take our crown, but that we may with the wise virgins enter into joyful rest. Amen.

SIJNTGEN VAN ROUSSELARE.