Of the unbounded divine love. History of the regenerate. The Geistliche Fama, and Herr D.

The Hundred and Sixteenth Letter.

Of the unbounded divine love. History of the regenerate. The Geistliche Fama, and Herr D.

In the grace of Jesus, beloved friend and brother!

Although we do not know one another by face, and you can hardly have heard my name, yet on my part I have already, some years since, felt no little esteem and love toward the grace of God in your soul — which has now shown itself the more, since your letters written to Crefeld have, by God's ordering, come into my hand; wherein, dear brother, I have perceived with singular delight and union of mind your impartial spirit of love: wherefore I have found myself inclined also to greet you, upon this present occasion, with a few lines, and to wish you divine blessing in the name of Jesus, and, so far as in me lies, to offer it.

So far as there is yet reason and self-propriety in believers, so far does a man draw to himself, and make barriers. Only love is not confined — where it is indeed a divine, and not an affected, love; it is universal; it flows out into the immeasurable; for it is an efflux from Father and Son; it takes into its wide bosom whatever will let itself be gathered in. And into this proper bosom of the Church there shall, according to my hope, soon all the scattered children of God creep back again, and, without art, toil, and human forms, blessedly become one shepherd and one flock: for love will at last conquer — but this pure and divine love, which is poured out in the hearts of those who make it their endeavor, in the light to walk, to turn from the shadow to the essence, from the outward to the inward, from all manifoldness to this one thing needful: that brings union with one another, and peace with God.

Let us therefore, beloved brother, go ever more, ever purer, and ever emptier, in the hidden ground of our spirit, to this fountain, and like little children suck the love of God out of the heart of Jesus, from which all grace, virtue, and whatever else may be needful shall, in its time, already grow up. Ah, that we might, by no pretext or show, let ourselves be lured away from this exercise!

I have also received the sixth part of the History of the Regenerate; and since there just now comes to my hand an example of a devout person out of the Reformed party, I send this little book over herewith, whether perhaps at some further continuation of these histories it might be inserted; as indeed it does not seem to me unedifying. For the rest, I wish, in the gathering and drawing-up of such histories, divine grace, power, and light, to distinguish the certain from the uncertain, as also the edifying from the unedifying, according to God's will. Since I too am now minded to undertake a certain collection of such examples of holy souls out of the Roman Church, and have already begun somewhat therein, it would be dear to me that I had word of it, where they might perhaps bring a person from that same party into their History hereafter, that one might not undertake double labor: as I would then also accept it with thanks, if some notice, documents, or memoranda might be communicated to me thereto; though for now I would keep my purpose and name in this matter concealed.

The first and second issue of their Geistliche Fama I have read not without pleasure: the following issues are not yet to hand; otherwise I have understood from Br. S. (who visited me this very day) that a third issue should be out: it would be dear to me if the same — and wherever else more issues should follow — might be sent me against payment. Who is the actual author of these printed reports I do not exactly know: but if you, dear brother, should have had a hand in it, I find myself constrained here, in love, to remark what I and several souls of these parts could have wished — namely, that the last page in the second issue had either been filled with some other matter, or left quite blank. One expects out of Philadelphia no reports of spiritual wars, save only of such as are waged against the spiritual foes within us; also, at the end of that P.S., one has expressed oneself rather incautiously, whereas, to my thinking, it should — more agreeably to the truth, and rightly — have run: That our faith must be grounded not — N.B. — only upon Christ seventeen hundred years ago, but — N.B. — also upon His communion of dying and living within us.

That, for the rest, Herr D. in this matter goes too far, is certain enough. True, through disputes and grounds of the letter and of reason he can hardly be persuaded of a better; as indeed it is not the way of the Community of Christ to wrangle: meanwhile I am assured that he will yet live to see a day when it will grieve him to have written so scornfully of this matter; and he will then be glad to have a Jesus, in whose blood shed for us he may find the forgiveness of his sins, and the hiding from the holiness and righteousness of God. The abuse of this truth in this outward church is indeed manifest, and to be lamented; yet the right use thereof is not thereby abolished. He from whom the Lord, in inward trials, has stripped the little coat of one's own past piety — not without deep distress — and has set him naked and bare before the countenance of His holiness, he first perceives this truth, and its preciousness, and thereupon learns to bow his knee only in the name of Jesus.

Herr D., as well as I, and all Adam's children, stand within time, and cannot grasp nor judge the Eternal and Infinite with our finite reason. We see God, so to speak, piecemeal — now from this, now from that side; and what we cannot rhyme, or reconcile with one another, we will sunder, and not believe in God, forming God for ourselves after our own conception, drawing consequences and conclusions therefrom; and whatever does not agree with it must be contradicted: as indeed, out of this very thing, to my mind, many contrary opinions and errors among all the parties of Christendom have arisen. God is the love in all the children of love: but His wrath reveals itself in the vessels of wrath; and His holiness is terrible, when we are not in Jesus Christ; and yet He is in Himself the most blessed, most simple, and unchangeable Being — to be loved, adored, and praised unto eternity, Amen!

I write this in no wise (as I am well aware) out of a fault-finding or loveless mind, against the person of Herr D.; I can rather say with truth that I have ever highly esteemed his gifts, uprightness, and other virtues: only I know that herein he goes too far, and thereby works harm to himself and to other souls; wherefore I could also wish that he would use a more earnest manner of writing; he is, after all, an old man, who had better put the sword into the sheath, and in its stead take the censer to hand, and should play not so much a Democritus as a Heraclitus Christianus, to weep with us over his own and his people's sin. Should you perhaps see fit, dear brother, to show this well-meant admonition to Herr D. as occasion serves, then I pray you at the same time to convey to him — though unknown — my hearty greeting: but should you suppose that Herr D. would not take it in love, then I would rather it were held back; for I desire not to strive, but only to admonish unto amendment.

You will also, beloved brother, take my freedom in this writing to the best; as indeed love never thinks evil. I commend myself, for the rest, to your brotherly remembrance before God...... I greet you and your dear housewife, together with all the seekers of God, heartily, and remain

the dear brother's well-disposed fellow-combatant.

Mülheim, the 31st of July 1731.

German

Der hundertundsechzehnte Brief.

Von der uneingeschränkten göttlichen Liebe. Historie der Wiedergebornen. Geistliche Fama, und Herr D.

In der Gnade JEsu geliebter Freund und Bruder!

Ob wir uns einander gleich von Angesicht nicht kennen, er auch schwerlich meinen Namen mag gehöret haben; so habe dennoch meiner Seits schon vor einigen Jahren nicht wenige Achtung und Liebe zu der Gnade GOttes in seiner Seele bei mir verspüret, welches sich nun auch mehr geäußert …

— 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).