Letters · Erster Band · Theil II (1773)

The author's special love for the inward souls. On harmful self-working. On the divine working in the heart, and remaining-in with Jesus.

Bd I · Th II · Brief 103 · Der 103te Brief

Addressee — "In Ihm hertzlich-geliebte Schwester!" — a woman, addressed in the courtesy third person / plural (Ihr Angenehmes / die liebe Schwester / ihre Ausnöthigung → you); unnamed. She had written 25 April (via "Herrn N.") and invited him to visit.
Date — Mülheim, 21 August 1736 (dated + subscribed "Meiner vielgeliebten Schwester in JESU verbundener Bruder")
Provenance — Translated from the public-domain 1773 first edition (Theil II, pp. 308–313), in normalized GS 1845 orthography, collated against the 1845 Gesammelte Schriften (Bd 8) and Hartman's 1819 reprint. All public-domain.

The Hundred-and-third Letter.

The author's special love for the inward souls. On harmful self-working. On the divine working in the heart, and remaining-in with Jesus.

May Jesus take us in, and hold us for ever.

In Him, heartily-beloved sister!

Your kind letter of the 25th of April, by Herr N., I have received — late, indeed, yet safely. Praised be the Lord for all the fellowship of the Spirit that He grants us in His love: we will thank Him for it once again in the fatherland, even as we are now refreshed and strengthened by it on the pilgrim-journey. Yea, I can say, it is a right cordial and refreshment to my poor heart, when my spirit thinks of a soul that is thus drawn and given over to what is whole and inward. I love all awakened souls; but I cannot help that the outflow of my love is more unforced toward some than toward others. To some one goes out in love; but others one finds within — and these bring no hindrance or mediation in the fellowship with God. O how good are such friends, who do not draw us away from the best Friend, who wills to be our all, and enough in all!

Ah, one knows it and experiences it not enough — that this eternal Good is so inwardly near to us, and that in the name of Jesus, in the spirit of our mind, such an open way is made into the sanctuary, out of which the fountain against all sin and uncleanness wells up into believing hearts that only turn childlike into it. I see it clearly, that the most earnest souls often stay too much in themselves, and torment themselves in their own self-working — whereby one also hinders oneself from rightly experiencing God's nearness and secret workings, and from giving them right room. It is true, an undied-to person may well fall into a false idleness; but that does not happen with sincere heart-children, who would gladly help themselves, if it were in their power — as they have indeed already done their best; they experience, however, not without pain, that their powers sink and are not sufficient to remedy their own evil. In the self-working and in the multiplicity they are weakened, but in the inward simplicity and stillness secretly strengthened. Love entices and leads them ever more toward one thing, which comprehends all in itself — namely, toward the innermost letting-go of themselves and of all created things, that the Lord may have and keep their heart and will undivided in His hand. Many a soul does not think that all this is worked in her by Love; she only feels, often, the most tender inclinations toward such a whole and inward being; when she does but think of it, or hear a word of it, her mind is as it were anointed by it, and everything in her must consent to such a sense. If she will set upon the matter by her own working, and render a satisfaction to this whole mind after Christ, then she soon sinks back into her powerlessness, and the mind becomes gloomy, hard, and restless; but if she sinks again into the inward simplicity and stillness, then it becomes gentle and well with her once more. Such souls, then, must let themselves be misled by no legal impulse, from without or from within, but must answer all the demands of the law by such a simple, quiet, trusting inclining-into Jesus — keeping sabbath in this dear Soul-Friend, and cleaving to Him in a will-less sense, so that He Himself may fulfil in us all the righteousness required by the law; which He also will surely and mightily do, if only we abide in Him — for He is our peace and our whole salvation. The least shadow of the revelation of Jesus in us; one single central touch of His divine love; or any other working of God within, however weak it may appear to the senses and the reason — gives the mind more certainty, and weakens the kingdom of darkness far more, than twenty years that are spent in self-working, without such a remaining-in Jesus. And this exercise of remaining-in Jesus is not only for great saints, but precisely for such poor, powerless children as I and my like are.

Ah, ah! what wonders of divine power, grace, and love can the poorest sinner experience, when he thus sinks himself, with closed eyes, into Jesus, and in a childlike sense waits upon Him at the posts of His door. Yea, truly, dear sister, God will dwell in us, we are to become His sanctuary, in which He can be worshipped and served in spirit and in truth; to Him be our whole offered up thereto. His love lays claim to everything — and who would want to withhold anything from it? But may He Himself fulfil in us all His good pleasure! May He hold us fast in all trials and sufferings, and ground us ever more inwardly in His most precious fellowship, that He may have joy in us and within us, here and eternally. Amen, Thou faithful Love!

I thank the dear sister for her loving urging. It would not be for want of the inclination of my mind, that I might well once see your face; but my circumstances and infirmity do not yet permit it. Could I travel incognito, and see only one and another trusted soul, I would sooner resolve upon it; but I am, against my inclination, too well known, and should therefore have to visit here and there, and so become still more known — which is just not my bent, being one who would rather retire wholly; yet in this matter too I give my will into God's hand, who may direct and lead me in His good pleasure. With my bodily infirmity it goes very changeably; now and then the hut cracks hard: head and eyes are very weak, so that at times I can neither write nor bear much conversation. May the Lord let not a single little leaf fall from the cross-tree to the earth!

My soul desires to greet the dear sister in the name of Jesus, in whom we remain united as members. Offer me up to the Lord for completion! I do the same, hoping, through grace, to remain,

of my dearly-beloved sister in Jesus,

devoted brother.

Mülheim, 21 August 1736.

❦

German

Der 103te Brief.

Des Autoris besondere Liebe zu denen innigen Seelen. Vom schädlichen Selbst-Wirken. Vom göttlichen Wirken im Herzen und Inne-bleiben bei JEsu.

JEsus nehme uns ein, und halte uns ewig.

In Ihm herzlich-geliebte Schwester!

Ihr Angenehmes vom 25ten April durch Herrn N. habe zwar spät doch richtig erhalten. Der HErr sey gelobet für alle Gemeinschaft des Geistes, so Er uns in seiner Liebe vergönnet: Wir wollen Ihm noch einmal dafür danken im Vaterland, gleichwie wir jetzt dardurch erquicket und gestärket werden auf der Pilger-Reise.

— 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. One of the fuller and warmer letters of Theil II, and its own title lays out the three movements: Tersteegen's special love for inward souls, the harm of self-working, and the divine working in the heart and remaining-in with Jesus. It reads almost like a small treatise wrapped in personal affection.

He begins with a candid word about his own heart — rare in a writer so bent on self-effacement. He loves "all awakened souls," but admits that "the outflow of my love is more unforced toward some than toward others." His distinction is exquisite: "to some one goes out in love; but others one finds within" — the truest friends are those "who do not draw us away from the best Friend."

The doctrinal heart is his lifelong polemic against strain — schädliches Selbst-Wircken, harmful self-working. Earnest souls, he observes, "often stay too much in themselves, and torment themselves in their own self-working," and thereby actually block the grace they are straining after. The law of the inner life is counter-intuitive: "in the self-working and the multiplicity they are weakened, but in the inward simplicity and stillness secretly strengthened." The alternative to effort is not idleness (he carefully guards against "a false idleness") but a receptive leaning: "answer all the demands of the law by… a simple, quiet, trusting inclining-into Jesus," so that "He Himself may fulfil in us all the righteousness required by the law." The single most encouraging line is his measure of grace against effort: "The least shadow of the revelation of Jesus in us — one single central touch of His divine love… weakens the kingdom of darkness far more than twenty years spent in self-working." And, characteristically, he insists this "remaining-in Jesus" is "not only for great saints, but precisely for such poor, powerless children as I and my like are."

The final movement is personal and moving. The sister had "lovingly urged" him to visit; he declines with a wistful honesty — he would come "could I travel incognito," but he is "too well known," and his health is failing: "now and then the hut cracks hard: head and eyes are very weak." Even the wish to hide he lays "into God's hand." He signs off not as friend or brother merely, but asking her, as a fellow-member of one body, to "offer me up to the Lord for completion" — a man conscious of nearing his end (a note the very next letter, on "spiritual dying," takes up).

A few words and echoes.

"An open way… into the sanctuary." Hebrews 10:19–20, "boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way." The name of Jesus is the open road into God.
"The fountain against all sin and uncleanness." Zechariah 13:1, "a fountain opened… for sin and for uncleanness" — welling up "into believing hearts that only turn childlike into it."
"Self-working" / "remaining-in Jesus." The letter's two poles: Selbst-Wircken (self-effort that exhausts) versus Innebleiben in JEsu — John 15:4, "abide in me, and I in you."
"He Himself may fulfil in us all the righteousness required by the law." Romans 8:4, "that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
"He is our peace." Ephesians 2:14, "for he is our peace."
"Waits upon Him at the posts of His door." Proverbs 8:34, "watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors" — the posture of the soul that has stopped working and begun waiting.
"God will dwell in us… His sanctuary… worshipped in spirit and in truth." 1 Corinthians 3:16 ("ye are the temple of God"); John 4:24 ("worship him in spirit and in truth").
"Amen, Thou faithful Love!" The letter's one direct address to God — divine Love apostrophized in the second person (rendered with the reverential Thou).
"United as members." 1 Corinthians 12:12–27, the one body of many members — the ground on which he asks her to "offer me up."
"The hut cracks." 2 Corinthians 5:1, "our earthly house of this tabernacle" — the failing body as a creaking tent; and "let not a single little leaf fall from the cross-tree," a tender prayer that nothing of the cross's suffering be wasted (cf. Matthew 10:29, not a sparrow falls without the Father).

Cite this letter

Gerhard Tersteegen, Geistliche und erbauliche Briefe, Erster Band, II. Theil, Brief 103 (Solingen, 1773–75); trans. Jarred Fenlason, https://gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdi-thii-103.html.

← Bd I · Th II · Brief 102 Bd I · Th II · Brief 104 →