Encouragement under the feeling of one's inner corruption, and on the exercise of the presence of God.

The Fifty-fourth Letter.

Encouragement under the feeling of one's inner corruption, and on the exercise of the presence of God.

Beloved friend!

Your little letter I have already answered many times in spirit; outwardly I often lack the time to do so. It is otherwise always pleasant to me to hear how it goes with you in your mind. Only be at all times simple in your writing — I mean, that you write to me just as you find yourself, making it neither worse nor better than you know yourself to be; for such simplicity brings blessing and is well-pleasing to God.

That you feel your misery, and also your inward peculiarities and corruption — this is nothing other than God's mercy, who wills to make you weary of yourself, so that you may hate and forsake yourself and take your refuge in Him, who so gladly would become your Redeemer and your only salvation. Only if you consented to the evil that you feel — that would be sin. Ah, may the Lord never let that happen! Let your inner ground say, in the very midst of the feeling of the wretched: "Lord! I would rather die than sin." Indeed it would even be harmful, or at least dangerous, for you to look too much at the evil that stirs in you, and to think too much upon it. Rather, forget through grace your corruptions — yes, forget yourself — and lift yourself above all things in God!

But your question is: how you are to set about it, that you may be raised above all creatures? I answer briefly, that this most easily comes to pass through the pure love of God. On your side, exercise yourself in the love of God in this manner: that you believe Him ever present with you as a Heart-Friend inclined to your soul, and for His sake seek ever again to forget all else, so that you may think much on Him, admire Him, adore Him, offer yourself up to Him, and with all the affections or powers of your love remain turned toward Him in your heart; and then also, out of love to this present God-of-love, may suffer and forbear and perform all that His providence might let come before you. See, this is your work and exercise, wherein one must exercise oneself as well and as heartily as one can, and ever turn back to it again, however often one may also fall away from it.

This would be a means whereby you should gradually grow strange to the visible, and become ever more unmoved in all occasions and temptations; while God, for His part, would let you feel the drawings of His pure love ever more in your heart (though not always in a perceptible way), whereby you would be gathered, stilled, strengthened, and drawn out of yourself and all created things, into Himself — the uncreated, infinite, and blessing-making Good — to the perfect rest of your mind. So then let the pure love of God lead and take possession of you, and you will soon become another; to that love I commend your soul, and remain.

Mülheim, 28 April 1732.

German

Der 54te Brief.

Aufmunterung unter dem Gefühl seines inneren Verderbens, und von der Uebung in der Gegenwart GOttes.

Geliebte Freundin!

Dein Brieflein habe schon öfters im Geist beantwortet; äußerlich mangelt mirs vielmal an der Zeit, solches zu thun. Es ist mir sonst allezeit angenehm zu vernehmen, wie es dir in deinem Gemüthe gehet.

— 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).