Of mercy toward the needy. On the death of a bodily brother of the author, as also of another friend.

The Seventy-fifth Letter.

Of mercy toward the needy. On the death of a bodily brother of the author, as also of another friend.

Dear sister! Jesus bless you!

What was sent for N. I have received, together with your little letter; I will give it to him, as coming from E., first the half, and after some time the other half, that it be not spent to no purpose. It is otherwise not right that the man should burden you people over there, since with me he is free enough to ask when something is lacking, and he has also, to my knowledge, never been turned away empty. Yet what is one to do? Mercy rejoiceth against judgment. God will now and then take a trial of our simple love, which will not dwell in one house with reason; rather love goes out, as it were, by the back door when reason comes in by the front. It seems otherwise to be such a loving judgment of God, that the gold-dabblers of this world should stay poor, so that the L in their GOLD may melt away through a blessed putrefaction — and they, with all poor pilgrims, may choose God as their only treasure.

That my brother died on the first of this month will be known to you. The long-drawn misery pressed out yet many a thing that would otherwise well have stayed hidden. He died, for the rest, in a fairly good frame of mind and in surrender to God and His will of love, and it seemed almost that he knew the day and hour beforehand. Now all my five brothers are gone, who were healthy and strong; but I, as the weakest, live on still, through God's wonderful goodness, which, against all men's expectation, has preserved my breath — I know not how long. To Him, my Origin and Savior, be my life and being dedicated, in time and eternity, to His service and honor, Amen! Let us be wholly for Him, my dear sister, and make room for Him in us. Our own life, willing, and moving is worth nothing: the Lord must become our life and All in all; then it stands right, and then it matters little whether our outward shadow-life be broken.

It is always dear to me when I see a few lines from you; though they cannot always be answered with the pen, yet it is done in the spirit of love, in that I offer up your soul, in its weakness, to the Father — so near to us — in Christ, that He may carry out His work in you unceasingly, unto completion. Did we but let Him deal with us unconditionally, how soon and how beautifully would it come to the goal! His pure love will gradually soothe all the harsh forces of our nature and of our self-will; yea, He wills to do it alone; we are only to remain good little children of the heart, who take everything from the Father that comes, and never contradict the Father, but ever, and in all cases, stammer after our eldest Brother: Yea, Father, so it is well-pleasing before Thee! Amen. Thou faithful Love, give this to me and to the sister, and to the rest of the children in E.

That Doctor N. died suddenly you will hear: the day before his end he had me called (though I was also with him the previous days), and then he was far poorer in mind, and also more heartfelt in love, than I had ever known him; afterward he fell to raving, which yet always tended toward the good. So, so must they all one day become children, who would go to heaven. From a count who has come out of the army, and stands in the military service of ———, I have received a brotherly greeting. Another nobleman from Germany writes to me, a stranger, and calls me a brother in the little Child Jesus. It is a wonder how grace stirs, here and there.

I must close, for I am already called away again. I greet once more you and your husband, and all the rest of the called, one and all, though I do not name them.

Your

Mülheim, 9 February 1735. — devoted brother.

German

Der 75te Brief.

Von der Barmherzigkeit gegen Nothleidende. Von Absterben eines leiblichen Bruders des Autoris, wie auch eines andern Freundes.

Liebe Schwester! JEsus segne dich!

Das gesandte für N. habe erhalten nebst deinem Brieflein; werde es ihm, als von E. kommende, erstlich halb geben, und über einige Zeit wiederum halb, damit es nicht unnöthig angewandt werde.

— 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).