The Eighth Letter of Matthias Servaes, Written from Prison to Aeltgen

The grace of God be and remain with you and all fellow believers in Christ who are with you and elsewhere; together with true peace, friendly love, constant patience, and steadfast perseverance, to bear to the end all that is laid upon us of what is still left of the afflictions of Christ. Amen.

Further, my dear wife, whom from the very beginning of our coming together (of this I trust the Lord is my witness) I have loved more according to salvation than according to the flesh, and for whose soul I have cared as for my own, and whom I have admonished to that to which we have now come. The Lord be praised for it forever. For, my dear sister in the Lord, you well know the grief I felt on account of the removal, and though some may perhaps have thought that I took delight in it, it is not so at all; for since that time I have often wished that, if it is for my salvation, I might by some means be relieved from it, whether through imprisonment or by death. But since it pleases the Lord that we are here on earth first, through suffering, to be witnesses of His Word and name — as you, in a measure, have wished more than once, that I might through suffering be taken home to God, and I have desired that you might be arrested with me, as has now happened — therefore let us also be patient, and thank the Lord that He has heard us and fulfilled our prayer; and let us not pray otherwise now than we have prayed until now, namely, this: "Lord, Your will be done." Surrender me willingly into the hand of the Lord, whom I have served; and do not be troubled on my account. But if you should perhaps think that we* may yet meet with much suffering (which, however, is in the hand of the Lord), think also that if there is much suffering prepared for us, there is also much more consolation in store for us; for as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds by Christ. Second Corinthians 1, verse 5. I do not have time to write more, except this:

"Persevere steadfastly until you are taken from here. Then, and not before, the crown of life is prepared." This is also written to you, my dear sister Anna, and all who are with you. The salutation with my own hand. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Greet one another with a holy kiss. Our brothers greet you all. [n905-1] Remember us, and be of good cheer; for this is the first inheritance promised us here, which we must also possess if we are to gain the eternal, where all tears that now flow from our eyes will be wiped away, and all sorrow turned into everlasting joy; for our affliction, which is only temporary and light compared with what is eternal, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, who look not at the things which are seen but at the things that are not seen. Second Corinthians 4, verses 17 and 18. Therefore turn your eyes from all that is visible. With this I commend you all to the grace of God. Amen.