Encouragement to a person in anxieties.
The Thirty-ninth Letter.
Encouragement to a person in anxieties.
In our sweetest Saviour, inmost-beloved sister!
Your little letter has been pleasant and refreshing to me. Because I have heard something of those anxieties that come upon you at times, I was concerned for you, whether it might also cause the mind too much disturbance? Since it will yet have only its natural causes. I would therefore have gladly visited you once, but it would not suit, for which reason I had only to offer you up heartily and urgently to God and commend you: He will make it well.
What you report of your mind, and of what goes on therein, is to my contentment; I can unite myself most inwardly therewith. It is God who works such good in you: Hold still to His workings, that He alone live in you, and become Lord and Master: where He also gently moves you to some acts of worship, surrender, love and the like, there follow quietly, and take all will-lessly from Him, however it may be with you; for there is little in us, and He is always most worshipful and worthy of love, and He loves us no less in the bareness and in suffering, than when we have joy and all fullness. Praised be the Lord, that He still gives you what He gives, and that He still preserves the childlike trust in the ground: Eternally will we love Him, and be wholly yielded to Him. Yea, Amen!
Your childlike openheartedness, wherewith you also write to me what goes on with you in the point of your weaknesses, is also pleasant to me. The Lord knows what a making we are. He will help, strengthen, and bring all into due order. Remain only of good courage in all that, and in the still trust; do not esteem it so highly. Vexation and faint-heartedness harm you more than another ill: Forget it, and sink through your nothing into God's allness: God loves you nevertheless, and I love you also for that not a hair less. More, when we come together. You are near me in the spirit, dear heart-sister, and in this spirit I greet and bless you with a brotherly heart
Your Mülheim, obliged weak the 12th of February, 1759. brother.
German
Der neununddreißigste Brief.
Aufmunterung an eine Person in Aengstlichkeiten.
In unserem süßesten Heilande innigst geliebte Schwester!
Dein Brieflein ist mir angenehm und erquicklich gewesen. Weil ich von denen Aengstlichkeiten, die dir bisweilen überkommen, etwas gehöret, so war ich deinetwegen bekümmert, ob es auch dem Gemüth zu viel Stöhrung verursachen möchte?
— 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 February letter of the 12th, 1759, from Mülheim to Catharina Krabbe. Her little letter has been pleasant and refreshing. He had heard of the anxieties that come upon her at times, and was concerned they might disturb the mind too much — they will have only their natural causes. He would gladly have visited once; it would not suit, so he offered her up to God: He will make it well. What goes on in her mind is to his contentment; it is God who works such good. Hold still to His workings, that He alone live in her and become Lord and Master. Follow quietly where He gently moves to worship, surrender, love; take all will-lessly from Him. He loves no less in the bareness and in suffering than when we have joy and all fullness. The childlike trust in the ground is still preserved. Her childlike openheartedness about her weaknesses is also pleasant. The Lord knows what a making we are. Remain of good courage; vexation and faint-heartedness harm more than another ill. Sink through your nothing into God's allness — God loves her nevertheless, and he not a hair less. Mülheim, the 12th of February, 1759.
The anxieties, and He will make it well. Because he has heard something of those anxieties that come upon her at times, he was concerned for her, whether it might also cause the mind too much disturbance. They will yet have only their natural causes. He would therefore have gladly visited her once, but it would not suit, for which reason he had only to offer her up heartily and urgently to God and commend her: He will make it well.
Hold still; follow quietly. What she reports of her mind, and of what goes on therein, is to his contentment; he can unite himself most inwardly therewith. It is God who works such good in her: hold still to His workings, that He alone live in her, and become Lord and Master. Where He also gently moves her to some acts of worship, surrender, love and the like, there follow quietly, and take all will-lessly from Him, however it may be with her; for there is little in us, and He is always most worshipful and worthy of love, and He loves us no less in the bareness and in suffering than when we have joy and all fullness. Praised be the Lord, that He still gives her what He gives, and that He still preserves the childlike trust in the ground: eternally will we love Him, and be wholly yielded to Him.
Openheartedness, and not a hair less. Her childlike openheartedness, wherewith she also writes what goes on with her in the point of her weaknesses, is also pleasant to him. The Lord knows what a making we are. He will help, strengthen, and bring all into due order. Remain only of good courage in all that, and in the still trust; do not esteem it so highly. Vexation and faint-heartedness harm more than another ill: forget it, and sink through your nothing into God's allness. God loves her nevertheless, and he loves her also for that not a hair less. More, when they come together. She is near him in the spirit, dear heart-sister; in this spirit he greets and blesses her with a brotherly heart. Mülheim, the 12th of February, 1759.
A few words and echoes.
- anxieties. Aengstlichkeiten — they come upon her at times; he was concerned they might disturb the mind too much.
- He will make it well. he could not visit, so he offered her up to God and commended her. (Ps. 37:5)
- Hold still to His workings. it is God who works such good in her; that He alone live in her and become Lord and Master.
- acts of worship, surrender, love. follow quietly where He gently moves; take all will-lessly from Him.
- bareness and suffering. He loves no less there than when we have joy and all fullness. (Ps. 16:11)
- childlike trust in the ground. He still preserves it; eternally will we love Him and be wholly yielded.
- childlike openheartedness. she writes also what goes on in the point of her weaknesses.
- what a making we are. the Lord knows; He will help, strengthen, and bring all into due order. (Ps. 103:14)
- vexation and faint-heartedness. they harm more than another ill; forget it, and sink through your nothing into God's allness.
- not a hair less. God loves her nevertheless, and he loves her also for that not a hair less.
- near in the spirit. dear heart-sister; he greets and blesses her with a brotherly heart.
trans. Jarred Fenlason · gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdii-thiv-039 · all rights reservedEnglish translation © Jarred Fenlason · All rights reserved · gerhardtersteegen.com.