The wholesome fruit of the cross. After the complete surrender to God, He at last works all in all.

The Forty-Third Letter.

The wholesome fruit of the cross. After the complete surrender to God, He at last works all in all.

In the grace of God, beloved friend!

Often have I commended your soul, in weakness, to the dear Savior, that He might keep watch over you, and not leave you alone in this burdensome and dangerous world-wilderness; and it has also sometimes truly gladdened me, when I have heard how the dear Father bestows the cross upon you — not as though I sought your sufferings and pains, but because I believe the Father's word, when He says: Whom I love, I chasten. (Rev. 3:19.) This, I think, you will surely never have received from the dear Father otherwise than in love. So the inescapable necessity requires it: that we must, in every way, suffer with Him, if we would be glorified with Him.

The evil ground of corruption must, through the cross, be uncovered and destroyed in us. Unnoticed, nature and sensuality would rest somewhere, or seek their nourishment in things that yet pass away; therefore the Lord must thrust the tender disposition out of its false resting-places; and so He takes it from us sometimes, so to speak, from before our very mouth — that in which we would take our delight apart from Him — that we may at last learn to seek and find, in Him alone, what these or those wretched comforters falsely promise us under a fair show. It is only deceit and delay, all that is pictured to our senses and mind out of the puppet-trash of vanity. Who knows how near the evening of our life stands at the door, and we are still so far from our dear Father and fatherland? Therefore it is indeed grace, when the Lord, through the dear cross, freely spurs and rouses us on our way; even when, within, it is not always so glad and easy, still it shall by no means weaken our courage and trust.

When one has given oneself over to the dear Savior with complete sincerity, then one may let Him do as He will, untroubled. He does it for our best, when He does not always let us feel and see how He is disposed toward us. He is, in Himself, the essential Good, the essential Love; He can and will do nothing other than love and do good, in time and in eternity. Only we are not yet receptive enough of Him; the heart is still too much turned outward, manifolded, and filled with things that hinder His influence and sweet fellowship: there it is indeed good and needful that one exercise oneself, through God's grace, in the denial of one's own self and in heart-prayer; yet God must do the chief part in it — yea, He does it at last alone in us, through the disposing of His providence and through the leading of His grace over us; therein He knows how to give and to take, according as it is profitable to us. Our duty in it is that we always approve what He does; that we let our own opinion and our own will fall, and remain, inwardly yielded, to Him, as well as we understand and are able: then He knows best how to prepare us, to gather, to bow, to make single, to strengthen, in wonderful manner and way, only that He may, unhindered, work and dwell in our hearts eternally.

So let us, then, only love Him, and thank Him in all things, and also believe, when we do not see it, that He — our dear Soul-Friend and Savior — is near to us, in our hearts. Only a little while let us yet hold ourselves weaned from all worldly comfort, so shall He come who is to come, and will not tarry. May God make you, then, dear soul, after His own heart, and to the joy of His children — among whom I hope to be the least.

German

Der dreiundvierzigste Brief.

Heilsame Frucht des Kreuzes. Nach der völligen Uebergabe an GOtt, wirket Er endlich alles in allem.

In der Gnade GOttes geliebte Freundin!

Oftermals habe ich deine Seele dem lieben Heiland in Schwachheit anbefohlen, daß Er doch Aufsicht auf dich haben möchte, und dich nicht allein lassen in dieser beschwerlichen und gefährlichen Weltwüste; und es hat mich auch manchmal recht erfreuet, wann ich gehöret, wie dich der liebe Vater mit dem Kreuz beschenket …

— Opening lines of the original German. The complete transcription of all 605 letters appears in the forthcoming Encounter Press critical edition; Brief 1 is shown in full as a sample.

German text: public domain (1773–75 first edition / 1845 Gesammelte Schriften).