Earnest admonition to prayer and to self-denial.
The Twenty-seventh Letter.
Earnest admonition to prayer and to self-denial.
In the grace of Jesus, dearly beloved sister!
From your last as well as the former I see that you expect writing from me; but, if writing fell only the hundredth part so hard on you, dear sister, as on me, then I would get few letters from you; God knows it at the best. — —
You write me how you were soon not satisfied with this, soon with that; how soon this, soon that matter sits vexatiously and uncomfortably with you, etc., of which Christians make no songs of lament, but songs of praise and thanks, as those who know that the cause of all dissatisfaction is their own undeadness; and that they have nothing to do but only to pray, and to deny themselves.
See, dear sister! these and the like points more, these are they whereby your so miserably-plagued heart alone can attain to sure and remaining rest and contentment. O give yourselves yet over thereto! Venture the nature and selfhood thereby, so will God help! When I think on your poor-plagued heart and miserable life, then I might weep bloody tears for compassion. You seek joy and ease and find it not. You would be rid of pain and discomfort, and get it only so much the more. You lay the blame on this and that, on this one or on another, and it is yet wholly in yourselves. To die to yourselves through continual denial, and through prayer and inward turning to draw near to God, thereby alone will you attain what your heart wishes. This joy I hope yet to live to see with you, whereunto God grant grace!
I greet quite heartily, also your worthy husband, and the other dear children all together; the ones here greet also. Pray all for me. I am
Your Mülheim, weak fellow-brother. the 13th of August, 1757.
German
Der siebenundzwanzigste Brief.
Ernstliche Ermahnung zum Gebät und zur Selbst-Verläugnung.
In der Gnade JEsu herzlich geliebte Schwester!
Aus eurem Letzteren sowohl als Vorigen sehe ich, daß ihr von mir Schreiben erwartet; allein, wann euch, liebe Schwester, das Schreiben nur den hundertsten Theil so schwer fiele, als mir, dann würde wenig Briefe von euch bekommen; GOtt weiß es am Besten.
— 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 August letter of the 13th, 1757, from Mülheim to Maria von der Leyen at Krefeld. She expects writing; he answers that if writing fell only the hundredth part so hard on her as on him, few letters would come from her. God knows it at the best. Then the earnest admonition of the argument: Christians make no songs of lament, but songs of praise and thanks; the cause of all dissatisfaction is their own undeadness; they have nothing to do but pray and deny themselves. Her miserably-plagued heart attains rest only thereby. Mülheim, the 13th of August, 1757.
If writing fell so hard on you. From her last as well as the former he sees that she expects writing. But if writing fell only the hundredth part so hard on her as on him, then he would get few letters from her; God knows it at the best. She writes how she was soon not satisfied with this, soon with that; how soon this, soon that matter sits vexatiously and uncomfortably with her. Of such things Christians make no songs of lament, but songs of praise and thanks, as those who know that the cause of all dissatisfaction is their own undeadness; and that they have nothing to do but only to pray, and to deny themselves.
The miserably-plagued heart. These and the like points are they whereby her so miserably-plagued heart alone can attain to sure and remaining rest and contentment. O give yourselves yet over thereto! Venture the nature and selfhood thereby, so will God help. When he thinks on her poor-plagued heart and miserable life, then he might weep bloody tears for compassion. She seeks joy and ease and finds it not; she would be rid of pain and discomfort, and gets it only so much the more. She lays the blame on this and that, on this one or on another, and it is yet wholly in herself. To die to yourselves through continual denial, and through prayer and inward turning to draw near to God — thereby alone will she attain what her heart wishes. This joy he hopes yet to live to see with her, whereunto God grant grace. He greets quite heartily, also her worthy husband, and the other dear children all together; the ones here greet also. Pray all for me. Your weak fellow-brother. Mülheim, the 13th of August, 1757.
A few words and echoes.
- earnest admonition. Ernstliche Ermahnung — not comfort this time: an exhortation to prayer and to self-denial.
- from your last as well as the former. he sees she expects writing; if it fell so hard on her as on him, few letters would come.
- songs of lament. Christians make none of these, but songs of praise and thanks.
- undeadness. Ungestorbenheit — the cause of all dissatisfaction is that the self has not died.
- nothing to do but only to pray. and to deny themselves.
- miserably-plagued heart. it attains sure rest only by those two.
- venture the nature and selfhood. so will God help.
- bloody tears for compassion. when he thinks on her poor-plagued heart and miserable life.
- you seek joy and ease. Gemach — and find it not; you would be rid of pain, and get it only so much the more.
- the blame is in yourselves. not on this and that, not on this one or another.
- prayer and inward turning. Gebät und Einkehr — thereby alone you attain what your heart wishes. (Ps. 37:4)
- Your / Mülheim, weak fellow-brother. the 13th of August, 1757.
trans. Jarred Fenlason · gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdii-thiv-027 · all rights reservedEnglish translation © Jarred Fenlason · All rights reserved · gerhardtersteegen.com.