Letters · Zweiter Band · Theil IV (1775)

In joys and sufferings we shall love and praise God equanimously. His unchangeable love and our faith must be our stay.

Bd II · Th IV · Brief 58 · Der achtundfünfzigste Brief

Addressee — To Anna Christina Spieker. Salutation "Herzlich geliebte Schwester!" — Rule B (herzlich geliebte → "dearly beloved sister"). Body du / dir / dich / dein / deiner / deinem / deinen (the sister) → you/your. Standalone Dein on the close → Your. verbundener → obliged. No God-apostrophe.
Date — Mülheim, 11 December 1761.
Provenance — Translated from the public-domain 1775 first edition (Theil IV, pp. 142–144), in normalized GS 1845 house orthography, collated against the 1798/99 second edition (Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin). All rendered words come from public-domain prints.

The Fifty-eighth Letter.

In joys and sufferings we shall love and praise God equanimously. His unchangeable love and our faith must be our stay.

Dearly beloved sister!

That I have well received your little letter, and its contents (except where you express far too high thoughts of my poor person) have been heartily agreeable to me; as also, that it has rejoiced me that the Mülheim journey has so well agreed with you according to body and mind; such I had let you know through brother N., but found at that time neither time nor ability to be able to answer you. It is also to me, dear sister, heartily dear and thankful, that we have seen one another once more, also outwardly, on the pilgrim-way, and have refreshed and strengthened one another in the good, though narrow, way of the inner life, and in the certain, glorious, infinite Good which at the end of this way waits for us. Praised be the man-loving God, who already here shows us so much good! Eternally we will love Him again, and venture ourselves wholly therein. Amen Jesus!

Now the dear brother N. writes me that you are sick again and in suffering: Such I receive indeed with brotherly compassion, only what shall I say thereto? So our wise, good, heavenly Father does with His children of grace; now He clothes them beautifully, takes some of them with Him into the pleasure-garden, gives them a children's-meal, and many a beautiful little flower to see and to smell, etc. etc. In the evening they go home again; and bring still something home with them of the beautiful things; but the following day they must go to school again, and learn their lesson; and under such alternations they grow up, and become well-fitted children. Now, we will then also childlikely yield ourselves to the dear Father and His government: If He rejoices us, we will love and praise Him: If He gives us a little pack of the cross, according to body or mind, to bear, so shall we love and praise Him no less, and say our lesson. He is no less Father, when He sends us trials and sufferings, than when He takes us into His bosom; and we can and shall love, praise and trust Him no less in the sufferings, than in the joys, for He is unchangeable. Let us then, dear sister, be unchangeable in love also! Build not on lights, on sensitivities, on sufferings nor on joys, but on that which does not change, that is, on God, and on His will, which is always worthy of worship and of love; and on your part on the faith, that is, on the inward ground-inclination and the pure mind, wholly to will to be for this God, and only to will to love Him and cleave to Him, that He may make you a man after His heart: This faith, this mind, this ground-inclination the Lord Himself has laid in you, and will well keep it unto death. Let all the rest come and go, as God will; He knows well what is good for you, and what is needful for you; trust that to Him childlikely: May He strengthen, refresh and bless you also in your present sickness and sufferings, that you may suffer according to His good-pleasure, and His end-purpose thereunder be fully reached by you! I also will not forget you in my poor prayer to God.

I greet with a brotherly heart, and remain through His grace

Your Mülheim, obliged weak the 11th of December, 1761. brother.

❦

German

Der achtundfünfzigste Brief.

In Freuden und Leiden sollen wir GOtt gleichmüthig lieben und loben. Seine unveränderliche Liebe und unser Glaube müssen unsere Stütze seyn.

Herzlich geliebte Schwester!

Daß ich dein Brieflein wohl erhalten habe, und mir dessen Inhalt (ausgenommen wo du von meiner armen Person gar zu hohe Gedanken ausdrückest) herzlich angenehm gewesen; wie auch, daß michs erfreuet hat, daß dir die Mülheimische Reise nach Leib und Gemüth so wohl bekommen; solches hatte dir durch Bruder N. wissen lassen …

— 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 11th, 1761, from Mülheim to Anna Christina Spieker. He has well received her little letter; its contents — except where she expresses far too high thoughts of his poor person — have been heartily agreeable to him; as also that the Mülheim journey has so well agreed with her in body and mind. Such he had let her know through brother N., but found at that time neither time nor ability to answer. They have seen one another once more outwardly on the pilgrim-way, and refreshed and strengthened one another in the good, though narrow, way of the inner life. Now brother N. writes that she is sick again and in suffering. So the heavenly Father does with His children of grace. If He rejoices us, we will love and praise Him; if He gives a little pack of the cross, no less. Build not on lights or sensitivities, nor on sufferings nor on joys, but on God and His will, and on the faith He Himself has laid in her. Mülheim, the 11th of December, 1761.

Once more on the pilgrim-way. He has well received her little letter. Except where she expresses far too high thoughts of his poor person, its contents have been heartily agreeable to him; as also that the Mülheim journey has so well agreed with her according to body and mind. Such he had let her know through brother N., but found at that time neither time nor ability to be able to answer her. It is also to him heartily dear and thankful, that they have seen one another once more, also outwardly, on the pilgrim-way, and have refreshed and strengthened one another in the good, though narrow, way of the inner life, and in the certain, glorious, infinite Good which at the end of this way waits for them. Praised be the man-loving God, who already here shows them so much good. Eternally they will love Him again, and venture themselves wholly therein. Amen Jesus.

The Father's school, and what does not change. Now the dear brother N. writes that she is sick again and in suffering. What shall he say thereto? So the wise, good, heavenly Father does with His children of grace: now He clothes them beautifully, takes some of them with Him into the pleasure-garden, gives them a children's-meal, and many a beautiful little flower to see and to smell. In the evening they go home again, and bring still something home of the beautiful things; but the following day they must go to school again, and learn their lesson; and under such alternations they grow up, and become well-fitted children. Now they will then also childlikely yield themselves to the dear Father and His government. If He rejoices them, they will love and praise Him. If He gives a little pack of the cross, according to body or mind, to bear, they shall love and praise Him no less, and say their lesson. He is no less Father when He sends trials and sufferings, than when He takes them into His bosom. They can and shall love, praise and trust Him no less in the sufferings than in the joys, for He is unchangeable. Let us then, dear sister, be unchangeable in love also. Build not on lights, on sensitivities, on sufferings nor on joys, but on that which does not change — on God, and on His will, always worthy of worship and of love; and on her part on the faith, the inward ground-inclination and the pure mind, wholly to will to be for this God. This faith, this mind, this ground-inclination the Lord Himself has laid in her, and will well keep it unto death. Let all the rest come and go as God will. May He strengthen, refresh and bless her also in her present sickness and sufferings, that she may suffer according to His good-pleasure, and His end-purpose thereunder be fully reached by her. He will not forget her in his poor prayer to God. Mülheim, the 11th of December, 1761.

A few words and echoes.

your little letter well received. except where you express far too high thoughts of my poor person.
the Mülheim journey. so well agreed according to body and mind.
through brother N. neither time nor ability at that time to answer.
once more on the pilgrim-way. refreshed and strengthened in the good, though narrow, way. (Matt. 7:14)
praised be the man-loving God. who already here shows us so much good.
Amen Jesus! eternally we will love Him again, and venture ourselves wholly therein.
you are sick again and in suffering. what shall I say thereto?
so the heavenly Father does with His children of grace. the pleasure-garden, the children's-meal, the little flowers.
in the evening they go home again. the next day they must go to school and learn their lesson.
under such alternations they grow up. and become well-fitted children.
we will then also yield ourselves to the dear Father. if He rejoices us, we will love and praise Him.
if He gives us a little pack of the cross. we shall love and praise Him no less, and say our lesson.
He is no less Father when He sends trials and sufferings. than when He takes us into His bosom.
for He is unchangeable. let us then, dear sister, be unchangeable in love also.
build not on lights, on sensitivities. nor on sufferings nor on joys, but on that which does not change.
on God, and on His will. always worthy of worship and of love.
on the faith, the inward ground-inclination and the pure mind. wholly to will to be for this God.
a man after His heart. this faith the Lord Himself has laid in you. (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22)
let all the rest come and go, as God will. He knows well what is good and needful for you.
strengthen, refresh and bless you in your present sickness. that you may suffer according to His good-pleasure.
I will not forget you in my poor prayer to God. I greet with a brotherly heart.
Your / Mülheim, obliged weak brother. the 11th of December, 1761.

Cite this letter

Gerhard Tersteegen, Geistliche und erbauliche Briefe, Zweiter Band, IV. Theil, Brief 58 (Solingen, 1773–75); trans. Jarred Fenlason, https://gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdii-thiv-058.html.

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