Through the love-Spirit of Jesus the fellowship with Him, with one another, also with the blessed-departed, remains uninterrupted.

What this letter is. An October letter of the 22nd, 1759, from Mülheim to Anna Maria Rittershaus. Her pleasant of — September, as well as the latter of the 14th of October, read with pleasure. Praised be God, who keeps them in His grace and in the love toward Him and toward one another. The fellowship in the Lord is uninterrupted, though they do not see one another daily: the invisible, omnipresent love-Spirit maintains the correspondence, and this still goes better with the sweet Savior. At times they taste and see His nearness and its peace-full outpourings — good days, of which her first little letter gave an indication. At times the Beloved stands as behind the wall, leaves them as if alone with what is theirs, namely weakness, misery and poverty, of which her latter little letter reports something; and then He delights Himself in their mourning, bowing and waiting. On account of this change the fellowship is not interrupted with God. Let the ground-inclination of her heart maintain the correspondence through mute love-conversations and secret clinging, and believe Him so certainly near as if she saw Him. Their dear sister N. they also see no more with bodily eyes — not lost, sent on ahead; the fellowship with the blessed-departed is not interrupted. Of good courage yet a little held out at the Lord on their post. Soon they hope to see her again at the blessed place. Do not occupy herself with scrupling over having visited too little, but love, suffer and yield herself unconditionally to Him who has loved her. Mülheim, the 22nd of October, 1759.

The correspondence the eyes cannot keep. Though they do not see one another daily, the invisible, omnipresent love-Spirit, as the band of their fellowship, maintains the correspondence — and this still goes better with the sweet Savior. At times they taste and see His nearness; at times the Beloved stands as behind the wall, and leaves them as if alone with weakness, misery and poverty. On account of this change the fellowship is not interrupted with God. Let the ground-inclination of the heart only maintain the correspondence through mute love-conversations and secret clinging, and believe Him so certainly near, as if you saw Him.

Not lost, sent on ahead. Their dear sister N. they also see no more with bodily eyes; the weakness feels that a little, for they should love one another — yet must the Little Bit also not become too much. They have not lost her, but sent her on ahead; the fellowship with her is not interrupted. Of good courage yet a little held out at the Lord on their post. Soon they hope to see her again at the blessed place; then she shall visit her again so much more diligently, where she might have done it too little here. Do not occupy yourself with such scrupling, but love, suffer and yield yourself unconditionally to Him who has loved you. Mülheim, the 22nd of October, 1759.

A few words and echoes.

• your pleasant. Angenehmes — her writing; the day of September cut by the old edition's compiler.
• taste and see His nearness. at times the good days; at times only what is ours. (Ps. 34:8)
• the Beloved behind the wall. leaves us as if alone. (Song 2:9)
• mute love-conversations and secret clinging. how the ground-inclination of the heart keeps the correspondence when the eyes do not.
• the Little Bit. the weakness that feels the sister's absence; it must not become too much.
• sent on ahead. not lost; the fellowship with the blessed-departed not interrupted.
• of good courage on our post. yet a little held out at the Lord.
• do not occupy yourself with scrupling. over having visited too little; love, suffer, yield yourself.