Of spiritual correspondence. Of God's providence and love. An encouragement to trust in God in the experience of one's own misery.

The Seventeenth Letter.

Of spiritual correspondence. Of God's providence and love. An encouragement to trust in God in the experience of one's own misery.

Dearly beloved sister in Jesus, may He live in your heart!

Your little letter of — July was truly agreeable to me; in the spirit I have often answered it, and have visited and blessed you on your little chamber. The bodily visit (which according to God's will is refreshing) can be hindered by many things; the spiritual visit and the spiritual correspondence by no one: If only the way to God's heart is kept open, then the fellowship among one another also remains blessed, and uninterrupted. (1 John 1:7.) God has willed it, that we too should find one another and keep company toward His blessed eternity; thereover let a hallelujah be brought to His name here and yonder! I think we will hold out with God together until the end.

Yea, sister! God has plucked us out of much; we do not recognize it all: He has kept us and covered us from much; we know well the least of it: He has shown and given us much in many pieces; we do not prize it highly enough: And the best and most still lies kept for us in God's heart; we are not yet capable of it; yet we shall have it in His time. We should only hold out of good courage, with sweet detachment, and with sweet trust: I say, of good courage; for when grace lets a person recognize, by degrees, his corruption, misery and selfhood, even in the spiritual, and help seems to delay, then the tempter (especially in drought and darkness) can plague one mightily, and bring in faintheartedness and doubt of all that went before, so that life often grows bitter.

The above I had written on the last post-day, but was hindered (as it goes with me daily) from finishing the little letter, as gladly as I would have. Since then I receive your little letter of the 27th of September, from which I see that I was just in the serviceable matter with you, wherein I must only go on, and say to you: That it will indeed in part be true, that under your former service of God some subtle unrecognized self-seeking shall have run in: But that you should not have served the Lord otherwise (as you write) than for your own pleasure and profit's sake, etc. That is not true; I know you better, and know what God has done to your soul. The tempter does not grudge you your pearl, and that you should lead your walk with sweet rest and trust: Therefore he always crumbles something in; he shows you the chaff that is under the wheat, so that he may winnow after his manner, and you should throw out the one with the other. You must leave the fan in the Savior's hand and let Him do with you, in giving and taking, in coming and going, and with the utmost contentment and pleasure approve all His doing. On purpose you must not look upon yourself, nor hunt up your self-seeking, much less, in the experience of corruption and of selfhood, give place to anxious unrest and faintheartedness, which only makes evil worse. Only lose yourself again as soon as you find yourself. Shut your eye softly to all evil and to all that is your own, as to a thing unpleasant to you and worth nothing, and turn the mark of your faith sweetly upon Him from whom your help comes; and when He beckons you, then sink yourself (notwithstanding you have seen what you are in yourself) with childlike trust into God, so must the chaff fly before the wind. If you cannot withdraw from the evil, then suffer it peaceably, from submission to God. Enough! that God's eye sees that you do not love it, but suffer it. Let your heart consent in God's leading, and say to Him through the mute love-speech: Yea, sweet Savior! so I am; but nevertheless will I love thee; nevertheless I remain always with thee. (Ps. 73:22.) Such a creature hast thou been willing to love; should I not love thee again? See, sister! so you can use the worthless chaff to keep up the fire of love therewith, and to strengthen and to ground your trust toward God. Never is trust better grounded than when it has no ground any more in us, and sinks naked into God.

Yea, yea! God loves you, and will have you; therefore do not make many compliments: Come as you are, that He may form you as you should be. Trust sweetly, childlike, blindly, so you will please God, and be helped by Him. Ingratitude is also sin. So and so much has God done to you freely, and still you do not trust Him! I know there is still much lacking to you, but the children do not much care; they only suck.

That your play-companion N. has gone from you, that has caused you grief: I know that well; the children easily cling a little too much to one another; they weep when they must be a little apart for once; but they also soon forget it, when they are quieted a little in the mother's lap: That I wish for you both too. Had I been there, I could have wept with you for once, (so childish am I,) but should also soon have had to laugh or to chide, if you had made it too bad. There is indeed no unsurmountable mountain between you. Greet N. right heartily from me. May Jesus sanctify and bless her going out and coming in, and give her in her new school the serviceable lessons, the daily bread and pleasure in the All-sufficient: We will sing the fifteenth hymn in the Little Flower-Garden with her. I also greet Mrs. N. as occasion serves; likewise your mother: May Jesus let her hear His voice with power, that she may live. Now I greet you once more, dear sister! in the name of Jesus, who bless you, and speak His peace into your heart! I remain

Your Mülheim, obliged weak fellow-brother. the 26th of September, 1756.

German

Der siebzehnte Brief.

Von der geistlichen Correspondenz. Von GOttes Vorsorge und Liebe. Aufmunterung zum Vertrauen auf GOtt bei Erfahrung des eigenen Elends.

Herzlich geliebte Schwester in JEsu, der in deinem Herzen lebe! Dein Brieflein vom — Julii war mir recht angenehm; im Geist hab ichs oft beantwortet, und dich auf deinem Kämmerlein besuchet und gesegnet.

— 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).