Martyrs Mirror 17The Lord Almighty calleth me My earthly work is done; and now I long to get away from thee, O world so vain! O house of pain! For though my flesh in thee yet moves, The soul immortal heavenward tends.**

This was spoken by one of the ancients, when he thought that he had finished a good work, and that the hour of departure was near at hand. Certainly a great confidence springing from a wellmeaning heart. We say in the same manner: Our earthly work is now finished. We do not know that we shall be able to do much more good upon earth. But as long as we are here, we hold ourselves bound to our Creator, being confident that we have not lived in vain. We have, in our weakness, done what we could for the promotion of our own and the welfare of our fellow men.

Be then, O God, gracious unto the least of Thy servants, and grant that none of his natural or spiritual kindred, or of those who have been instructed by him, may be lost; but that they all may come to the rest of Thy saints and be eternally saved.

With this, beloved reader, whoever you may be, we commend you to the Lord; and to you we commend the consideration of the things which you will find here; feeling assured that if you will do so, you will certainly receive that for which we have prayed the Lord in your behalf.

Yours very affectionately, as seeking your soul.

THIELEM J. VAN BRAGHT. Dort, July the 31st, 1659

* The end of our work must remind us of the end of life; and what we may yet lack in this, we shall ask of the Lord, "Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am" ( Psa. 39:4 ). ** Then say we with Job: "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God; whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another" ( Job 19:25-27 ) and with Paul: 'We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring o be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven' ( II Cor. 5:1 , 2 ). This caused John to say: "Even so, come, Lord Jesus" ( Rev. 22:20 ). The grace of our Lord be with us all.