Important rules, unto a restless mind, for the obtaining of constant peace of heart.
The Twenty-third Letter.
Important rules, unto a restless mind, for the obtaining of constant peace of heart.
Dearly beloved sister in the grace of Jesus!
Your latter of the 15th of this I receive aright. It grieves me so heartily that I still always see you in the inward unrest, driving and trouble; wherein God cannot duly work and dwell. For, though it is indeed the truth that you have at times had joyfulness and well-being, and then again pressure and suffering; yet it is no still suffering and no still well-being, such as God works, but the inward unrest and driving keeps the place in the one as well as in the other, and makes that everything is very inconstant and very fruitless: Therefore I wish you not only God's peace from the heart, but I will also show you how you can obtain and keep the same alone and infallibly. Only mark that which I say!
Your inward unrest, driving and trouble comes from this, that you remain standing in yourselves, and that you set your rest, your well-being and pleasure in something wherein it is not to be found, namely therein, that the people without you should so act as you believe they must act; that the things should so come to pass as you well-meaningly wish; and that it should so go with you bodily and spiritually as you think it is best. Because now all such often goes quite otherwise, so are you always in unrest; yea even then, when according to your thinking it stands and goes right fair, you yet remain in a secret trouble and driving, because you, according to the Ground, rejoice only therein, that you have it according to your mind; which is not right.
If you will now, dear sister! have the peace of God and the inward stillness unmoved, then learn to pray from the heart: Not my will, but thy will be done! Set your pleasure only therein, that God be pleased with you, and all His good-pleasure, temporally and eternally, be fulfilled in you. Everything else, how it goes and stands, must be very indifferent to you; and when you must feel the selfhood and resisting nature-power, so despise it of good courage, until it die. Through this way you will in love and suffering keep your noble peace, please God, and in everything, yea I say in everything, find profit and pleasure; for God rules everything, only not the own will.
— — Greet heartily N. and N. Jesus live and triumph!
Your Mülheim, weak brother. the 18th of March, 1757.
German
Der dreiundzwanzigste Brief.
Wichtige Reglen, an ein unruhig Gemüth, zur Erlangung des beständigen Herzens-Frieden.
In der Gnade JEsu herzlich geliebte Schwester!
Euer letzteres vom 15ten dieses erhalte richtig. Es thut mir so herzlich leid, daß ich euch noch immer in der inneren Unruh, Treiben und Trouble sehe; worin GOtt nicht gebührend wirken und wohnen kan.
— 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 March letter of the 18th, 1757, from Mülheim to Maria von der Leyen at Krefeld. Her latter of the 15th of this came aright. He still sees her in the inward unrest, driving and trouble, wherein God cannot duly work and dwell. The joyfulness and the pressure alike keep no still place: the unrest holds the ground in both. He wishes her not only God's peace, but will show her how she can obtain and keep it alone and infallibly. Remain not standing in yourselves. Set rest nowhere among people, things, or the body's and the spirit's going. Learn to pray from the heart: Not my will, but thy will be done. Everything else, how it goes and stands, must be indifferent. Despise selfhood of good courage, until it die. Through this way, in love and suffering, keep the noble peace: for God rules everything, only not the own will. Greet N. and N. Jesus live and triumph. Mülheim, the 18th of March, 1757.
The latter of the 15th, and the unrest. The latter of the 15th of this received aright. It grieves him so heartily that he still always sees her in the inward unrest, driving and trouble; wherein God cannot duly work and dwell. Though it is indeed the truth that she has at times had joyfulness and well-being, and then again pressure and suffering, yet it is no still suffering and no still well-being, such as God works. The inward unrest and driving keeps the place in the one as well as in the other, and makes everything very inconstant and very fruitless. Therefore he wishes her not only God's peace from the heart, but will also show her how she can obtain and keep the same alone and infallibly. Only mark that which he says.
Remain not standing in yourselves. The unrest comes from this, that she remains standing in herself, and sets her rest, well-being and pleasure in something wherein it is not to be found: that people without her should so act as she believes they must; that things should so come to pass as she well-meaningly wishes; that it should so go with her bodily and spiritually as she thinks it is best. Because all such often goes quite otherwise, she is always in unrest; yea even then, when according to her thinking it stands and goes right fair, she yet remains in a secret trouble and driving, because according to the Ground she rejoices only therein, that she has it according to her mind; which is not right. If she will have the peace of God and the inward stillness unmoved, then learn to pray from the heart: Not my will, but thy will be done. Set pleasure only therein, that God be pleased with you, and all His good-pleasure, temporally and eternally, be fulfilled in you. Everything else, how it goes and stands, must be very indifferent. When you must feel the selfhood and resisting nature-power, despise it of good courage, until it die. Through this way you will in love and suffering keep your noble peace, please God, and in everything find profit and pleasure; for God rules everything, only not the own will. Greet N. and N. Jesus live and triumph. Mülheim, the 18th of March, 1757.
A few words and echoes.
- your latter of the 15th of this. received aright.
- inward unrest, driving and trouble. wherein God cannot duly work and dwell.
- no still suffering and no still well-being. such as God works.
- not only God's peace from the heart. but how you can obtain and keep the same alone.
- you remain standing in yourselves. rest is not to be found therein.
- people without you should so act. things should so come to pass.
- even then, when it stands and goes right fair. a secret trouble and driving.
- according to the Ground. you have it according to your mind.
- Not my will, but thy will be done. learn to pray from the heart. (Matt. 6:10; Luke 22:42)
- everything else, how it goes and stands. must be very indifferent to you.
- despise the selfhood of good courage. until it die.
- in love and suffering keep your noble peace. for God rules everything.
- only not the own will. Jesus live and triumph.
- Your / Mülheim, weak brother. the 18th of March, 1757.
trans. Jarred Fenlason · gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdii-thiv-023 · all rights reservedEnglish translation © Jarred Fenlason · All rights reserved · gerhardtersteegen.com.