Adoration of the Lamb, through whose blood God is so inwardly near to us. How to behave at the imparting of grace and in distraction.
The Hundred-and-thirteenth Letter.
Adoration of the Lamb, through whose blood God is so inwardly near to us. How to behave at the imparting of grace and in distraction.
In Jesus our eternal salvation, dear heart's-brother!
From your letter and Brother F.'s I see that you are weak, especially the head.
Let God's power be mighty in your weakness in every way! What matters it concerning the outward man, if he decrease and decay? Let the inward man only increase, and unite himself so much the more inwardly with the invisible Good, which alone thoroughly and eternally delights!
Adoration, thanks, and eternal praise be to the Lamb that was slain! through whose blood this eternally delighting Good has been brought so inwardly-near to us, and we have free leave, without misgiving, to draw near to Him, and with closed eyes to give ourselves over to Him. Ah yes! thou eternal Love! to Thee alone have we everything to thank. Thou lovest us, only because thou art so good and essentially Love. Make us good and lovable through Thyself, since through ourselves we are not so, nor can become so; that thou mayest have honor and good-pleasure in us through a whole eternity! Amen.
That God still at times especially meets you with His grace and love, I see with thankfulness. His divine Majesty knows very well what you have need of; and what you will have need of, He will certainly give you unto the end of your way; that you can childlikely trust to Him: Let yourself be kept by Himself in the present. The affections, self-love, and distractions, of which you report, show only what you are in yourself and what you are able for. Assent simply and without alarm, that you are as you are. Sink yourself down, or let yourself fall so much the more bare into the grace, into the so-near Love — there it is wide. And in this wise everything, even your misery, brings forth fruit unto eternity, though you cannot always so see and feel it.
I greet and kiss you in the spirit, and offer you up earnestly to the Author and Finisher of the faith. Jesus! thou seest it; thou wilt hear it for Thine own sake. Be of good cheer in the Lord, my dear brother! He will accomplish it for you and in you. All the children here greet you heartily also.
Your
Mülheim, the 5th of June, 1749. — faithfully devoted brother.
German
Der hundertunddreizehnte Brief.
Anbetung des Lammes, durch dessen Blut uns GOtt so innigst nahe ist. Wie sich bei Mittheilung der Gnade und in Zerstreuung zu verhalten.
In JEsu unserem ewigen Heil lieber Herzens-Bruder!
Aus deinem und Bruder F. Brief ersehe ich, daß du schwach bist, sonderlich das Haupt. Es werde GOttes Kraft in deiner Schwachheit mächtig auf alle Weise!
— 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. A June letter of the 5th, 1749, from Mülheim to the same brother as the March pair — Johann Peter Schmitz of Solingen (the old print suppresses the name). He has seen from the brother's letter and Brother F.'s that the brother is weak, especially the head. The argument: adoration of the Lamb, through whose blood God is so inwardly near to us; and how to behave at the imparting of grace and in distraction.
The outward man and the inward. Let God's power be mighty in the weakness in every way. What matters it concerning the outward man, if he decrease and decay? Let the inward man only increase, and unite himself so much the more inwardly with the invisible Good, which alone thoroughly and eternally delights.
Adoration of the Lamb. Adoration, thanks, and eternal praise be to the Lamb that was slain! through whose blood this eternally delighting Good has been brought so inwardly-near, and we have free leave, without misgiving, to draw near to Him, and with closed eyes to give ourselves over to Him. Then the cry: thou eternal Love; to Thee alone have we everything to thank; Thou lovest us only because Thou art so good and essentially Love. Make us good and lovable through Thyself. Amen.
Assent that you are as you are. That God still at times especially meets him with grace and love, he sees with thankfulness. His Majesty knows what is needful, and will give it unto the end of the way; that can be childlikely trusted. The affections, self-love, and distractions show only what one is in oneself. Assent simply and without alarm, that you are as you are. Sink down, or fall so much the more bare into the grace, into the so-near Love — there it is wide. Even the misery brings forth fruit unto eternity. He greets and kisses him in the spirit, and offers him up to the Author and Finisher of the faith. Be of good cheer in the Lord; He will accomplish it. Mülheim, the 5th of June, 1749.
A few words and echoes.
- adoration of the Lamb. Anbetung des Lammes — the argument's first sentence; the leaf Anbätung, folded.
- so inwardly near. so innigst nahe.
- at the imparting of grace. bey Mittheilung der Gnade — Mittheilung kept.
- in distraction. in Zerstreuung.
- dear heart's-brother. lieber Herzens-Bruder — the heart-brother compound, not Rule B arm 1.
- especially the head. sonderlich das Haupt — the leaf das, not dein.
- the outward man … the inward man. äußeren Menschen … Innere Mensch.
- the Lamb that was slain. dem Lamm, das geschlachtet ist.
- so inwardly-near. so innigst-nahe — the leaf's compound.
- free leave, without misgiving. freie Erlaubniß … ohne Bedenken.
- essentially Love. wesentlich Liebe.
- thankfulness. Erkänntlichkeit — the leaf's spelling, kept.
- affections. Affecten — the leaf's loanword, kept roman.
- without alarm. ohne Allarm — the leaf's double l, kept in the German.
- Sink yourself down. Ersenk dich.
- so much the more bare. so viel bloßer.
- there it is wide. da ist es weit.
- your misery. dein Elend — abstract misery, not persons.
- Author and Finisher of the faith. Anfänger und Vollender des Glaubens.
- faithfully devoted brother. treu-verbundener Bruder — standalone Dein → Your, never Yours.
trans. Jarred Fenlason · gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdii-thiii-113 · all rights reservedEnglish translation © Jarred Fenlason · All rights reserved · gerhardtersteegen.com.