Consolation and instruction to all the awakened in the writer's birth-city Meurs.
The First Letter.
Consolation and instruction to all the awakened in the writer's birth-city Meurs.
In the grace of our dearest Savior, much-beloved and valued souls on every side, as many of you as, in my natural birth-city Meurs, have let yourselves be awakened by the divine calling of grace, to flee from the corruption that is in the world through lust.
That you have been willing to make known to me your names and your heart's mind, to be wholly the Lord's, such has rejoiced and delighted me in God, and moved me to lay both your names and this your mind again at the feet of our dearest High Priest, for blessing and confirmation. Ah! your names, all of you, must stand written inerasably in the Book of Life, and on that great day be called out among those blessed names which Jesus will then confess before His Father, and before His holy angels!
This inestimable mercy and honor my soul not only wishes you earnestly; it is intended for you, and for the most miserable among you as well, by Jesus Himself, mildly, and most graciously offered. Might we see this heart of Jesus, opened to us accursed ones, only as through a little rift, what would we not see! what would we not feel!
So long as we lived in our secure state of nature without God and without Jesus, we stood on the brink of the opened abyss of hell, and we knew it not. Jesus loved us, sought us, and we knew it not. It is He Himself who has taken you and me by the hand, drawn us away from that terrible abyss, turned our mind to Him, and instead of that well-deserved abyss of hell opened to us His unfathomably loving heart, that we might flee into this safe blessed city of refuge from all sin and danger, and become eternally happy creatures. Ah! come then, dearest souls! taste and see how friendly the Lord is, and how unspeakably good it is in His fellowship, even still in this bodily life. Seek then at no other place an imagined relief for your burdened heart. It is all deceit; you will find it nowhere outside Jesus, but only fetch greater loads.
Whoever abhors all his sins, he has a right to believe that we have in Christ's blood the forgiveness of all our sins, and the cleansing from all sins: but whoever will receive Christ, and yet secretly keep the world and sins as well, his faith is vain. Whoever gives All for All, he certainly obtains the precious pearl; for how can he take, who has not empty hands? Do not comfort yourselves on shallow ground, until Jesus does it in His hour; that you may not suffer harm. Remain gladly in the lowest place, until the Lord Himself says: Friend, go up higher. Luke 14. Only wait at the feet of Jesus, you troubled hearts! None waits in vain. Even while we wait, the fair wheat grows. We have it not yet so good with the world, when it is called glorious, as with Jesus when it goes poorly. Every little tear, every little sigh will bring rich fruit in its time. Learn with Jesus to hold out the fast. Do not become restless, dismayed, or even fickle, when sufferings, when trials and temptations come: rather should our hearts strengthen so much the more in trust, when it goes with us as it went with our Forerunner. He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness before us, that we should not think we were alone therein. O let us put on Christ's mind of suffering! O let us not grow soft in our courage! When that seducing serpent in an angel's appearance comes to us, and says: This and that I will give you, if you fall down and worship me. Whoever perseveres, whoever overcomes, he shall inherit all things.
Do not trust your heart, your courage, your strength, your light, your virtue or faithfulness, wholly and entirely; but become with me as the little children, who without a mother would perish. All that is ours is good for nothing, and the rest is free grace, which we must expect and take from moment to moment: but we can never trust our gracious Savior too much; even the most miserable shall draw near to Him on pure grace; seek His heart and friendship heartily, pray to Him without ceasing, hang childlike upon Him, and then venture all upon Him with courage. O! He is faithful; He will also do it in us and through us, what neither we nor human doing would attain.
Now then, dearest souls! if you have given your hearts and honest yes-word to the dearest Friend of sinners, as you let me witness, then bow with humble thanks before Him who has advised you to this, and who alone can establish you. If the angels in heaven rejoice over one sinner that repents, then shall my poor heart also rejoice over this your blessed lot, and reach you my brotherly hand heartily and gladly. Only examine yourselves closely, and let yourselves be examined by Him who sees into the inward parts, that no hoof be left behind, that no ban be harbored in the heart, that the heart hang upon Jesus in unfeigned sincerity, and become daily more complete. If we remain in Him, then we have boldness; then we have fellowship with one another; then we have joy in one another, and shall in a little while meet before the throne of the Lamb, with endless joy, to glorify Him who has redeemed us with His blood from the earth. Amen! So be it!
Wishing this, I greet you one and all before His face, and remain by His grace
Your
faithfully obliged weak fellow-brother.
Mülheim, the 29th of February, 1752.
German
Der erste Brief.
Trost und Unterricht an die sämtliche Erweckte in des Schreibers Geburts-Stadt Meurs.
In der Gnade unsers theuresten Heilandes allerseits vielgeliebte und werthgeschätzte Seelen, so viel eurer, in meiner natürlichen Geburts-Stadt Meurs, durch den göttlichen Gnaden-Beruf euch habt aufwecken lassen, zu entfliehen dem Verderben, das in der Welt ist durch die Begierlichkeit.
— 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. The first letter of Theil IV: a circular of the 29th of February, 1752, from Mülheim to the awakened in Meurs — Moers, the town of his birth. They have sent him their names and their heart's mind, to be wholly the Lord's. He lays both again at the High Priest's feet, tells them their names must stand in the Book of Life, and then spends the letter teaching them what that mind costs: empty hands, the lowest place, no hoof left behind, and all ventured on Him with courage.
Names, and the opened heart. They have been willing to make their names known. That has rejoiced him in God. He puts the names, and the mind with them, back at the feet of the dearest High Priest. Then the wish that is also a warning: might they see that heart, opened to the accursed, even through a little rift — what would they not see, what would they not feel? So long as they lived without God they stood on the brink of hell and did not know it. It was Jesus who took them by the hand. His heart is the city of refuge; they will not find relief for a burdened heart anywhere else.
All for all. Whoever abhors all his sins has a right to believe the blood; whoever will take Christ and keep the world has a vain faith. The precious pearl is for those who give All for All — "for how can he take, who has not empty hands?" They are not to comfort themselves on shallow ground. Stay in the lowest place until the Lord Himself says, Friend, go up higher. Wait at His feet; even while they wait the wheat grows. And when the serpent comes in an angel's look, with this and that if they will fall down and worship — whoever perseveres, whoever overcomes, shall inherit all things.
The yes-word, and no hoof left behind. Trust none of what is theirs — heart, courage, strength, light, virtue, faithfulness. Become as little children. All that is ours is good for nothing; the rest is free grace, from moment to moment. Then the close: if they have given the Friend of sinners their yes-word, let them bow, and let him rejoice with the angels. Examine: that no hoof be left behind, that no ban be harbored, that the heart hang upon Jesus. In Him they have boldness, fellowship, joy, and shall meet before the throne of the Lamb. Your faithfully obliged weak fellow-brother. Mülheim, the 29th of February, 1752.
A few words and echoes.
- birth-city Meurs. Geburts-Stadt Meurs — the letter is to the awakened in the town where he was born; the old print keeps Meurs, the critical edition heads it Moers.
- calling of grace. Gnaden-Beruf — the divine call by which they let themselves be awakened, to flee the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:4)
- Book of Life. their names, all of them, to stand written inerasably there, and be called out among those Jesus will confess. (Revelation 3:5)
- little rift. Ritzgen — if they could see the opened heart of Jesus even through a little rift, what would they not see.
- city of refuge. Freistadt — His opened heart is the safe free-city they are to flee into, from all sin and danger.
- empty hands / precious pearl. only empty hands can take; the pearl is for those who give All for All. (Matthew 13:46)
- Friend, go up higher. stay gladly in the lowest place until the Lord Himself says it. (Luke 14:10)
- venture all with courage. getrost auf ihn wagen — after childlike hanging on Him, because He is faithful and will do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:24)
- no hoof left behind. kein Klaue dahinten bleibe — examine, that nothing of Egypt remain. (Exodus 10:26)
- yes-word. Jawort — the honest yes they have given the Friend of sinners; the letter's close hangs on it.
- faithfully obliged. treu-verbundener schwacher Mitbruder — how he signs to the souls at Meurs.
trans. Jarred Fenlason · gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdii-thiv-001 · all rights reservedEnglish translation © Jarred Fenlason · All rights reserved · gerhardtersteegen.com.