A Letter by Willem Droogscheerder, Written in Prison at Antwerp, in the Year 1557

Grace, peace, and mercy from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who has called us to His imperishable kingdom, and chosen us before the foundation of the world, and cleansed us with the washing of water by the Word, so that we should be blameless in His sight.

Written to you, my beloved brother N., and to my dear sister N. Although I am here in fetters and bonds for the testimony of Christ, and am ready to seal it with my blood through the grace of the Lord, I do not neglect or forget my fellow members in my prayers, which I offer almost always with tears before the Lord, since you are still traveling in the wilderness, among dragons, lions and bears, which constantly run and seek to murder the innocent blood that cries for vengeance from the time of Abel. For they bring us to death, as the Jews did Christ; for we are a grievous sight to them, because we do not conform to them; so they take counsel and say: "Let us condemn him with a shameful death; for by his own sayings he shall be respected." Wisdom of Solomon 2, verse 15.

Therefore, my chosen in the Lord, we will not be afraid of their threats and blows, though they run like mad dogs. The Lord holds their hearts in His hand; they cannot hurt a hair of our head without the will of our Father. The Lord preserved the three young men in the fiery furnace, Daniel in the den of lions; Hezekiah in Jerusalem, Moses in Mesopotamia, Elijah in the mountains; indeed, all who trusted in the Lord were never put to shame; for His mighty hand, says the prophet, is not shortened; and though a mother should forsake her own child, yet I will not forget you, says the Lord; for he who touches you touches the apple of My eye. Isaiah 59, verse 1; Isaiah 49, verse 15; Zechariah 2, verse 8. Therefore let us prepare our souls for temptation; our deliverance is drawing near, and the day of tribulation is at hand. Second Esdras 16, verse 74. So let us always sanctify and magnify our Lord, that we may inherit all the beautiful promises which He has promised to the Christian people, so that we may not become weary or faint in our distress, but may be fervent in spirit, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, and continuing steadfastly in prayer. Hebrews 13, verse 3; Romans 12, verses 11 and 12. When Israel left Egypt, they rejoiced greatly that they were delivered from bondage; but when they came into the wilderness, where it did not please the flesh, they were very discontented, and murmured, so that they wanted to return, to which they had no right, since they had taken all their possessions with them, so that they should have no cause to return. For this reason they were not permitted to enter the promised land, except Caleb and Joshua; for these were of good courage, so that they destroyed their enemies like a piece of bread.

The Lord was also with David, so that he killed the giant Goliath. They fastened a sword at his side, to kill the giant with it; but David was not used to it, since he was a shepherd, and he laid the sword aside, and took his sling, with which he struck the giant on the head, so that he fell to the ground; then David took the giant's sword, and cut off his head. Therefore, my chosen brothers and sisters in the Lord, let us turn neither to the right nor to the left, since we have so great a King, who will not forsake us if we remain faithful to Him; He who has promised it is so faithful that I cannot doubt it; for the city we shall come into is full of all good things, but it lies in humility. Second Esdras 7, verse 6.

Know, dear brother N., and sister N., that I give you a hymn for remembrance, and will hereby commend you to the Lord, until we come upon Mount Zion, and there sing the new song with all God's chosen. Second Esdras 2, verse 42. Dear brother and sister, when I composed this hymn, a great torment and temptation came upon me, so that I was very sorrowful, and it seemed to me that the Lord had utterly forsaken me. I fell down upon my knees, and wept bitterly before the Lord, and prayed for strength and power. And the Lord heard my prayer and lifted me up again; for He does not allow us to be tempted above what we are able, and will with the temptation also make a way to escape, so that we may be able to bear it. First Corinthians 10, verse 13. I then received such grace and joy, that for joy I composed this hymn, to the edification of my fellow men. Greet J. de H. much with the peace of the Lord, and you, N., greet your master likewise much with the peace of the Lord, and say good night to your wife; I cannot offer her peace, for it is written

"Woe to those who comfort men with a vain hope." Know, dear friends, that I greatly rejoiced when I went to the court, so that it seemed to me that there could be no joy like this, that I should confess my Lord and God before the world. The bailiff asked me whether I was rebaptized. And the Holy Ghost spoke through my mouth and said that I was baptized according to the doctrine of Christ, and that they were Anabaptists,* since they baptize against Christ; so the name by which you call us belongs to you. [n779-2] And I asked them to let me go to my brothers, since we had the same faith, but they gave me no answer. So, my dear friends, we will await you under the altar.