A Letter from Pieter Bruynen van Weert, Written in Prison at Antwerp, in the Year 1551

Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God of mercies, who by His divine Word has given us new birth into a living hope, reserved in heaven for us, who by the power of God are preserved in the faith, and tried for the kingdom of God, for which we suffer. Thanks be to the Lord for this, because He has chosen us to it, and made us fit to share the inheritance of the saints in light. Romans 1, verse 7; James 1, verse 18; Colossians 1, verse 12. Therefore, dear brothers, be valiant and fearless, and walk with a firm and unchanging faith before God and His church, and firmly resolve not to depart from the Lord, nor to separate from His love, because of any distress or tribulation. And He can give you help and comfort when you are forsaken, deprived of all human help and consolation; for He comes to the help of the one who forsakes and denies himself, since He dwells and will dwell alone in the hearts of men, and will not have us serve anyone but Him. Matthew 4, verse 10. So be established and built up in Him, and let love increase among you, by which one sustains the other, and each one joyfully strives to be the greatest in virtue. Pay no regard to the walk of the slothful and heedless, so as to follow their example, namely those who are called Christians in ease of life (Matthew 11, verse 8), in adornment of clothing, or in outward appearance; but look to those whose life and confession of faith conform to the doctrine of Christ, so that you may go neither too high nor too low, neither too broad nor too long. Ephesians 3, verse 18. For many go astray by looking to one another, and as a result they grow cold.

So, my dear brothers, if you are risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, that your mind may be directed toward what is incorruptible; and let your hope be set on the things that are not seen, and be patient in this, for there must be patience if we are to receive the promise. Second Corinthians 4, verse 18; Hebrews 10, verse 36. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is drawing near. James 5, verse 8. Put off the old man, and put on the new man (Colossians 3, verses 9 and 10); deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and be transformed by the renewing of your minds. If you would share in the resurrection of Christ, know that you must first have crucified the old man, so that the body of sin may be destroyed. Romans 6, verse 6. And do not grow weary in doing good, since your labor shall not be in vain; for you are made partakers of Christ, if you hold the beginning of your confidence steadfast to the end. First Corinthians 15, verse 58; Hebrews 3, verse 14. So do not be shaken by anything, and do not be afraid of the sons of men, who pass away like grass; for they can do nothing to you without God's permission. But fear God, for this is perfect wisdom. Humble yourselves before Him, for the great Glory is honored by the lowly. Always count yourselves with the humble, and you shall be great in the eyes of God. Do not think that you know something, or that you are something, or you will deceive yourselves. Always forsake yourselves, and pay no regard to those who may inflict evil or suffering upon you, though you are wronged; for this is thankworthy, if a man of conscience toward God endures grief, suffering wrongfully. Matthew 5, verse 39; First Peter 2, verse 19. So be patient in your tribulation, and share in the sufferings of Christ, that you may inherit the promise; for the reproach suffered here is brief compared with the eternal joy. Romans 12, verse 12; First Peter 5, verse 1. And this light affliction, which is only for a moment, works a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; for though our life is poor, yet we shall be rewarded with much wealth. And though death reigns over us now, an east wind shall come from the Lord, and dry up His torments. For it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. First Corinthians 15, verses 43 and 44. So the house of this tabernacle must be dissolved, if we are to obtain the building prepared for us by God. So we need not fear those who kill the body, since they cannot harm the soul; for the greatest thing of which they deprive us is also that for which God will give us the greatest reward; and after that they have no more that they can do to us. Matthew 10, verse 28. Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, watch in prayer, always giving thanks to God the Father, through our Lord Jesus. Christ, for His abundant grace, and because He has made known to us His will, revealed the savor of His knowledge, and given us the most glorious and precious promises, we who were once estranged in our minds by wicked works, and alienated from the life of God, of which we had no hope in the promises. But after the kindness of God appeared toward us, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, in whom we are sealed until the time of redemption, who is the earnest of the future inheritance, and who assures us, and bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God, and teaches us all things, and who of God is made to us wisdom, and righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. To God the Father, who alone has immortality, and to whom alone belong power and might, praise and glory, be honor and thanks, through Christ our Lord, for His unspeakable grace, now and forever. First Peter 1, verse 13; Ephesians 1, verse 9; Second Corinthians 2, verse 14; Ephesians 4, verse 18; Titus 3, verse 4; Ephesians 1, verses 13 and 14; Romans 8, verse 16; First Corinthians 1, verse 30; First Timothy 6, verse 16; Revelation 4, verse 11.

As for our present condition, the Lord be praised for it, whom we cannot thank enough for the joy that He has counted us worthy to suffer for His name, and for the joy given us by Him, which we have in our imprisonment; for He is faithful, so that with the temptation He also provides for His own a way of escape, and He does not let His own, who trust in Him, be put to shame. The grace of the Lord be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss; Jan, Pleun and I also greet you warmly. With this I commend you to God, and to the Word of His grace. Written by me, Peter Van Weert, while in prison with two others.

Peter's second letter, in which he takes leave

With this we commend you all, dear brothers, to the Lord, wishing that you may finish your course to the praise of the Lord, so that you may obtain the crown, and remain steadfast to the end, in order that you may obtain salvation; for no one obtains the prize except the one who strives valiantly. First Corinthians 9, verse 24; Second Timothy 2, verse 5. Run, therefore, that you may obtain the prize; fight as soldiers of the Lord; firmly resolve to take no thought how or what you shall speak when you are brought before the magistrate, for God the Lord does not let His own who trust in Him be put to shame. Matthew 10, verse 19. Though they are arraigned as criminals, yet He does not forsake His own; for though weeping comes in the evening, joy shall return in the morning. Psalm 30, verse 5. And though He, to chasten us, is angry for a moment, yet through His mercy He keeps us alive. Hebrews 12, verse 8; Isaiah 54, verse 8. So we are not forsaken by Him, though we have more adversity than the world.

My brothers, the servant is not greater than his Lord or Master. Remember that though Christ was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor, and though He was exalted, yet for our sakes He suffered and accepted reproach, so that we through His poverty might be made rich, and through His reproach become heirs of His promises. Second Corinthians 8, verse 9. So let us go out to Him outside the camp, and help bear His reproach. Hebrews 13, verse 13. Let us long for the possessions that are to come. And do not be in darkness, or weighed down with eating or drinking; do not entangle yourselves with the cares of this life; walk as children of the light; be always ready, like those who constantly wait for their lord; for He will come as a thief in the night. Luke 21, verse 34; Luke 12, verse 36; Revelation 3, verse 3. Make yourselves ready, take the staff in hand, gird up your loins, and journey to the promised land; you shall possess it, if you do not fall into unbelief. It is pleasant and beautiful; we have seen it from afar, and for this we thank and praise the Lord.

For this reason we ask of you, lovers of the truth, that you help us thank the Lord. For I once made a vow to the Lord, that I would live to Him all the days of my life (Luke 1, verse 75), which He has helped me fulfill, for which I praise Him, and have often done so earnestly, with outstretched arms. The reason I write this is that you may not forget to thank and praise the Lord, for He is greater than all our lives; for you cannot magnify Him so much that He is not still more wonderful. Sirach 43, verse 30. Continue in His words, and keep His commandments. Love one another sincerely. First Peter 1, verse 22. We also praise Him for His faithfulness according to His promises, which He shows in us, in that we cannot sufficiently describe the joy He gives us; for at the beginning of our confinement, when we were imprisoned, we were joyful and fearless, likewise before the lords, and we were filled with joy afterward as well, on the bridge and in our prison. Moreover, we hope that God will give us boldness to the end.

So, our dear brothers, do not be terrified if they inflict more than one death upon us, since much can be done in a quarter of an hour, yet it is as nothing to the pain of hell, and not worthy to be compared to the joy that is to come. For after we have suffered this distress, and pass through this narrow place, we expect joy and abundance; then all our tears shall be wiped away, and we shall weep and cry no more, but pass from one joy to another. O my brothers, strive to enter into His joy. From now on lead a Christian life, and see that the Gospel is not spoken evil of on your account. Romans 14, verse 16. Be always meek, and keep an unspotted conscience; and whatever you take in hand, remember the end, so that you will not do wrong. Matthew 11, verse 29; Sirach 7, verse 36. And do not forget the fervor of the spiritual reformation at the beginning of the Christian life; otherwise, when you think you are a perfect Christian, reformation of life will still be necessary. We commend you to God, and to the Word of His grace. We, Jan, Pleun and Peter, greet you in the Lord. Pray the Lord for us, that we may finish our course to His praise. We also pray for you.