A Letter Written by Michael Sattler

My beloved companions in the Lord! Grace and mercy from God our heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord, and the power of their Spirit, be with you, beloved of God, brothers and sisters.

I cannot forget you; though I am not present with the body (Colossians 2, verse 5), yet I continually care for and watch over you, as my fellow members, lest the body be taken away, and the whole body [the church], with all its members, be overwhelmed with sorrow, especially at this time, when the ferocity of the ravening wolf has risen to such a pitch and increases in power, so that he has aroused me also to fight against him; but eternal praise be to God, its head is completely broken, and I hope that his whole body shall soon be no more, as is written.

Dear brothers and sisters, you well know with what ardent love I admonished you the last time I was with you, that you should be upright and godly in all patience and in the love of God, by which you may be known among this adulterous and ungodly generation as shining lights (Matthew 5, verse 14), whom God the heavenly Father has illuminated with His knowledge and the light of the Spirit. With like fervency I now beg and admonish you, that you walk surely and prudently toward those who are outside as unbelievers, that our office, which God has laid upon us, may in no way be profaned and justly reproached.

Remember the Lord, who has given you the talent, for He shall require it again with interest. So that the one talent may not be taken from you, put it out at interest, according to the command of the Lord, who has given you the talent. Matthew 15, verse 19. [n576-1]

I say to you through the grace of God, that you be valiant, and walk as befits the saints of God. Consider what the Lord metes out to idle servants, namely, to utterly lukewarm and slothful hearts, unfit and cold for all love to God and the brothers and sisters. You have experienced what I now write.

Be admonished by this, lest God let a like punishment come upon you. Beware, beware of such as act contrary to the command of God, lest you learn their abominations; but reprove it with strict attention, and excommunication, according to the command of Christ, yet with all love and compassion for their cold hearts. Matthew 18, verse 17. If you do this, you shall readily see how the flock of God dwells among the wolves (Acts 20, verse 29), and shall witness a brief and speedy separation of those who will not walk in the right paths and living ways of Christ, namely, through crosses, misery, imprisonment, self-denial, and finally through death. Then you can present yourselves to God your heavenly Father a pure, godly, true church of Christ, which is cleansed through His blood (Ephesians 5, verse 26), that it may be holy and blameless in the sight of God and men, separated from all idolatry and abomination, and redeemed, that the Lord of all dominion may dwell in it, and that it may be a tabernacle to Him. Beloved brothers and sisters, understand whether what I write to you is truth, and use diligence to walk according to it. Let no one divert you from your aim, as has been the case with some even until now; but go straight on in all patience, without turning aside, so that you do not take up the cross which God has laid upon you only to lay it down again, contrary to the honor and praise of God, and to the transgression and violation of His eternal, true, just, and life-giving commandments.

Do not become weary if you are chastened by the Lord (Hebrews 12, verse 5); for whom God loves He chastens, even as a father who is well pleased with his son. To what will you turn, if you would flee from God? What can help you if you forsake God? Is it not God who fills heaven and earth? Does He not know all the secrets of your vain heart, and the lustfulness of your inmost being? All things are plain to Him, and there is nothing concealed from Him. Vain man, where will you go, that God shall not see you? Why do you flee the rod of your Father? (Hebrews 12, verse 8). If you will not be chastened according to the will of the Father, you cannot inherit His riches. Why do you love a short and passing rest more than the godly and moderate correction and chastisement of the Lord to your salvation? How long will you eat the flesh of the fat of Egypt? How long will you be carnally minded? (Romans 8, verse 8). The flesh perishes, and all its glory; the word of the Lord alone remains forever.

Beloved brothers and sisters, mark what I write to you, for it is necessary, since you see that there are but few who will endure the chastening of the Lord; for by far the greater number, when they suffer a little in the flesh, become faint and weary, and no longer look to Jesus, the Captain and Finisher of our faith. They also forget all His commandments, and count of small value the jewel which the calling of God everywhere presents and points out to those who overcome; but they regard this temporal rest, which is before their eyes, as far better and more profitable than the eternal for which we must hope. Moreover, there are some who, when this is presented to them, accuse God, though very unjustly, of not being willing to keep them under His protection. You know whom I mean; take heed that you have no fellowship with them.

Furthermore, dear fellow members in Christ, be admonished that you do not forget charity, without which it is not possible for you to be a Christian flock. You know what charity is, from the testimony of Paul our fellow brother, who says:

"Charity suffers long, and is kind; charity does not envy; charity does not boast itself, is not puffed up, does not behave itself unseemly, does not seek her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." First Corinthians 13, verses 4 to 7. Understand this passage, and you will find the love of God and the love of your neighbor; and if you love God, you will rejoice in the truth, and believe, hope and endure all that comes from God. In this way the failing spoken of above will be removed and avoided. But if you love your neighbor, you will not punish or excommunicate with fire; you will not seek your own, think no evil, not boast yourselves, and, finally, not be puffed up; but you will be kind, just, generous in all giving, humble and compassionate with the weak and imperfect. Romans 13, verse 8.

This love has been adulterated by some brothers (I know who they are); they have not been willing to build one another up by love, but have become puffed up and unprofitable with the vain knowledge and understanding of things which God would have remain hidden to all but Himself alone. First Corinthians 8, verse 1. I do not censure nor reject the grace and revelation of God, but the puffed up make use of this revelation. What would it profit, says Paul, if I should speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and understand all mysteries and knowledge, and have all faith? Tell me, what profit is all this, if love is not exercised? You have experienced what such presumptuous speaking and ignorance has produced; you still see their false fruits daily, though they have given themselves to God.

And let no one remove you from the foundation which is laid through the letter of the holy Scriptures, and is sealed with the blood of Christ and of many witnesses of Jesus. Do not hear what they say of their father, for he is a liar; and do not believe their spirit, for he is entirely swallowed up in the flesh. Judge what I write to you; take these matters to heart, that this abomination may be separated far from you, and that you may be found humble, fruitful and obedient children of God. Beloved brothers and sisters, do not marvel that I treat this matter with such earnestness; for I do not do so without reason. The brothers have doubtless informed you that some of us are in prison; and afterwards, when the brothers at Horb had also been apprehended, they brought us to Binzdorf. At this time we met with various designs of our adversaries. Once they threatened us with bonds, then with fire, and afterwards with the sword. In this peril I completely surrendered myself into the will of the Lord, and together with all my fellow brothers and my wife prepared myself even for death for His testimony; and then I thought of the great number of false brothers, and of you, who are but few, namely, a little flock; and also that there are but few faithful laborers in the Lord's vineyard (Matthew 9, verse 37); so I deemed it necessary to stir you up by this admonition, to follow after us in the divine warfare, so that you may comfort yourselves with it, and may not become weary of the chastening of the Lord.

In short, beloved brothers and sisters, this letter shall be a farewell to all of you who truly love and follow God (others I do not know); and also a testimony of my love, which God has given into my heart toward you, for the sake of your salvation. I did indeed desire, and it would have been profitable, I trust, if I had labored a little while longer in the work of the Lord; but it is better for me to be released, and to await with Christ the hope of the blessed. The Lord is able to raise up another laborer to finish this work.

Pray that reapers may be constrained into the harvest, for the time of threshing is near at hand. Luke 10, verse 2. The abomination of desolation is manifest among you; the chosen servants and handmaidens of God are marked with the name of their Father on their foreheads (Revelation 13, verse 16); the world rises up against those who are delivered from its error; the Gospel is proclaimed before all the world as a testimony against it; therefore it will be necessary that the day of the Lord does not tarry.

You know, my most beloved fellow members, that it becomes us to conduct ourselves in a godly and Christian manner. Second Timothy 3, verse 12. Take heed, watch and pray, lest your wisdom bring judgment upon you. Pray without ceasing (First Thessalonians 5, verse 17) that you may stand worthy before the Son of man. Remember your forerunner Jesus Christ, and follow Him through faith and obedience, with love and patience. First Peter 2, verse 20. Forget what is carnal, that you may in truth be called Christians, and children of the Most High God. Endure the chastening of your father in heaven, and turn neither to the right nor to the left, that you may enter by the door (John 10, verse 1), and will not have to walk in a strange path, in which sinners, sorcerers, idolaters, and whoever loves and makes a lie must go. Revelation 22, verse 15. Remember our assembly, and strictly follow what was resolved on there; and if anything has been forgotten, pray the Lord for understanding. Be generous toward all who are in want among you (Hebrews 13, verse 3), but especially toward those who labor among you in the Word, and are driven about, and cannot eat their bread in peace and quietness. Do not forget to assemble yourselves together, but give diligence that you constantly meet together, and be united in prayer for all men, and in breaking of bread; and this with the more diligence, because the day of the Lord is approaching. Hebrews 10, verse 25. In this assembling you will make manifest the hearts of the false brothers, and will speedily rid yourselves of them.

Finally, beloved brothers and sisters, sanctify yourselves for Him who has made you holy, and hear what Esdras says: "Look for your Shepherd; he shall give you everlasting rest; for he is near at hand, who shall come at the end of the world. Be ready for the reward of the kingdom, . . . . Flee the shadow of this world, . . . . Arise up and stand, behold the number of those who are sealed in the feast of the Lord, who are departed from the shadow of the world, and have received glorious garments of the Lord. Take your number, O Sion, and shut up those of yours who are clothed in white, who have fulfilled the law of the Lord. [n576-2] The number of your children, whom you longed for, is fulfilled . . . . I, Esdras, saw upon Mount Sion a great people, whom I could not number, and they all praised the Lord with songs. And in the midst of them there was a young man of high stature, taller than all the rest, and upon every one of their heads he set crowns, and was more exalted; at which I marveled greatly. So I asked the angel, and said, Sir, what are these? He answered and said to me, These are they who have put off the mortal clothing, and put on the immortal, and have confessed the name of God: now are they crowned, and receive palms. Then I said to the angel, What young person is it who crowns them, and gives them palms in their hands? So he answered and said to me, It is the Son of God, whom they have confessed in the world. Then I began greatly to commend them who stood so stiffly for the name of the Lord." Second Esdras 2, verses 34 to 36, and 38 to 47; Revelation 19, verse 12; Matthew 13, verse 43.

Bear in mind, most beloved members of the body of Christ, what I indicate by this scripture, and live according to it; and if I be offered up to the Lord, do for my wife what you would do for me. The peace of Jesus Christ, and the love of the heavenly Father, and the grace of their Spirit, preserve you unspotted from sin, and present you glad and pure for the beholding of their glory, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you may be found in the number of those called to the feast (Luke 14, verse 15) of the one essential, true God and Savior Jesus Christ, to whom be eternal praise and glory, Amen.

Beware of false brothers (Acts 20, verse 39); for the Lord will perhaps call me to Him; so take warning. I wait for my God. Pray without ceasing for all who are in bonds. God be with you all. Amen. [n576-3]

Written in the tower at Binzdorf. Brother Michael Sattler of Staufen, together with my fellow prisoners in the Lord.

Of this hero and witness of Jesus Christ there are also other writings extant in print, treating of the atonement of Christ; brotherly union; divorce; of evil overseers, and the hearing of false prophets.