The First Letter of Joost de Tollenaer

Grace and peace from God our heavenly Father through Jesus Christ His beloved Son, our Lord and Savior; may He, Lowijs, my dear brother in the Lord, and also Janneken, Jacomijntgen, and Sijntgen, my dear sisters in the Lord, together with all beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, strengthen and confirm you with His Holy Spirit in the inner man, so that you may obtain the end of your faith, to the salvation of your souls, and to the praise, the glory, and the honor of, and the gratitude to, Him who lives forever and ever. Amen.

After all affectionate and Christian greeting to you, my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, I inform you that I am in good health according to the flesh, the Lord be thanked; and according to the spirit, my mind is fixed, by the grace of the Lord, to hold to the holy Christian truth, since there is no other salvation to be obtained, neither in heaven nor on earth, than through Jesus Christ, who is the truth and the life. So know, my dear brothers and sisters, that I am of very good cheer in the Lord, together with my fellow prisoners, though all three of us are confined separately; and the jailer has strict orders not to let us come together, nor to speak. It is a little close now, but there are Habakkuks who sometimes help us, and though it is a little distressing, we have a very great consolation, namely, the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, the same helper and succorer who comforted the holy apostles in their tribulation. So I pray and plead day and night to the Lord my God, that He would graciously assist me, and help me to triumph, so that His holy name may be eternally praised through me, a poor man; and that He would take from me whatever might hinder me; and so I have committed myself to the eternal, almighty, strong God, through Jesus Christ our eternal Savior.

So, my dearest friends, the Lord has heard my voice, and looked upon me, a miserable, imperfect man, who am only dust and ashes, and too unworthy for all this mercy, that He has called me to have tribulation, bonds, affliction, and temptation for His name; so that I have such courage and joy that I could not tell you with my mouth the joy and gladness which the Lord is giving me by His Spirit, so that I often think in my heart: "O Lord, is this sorrow and tribulation, affliction and bonds, or grief?" For in all the time that I unworthily walked in the truth, I never had such joy and gladness. But when I think of the eternal joy, of the great and comforting promises of happiness which the Lord has prepared for His chosen, and for all those who continue steadfast to the end, that they shall follow the immaculate Lamb, Christ Jesus, in shining white clothing, and with palm branches in their hands, and shall moreover be crowned with the crown of eternal life; that He shall lead them to the fountain of eternal life, and so wipe away all tears from our eyes; then it seems that my heart would burst with joy, when I see all this in the spirit; so mighty is the Lord, and so He can comfort those who surrender themselves with all their hearts. For, friends, it has now come so far that I count all that is temporal and perishable as loss for Christ's sake, and the Lord has given me grace, so that I am not hindered by temporal affairs, which I accept as a great gift from the Lord.

So, my dear and beloved, rejoice with me in the spirit, thanking the Lord that He so graciously assists your weak brother with His Spirit and Word. All those who shall read this letter of mine, or hear it read, I ask, out of brotherly love, that you will bow the knees of your heart before the Most High, that He may strengthen us by His Spirit, so that we may finish, to His holy praise, the work which He has begun in us. For, friends, we expect nothing else than that we shall be offered up, especially I and Michiel; and this because of several things that we confessed in our examinations. They first asked me my age. I said: "About fifty years." They asked whether I was rebaptized. I said: "No;" but I told them that I had let myself be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, upon the confession of my sins, for which I was heartily sorry, and upon the confession of my faith in Christ Jesus, that He is the Son of the living God. This was written down. They asked how long ago that was. I said:

"Twenty-six years, last Christmas." They were surprised that I had ruled so long. Question: "Are you in the ministry of the deaconship, or have you been in it?" I freely confessed that I was in the ministry, though I said I am not worthy of it. They further asked me whether I exhorted, or had exhorted. I said: "No." They asked me whether a man had not lately been here who had preached in the place. I was silent. After much questioning, however, I told them that we were not allowed by God to implicate or accuse anyone. Finally they told me all the circumstances, namely, that Jan de Wever had been in the city, and that on a certain night a receiving of members had taken place secretly, three or four having been taken in; and they said briefly that our sister who was confined with us had confessed it, for they had tortured her. And they asked me whether Hans had lodged at my house; they knew all about it, I could not deny it, but had to admit it. They said that this had been forbidden. I answered that I did not regret having lodged him, and that if it were to do again, I would gladly do it. This, that I did not regret it, was ill received.

They also asked me whether I had advised, or consented, to send for Jan de Wever. I said: "Yes, with all my heart." This also was ill received; but I care little whether they received it ill, for they receive everything in the very worst way. So they went with it to the lords of the council, according to what I have since learned; and besides, they must have fuller advice from the court.

I have written this briefly, for to write it all would have taken too long, because I do not have enough materials to write everything. I would like this letter, or a copy of it, to be sent to those at Harlem. Once, without my knowledge, a letter was sent by those at Harlem, and found in the house of Michiel Buyse, which brought severe charges against me in regard to one hundred pounds which had been sent to the poor, and which I was said to have received; and also concerning a legacy of twenty-four pounds, of Joost Daems. I replied to this that I had never seen the letter, which is the case; but these letters cause great grief. I have received as many letters as any man in Flanders or Brabant; but I cleared myself of every important charge. However, tribulation and bonds must come from somewhere; and, moreover, the Lord be thanked, I do not trouble myself about it.

I am satisfied with everything that the Lord has sent me. God the Lord allows it to happen, so that He may thereby prove whether there is anything in my heart that is displeasing to Him, or whether I love anything more than Him; for the Lord is jealous, and He alone will be the dearest, of which He is also well worthy, for He has dearly purchased us, namely, with the precious blood of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ; so we must also prove, in the power of our faith, that we love Him above husband, wife, or child; house, field, gold, silver, and the last and dearest pledge, that is, our own life.

When one is thus brought to the touchstone, then it is made manifest on what one has built, whether it is gold, silver, precious stones, or wood, hay, or stubble; for everyone's work shall then be made manifest, as by fire. So I counsel my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord who are now at liberty, that you will wake up manfully, for it may easily come to pass that persecution will arise among you also, as it now has in Flanders; for we too had this liberty about seven years. So all true soldiers in Christ Jesus are always to equip themselves with the armor of righteousness, wearing the helmet of salvation and the breastplate of righteousness, girded with the belt of truth, having the sword of the Spirit, and the shield of faith, with which one is able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. But, friends, the slothful would sometimes let their weapons stand in a corner, and so they would easily rust; and when there was need for conflict, and the enemy (who walks about like a fierce lion) should come upon us, then, alas, they would have to be looked for in the corner, completely rusted over, and so the enemy would surprise us by strategy. Therefore Paul gives good advice, saying: "Watch, stand fast in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all your things be done with charity." First Corinthians 16, verses 13 and 14.

Friends, I would write more, but you are taught of God yourselves; and as the anointing teaches you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it has taught you, you shall abide in it. First John 2, verse 27. I will herewith commend you to the Lord, and to the Word of His grace. Take my presumptuous letter in good part.

Know, brother, that I have written my daughter a testament letter, in case our life here should soon close.

By me, your weak brother in the Lord, on the 13th of January, 1589, imprisoned for the truth. Amen.

JOOST DE TOLLENAER.