Testament Written by Dirk Pieters Smuel, Deceased in Prison, to His Wife, When He Was Preparing to Die for the Name and Testimony of Jesus

Grace and peace from God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. I urge you, therefore, my most beloved sister and wife Wellemoet Claes, to present your body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service, and not to be conformed to this world. First Corinthians 1, verse 3; Romans 12, verses 1 and 2. James says: "Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." James 4, verse 4. For the Lord Jesus says

"Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. A woman when she is in labor has sorrow, because her hour has come; but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembers the anguish no more, for joy that a man is born into the world. And so you now have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one takes from you." John 16, verses 20 to 22. Therefore let us say with Saint Paul: "Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For your sake we are killed all day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." Romans 8, verses 35 to 37. "He who overcomes will be clothed in white clothing; and I will not blot his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Revelation 3, verses 5 and 6. Therefore I urge you, my most beloved, "See then that you walk carefully, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is;" "for the past time of your life may be enough for you to have done the will of the Gentiles, when you walked in lewdness, lusts, excess of wine, carousing, banqueting, and abominable idolatries." "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, so that you may be able to bear it." Ephesians 5, verses 15 to 17; First Peter 4, verse 3; First Corinthians 10, verses 12 and 13.

"Therefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry" (First Corinthians 10, verse 14), and "Know that you were not redeemed with perishable things, like silver and gold, from your empty way of life . . . but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, who truly was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for you, who through him believe in God, who raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope might be in God." First Peter 1, verses 18 to 21. Now the end of the commandment is love out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of sincere faith. First Timothy 1, verse 5. Jesus spoke these words, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son, so that your Son also may glorify you: as you have given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they might know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. John 17, verses 1 to 3. For such a high priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; who does not need daily, as those high priests did, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. For the law makes men high priests who have weakness; but the word of the oath, which came after the law, makes the Son, who is consecrated forever." Hebrews 7, verses 26 to 28.

Therefore I admonish you, my most beloved, seeing we have such "a high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith." Hebrews 10, verses 21 and 22. John says

"My little children, I write these things to you, so that you do not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins." First John 2, verses 1 and 2. "And now . . . I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified." Acts 20, verse 32.

The grace of our Lord be with you now and forever, Amen.

So I admonish you, my most beloved mother [wife], diligently to see to it that you teach the children from their youth to fear God.