ANOTHER LETTER FROM HANS BRET, WRITTEN TO HIS BELOVED MOTHER, THE 5TH. OF JULY, 1576

The unspeakable love, grace and peace of God our dear heavenly Father, who is a Father full of grace and truth, rich and abundant in mercy and loving kindness, through the bitter suffering and death of His only Son our Saviour, who loved us, and washed us from all our sins in His blood, and from all the unrighteousness that we have done. The power of the Holy Ghost strengthen you, and comfort you in all your tribulation, affliction and sorrow which you have for Christ’s word and truth, in your persecution and suffering, in your grief which you may have, as I. understand, for my sake according to the flesh. ay He strengthen you in the faith of the truth, wherein you now stand, which God has revealed to you out of grace, that you may overcome all sorrowfulness of the flesh, which you may have. This; I your son, wish you my chosen mother, with all my heart, to the salvation of your soul, that we may meet together, and may, with all those that have endured unto the end in the belief of the truth, hear that glad and joyful voice ,of the only Son of God: “Come, ye blessed, inherit the kingdom of my Father, prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Amen.

My affectionately beloved mother, whom I love from the heart, I commend myself to you with all my heart, and inform you my chosen mother, that I did not, think that I should write you this letter yet; but ince it has pleased the good God, to keep me in life until this present hour, I cannot forbear, my dearest mother, to write you this parting letter, perhaps the last in my life, and bid you, my dear mother, adieu. For according to what I hear, the time of my deliverance is near at hand; yet I know not to this hour when, except that I hear that it is to be tomorrow, that I am to hear my sentence. Not that I hear concerning myself alone, but of several, of whom I think that I am one, if it pleases the Lord: We have indeed heard this often, but whether they do it to frighten us, I do not know. I have never heard it from the people here in the house, but from a girl of M.’s people that is imprisoned here; she has told it me. If it is the will of the Lord, let it be done. I am well resigned thereto. The Lord be thanked, who strengthens me poor, weak man here in these my bonds, by His Holy Spirit, to resist all that should be a hindrance or harm to my soul; for it is the day for which I have longed; the Lord grant me strength unto the end that I may finish my conflict with joy, and gain the victory, to the praise, glory, and honor of the Lord’s holy name. Amen. Eph. 3:16; I Timothy 6:12; I Cor. 15:57.

Since, then, my dear mother, it has pleased the good God, to count me, your son, worthy to suffer for His name to help fulfill the number of the righteous that are under the altar, and rest till the number of their brethren is fulfilled, who must also be killed as they; console yourself herein, my dear mother, and be not grieved on my account, this I pray you; for, dear   mother, the Lord has called me to a better place than to remain in this wicked, evil world. Though it is grievous to the flesh, I will not regard it for the joy of which I shall partake with all God’s righteous ones; for I say with Paul: “I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Rom. 8:18.

O my dearest mother, who should not long for this glory; who should not strive for it, and say with Paul: “I groan and desire to be out of this flesh; for I look for another dwelling, that is not made with hands, but which is eternal in the heavens.” II Cor. 5. Then shall we, as John says, see Him in whom we now believe, not seeing Him; then shall we behold Him with our own eyes, whose brightness is greater than that of the sun. I John 3:2; I Pet. 1:8; Job 19:27. Who should now regard this suffering or pain that can be inflicted upon the flesh, and yet not without the Lord’s permission, for when they have done all that they can, accord[1]ing to the words of Christ, they can but kill the body, but over the soul they have no power; for we read in the book of Wisdom, that the souls of the righteous are in the hands of the Lord. Matthew 10:28; Wisd. 3:1.

Who should regard this temporal pain that men may inflict upon this body, when such joy is promised for a little pain, and great, unspeakable bliss, yea, an eternal life, for a little of temporal life; for Christ says: “He that loseth his life for my sake, shall find it again here[1]after.” Rev. 22:5; Matthew 10:39; Mark 8:35.

Behold once, my dear mother, how many laid down their lives for the word of Christ and the truth; and consider what man’s life is, which passes away so quickly; it is, as James says, to be compared to only a vapor that arises; for when the vapor disappears and vanishes away, it is seen no more, and is over very quickly; yea, it may be compared to a bubble upon the water, which so quickly perishes. Ps. 90: 5; James 4:14. Why then should we much regard this temporal life? it cannot be compared with the eternal life.

Should you then, dear mother, be grieved on account of our pain, that may be inflicted upon my body, but which is for the faith and confession of God’s holy Word and truth? O no, my mother, let not such grief come upon you; but I pray you, my affectionately beloved mother, be of good cheer; I hope by the help of the Lord, that your sorrow shall be turned into joy. John 16:20.

O my beloved mother, let it go with you as it went with Abraham, who had but one only son, whom God had given him in his old age. Behold how God tried this good man, when He commanded him, that he should go and offer up to Him his only son Isaac. We do not read that he was grieved on account of the command, nor was he grieved when his son asked him: “My father, here is the wood: but where is the sacrifice?” Abraham said to his son with a fatherly voice, trusting in the almighty God: “The Lord will provide it.” Thus Abraham followed God’s command, and made his only, beloved son Isaac kneel down upon the wood, drew the sword from its sheath and raised it to cut off his son’s head, and to sacrifice him. But the angel said to him, that he should put the sword into the sheath, and not harm the child. In all this time, even to the last hour, we cannot read that this good man was grieved, or afraid to obey God’s command. My dear mother, why would you now be grieved; the Lord does not try you in such a manner, that you should kill your son, but He permits it to be done by the generation of Cain, who always thirst for the blood of the righteous Abelites that please the Lord. My mother, do also trust the Lord like the good man Abraham, and say: “The Lord will provide it; though your oldest son whom you now have, be offered up. The Lord can raise up another, if it pleases Him; hence be resigned to it.” It does not go otherwise with me, than it went with all the righteous that have ever pleased God, from the beginning of the world until the present time.

Consider how it went with the prophet Jeremiah, who endured much grief, because he according to the command of the Lord reproved the cities of their sin. He was apprehended and cast into a miry dungeon, yea, much grief came upon him, as the Scriptures sufficiently testify concerning it; yea, so that he resolved no more to preach in the name of God. Behold, to such grief this man of God was subject, who yet had been closen by God, in his mother’s womb, to proclaim His holy will. Jer. 38:6.

Again, behold John, who was sanctified in his mother’s womb. He who was known to all the people to be a prophet, did not Herod, for the sake of a harlot, cause his head to be struck off in prison? who nevertheless, according to the words of Christ, was the greatest prophet born of woman. Luke 1:15; Matt. 14:5,10; 11:11.

See, my dear mother, if it went thus with those who walked so worthily before the Lord if they killed those, what shall they do to us?

Consider, that they did not hesitate to kill Christ Jesus, who is the only Son of God, and the Son of man, who, according to the testimony of the Scriptures, is truly God and man, the Son of God, and the Son of men, for He calls Himself in many places the Son of man; and He is confessed and is the true living Son of God, who delivered us from the power of Satan, from eternal death and damnation, and opened our eyes when we were dead in our sins and unrighteousness, and brought us into this marvelous light; He has revealed to us His Word and truth, the Gospel, which, as Paul says, is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth. Rom. 1:16.

Since, then, the good God, through His unspeakable grace and goodness, has revealed to us His Word and truth, whereby our dark eyes have been opened, and has given us to believe in Him by whom we might live forever, which is Christ Jesus, upon whom the gen[1]eration of vipers inflicted much pain and torment, as the four evangelists abundantly testify concerning it; how they scourged, mocked, beat, and very miserably maltreated Him, and placed a crown of thorns upon His head; He had Himself to bear His cross to which they nailed Him; they gave Him vinegar and gall to drink; they pierced His side with a spear, and water and blood issued from the same. Alas, so dreadfully did they deal with Him; all that went by opened their mouth and mocked Him, so that He was the most despised upon earth; He was like the prophet David says and prophesies: “I am a worm and no man; I am the most despised among all men; they open their mouths against me, and cast lots upon my vesture.” Psalm 22:6, 7, 14, 18.

O dear mother, how bitter it is to describe the sufferings of the immaculate Lamb of God, that was subjected to so much suffering and sorrow; who should be able to describe His sufferings which He endured for our sakes? Should we then not suffer a little for His sake, when He shall so gloriously recompense all that suffer for His sake? for He says: “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake;” and again: “Blessed are they that suffer reproach for my name’s sake; for great is their reward in heaven.” Matt. 5:10-12; Luke 6:22, 23. Now you may perceive that the Lord will not leave unrewarded all those that suffer for His Word and the truth; who in suffering adhere steadfastly to His Gospel; who depart not from His Word and truth which He has spoken with His mouth; who depart not from the narrow way that leads to eternal life; who were not ashamed to confess the truth before this adulterous generation, who did not fear those that kill the body, but much rather feared Him that can cast soul and body into hell, into eternal darkness and torment, where there will ever be weeping and gnashing of teeth, where the flames shall never be extinguished, where the smoke shall ascend forever and ever, where the worm shall never die; who resemble not, as Peter says, the dog that swallows again that which he has vomited (II Peter 2:22); that are not like the sow which, when she has once been washed and cleansed, goes and wallows again in the mire; who do not call light darkness, and darkness light (Isa. 5:20); who do not call truth lies, and lies truth; who intend with Eleazar to persevere, and not to dis[1]semble (II Maccabees 6:18); who do not reject the truth, when they well know that it is the truth; who do not hearken to the devilish doctrine of the papists (I Tim. 4: 1-3); who follow not the priests of Jezebel, who thirst for the blood of the righteous, who love and serve God, and love Him with all the heart and with all the soul; who seek to follow Christ’s footsteps, to live and walk according to His will; who seek to please Him and not men (Gal. 1:10), for James says: “Whosoever will be a friend of God, must be the enemy of the world” (James 4:4); who seeks to walk the narrow way; who desires to forsake unrighteousness; who forsakes the counsel of the flesh and follows the counsel of the Spirit; who forsakes this earthly good, and seeks after the heavenly; who regards the temporal as nothing, and seeks after the eternal and imperishable; who looks not at this visible, but hopes for the invisible (II Cor. 4:18); who regards not this life, but seeks to obtain eternal life, who now delights not in this temporal joy and pleasure, but in the eternal joy and bliss; to those who are thus, there is promised that they shall inherit forever and ever that promised land, the eternal life, where they shall be crowned with great glory; they shall, as Malachi says, leap as calves of the stall (Mal. 4:2); palm branches shall be given into their hands (II Esdras 2:46); they shall, as John says, sing the new song before the throne of God (Rev. 14:30, they shall be arrayed in fine, white linen (19:8); they shall shine forth as the sun (Matt. 13:43); they shall forever be in joy, such joy (Paul says) as ear has never heard, eye never seen, nor has man’s heart been able to conceive of the joy of which the righteous that endure steadfast unto the end shall partake. Who should now depart for any reproach or contempt? who should now depart for any persecution or tribulation or any temporal life?

Oh, it is better to leave flesh and blood at the stake, than to suffer one’s self to be despoiled of the eternal salvation of one’s soul, of one’s Father’s inheritance which is obtained through Christ. Hence Paul says: “Who can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus? tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness? We may say with the apostle, that we are persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God.” Rom. 8:17, 35. Let us then not fear, since, my dearest, there is nothing that can separate us from God, if we love Him from the heart, for John says: “Where love is there is no fear; for love casteth out fear.” I John 4:18. This you may also perceive by the words of Paul, where he says

“Though I had faith, so that I could remove mountains; yea, though I gave all my goods to the poor, and suffered my body to be burned, and had not love, it would profit me noth[1]ing.” I Cor. 13:2, 3. Hence there must be a burning love to Christ, we must with the wise virgins have our lamps burning, and so wait for our Bridegroom, that is we must be kindled with a fervent love, and thus wait for Christ Jesus our Bridegroom, till He comes.

Behold, hereby we are to know who loves Christ; for He says: “He that loveth me keepeth my commandments, and the Father will come to him, and we will make our abode with him.” John 14:23. But without loving Christ, and keeping His commandments; we cannot enter into life. For He says Himself: “If thou wilt enter into life, keep’my commandments.” Matt. 19:17. And what is His commandment, but to love Him; and he that loves Him will not depart from Him because of any pain that may be inflicted upon the flesh, as I stated before with the words of Paul which he wrote to the Romans. But if a man do not love Christ, there is vain faith, which cannot please God, for Paul says: This is true faith, which worketh by love, that is, by the love which one has to God to keep His commandments; hence James says, that faith without works is dead. James 2:26. And this can easily be perceived; where there is true faith, there will also good fruits appear, for a good tree will bring forth good fruits, but of a corrupt tree evil fruit will spring forth; for a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit; so it is also with man; he that has a true faith will bring forth good fruits that are pleasing to the Lord. Matt. 7:17, 18.

But where there is a faith that is vain and not true, there you will not perceive good fruits, but all evil, for James says that the devils also believe and tremble. James 2:19.

Now it may be considered how many there are that have also a vain faith, and yet boast that they believe truly, yea, even these papists, they can say

“I believe in Christ Jesus, that He died, was crucified,” etc., but they deprive Him of His honor; to be brief, they do not obey Him in that which He commands, they do after the usts of their father, the devil. Christ says: “For he was a liar and deceiver from the beginning.” John 8:44.

Oh, how dreadful it is, that some hearken to such liars and deceivers, and confess the devilish doctrine to be the doctrine, Word and truth of Christ, whereas God says by the prophet: “Cursed is. he that maketh and honoreth idols.” Oh, what .are they also doing, ,who say that the true body of Christ is in the little house with which they walk along the streets, with their bells, torches, and lanterns. Oh, what abomination it is to call this the truth, while it is but bread and wine. While T am here, my mother, I sometimes sing a spiritual song; but though they forbid it me, I will therefore not cease, as long as they do not fetter my tongue; yea, if I or some of Menno’s people sing, then the servants sing a profane song, so that the good may. not be heard.

Oh, I am so glad that my dearest brother whom I have upon earth in the Lord, has soy remembered me, poor prisoner, with a hymn and a letter by his own hand. It rejoiced me so much inwardly’in my soul that I cannot describe it to you. I pray you to thank him heartily, and ask him to write again, and you also, for I think that I shall be here yet eight days longer’; ‘but when I,began to write this letter to you, I did not think that I should write so much, for I thought that by this time I should have heard my sentence. But since it has pleased the Lord, that I am still to remain here in this prison, I hope, according to the advice of Paul, to abide the time with patience, till it shall please the Lord; and thus, according to the words of Christ, to possess my soul in patience, for I commit myself into the hands of the Lord, that it may be done with me according to His divine will, to the praise, glory and honor of His holy name, and to the salvation of my soul, now and forever.

Hence, then, my dear mother, I bid you adieu once more; adieu, my chosen mother, adieu, my worthy mother, who gave birth to me in pain and anguish. I pray you, my dear mother, be resigned to the work of the Lord, be not grieved on my account, be of good cheer; since our God has so ordered it that I am to be separated from you, so that you shall see me no more in this flesh, be resigned thereto, for there can nothing happen to me without the Lord’s permission, for the Lord is my keeper, my protector, and my defender, for the prophet David says, that the angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him. Psalm 34:7. Think .not that there is any one that can harm me, for Christ tells us that the very hairs of our head are all numbered, and not a sparrow falls to the ground without His will; of how much more value are we than the little sparrows! Matt. 10:30. Hence, though it is so with me that I am cast into prison for the Word and truth of Christ, to confess His name before these cruel men; and suffer contempt and reproach, full of vexation, yea, finally to be put to death by them, rejoice therein according to the words of Christ, when He says: “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad when men shall revile you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my name’s sake.” Matt. 5:11.

Remember what Peter says: “Think it not strange as though some strange thing happened unto you.” I Pet. 4:12. Why? Because it has gone thus with all God’s children that have ever pleased Him, for Christ says: “In the world ye shall have tribulation but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33. Hence we need not, according to the words of Peter, think it strange, for the Scriptures sufficiently declare all this, wherefore also Paul says: `Ut is given unto us, not only to believe in Christ, but also to suffer for his name.” Philippians 1:29. Consider what the prophet David says: “Many are tile afflictions of the righteous.” Psalms, 34:19. . ,

Behold, Chist Himself, the author of faith, had to suffer, and thus to enter into His glory. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, what shall they then do to his servants? If they have cast out and killed the heir, what shall they do to those that are sent? Hence the Lord laments over Jerusalem, and says: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not 1” Matt. 23:37. Behold, how they have always killed those that were sent by God, and shall yet do so. For Christ says to His disciples: “Ye shall be put out of the synagogues, and who[1]soever killeth you will think that he doeth God service thereby.” John 16:2.

Now he that will be a good and faithful disciple of Christ and serve his Lord in faithful[1]ness, must willingly bear all that is laid upon him for the Lord’s sake, for Paul says: ” All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” And again: “We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Luke 14:27; I I Tim. 3:12; Acts 14:22.

Since, then, the kingdom of heaven must be taken through much affliction and vexation, let us with Paul rejoice in the afflictions which we suffer for the name of Christ, for we see how Peter and John, when they came from the council, rejoiced that they had suffered re[1]proach and been scourged for Christ’s sake. Acts 5:41. Thus, my dear mother, do also rejoice with me, and thank the good God, that He counts a poor, weak, unworthy man fit to suffer for His Word and truth.

Praise and glorify the Lord for His grace; sing praise to Him for His benefits; say with me

“Thanks be to the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, for his un[1]speakable mercy and goodness which he has shown us poor men.” Say with David: “Where is a god like unto our God? to him be praise and glory forever and ever. Amen.”

I bid you adieu, my dearest mother, adieu; if I should write you no more, and if this should be the last letter, I bid you adieu, my beloved mother, and take leave from you, if it should be the last time; my mother whom I love, adieu, for I leave you for the Lord’s sake, and also hope to lay down my life for His sake, for the Lord has promised me another life, which shall endure for ever, and never pass away; not like this life, which must perish, for this life, or the temporal pleasure of this world, is not to be compared to the joy and gladness that is promised to the righteous that endure steadfast unto the end; where one day, as David says, is better than a thousand here in joy and pleasure. Ps. 84:10.

I hope by the help of the Lord soon to partake of the eternal joy. Then I shall be freed from all sighing, weeping and sorrow; then I shall neither thirst nor hunger any more; then I shall no more feel heat or cold; then I shall be released from all, and for ever triumph with the Lamb. Hence, grieve not, neither weep nor sigh; though I go before, we shall meet again; be of good cheer, my chosen mother; the Lord comfort you with His Holy Spirit, in all your tribulation and sorrow. John 14:16.

I might be grieved more than you, for your sake, for I leave you here in this evil world, where you are subject to all sorrow, tribulation and affliction, while I depart from tribulation into joy, from this life into the eternal life; but we need not be sorrowful, but resigned to the work of the Lord, for Paul says: “All things work together for, good to them that believe”; hence, remember what we pray: “Lord, thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Rom. 8:28; Matt. 6:10.

Therefore, let us take heed, that we do not will anything contrary to the will of he Lord, but that we be patient and longsuffering in all things, so that there may be fulfilled in us the passage contained in John’s Revelation: “Here is the patience of the saints.” Rev. 14:12. Therefore, dear mother, be patient in all that has now come upon you, and that may yet come upon you.

Farewell, my affectionately beloved mother, and I pray you, when you begin your prayer to God, remember me poor, weak man, your son, imprisoned here for the testimony of the only Son of God, as I hope and doubt not that you do; for James says that the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous avails much, and he adduces an example, and says, that Elias was a man like us, and he prayed that it should not rain, and it came to pass so; and he prayed again, that it should rain, and it rained. This, James tells us, to show how effectual the prayer of the faithful is. James 5:16; I Kings 17:1; 18:45.

Christ also says: “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, if ye believe and doubt not, it shall be done unto you.” Mark 11:24. The Scrintures abundantly testify. that the prayer of the righteous penetrates through the clouds, so that they are heard by the Lord. Herewith I take leave from you, dear mother, if it should be the last time, and I commend you to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the God of all comfort console you, the strong God strengthen your faith, to resist all the fiery darts of the wicked one; the Lord keep your going out and your coming in, now and for ever. Amen.

Adieu, my dearest mother, adieu in this life, till we see each other in life eternal, with Christ our only Head and Bridegroom. Amen.

Greet my dearest brother in the Lord Christ Jesus, the dearest brother I have on earth; greet him very cordially, and also my chosen dear master, if he is with you. Greet my beloved brother D. B.. when you write to him. My mother, take this my simple letter in good part, since T have written it out of love, according to my little knowledge. which the Lord, through grace. has given me unworthy man. The Lord be with us all. Amen.

By me your son, whom you well know, at present confined in prison, at Antwerp, on the 7th of July, A. D. 1576, for the Gospel, and for the confession of the only Son of God, Christ .Jesus our Saviour, whom the world does not confess, but denies.

HANS BRET.