Encouragement to sink oneself and one's miseries into the unmerited love of God.
The Forty-sixth Letter.
Encouragement to sink oneself and one's miseries into the unmerited love of God.
Dearly beloved sister in Jesus, our dearest Savior!
I have received your little letters one after another (of which the latter was of the 3rd of this month) well; they are at all times pleasant to me, and I take part from the heart in your weal and woe. You must never think that you burden me with your writing; quite the contrary: use therein all freedom and openheartedness, yet without restriction, and according as it is given you. I seek to answer your little letters each time in the Spirit; when I do not do it with the pen, it only comes from this, because by reason of weakness or other affairs I am not in a condition: But you must never think that I would leave your little letters unanswered out of lovelessness, or because I had something against you; from that the Lord will well keep me, for I know what He has done on your soul.
O dear sister! you cannot thank the Lord enough, for all mercies and unmerited love. Let your inmost bow itself unceasingly, and all that is within you, worship, love and glorify this God of love, marvel at His unspeakable goodnesses, faithfulness and other perfections! Lose yourself in this abyss with all your miseries, without lingering so long with yourself and with your form! We are nothing, have nothing, and are able to do nothing, that is enough. God is our treasure, wherein we have everything that we lack. That you presently so see, feel and find yourself, (as you write in your latter little letter) must neither astonish you nor make you discouraged; So you are in yourself; did you then not otherwise know that? Now, yet the most gracious God has long known it, and nevertheless He has loved you, and will now love you no less, since you no longer love yourself, in your deformity, but deny all this evil, and bear it as a cross. Only consent with contentment into your nothingness, and without wanting to make yourself fairer; only sink yourself so naked and with the greatest possible trust into God, in whom is all the good that you do not have in yourself. Gladly despair of yourself, but do not do your God the shame, that you should despair of Him, of the God who has unmeritedly shown you so much.
Your former little letters were also pleasant to me, and that you so simply tell me both your pleasant dream, and also the evil that followed thereupon; only make everything of the best possible use to yourself, and keep good courage in all things, for God is unchangeable in His love: So long now as our mind and will also remain unchanged, to will nothing but God and His sweetest good-pleasure, so long have we nothing to fear, but only to worship and to love everything wherein we are set. What is it to us? Our weal and our woe must praise the Lord. Amen!
I greet you once more heartily, and remain through grace
Your Mülheim, weak brother. the 10th of December, 1759.
German
Der sechsundvierzigste Brief.
Aufmunterung, sich selbst und seine Elenden in die unverdiente Liebe GOttes zu ersenken.
Herzlich geliebte Schwester in JEsu, unserem theuresten Heilande! Ich habe deine Brieflein vor und nach (wovon das letztere vom 3ten dieses war) wohl erhalten; sie sind mir jederzeit angenehm, und ich nehme von Herzen Theil an deinem Wohl und Weh.
— 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 December letter of the 10th, 1759, from Mülheim to Anna Christina Spieker. Her little letters one after another (the latter of the 3rd of this month) well received, always pleasant; she must never think she burdens him with writing — quite the contrary, use all freedom and openheartedness. He seeks to answer each time in the Spirit; when he does not with the pen, it is only from weakness or other affairs, never from lovelessness. She cannot thank the Lord enough for all mercies and unmerited love. Let her inmost bow, and all that is within her worship this God of love; lose herself in this abyss with all her miseries. We are nothing; God is our treasure. That she presently so sees herself must neither astonish nor discourage her; the most gracious God has long known it and will not love her less, since she no longer loves herself in her deformity but denies this evil and bears it as a cross. Only sink herself so naked into God. Gladly despair of herself, but not of the God who has unmeritedly shown her so much. Keep good courage; God is unchangeable in His love. Our weal and our woe must praise the Lord. Amen. Mülheim, the 10th of December, 1759.
One after another; never from lovelessness. He has received her little letters one after another well; they are at all times pleasant to him, and he takes part from the heart in her weal and woe. She must never think that she burdens him with her writing; quite the contrary: use therein all freedom and openheartedness, yet without restriction, and according as it is given her. He seeks to answer her little letters each time in the Spirit; when he does not do it with the pen, it only comes from this, because by reason of weakness or other affairs he is not in a condition. But she must never think that he would leave them unanswered out of lovelessness, or because he had something against her; from that the Lord will well keep him, for he knows what He has done on her soul.
Sink yourself so naked; weal and woe must praise the Lord. She cannot thank the Lord enough for all mercies and unmerited love. Let her inmost bow itself unceasingly, and all that is within her worship, love and glorify this God of love. Lose herself in this abyss with all her miseries, without lingering so long with herself and with her form. We are nothing, have nothing, and are able to do nothing, that is enough. God is our treasure. That she presently so sees, feels and finds herself must neither astonish her nor make her discouraged; so she is in herself. The most gracious God has long known it, and nevertheless has loved her, and will now love her no less, since she no longer loves herself, in her deformity, but denies all this evil, and bears it as a cross. Only consent with contentment into her nothingness; only sink herself so naked and with the greatest possible trust into God. Gladly despair of herself, but do not do her God the shame of despairing of Him. Keep good courage in all things, for God is unchangeable in His love. So long as our mind and will remain unchanged, to will nothing but God and His sweetest good-pleasure, so long have we nothing to fear, but only to worship and to love everything wherein we are set. What is it to us? Our weal and our woe must praise the Lord. Amen. Mülheim, the 10th of December, 1759.
A few words and echoes.
- unmerited love. the argument of this December letter: sink oneself and one's miseries into the unmerited love of God.
- little letters one after another. received well; always pleasant; never a burden. (his ¹)
- answer each time in the Spirit. when not with the pen, only from weakness or other affairs, never from lovelessness.
- all that is within you. let the inmost bow; worship, love and glorify this God of love. (Ps. 103:1; his ³)
- lose yourself in this abyss. with all your miseries; without lingering so long with yourself and with your form.
- God is our treasure. we are nothing, have nothing, and are able to do nothing; that is enough.
- bear it as a cross. no longer love yourself in your deformity; deny all this evil.
- your nothingness. only consent with contentment; sink yourself so naked into God.
- keep good courage. God is unchangeable in His love; weal and woe must praise the Lord.
trans. Jarred Fenlason · gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdii-thiv-046 · all rights reservedEnglish translation © Jarred Fenlason · All rights reserved · gerhardtersteegen.com.