The Second Letter of Jan van Hasebroeck

Abundant grace and peace be with you from God the heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, His dear and much beloved Son, our Lord, through whom we expect our salvation; may He by His Spirit confirm, strengthen, and comfort you in all your tribulation and temptation, outward and inward, so that you may be able to stand firm and immovable in His truth, to the end of your life, to His praise, and to the salvation of your soul; this I wish you, my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, as a friendly greeting and adieu in Christ Jesus. Amen.

After all heartfelt greetings, my dear and much beloved wife, please know that I am still reasonably well according to the flesh, the Lord be praised forever for His grace; and my mind is still always ready to go on in what I declared and confessed before the rulers of the darkness of this world; and I trust by the grace of the Lord to seal it with my blood and death, so that I, unworthy as I am, may obtain the promise, where He says: "Whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it; and whoever confesses me before men, him I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven." Mark 8, verse 35; Matthew 10, verse 32. Therefore, my most beloved love, be of good cheer, and always comfort yourself, and be comforted with the words of the Lord; and do not grieve too much on account of the work and will of the Lord, for He works all things according to the counsel of His own will (Ephesians 1, verse 11), and no one has ever been the Lord's counselor. So, my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, though we have had little joy with each other during the time that the Lord has joined us together, and must now part with sorrow, we know that the Lord has promised us nothing here but tribulation and sorrow, as Christ said to His disciples: "You will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy." John 16, verse 20. Christ also says: "In the world you will have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" Verse 33. He further says: "Blessed are those who weep now, for they will laugh; but woe to those who laugh now, for they will weep." Luke 6, verses 21 and 25. Again, in another place he says: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

So, my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, comfort yourself with these beautiful words and promises of Christ, which partly also belong to you; for in that you are sorry, you are sorry in a godly manner. And Paul says that godly sorrow works repentance to salvation, a repentance no one regrets: but the sorrow of this world works death. Second Corinthians 7, verses 9 and 10.

O my dear wife, Paul, in another place, further says that our light affliction, which is only for a moment, works for us a far greater and eternal weight of glory; while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. Second Corinthians 4, verses 17 and 18. And the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory which will be revealed in us. Romans 8, verse 18. For the apostle says that eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. First Corinthians 2, verse 9. Therefore, my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, since we have such beautiful promises for this little and temporal suffering, be of good cheer, and always patient in your tribulation and temporal sufferings, continuing constant in prayer, patient in hope (Romans 12, verse 12), and wait for the time of your redemption with long-suffering. I trust by the grace of the Lord to be an example and pattern to you, and to leap over a wall by my God (Psalm 18, verse 29), to go to meet Christ, my Bridegroom, as He has commanded me (Matthew 25, verse 1); and also to go and wait for you under the altar of the Lord, where all God's elect will rest, until the number of their fellow brothers who must yet be killed for the testimony of Jesus, as we are, is fulfilled. Revelation 6, verses 9 and 11.

Therefore, my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, always wait with patience for the Lord your God, as did the wise virgins, who had oil in their vessels, and were ready to go in with their bridegroom, to which all of us who believe in Christ are called, to sup with Him. Revelation 3, verse 20. For, as Christ Himself says, Luke 12, verse 37: "Blessed are those servants whom the Lord, when he comes, will find watching: truly I say to you, that he will gird himself, and make them sit down to eat, and will come forth and serve them." Matthew 24, verse 46.

So, my dear wife and sister in the Lord, always be of good cheer, comfort yourself with the words of the Lord, and be patient and resigned in what the Lord has ordered concerning you. Though He now comes to visit you with tribulation, suffering or poverty, remember that Christ, when He was rich, for our sakes became poor, so that through His poverty He might make us rich who were poor. Second Corinthians 8, verse 9. And James also says that God has chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which He has promised to those who love Him. James 2, verse 5.

O my dear wife, think of old Tobit; when all his goods had been taken from him, and he had to flee with his wife and his son, he said: "And do not fear, my son; true, we are poor, but we will have much wealth, if we fear the Lord, keep his commandments, shun sin, and do good." Tobit 1, verse 20; Tobit 4, verse 21.

So, my much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, Christ also says in the Gospel: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after he has killed, has power to cast body and soul into hell." Luke 12, verses 4 and 5. And in another place: "Do not fear, little flock; for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Verse 32. And the prophet Isaiah also says: "Do not fear men, nor the children of men, who must perish like grass; for all flesh is as grass; and all its beauty is as the flower of the field: the grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of the Lord abides forever." Isaiah 51, verse 12; Isaiah 40, verses 6 and 8.

Further, my dear and greatly beloved wife and sister in the Lord, please know that it was a great joy to me to hear that you were of such good cheer in your tribulation, and that you have committed us four to the Lord; therefore I rejoice, and pray the Lord from my heart, that He would strengthen and establish you, and give you His divine Spirit for a Comforter and Guide, since now is the time of which Christ said (Matthew 24, verse 24), that many false prophets and false Christs would arise, indeed, that even the very elect, if it were possible, would be led into error.

Therefore, my dear and much beloved wife, take good heed that no robber deceive you through philosophy and empty deceit, after the rudiments of the world; and that you may not have labored in vain, but may receive your reward, so that no one may take your crown. So always have your citizenship in heaven, from which we look for our Savior, Christ Jesus our Lord; who will change our vile body, so that it may be fashioned like His glorious body. Philippians 3, verses 20 and 21. With this I will commend you, my dear and much beloved wife, and both my children, to the Lord, and bid you farewell, until we meet hereafter, where no one will part us anymore; for the apostle says that the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, and with the voice of the archangel; and the dead in Christ will rise first: then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so we will always be with the Lord (First Thessalonians 4, verses 16 and 17): then no one will part us. O my most beloved wife and sister in the Lord, with this I bid you adieu, and commend you to the Lord, and to the Word of His grace; and may the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, rule in your heart. Adieu, my dear wife, and greet warmly those who ask after me, especially my brother, and bid him adieu, adieu. O adieu, my dear and much beloved wife. Jan Koopman and Hansken greet you most heartily, and also bid you adieu. Amen.