To a pious school-servant. Instruction how to walk with the heart's-God, and in what manner he may sanctify his office unto God and be of use to the children.

The Hundred-and-thirty-third Letter.

To a pious school-servant. Instruction how to walk with the heart's-God, and in what manner he may sanctify his office unto God and be of use to the children.

In the grace of our dear Saviour, dearly beloved friend!

My continuing bodily weakness, which about this time of year is wont to set in more vehemently, and the over-heaped oral and written onsets of other souls, have hindered that I have not been able to answer your pleasant writing of the 1st of January sooner than today.

That I have had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with you last summer, I look upon as a good disposal of divine love-direction; we should not look upon that as coming so of chance, but simply believe our good Shepherd has expressly so ordered it, and hidden something to our true profit and salvation thereunder. Now then! let our heart say: Why has the Lord done that? Let our soul be silent to the Lord, and lay itself open many times before His face, with inmost desire to be led into His dearest will; then certainly our so near and good Shepherd will not leave Himself unattested, but will let His life-giving shepherd-voice be heard, according to our standing and need, to lead us out of ourselves and all created things, and to lead us in into His inward and eternal fellowship, where the Spirit only finds life and full contentment.

To hear God, and to follow God, is all that is to be done; yea we rather still suffer it, and let it be done in us, than that we ourselves should do it. Only come near! Only simply hungered, believed, loved, and without art walked with the heart's-God, and given Him heart, will and understanding, yea our whole, truly into His power! O great happiness! that we may do this; and still greater happiness, when we do it thus in deed. Lord Jesus! who hast purchased us with thy blood unto thyself, take us truly and eternally unto thee, Amen!

Worthy friend! that you gladly will sanctify your office unto God, is of God, and acceptable to the same. The Lord will therefore that you heartily and manifoldly commend yourself and your work, together with the youth committed to you, unto Him, and in all things let your aim be purified and simplified through the Holy Spirit, to do office and all ever more purely unto the Lord; even as we in nature are wont to do all unto ourselves, and with aim upon ourselves. If then the eye is single, the whole body of the outer work will already be light, and become acceptable to the Lord. God needs not our works; He weighs them after the inner worth, not after the appearance. To have taught a child the ABC for God's love and honour is weightier before God than to preach, to govern lands, and to do much that is great and beautiful with aim upon oneself. I would without presumption advise, to teach the children that which I should think might be serviceable to them today or tomorrow in life; but not to occupy myself at all with quite needless, or only vanity-breeding, matters. If only the mind is devout before God, and in the main work of our calling of grace honestly and wholly minded, then surely a word, or something else, will be given one in the present into the mind, so as is edifying to the children: And when we also should not directly say anything godly, yet after this manner being and walk edify, we ourselves unknowing. When suckling children are sick, then I often give the medicine only to the mothers. School-servants are such wet-nurses; their standing, walk and being has an influence upon the youth committed to them; more than one should think. The words that are spoken do not otherwise do it.

For the rest I wish a heart full of the love of Jesus, as well for one's own soul's contentment and salvation, as also to bring up and to feed the little lambs for the Lord. I greet very heartily, and remain steadfast

Of my dearly beloved friend,

Mülheim, from the heart devoted the 19th of February, 1750. friend in the Lord.

German

Der hundertdreiunddreißigste Brief.

An einen frommen Schul-Diener. Anweisung mit dem Herzens-GOtt umzugehen, und auf was Weise er sein Amt GOtt heiligen und den Kindern nützen könne.

In der Gnade unsers theuren Heilandes herzlich geliebter Freund!

Meine anhaltende Leibes-Schwachheit, welche um diese Jahres-Zeit heftiger zuzusetzen pfleget, und die überhäufte mündliche und schriftliche Anläufe anderer Gemüther haben verhindert, daß E. E. angenehmes Zuschreiben vom 1ten Jan.

— 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).