A friend is pointed, for her quieting, to God and to pure grace.
The Forty-third Letter.
A friend is pointed, for her quieting, to God and to pure grace.
In our dearest Savior, dearly beloved sister!
If you would make the conclusion from my slowness in writing to you, as if my heart were averse, or as if I forgot you; you would greatly err. My heart is toward you unchangeably brotherly minded; I offer up your outer as well as your inner state earnestly, yet in weakness, to our sweet Savior.
My more than usual weakness is the cause that I have not answered your pleasant little letters to me (the latter was of the 29th of July): I am also even now not well in a condition for writing; yet must greet you with a couple of lines, and wish you the Lord's mighty blessing for your heart-strengthening.
Be of good courage, dear sister! in God, who has loved you and chosen you for Himself. You have no cause to fear; or to mistrust. Your state is so, as it must be for this time. Yield yourself to the Lord childlikely, even as you find yourself. If you have nothing and are nothing in yourself, then think that God does not need yours either: He is your God and your Good; in His love-heart is everything that we need, sink yourself there with me naked, both in life and in death. Pure grace and the free favor of God in Christ makes us both holy and blessed: Seek no other ground either in yourself, or in any created thing. Look upon God, and not upon yourself: Love God, as you can. Yield yourself and only venture it upon God and pure grace, so you will nevermore be put to shame, but will experience the wonders of God. I greet you heartily and remain through grace
Your Mülheim, obliged weak the 12th of August, 1759. fellow-brother.
German
Der dreiundvierzigste Brief.
Eine Freundin wird zu ihrer Beruhigung auf GOtt und die pure Gnade gewiesen.
In unserem theuresten Heilande herzlich-geliebte Schwester!
Wann du aus meiner Trägheit im Schreiben an dich, den Schluß machen wolltest, als wann mein Herz abgeneigt wäre, oder als wann ich deiner vergäße; so würdest du sehr fehlen.
— 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 12th, 1759, from Mülheim to Anna Maria Rittershaus. If from his slowness in writing she would conclude that his heart were averse, or that he forgot her, she would greatly err. The heart toward her unchangeably brotherly; her outer and inner state offered up earnestly, yet in weakness, to the sweet Savior. More than usual weakness the cause her pleasant little letters (the latter of the 29th of July) are unanswered; even now not well in a condition for writing, yet must greet her with a couple of lines and wish the Lord's mighty blessing for her heart-strengthening. Be of good courage in God, who has loved her and chosen her for Himself. No cause to fear or to mistrust. Her state as it must be for this time. Yield herself to the Lord childlikely. If she has nothing and is nothing in herself, God does not need hers either: He is her God and her Good; in His love-heart is everything we need — sink there with him naked, both in life and in death. Pure grace and the free favor of God in Christ makes both holy and blessed. Seek no other ground in herself or in any created thing. Look upon God, and not upon herself. Love God, as she can. Yield herself and only venture it upon God and pure grace — she will nevermore be put to shame, but will experience the wonders of God. Mülheim, the 12th of August, 1759.
Be of good courage; He is your God and your Good. Be of good courage, dear sister, in God, who has loved you and chosen you for Himself. You have no cause to fear or to mistrust. Your state is so, as it must be for this time. Yield yourself to the Lord childlikely, even as you find yourself. If you have nothing and are nothing in yourself, then think that God does not need yours either: He is your God and your Good; in His love-heart is everything that we need.
Pure grace; look upon God, not yourself. Sink yourself there with him naked, both in life and in death. Pure grace and the free favor of God in Christ makes us both holy and blessed. Seek no other ground either in yourself, or in any created thing. Look upon God, and not upon yourself: Love God, as you can. Yield yourself and only venture it upon God and pure grace, so you will nevermore be put to shame, but will experience the wonders of God. Mülheim, the 12th of August, 1759.
A few words and echoes.
- slowness in writing. Trägheit im Schreiben — not a cooled heart; if she drew that conclusion she would greatly err.
- offer up the outer and the inner state. earnestly, yet in weakness, to the sweet Savior.
- be of good courage. Sey getrost — in God, who has loved her and chosen her for Himself. (Eph. 2:4; Eph. 1:4)
- yield yourself childlikely. even as you find yourself; the state as it must be for this time.
- He is your God and your Good. if you have nothing and are nothing in yourself, He does not need yours either.
- sink yourself there with me naked. in His love-heart is everything we need, both in life and in death.
- pure grace and the free favor of God in Christ. makes us both holy and blessed; no other ground in yourself or in any created thing.
- look upon God, and not upon yourself. love God, as you can.
- venture it upon God and pure grace. so you will nevermore be put to shame. (Ps. 25:3)
trans. Jarred Fenlason · gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdii-thiv-043 · all rights reservedEnglish translation © Jarred Fenlason · All rights reserved · gerhardtersteegen.com.