Jacob Bicks’ Testimony

(Born 1657, Died at approximately age 7)

Jacob Bicks, the brother of Susannah Bicks, was born in Leyden, in the year 1657. He fell sick on the sixth of August, 1664, three or four weeks before his sister. In his distemper he was very sleepy, until almost dead. When he awoke, he was often praying.

Once when his parents had prayed with him, they asked him, if they should once more send for the physician? “No,” he said, “I will see the doctor no more. The Lord will help me. I know he will take me to himself.”

When his parents had prayed with him, he said, “Come now, dear father and mother, and kiss me. I know that I shall die. Farewell, dear father and mother; farewell dear sister; farewell all. Now shall I go to God and Jesus Christ, and the holy angels. Father, do you not know what is said by Jeremiah? `Blessed is he who trusteth in the Lord.’ Now I trust in him, and he will bless me. And in 1 John 2 it is said, `Little children, love not the world, for the world passeth away.'” 1John 2:15.

“Away then all that is in the world, away with all my pleasant things in the world; away with my dagger, for where I go there is nothing to do with daggers and swords. Men shall not fight there but praise God. Away with all my books, there shall I learn true wisdom without books.”

His father said, “My dear child, the Lord will be near you, and uphold you.”

“Yea, father,” he said “the apostle Peter said, `God resisteth the proud, but he giveth grace to the humble.’ I humble myself under the mighty hand of God, and he shall help me, and lift me up.”

“O, my dear child,” said his father, “have you so strong a faith?”

“Yes,” he said, “God has given me so strong a faith in himself through Jesus Christ, that the devil shall flee from me. For it is written, (John 3:36) `he who believeth in the Son hath everlasting life’, and he has overcome the wicked one. Now I believe in Jesus Christ my Redeemer, and he will not leave nor forsake me, but shall give unto me eternal life, and then I shall sing, `Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Sabaoth.'”

Then with the words, “Lord, be merciful unto me a poor sinner,” he quietly breathed out his soul, being about seven years old.

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