Martyrs Mirror 807The second letter o f Joris WiQQe, written to his urife, when he, through those of Dordrecht, day imprisoned at ,the Hague

Everlasting joy, grace and peace from God our heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, and the joy of the Holy Ghost in your heart and conscience, be with you, my most beloved wife and sister in the LordJ wish it to you as an affectionate salutation in the Lord, and to all our dear children, whom God has given us; to Him be praise forever and ever. Amen.

My most dearly beloved wife and sister in the Lord, I salute you with a loving heart in the Lord with the salutation of Christ, and also all my dear obedient children, whom the holy Lord has given us to the Oraise .and glory of His. Father. My most beloved wife in the Lord, I also inform you with joy that my mind, heart and soul are still fixed upon the living God and Father, through Jesus Christ His dear, beloved Son, our Saviour; and I trust, through His fatherly lave, which He shows to me poor, unprofitable servant, through His great mercy, not to separate from Him and His holy Word; for His Word is truth, and His commandment, life everlasting. He went before us with much misery and tribulation; we must follow His footsteps, since the servant is not above his Lord. For He has so kindly admonished us with regard to this, saying: "If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you, if they have excommunicated me, they will also excommunicate you; and all these things will they do unto you, because they have known neither me nor my Father." John 15:20 , 21 .

Hence, my dear wife, whom I love in God, be well content, and fix your whole heart and hope upon the living God; He will not leave you an afflicted widow, with all your fatherless children; for His eyes are upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry, and He will succor the cause of the widow and the fatherless. Ps. 34:15 .

Therefore, my dearly beloved wife, take the Almighty God for your Protector, and plant a valiant spirit into your heart, like the Maccabean mother with her seven sons. II Macc. 7 . Pray the holy Lord for wisdom and understanding, and in all your concerns pray God with supplication in the Spirit, that you may bring up all our olive plants ( Ps. 128:3 ) to His honor and the magnifying of His holy name, so that they may not be required at your hands. So far you have done your best with admonishing and chastising; keep them thus with the Lord's help. Always submit yourself to the elders of the church; for they watch for your souls [as they that must give account] that they may do it with joy. Heb. 13:17 . And if you need counsel or help in any matter, consult with the elders, as we have hitherto done. Use hospitality and forget not to communicate. I Peter 4:9 ; Heb. 13:16 . Think often of the poor, afflicted widow ( Matthew 12:42 ; 43 ), who threw but two mites into the treasury; Verily, said Christ, she hath cast more in, than they all that you may be found a true widow before the Lord, who has washed the saints' feet, relieved the afflicted, brought up children in the fear of God, and diligently followed every good work. I Tim. 5:10 . Pray the Lord diligently to rule you with His divine Spirit, since He is the true Comforter of all the children of God; that you may live your widowhood to His praise and honor, as long as it is His pleasure. I sincerely thank you people much for the love you have shown me in the kind exhortation you have sent me. I have also very earnestly prayed the Lord for you, and hope to do so .as long as I shall be in this temporal life. Remember me also in your prayers, until I have put off this mortal clothing. II Esd. 2:45 .

Herewith I commend you people to Almighty God, and to the Word of His grace, and take leave forever until at the resurrection of the just. Then, I trust, we shall meet in. one fold. Then shall we hear the sweet voice of our Bridegroom: "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Matt. 25:34 . Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power. But we shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years; for Christ is the resurrection and the life, and we must be partakers of Him, if we are to hear that voice. Rev. 20:6 ; Rom. 8:11 .

Salute me the friends much in the Lord, especially those of Meenen, and Claes Moykaert and Janneken his wife; and greet Victor Martens I saw him at Dordrecht, when I lay in the den of lions and greet all that fear the Lord, and exhort them to diligence, that we may all meet together in the new Jerusalem. The God of peace be with you. Phil. 4:9 . Greet your sister much and all that are with her.

Written by me, Joris Wippe, your husband and brother in the Lord, in bonds at the Hague, in Holland.