How far the state of repentance, of the law, and the drawing of the Father are one and the same. That faith in Jesus has its degrees. On the distinction of the free will.

The Sixtieth Letter.

How far the state of repentance, of the law, and the drawing of the Father are one and the same. That faith in Jesus has its degrees. On the distinction of the free will.

In the grace of Jesus, dearly beloved brother!

I will see whether I have time and strength to answer your questions in a few words; for otherwise this cannot well be done so in a little letter, and would more fittingly happen by mouth.

The state of repentance, of the law, and the drawing of the Father are, on the whole, one and the same, because the one as well as the other is a preparation for Christ, for the new birth, or for the state of the new covenant. Yet at times there is a distinction in it. A man who, driven by the hard chastisements, demands, and anxiety of his conscience, works in his own strength — leaves evil and does good in order to quiet his poor mind — stands properly under the law.*) But when I am to call it a state of repentance, then there must be a further bowing and contrition on account of committed sins; and the more the soul, in the knowledge of its sins, wretchedness, and impotence, sighs and longs for forgiveness in Christ and for His inworking power and grace to the renewal of the heart, the more properly might one call it the drawing of the Father — although these three names, as said, mean on the whole the same, and the thing itself is often together.

*) Romans 7, from the 7th verse on, Paul describes the state under the law; verse 24 one might call repentance. In the latter verse there is a drawing to Christ. (NB. This note too is from the blessed Author.)

One commonly takes the assurance of the forgiveness of sins for faith in Jesus; but that is, in my judgment, incorrect. What I just now more properly called the drawing of the Father, I might also rightly call faith in Jesus — for the Father draws to the Son; but faith in Jesus has its degrees. At the beginning it is a coming to Jesus (John 6:35), namely with hunger and longing, just as I have said of the drawing of the Father. Thereafter it is a receiving of Jesus (John 1:12), which cannot happen unless the upright will of the soul lets go, at once, of world, sin, and itself. At the going-on, faith is an abiding in Jesus (John 15), namely with inward inclination, love, and trust — what one otherwise calls recollection, or cleaving (1 Corinthians 6:17). And so, abiding and walking in Jesus, one becomes ever more rooted and grounded in Him (Colossians 2:7), which does not go without cross and shaking. Finally, faith is a dwelling of Christ in the soul, and of the soul in Christ (Ephesians 3:17; John 17:23), and a becoming one with Him, and so on. The looking-up and weighing of the cited passages will perhaps give you more light on the matter. On the whole you see that I do not take faith for an act of the understanding alone — as one imagines to oneself that Christ has done enough for us — but chiefly for an act of the will and heart, when desire, love, and trust turn from oneself and all created things to the grace in Jesus, in order to be helped by Him out of the guilt and dominion of sin. Trust is indeed an essential part of faith; but as soon as there is a hungering after grace, or a coming to Jesus, there is trust there too, though often much covered over by sin and fear: yet one never comes to a physician when one has no trust in him at all. The souls must only keep coming, and then trust will show itself in its time. The light is born out of darkness, and trust out of anxiety and trembling.

What one otherwise calls a drawing to the inward is properly faith in Jesus paired with an inwardly tender trust. This drawing to the inward announces itself in many souls, indeed, like a flash of lightning; but, alas, it is seldom given fitting room, or is ill tended; otherwise the soul would thereby be shortly freed from unrest and bonds, and helped to the full new birth, and so on.

As to your question about the free will, it is ambiguous. One commonly understands by the free will a will to will the good and an ability to do the good; and in this sense no man by nature has a free will. But if one understands by it the arbitrary steering of the will — to be able freely to choose the good or evil that comes before it — then indeed not only every man, but the devils themselves, have in this sense a free will. But on the one hand, man has no light nor good by nature toward which his will could turn. Yet the will is free in the element of darkness, like a fish in water; but outside it, it neither can nor will. For Christ's sake the light now does shine; and where it offers itself to man — yes, then he has the freedom of his will, to open the windows of his heart or not. And on the other hand, man cannot do this by nature, but out of God's mercy. He can, yet he will not, because the light pains him and he therefore hates it. Therefore God offers not only light and grace, but also gives the will a good movement and inclination, so that the light seems agreeable to him and the evil is made distasteful to him. And because God, for Christ's sake, certainly does this in man, no excuse remains for the unbelieving. But God forces no one; He offers faith to everyone (Acts 17:31), and there man has the freedom to say Yes or No. For the rest, he properly has a right free will who has given his will over wholly into God and lost it. A fish can lie free on the land, and spring here and there; but it is nowhere free save in the water: what water is to a fish, that is God to our spirit. Whoever follows his own mind, drive, and will — coarse or subtle — is a captive slave. Even the kings of the earth are, in nature, as little free in will as a prisoner in the citadel. Our spirit and our will lives everywhere in constraint and in the press, until it gives itself over thoroughly into God and, as it were, loses itself; for thereto we are created; therefore then we are also rightly free, well, and blessed. Amen, may this become true in us!

For the rest, dear brother, it is needless, indeed often harmful, when souls know the distinction of the states so exactly: there is no need of much talk about it. To whoever is to give others some direction, it can indeed sometimes serve for some guidance; but he must not want to lead others by any single scheme, just as God too leads souls by no means according to one and the same order. For example: some come, soon at the start, into an earnest legal labor; others into great remorse and embarrassment on account of committed sins; others are drawn with sweetness and love. Some get to see their corruption at the start, others afterward, and so on. Whoever is now to serve others must follow God and watch, as a nursemaid follows the child and only steers it about when it wants to run into danger. Otherwise the own exercise in prayer and self-denial alone gives us the right light in the ways of God. Solitude, self-denial, prayer — oh, how needful are these pieces to every soul in this time! In this we must ourselves live, and, when it is to be, give others too occasion and incitement thereto. One must, along with this, especially seek to instill into souls a good heart toward God in Christ — yet so that one always keep self-denial in view, that they, out of free will and love toward God, may sever their heart from all and turn it to Him alone. Whoever walks disorderly must indeed be admonished; but otherwise one must not, in the particulars, prescribe many laws of self-denial, but let grace itself lead in the particulars, yet press, on the whole, for the full surrender of the heart. With the weak one must know how to yield, and yet keep the goal in view, so that one may, by a little detour, bring them unnoticed nearer, and so on. May God give to him who, at this time, is to deal with others, a rich measure of His Spirit! Oh, who is sufficient for it!

The time is gone, so I must break off; you may well not be able to read my writing rightly, and to understand my meaning. Brother N. may well read it with [you]; otherwise it is not just for everyone, especially as I write very hastily. May the Lord bless and strengthen you, especially according to the inner man! Remember me too! I remain,

Your bound and weak fellow-brother.

Mülheim, the 18th of December 1744.

German

Der sechzigste Brief.

Wie weit der Stand der Buße, des Gesetzes und der Zug des Vaters einerlei seyen. Daß der Glaube an JEsum seine Staffeln habe. Vom Unterscheid des freien Willens.

In der Gnade JEsu herzlich geliebter Bruder!

Ich will sehen, ob ich Zeit und Vermögen habe, auf deine Fragen ein paar Worte zu antworten; denn sonst läßt sich das so nicht in einem kleinen Brief thun, und geschähe füglicher mündlich.

— 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).