De continuo insultu hostium et variis tribulacionibus Cristianorum Prussie.
The Second Apostasy and Fifteen Years of Persecution
Under the second apostasy of the Prussians, Christians endured over fifteen years of relentless hardship, danger, and persecution, holding firm only by God's grace.
Under the second apostasy. The brothers and other Christians endured so many hardships, so many dangers, and so many straits in this persecution—which lasted more than fifteen years—suffering at the hands of their enemies in every city, fortress, and other place; they held firm by God's grace alone, and no living person could fully set forth what they went through.
War Without Respite
The brothers could scarcely eat a full meal without being roused to battle once or multiple times by their enemies.
There was scarcely an hour when they could eat their fill of bread without being roused once, twice, or even more times to fight, driven to battle by their enemies.
Builders with Swords in Hand
Like the Jews rebuilding Jerusalem, the brothers labored with one hand and held the sword with the other, from dawn until the stars appeared.
And to tell the truth, what was said of the Jews who wanted to rebuild the holy city of Jerusalem while the opposing nations resisted them was fulfilled in these brothers: half of them did the work while the other half held spears, from the rising of the dawn until the stars came out; with one hand they worked and with the other they held the sword.✦
Apostolic Sufferings and Joy in Tribulation
Through tribulations, wounds, imprisonments, and fastings, these ministers of God endured with patience, appearing sorrowful yet always rejoicing.
But these ministers of God, as the apostle teaches, lived through all these tribulations, hardships, straits, wounds, imprisonments, insurrections, labors, watchings, and fastings with great patience, as though dying; they seemed sorrowful, yet they were always rejoicing.✦
Adversity as Divine Correction, Not Destruction
The author exhorts readers not to be horrified by these disasters, for God's punishments are acts of mercy and correction, not abandonment, distinguishing His faithful from the nations left to fill up their sins.
I beg those who are going to read this book: do not be horrified by the various disasters, but consider that what happened was not for our destruction but for the correction of our people. Indeed, to let sinners go on in their ways for a long time without punishment, and then to bring swift retribution—that is a sign of great mercy. For the Lord does not deal with us as He does with other nations, patiently waiting until the day of judgment to punish them when their sins are full. That is not how He has determined to act toward us, letting our sins run their full course and only then taking vengeance—because He never withdraws His mercy from us. Even when He rebukes His people through adversity, He does not abandon them.✦✦
Read the original Latin
infra secundam apostasiam. Quot incommoda, quot pericula, quotque angustias fratres et alii cristifideles in hac persecucione, que ultra xv annos duravit, ab hostibus in singulis civitatibus, castris et aliis locis perpessi sunt, in sola dei cognicione ila subsistunt, quod nullus hominum nunc vivencium posset ea plenius explicare. Vix fuit aliqua hora, in qua possent panem in saturitate comedere, nisi una vel duabus vel pluribus vicibus surgerent ad pugnam ab hostibus propulsati. Et ut verum fatear, in eis fuit impletum, quod de Judeis, volentibus civitatem sanctam Jerusalem reedificare, gentibus ex adverso renitentibus, dicitur, quod media pars eorum faciebat opus, et altera tenebat lanceas ab ascensu aurore, donec egrederentur astra; una manu faciebant opus, et altera tenebant gladium. Sed hii dei ministri, ut docet apostolus, in hiis omnibus tribulacionibus, necessitatibus, angustiis, plagis, carceribus, sedicionibus, laboribus, vigiliis et jejuniis, in multa paciencia quasi morientes vixerunt; quasi tristes, semper autem gaudentes fuerunt. Obsecro ergo eos, qui hunc librum lecturi sunt, ne abhorrescant propter diversos casus, sed reputent ea, que acciderunt, non ad interitum sed ad correctionem generis esse nostri. Etenim multo tempore non sinere peccatoribus ex sentencia agere, sed statim ulciones adhibere, magni beneficii est indicium. Non enim sicut in aliis nacionibus dominus pacienter expectat, ut eas, cum dies judicii advenerit", in plenitudine peccatorum puniat; ita nonb in nobis statuit, ut peccatis nostris in finem devolutis ita deinde vindicet, propter cpiod nunquam a nobis misericordiam suam amovet; corripiens vero in adversis populum suum non derelinquit.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Neh.4.11-Neh.4.17 — The builders on the wall, and those who carried loads, were laboring—one hand doing the work and the other holding the weapon. Neh.4.12 — And the builders, each man had his sword strapped to his side while building, and the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me. Neh.4.13 — And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, "The work is great and wide, and we are spread out along the wall, far from one another." Neh.4.14 — In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally there to us. Our God will fight for us. Neh.4.15 — And we were working on the wall, and half of them held the spears from the rising of the dawn until the coming out of the stars. Neh.4.16 — Also at that time I said to the people, 'Each man and his servant shall lodge within Jerusalem, so that they may be a guard for us by night and a worker by day.' Neh.4.17 — Neither I, nor my brothers, nor my young men, nor the men of the guard who follow me — none of us takes off his clothes; each one has his weapon at the water.
- ↩2Cor.6.4-2Cor.6.10 — Use a colon rather than an em dash to launch the hardship catalogue: "But in every way we commend ourselves as servants of God: in great endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, 2Cor.6.5 — in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots, in labors, in sleepless nights, in fastings; 2Cor.6.6 — in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in sincere love, 2Cor.6.7 — by the word of truth, by the power of God, through the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left 2Cor.6.8 — through glory and dishonor, through slander and praise; as deceivers yet true, 2Cor.6.9 — as unknown, yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as disciplined, yet not put to death; 2Cor.6.10 — as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing all things.
- ↩Gen.15.16 — but the fourth generation will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.
- ↩Ps.38.1;Heb.12.5-Heb.12.6 — A Psalm of David, for remembrance. Heb.12.5 — And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor lose heart when you are reproved by him;" Heb.12.6 — For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he scourges every son whom he receives.
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