Another Letter from Reytse Aysess, Written to his Wife

Grace, peace, mercy, unity, and love be with you, my dear wife and sister in the Lord; may the almighty God comfort you in your misery and tribulation which you bear on my account.

Behold, my very dear and beloved wife and sister in the Lord, whom I took before God and His church: may the eternal, almighty God console you in your tribulation and distress which you endure on my account.

Behold, my beloved, though we are to suffer here (for in the world we will have tribulation, but our tribulation will be turned into joy), let us hold firmly to the word of the Lord, and turn neither to the right nor to the left. O dear and much beloved wife, I am so greatly troubled and concerned for you, and pray to the almighty God for you day and night, that He will keep you, and that you may continue steadfast to the end; for the one who continues steadfast will be saved.

My dear, beloved wife and sister, when you were with me you comforted me with the word of the Lord, so that the castellan's wife said: "I could not do this;" and you said that I should hold fast to the word of the Lord; in this I greatly rejoice, and I thank the eternal God for your strong faith. Pray to the Lord, who has begun this good work in you, that He will keep it in you to the end, so that you may obtain the salvation of your soul. My beloved, be of good courage, and be valiant in the Lord; and we may well say with the prophet: "O Israel, how happy are we, that God has made known His word to us." Baruch 4, verse 4. What thanks shall we give to the Lord for the good that He has shown us? For our sakes He became poor, so that through His poverty we might be rich. First Thessalonians 3, verse 9; Second Corinthians 8, verse 9. So then, my dear and beloved wife, if we suffer with Him, we will also rejoice with Him; if we die with Him, we will also reign with Him. Second Timothy 2, verses 11 and 12. O beloved, be of good courage, and hold fast to the word of the Lord, and be firmly rooted in Him. Just as Jacob took hold of the angel, and wrestled with Him all night, until the breaking of the day. The angel said: "Let me go." Jacob said: "I will not let you go, until you have blessed me." Genesis 32, verse 24.

Let us therefore be followers of God, as dear children in love. Ephesians 5, verse 1. O my beloved wife, I have such great care for you, and am so much troubled for you. O love, I beg you from the depths of my soul, that you will not forsake the Lord your God all the days of your life. O love, I am so greatly troubled and grieved for my dear child, that I do not know where to turn, and I pray to the eternal, almighty God day and night about it. O my dear and beloved, be of good courage, and comfort yourself in the Lord, and do not be troubled on my account; the Lord is my helper. My beloved, if it should please our dear Lord that we meet no more, may we meet hereafter in eternal life. May the Lord help you and me to this end, and keep us, so that we may be saved.

Written by me, your beloved husband and brother in the Lord.

REYTSE AYSESS.