That one should love and practise solitude, prayer, and self-denial.

The Thirty-fifth Letter.

That one should love and practise solitude, prayer, and self-denial.

In the grace of God, dearly-beloved friend!

Your little letter I duly received through the woman friends, and it was dear to me; and although the time is too short, I will nevertheless, as you desire, write something back, according as God will give it.

I therefore repeat the reminders lately given: love, and exercise yourself, more than has been done till now, in solitude, in prayer, and in self-denial. Solitude is the school of godliness. You are called (think, what a grace!) to fellowship with God; therefore you must altogether shun all needless dealings with people. Especially where one is still so weak, one must give way before the enemy, and not come too near, face to face, with the world and the creatures, lest we lose the Creator's nearness out of our sight, and the world blind us, overcome us, and take us captive again. One must not look too much at the creatures, that we too may by degrees lose their remembrance and their love, and so may become true strangers, whose walk is only with God in heaven.

Love prayer. Let your constant business, from morning to evening, be praying. Let your heart and your desires always speak with God in inward simplicity; His delight is in the children of men. Think often — and, as far as possible, always — with love and reverence upon Him, upon His presence, and upon His perfections; and offer up your heart to Him often, with all that you are, have, and can do, in spirit and in truth: all as heartily and as sincerely as is ever possible to you. If you should fall away from this childlike, but incredibly-useful and beautiful exercise, through weakness or unfaithfulness, then only begin again gently and from the heart, and do not grow weary in it, even if at first you should feel no great fruit and progress in it. It is not true that such a way of life is hard. It is easy and lovely to the spirit, and becomes in its time like a heaven upon earth. One must only have a little courage and patience. As for the special and set times for prayer and recollection, of these you already know my thoughts; be faithful in that too, and do not let yourself be held back from it by any objections of reason or by the sluggishness of your nature.

Self-denial makes prayer easy, and prayer, in turn, self-denial: exercise yourself, therefore, faithfully in this also. Let it be dear to you, when you have opportunity, to deny — for God's sake — your own will, your pleasure, or any other thing, whatever and wherein it may ever be. Go against your corrupt nature in all things, in a holy way, even in the smallest things; declare downright war upon it. The more strait it falls upon the flesh, the freer and gladder it becomes for the spirit to live with God and in God, as in its true element. Examine often what might perhaps be dearest to you. Deny just that first, and offer it up with brave courage, so as to keep your whole heart, love, and delight pure and for your God alone, in virgin chastity. Be faithful to the least convictions of His Spirit; even though in your corrupt nature-and-flesh-will a thousand kinds of stubbornness should rise up against it, only turn yourself sincerely from them with your new mind-will, given you of God: no powers of hell can compel this. In that way you hold with God, and God holds with you, who will in His time deliver you from all bonds. Flee especially the lusts of youth, which so darken the mind and estrange it from God: our heart, too, is to be a pure temple of God.

Break through, my dear friend, in all points, especially in the matter you know of, which we lately spoke of together. Do not wait a moment; God requires here a willing offering of you, and will let you have no rest until you give Him your full and sincere consent in this too. I say it once more: do not let yourself be told that to serve God is something hard, vexing, or impossible; picture it to yourself, rather, as a beautiful, lovely life, made easy through the grace of God — as indeed it is and becomes to the spirit, when one sets to it rightly in God's name. May He, the Lord, who has called both you and me to this out of great mercy, give you and me too all that is needful to follow His call most faithfully. Wherewith, closing, I remain

Your

Mülheim, 25 June 1727.

well-disposed friend.

P.S. Pray diligently; I will gladly bring my weak sighing before God along with yours. Only be faithful, that we may have joy in one another. Greet all the friends as occasion allows. N. greets you too, and says he would gladly see that you loved Jesus heartily.

German

Der 35te Brief.

Daß die Einsamkeit, Gebet und Verläugnung zu lieben und zu üben.

In der Gnade GOttes herzlich-geliebter Freund!

Dein kleines Brieflein habe durch die Freundinnen wohl erhalten, und ist mir lieb gewesen; und obwohl die Zeit zu kurz ist, will doch deinem Begehren nach etwas zurück schreiben, so wie es GOtt wird geben.

— 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).