Letters · Zweiter Band · Theil III (1775)

Assurance to a person standing in inward sufferings: that this is the way, that Jesus suffer with her, that she must consent into her misery, trust so much the more simply in God, and must not omit the prayer.

Bd II · Th III · Brief 126 · Der hundertundsechsundzwanzigste Brief

Addressee — The GEB print suppresses the name (N. N.); argument "an eine … Person" (sie). Body address "mein lieber Bruder" — du/dein/dich → you. No prayer-stretch to God.
Date — Mülheim, 9 October 1749.
Provenance — Translated from the public-domain 1775 first edition (Theil III, pp. 378–381), in normalized GS 1845 house orthography, collated against the 1798/99 second edition (Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin). All rendered words come from public-domain prints.

The Hundred-and-twenty-sixth Letter.

N. N.

Both your pleasant little letters of the 9th and 27th passato I have duly received. I see that it pleases God to let you painfully feel and experience your misery, your captivity, and your powerlessness to help yourself. I take part indeed in your pains; I know how it is with one who is stuck in such a strait, and Jesus knows it yet better, and stands by. The desires and inclinations so inwardly awakened by grace drive powerfully, to go out of oneself and out of all corruption, in order to live unto God alone. One ought; one will; one strives; but one falls always down again, and where one slips away at one end, one finds oneself at the other. One knows in some measure how to behave oneself therein; only one cannot always give oneself the good dispositions that one wishes.

Wherewith shall I then comfort and strengthen you? With this, that I assure you: It is the way; And with this, that I say to you: I suffer with you; and (which is infinitely more) Jesus suffers with you and in you; and it is even the work of His grace and of His Spirit, that you stick in such labour and press, whereby you must experience on the one side a hearty longing after the life of God, and on the other side the impossibility of giving yourself such, and the very contrary.

Hold out yet in God's name, my dear brother, and let not courage sink! Confidence well fails a man once; one must not therefore cast it away. Heb. 10:15. God shows that all is grace; and the fairest proof that it is of God, what good one has, or has had, is, because one cannot give it oneself, when one will. Consent into the experience of your misery and of your inability, and give God the glory. Not that the evil should please you, or that you should actually practise it; by no means! that were sin: But the sight, feeling, and the discovery of what you are, must please you in so far, and not set you in self-loving, self-willed vexation and displeasure, as whereby often out of a mere temptation a real sin becomes. God's intention is only, that it should humble the soul, make it pliable and capable of forsaking itself: If it happens, however, that vexation, anger or sadness have already really taken possession of the mind; or that otherwise also a notable misstep has occurred, the same medicine is always only to be used, namely to consent into one's misery and nothingness, and after one has prayed for forgiveness, to quiet oneself and bear, as well and as peaceably as one can, and to accustom oneself to trust so much the more simply in God, the less ground of trust one finds in oneself.

Omit not the exercise of prayer, notwithstanding it falls you laborious. The Lord sees us, even when we see Him not, and marks our heart's inclination. It will soon be better. Be content, when you only content God, and Him we content when we will content Him, and do what we are able. A little reading is yet also not unserviceable, even when you do not perceive the benefit as otherwise, yea even when the devotion unnoticedly scatters itself, that you know not what you have read: It yet well leaves some nourishment behind, and preserves from something worse. Only in far too strong discouragement, and some other temptations, I would not force myself so much thereto, but after I had attended to prayer a while, rather take up an outward work; for because you cannot give yourself any good dispositions, or observe many rules, so would much such reading only hinder you at this time.

Now the Lord strengthen, and lift you up above yourself, that you may hold out by Him in childlike trust, and may obtain the certain promise! Faithful is He that has called you; He will also do it. You are much present to me, and I remember you in my unworthy prayer; expect also the like of you.

I greet you in brotherly love and remain, etc. etc.

Mülheim, the 9th of October, 1749.

❦

German

Der hundertundsechsundzwanzigste Brief.

Versicherung an eine in inneren Leiden stehende Person: daß diß der Weg seye, daß JEsus mit leide, daß sie in ihr Elend mit einstimmen, so viel bloßer auf GOtt vertrauen, und das Gebet nicht unterlassen müsse.

N. N. Beide deine angenehme Brieflein vom 9ten und 27ten passato habe richtig erhalten. Ich sehe, daß es GOtt gefällt, dich dein Elend, deine Gefangenschaft und deine Ohnmacht dir zu helfen, schmerzlich fühlen und erfahren zu lassen.

— 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. An assurance to a person standing in inward sufferings — the GEB print suppresses the name (N. N.); Benrath restores Abraham Evertsen — Mülheim, the 9th of October, 1749. That this is the way; that Jesus suffer with him; that he must consent into his misery, trust so much the more simply in God, and must not omit the prayer.

Both little letters. Both pleasant little letters of the 9th and 27th passato have been duly received. God is pleased to let him painfully feel his misery, captivity, and powerlessness to help himself. Tersteegen takes part in the pains; he knows how it is in such a strait, and Jesus knows it yet better, and stands by. Grace-awakened desires drive out of oneself, to live unto God alone. One ought, one will, one strives; and one falls always down again.

It is the way. Wherewith then to comfort him? It is the way. I suffer with you; and, which is infinitely more, Jesus suffers with you and in you. It is the work of His grace that he sticks in such a press, whereby he must experience a hearty longing after the life of God, and the impossibility of giving it himself. Hold out in God's name, my dear brother. Confidence well fails once; one must not therefore cast it away. Heb. 10:15. Consent into the experience of your misery and inability, and give God the glory. Not that the evil should please, or be actually practised: but the discovery of what you are must not set you in self-willed vexation, whereby a mere temptation becomes a real sin.

Omit not the prayer. If vexation has already taken the mind, or a misstep has occurred, the same medicine: consent into one's misery and nothingness, pray for forgiveness, be still, and trust so much the more simply in God, the less ground one finds in oneself. Omit not the exercise of prayer, notwithstanding it falls laborious. The Lord sees us even when we see Him not, and marks the heart's inclination. A little reading is not unserviceable even when the devotion scatters. Only in far too strong discouragement, rather an outward work than much reading, for one cannot give oneself good dispositions at such a time. Faithful is He that has called you; He will also do it. Mülheim, the 9th of October, 1749.

A few words and echoes.

It is the way. The first comfort: this painful feeling of misery, captivity, and powerlessness to help yourself is the way.
Jesus suffers with you and in you. Infinitely more than Tersteegen's "I suffer with you" — and it is the work of His grace that you stick in such labour and press.
Cast not away your confidence. Confidence well fails a man once; one must not therefore cast it away. (Hebrews 10:35; the letter cites 10:15)
Consent into the experience of your misery. Stimme ein — not that the evil should please you, but that the discovery of what you are should humble the soul, not set it in self-loving vexation.
the same medicine. After vexation, anger, or a misstep: consent into misery and nothingness, pray for forgiveness, quiet yourself, and trust so much the more simply in God, the less ground of trust you find in yourself.
Omit not the exercise of prayer. Though it falls laborious: the Lord sees us, even when we see Him not, and marks our heart's inclination.
A little reading. It yet leaves some nourishment, even when devotion scatters — except in too-strong discouragement, when an outward work is better than forcing many rules.
Be content, when you only content God. And Him we content when we will content Him, and do what we are able.
Faithful is He that has called you. He will also do it — the certain promise. (1 Thessalonians 5:24 — "Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.")

Cite this letter

Gerhard Tersteegen, Geistliche und erbauliche Briefe, Zweiter Band, III. Theil, Brief 126 (Solingen, 1773–75); trans. Jarred Fenlason, https://gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdii-thiii-126.html.

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