Encouragement to a heavenly-minded walk at the blessed dying of a friend.
The Forty-fourth Letter.
Encouragement to a heavenly-minded walk at the blessed dying of a friend.
Dearest brother!
With dismay I receive even now through your otherwise pleasant letter to me the unexpected news of the going-home of our beloved sister N. I was however also dismayed only because I did not yet expect it, and because after my inclination I would still gladly have kept her a while in our company: On her account I am otherwise at rest; I know what the Lord has done on her soul. He to whom she had yielded herself in life has also surely received her in dying: The preceding distress (which yet may have arisen much from the fever) does not trouble me, and will also not make her soul's rest the less. Now, the Lord had given her to us; the Lord has taken her; the name of the Lord be praised! She was still more His than ours, therefore be she also willingly yielded up to Him. She is not lost to us, but sent on before. Soon we also go thither, to find her again more gloriously than she has gone from us. She and so many, many whom we have partly known, partly not known, await us in the house of our heavenly Father: They are at home in safety and rest; we in danger and much hardship.
O! may the Lord teach us to seek what is above; to set our affection on that which is above, where Christ and all our fallen-asleep brothers and sisters are; and us, through prayer, faith, and walk in the Spirit, to become one with this our fatherland from now on; but this life and all weal and woe in the same, to regard as very indifferent and only as a way, in order to arrive in our true fatherland! Ah! how fair and needful it would be, if we rightly hastened, and laid aside everything that cannot go through the narrow little gate. Each one of us must say after Paul from the heart: Phil. 3. I forget what is behind, and stretch myself out toward that which is before; and press toward the mark set before us, the prize, which the heavenly calling of God in Jesus Christ holds out to us.
I wish from the heart that the Lord Jesus Himself would encourage us to this mind, also through the going-home of this our friend, whose spirit the Lord gladden before His face! Yea Amen!
The sister's fortune is truly great; She gets the last and best lot. The Shepherd takes the little sheep from the heath; Whither? Onto Zion's green pasture. You others come! go briskly thereto! Upon cheerful going follows blessed rest: Die to yourselves, live to God from now on, Then is your dying soon done. He who lives in God, dies in God blessed, Though not everyone dies equally gladly.
Your brotherly desire, to come along thither into your company on this occasion, I cannot possibly fulfill for various reasons (which to adduce would be too lengthy); yet I hope with my spirit then to present myself among you, since it will not do with the body.
I greet with a brotherly heart you, dear brother, brother A., and all the other dear acquaintances, as you know, and according as it is fitting. Jesus, who is the true God and eternal life, reveal Himself in our hearts!
Mülheim, the 4th of October, 1759.
German
Der vierundvierzigste Brief.
Aufmunterung zu einem himmlisch-gesinnten Wandel bei dem seligen Absterben einer Freundin.
Liebster Bruder!
Mit Bestürzung erhalte so eben durch dein mir sonst Angenehmes die unvermuthete Nachricht von dem Hingang unserer geliebten Schwester N. Ich ward aber auch nur darum bestürzt, weil ichs noch nicht vermuthete, und weil ich sie nach meiner Neigung noch gern eine Weile in unserer Gesellschaft behalten hätte: Ihretwegen bin ich sonst beruhiget …
— 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 October letter of the 4th, 1759, from Mülheim to Johann Engelbert Evertsen. With dismay he receives even now through the brother's otherwise pleasant letter the unexpected news of the going-home of their beloved sister N. Dismayed only because he did not yet expect it, and would still gladly have kept her a while in their company — on her account otherwise at rest; he knows what the Lord has done on her soul. He to whom she had yielded herself in life has also surely received her in dying. The preceding distress (which yet may have arisen much from the fever) does not trouble him, and will not make her soul's rest the less. The Lord had given her to them; the Lord has taken her; the name of the Lord be praised. She was still more His than ours; not lost, but sent on before. Soon they also go thither, to find her again more gloriously. She and so many await them in the house of their heavenly Father — they at home in safety and rest, we in danger and much hardship. May the Lord teach us to seek what is above, and to become one with our fatherland from now on; to regard this life as only a way. How fair and needful if we rightly hastened, and laid aside everything that cannot go through the narrow little gate. Each must say after Paul from the heart. A ten-line verse: the sister's last and best lot; the Shepherd takes the little sheep from the heath. He cannot come in the body into their company on this occasion; he hopes to present himself in the spirit. Jesus, who is the true God and eternal life, reveal Himself in our hearts. Mülheim, the 4th of October, 1759.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. With dismay he receives the unexpected news of sister N.'s going-home. On her account he is otherwise at rest; he knows what the Lord has done on her soul. He to whom she had yielded herself in life has also surely received her in dying. The preceding distress does not trouble him. The Lord had given her to them; the Lord has taken her; the name of the Lord be praised. She was still more His than ours; not lost, but sent on before. Soon they also go thither. She and so many await them in the house of their heavenly Father — they at home in safety and rest, we in danger and much hardship.
Seek what is above; the last and best lot. May the Lord teach us to seek what is above, where Christ and all our fallen-asleep brothers and sisters are, and to become one with this our fatherland from now on; to regard this life as only a way. How fair and needful if we rightly hastened, and laid aside everything that cannot go through the narrow little gate. Each one of us must say after Paul from the heart: I forget what is behind, and stretch myself out toward that which is before. The ten-line verse: the sister's fortune is truly great; she gets the last and best lot; the Shepherd takes the little sheep from the heath. He cannot come in the body into their company; he hopes with his spirit then to present himself among them. Jesus, who is the true God and eternal life, reveal Himself in our hearts. Mülheim, the 4th of October, 1759.
A few words and echoes.
- heavenly-minded walk. himmlisch-gesinnten Wandel — the argument of this October letter, at the blessed dying of a friend.
- sister N. the beloved sister whose going-home the brother's letter brought; Anna Maria von der Heidt.
- the Lord had given her; the Lord has taken her. the name of the Lord be praised. (Job 1:21)
- not lost, but sent on before. she was still more His than ours; soon we also go thither.
- the house of our heavenly Father. they are at home in safety and rest; we in danger and much hardship. (John 14:2)
- seek what is above. set the affection on that which is above, where Christ and the fallen-asleep are. (Col. 3:1–2)
- from now on. become one with the fatherland through prayer, faith, and walk in the Spirit. (Rev. 14:13)
- the narrow little gate. enge Pförtgen — lay aside everything that cannot go through. (Matt. 7:13)
- the last and best lot. das lezt' und beste Looß — the sister's fortune; the Shepherd takes the little sheep from the heath.
- press toward the mark. say after Paul from the heart; the prize which the heavenly calling holds out. (Phil. 3:13–14)
- the true God and eternal life. Jesus reveal Himself in our hearts. (1 John 5:20)
trans. Jarred Fenlason · gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdii-thiv-044 · all rights reservedEnglish translation © Jarred Fenlason · All rights reserved · gerhardtersteegen.com.