How one is to conduct oneself in circumstances where one must obey those set over us, in things that have become contrary and repugnant to one according to grace.
The Seventy-Fifth Letter.
How one is to conduct oneself in circumstances where one must obey those set over us, in things that have become contrary and repugnant to one according to grace.
Beloved sister!
Not he who suffers evil, but he who does evil, sins. One must give oneself over to one's authority according to their will; if they act without understanding, then the guilt and the answering lies upon them: one must also not do it with ill will, but with some good will; how far, however, such [obedience] must go and not go, may the Lord instruct in particular; at least in so far the Lord will not reckon it as sin, when one, even against one's will, feels something one does not gladly feel. It may — nay, must — humble, but not disquiet; and through the Lord's blessing this mire can open the eyes, and through such suffering can uncover, bow, and cleanse other unrecognized corruptions — for which I plead compassionately to the Lord.
But when the order of nature is overstepped and one is dealt with without understanding, there indeed one can also do no other than suffer it, as said above; yet there one must not accommodate oneself to any of the aforesaid good will; rather, let it mark the disgust, tears, sighing, etc., however it will — nothing hangs on that.
Still less may one — since grace has given a longing for freedom — seek to arouse it in one way or another, in its disorder, in an active manner. One may, I say, not let oneself down to this, even if it be demanded; one can herein be holily unwavering; it must know that one must not unite oneself with it herein.
When one goes to work thus, and also forgets not what I shall yet say hereafter, then I believe one will do well and not displease the Lord; what then comes of it, or comes not, one must commit it all in faith to God, who holds all hearts in His hand, and lets not those come to shame who trust in Him.
What I have yet to say is this: that, if the above counsel is ever to turn out for the best, then one must strive in all the rest of one's walk and dealings to prove oneself very meek, obedient, kindly, and serviceable. Give not the least contrariness against it any place; it is surely impure, and its way of dealing never of God. To say and to show that one loves it, though one cannot consent to its disorders, is good; hate and despise it not for its weaknesses and miseries, but have compassion, and strive to win it with modesty; bear with it, as it will have to bear various things from you; strive not in words with it; give way, even when you think you are right, or keep silent with friendliness. I know well what is objected against this; but that matters nothing: one must, through God's grace, seek to observe the one as well as the other, and so it will, it is to be hoped, go well. The love of freedom is from grace; but the disgust against this condition in and for itself is, in present circumstances, not of God. The former say to it — yea, say it to it in friendliness often, even when it mocks at it; it is good that it know that what one does, one does for conscience' sake and out of condescension; but the latter not only keep silent, but give it no place at all in the thoughts.
For the rest, take the sufferings both in this matter and in all others willingly, without faintheartedness or peevishness, believing surely, though not always seeing, that all must work together for the best and for sanctification, if only you abide in His love. Can you not always see it, yet I can often recognize clearly enough that manifold things befall you which are true plasters upon your wounds. Not out of an unmerciful mind do I say this. I have great compassion with you in all your sufferings, and often wish you God's power and blessing therein in secret; but with your old man I have no compassion — he must die, and that cannot happen without pain in the crucifixion that precedes. Take hold of yourselves; bow yourselves; give yourselves over to the chastening and at once helping hand of the Lord; turn yourselves in faith, firm and constant, into the element of love that will open in the ground of the soul, in the name of Jesus. Into this retreat creep and shut yourselves, that neither pleasure nor burden may find you there. May the Lord Himself impart to you in all things wisdom and grace! Pray diligently, and in compassion! I hope to see you once more as true brothers and sisters in the Lord. Be of good cheer and long-suffering! To the Lord all things are possible.
German
Der fünfundsiebzigste Brief.
Wie man sich zu betragen in Umständen, da man denen, die über uns gesetzt sind, gehorchen muß, in Dingen, die einem nach der Gnade entgegen und zuwider worden sind.
Geliebte Schwester!
Nicht wer Böses leidet, sondern wer Böses thut, der sündiget. Man muß sich seiner Obrigkeit hingeben nach ihrem Willen; handelt sie unverständig, so ist die Schuld und Verantwortung auf ihr: man muß es auch nicht mit Widerwillen thun, sondern mit einiger Gutwilligkeit; wie weit aber solches gehen und nicht gehen muß …
— 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).
Translator’s notes
What this letter is. A careful, practical letter of conscience to a sister (and, by the end, a whole household or circle) caught in a hard bind: she is under someone's authority — a superior, a master or mistress — whose commands cut against the freedom her awakened conscience now feels. What should she do? Tersteegen's counsel is exact and balanced. Outward obedience that only endures an unwise command is no sin — "not he who suffers evil, but he who does evil, sins" — and the guilt rests on the one who commands wrongly; so she should obey in outward things, even with "some good will," while never inwardly consenting to what is truly disordered. The "longing for freedom," he says, is itself from grace and may be spoken — gently, even when mocked — but the mere disgust at her situation is "not of God" and should be given "no place at all in the thoughts." Above all, in everything else she is to be "meek, obedient, kindly, and serviceable," to win rather than fight, to give way even when she is in the right. He does not minimize the pain: the "old man must die," and that is not painless. But every hardship, he promises, is a "plaster upon your wounds"; she is to creep into the inner "retreat" of God's love "in the name of Jesus," where "neither pleasure nor burden may find you." He ends with courage: "to the Lord all things are possible."
A few words and echoes.
- Obeying a hard authority. The real-life problem behind the letter: how to submit to a superior whose demands offend the conscience, without either rebelling or surrendering the inner freedom that grace has awakened.
- Suffering evil vs. doing evil. His governing principle, close to Peter's counsel that it is better to suffer for well-doing than to sin: merely to endure a wrong command is not to share its guilt.
- The longing for freedom. This she may hold, and even voice, because it comes from grace — but she must not force it, nor let plain disgust at her lot poison her, since that is "not of God."
- Winning, not fighting. His practical wisdom: meekness, kindness, giving way even when right, silence with friendliness — the way actually to soften a hard situation, and to keep one's own soul clean.
- The old man must die. He is honest that the process hurts: the self-centred "old man" is crucified, and that is painful — yet every trial is a healing "plaster."
- The retreat of love. His closing image: an inner refuge "in the name of Jesus," the "element of love" in the depths of the soul, into which she can withdraw so that "neither pleasure nor burden" can reach her.
trans. Jarred Fenlason · gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdi-thi-075 · all rights reservedEnglish translation © Jarred Fenlason · All rights reserved · gerhardtersteegen.com.