Of three kinds of union with God.
The Fifty-ninth Letter.
Of three kinds of union with God.
N. N.
There are three kinds of union with God. The first and indispensably-needful is the actual union. Whoever has sincerely and wholly given himself to God: whoever loves God: whoever according to the ground wills nothing but God and His good-pleasure, he has this actual union, which no devil, no man, no affairs, no sufferings or temptations, and no chance of things can take from us: Only when we actually sin, then such union is interrupted; and that lasts just so long as we remain with our will in the sin.
The second union is the union of devotion, which is especially practiced at the time of prayer and of solitude; when namely one believes God present as with us and in us, without N.B. making the least image of Him; when one lets the images of all outer and created things fall away; when one with one's longing, love and heart-devotion (I say not head-devotion) gently, sweetly, childlikely, and without all straining of the head, of the breast, or vehemence, inclines to the present God, keeps still to Him, and waits His workings, not revelations, visions, inward speakings, etc. but love, reverence, power, pliability and all virtue. By this union of devotion, surrender and patience are needful; surrender, in that one must not make anything oneself, but be content with all that God gives, or does not give; patience, in that the swarming thoughts and fantasies in the head, also well temptations, doubts and anxieties etc. come in between, which one must bear with sweet patience; they profit more than they harm.
When one goes about with men, or faithfully performs one's business, there the first actual union always remains; but the second, namely the union of devotion, one cannot so have in intercourse and by all affairs, as at the time of prayer; one must also not want to force such, or one makes oneself unfit, sick, and becomes a burden to oneself and to others: Yet it is good and necessary, that one from time to time renew one's devotion through childlike remembrances of God's nearness, through looks of love, through offerings-up, and that one not so much engage oneself in all manner of needless chatter.
The third kind of union with God is the sensible and perceptible union; this hangs so entirely upon God, that neither we ourselves, nor a creature, can give us such. What God gives us of this union we should indeed receive with respect and thanks, just as a traveler who rejoices in fair weather, but also sometimes loafs more than in stormy weather: Upon this sensible union our salvation and progress is least of all dependent. On Good Friday Jesus had neither this third nor the second union, but He always kept the first, as also we.
Mülheim, the day before Easter, 1762.
German
Der neunundfünfzigste Brief.
Von dreyerley Arten der Vereinigung mit GOtt.
N. N. Es giebt dreyerley Arten der Vereinigung mit GOtt. Die erste und unumgänglich-nöthige ist die wirkliche Vereinigung.
— 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 letter of the day before Easter, 1762, from Mülheim to an unnamed correspondent. Three kinds of union with God: the actual, which no devil, man, affair, suffering, temptation or chance of things can take, interrupted only when we actually sin; the union of devotion, especially in prayer and solitude, without making the least image, needing surrender and patience, not to be forced in intercourse and business; and the sensible and perceptible, which hangs so entirely on God that neither we nor a creature can give it, and on which salvation is least of all dependent. On Good Friday Jesus had neither the third nor the second, but always kept the first, as also we. Mülheim, the day before Easter, 1762.
The actual union. There are three kinds. The first and indispensably-needful is the actual union. Whoever has sincerely and wholly given himself to God, whoever loves God, whoever according to the ground wills nothing but God and His good-pleasure, has this actual union. No devil, no man, no affairs, no sufferings or temptations, and no chance of things can take it. Only when we actually sin is it interrupted; and that lasts just so long as we remain with our will in the sin.
The union of devotion; not to be forced. The second is the union of devotion, especially practiced at the time of prayer and of solitude: one believes God present as with us and in us, without making the least image of Him; one lets the images of all outer and created things fall away; one with longing, love and heart-devotion — not head-devotion — gently, sweetly, childlikely, without straining of the head or breast, inclines to the present God, keeps still to Him, and waits His workings: not revelations, visions, inward speakings, but love, reverence, power, pliability and all virtue. Surrender and patience are needful. Surrender: one must not make anything oneself, but be content with all that God gives or does not give. Patience: swarming thoughts and fantasies in the head, also temptations, doubts and anxieties, come in between; they must be borne with sweet patience; they profit more than they harm. When one goes about with men, or faithfully performs one's business, the first actual union always remains; but the second cannot be so had in intercourse and by all affairs as at the time of prayer. One must not want to force it, or one makes oneself unfit, sick, and a burden to oneself and to others. Yet it is good and necessary to renew devotion from time to time through childlike remembrances of God's nearness, through looks of love, through offerings-up, and not so much to engage in all manner of needless chatter.
The sensible union; Good Friday. The third kind is the sensible and perceptible union. It hangs so entirely upon God, that neither we ourselves nor a creature can give it. What God gives of this we should receive with respect and thanks — just as a traveler who rejoices in fair weather, but also sometimes loafs more than in stormy weather. Upon this sensible union our salvation and progress is least of all dependent. On Good Friday Jesus had neither this third nor the second union, but He always kept the first, as also we. Mülheim, the day before Easter, 1762.
A few words and echoes.
- three kinds of union with God. the first indispensably-needful; the actual union.
- whoever loves God. according to the ground, nothing but God and His good-pleasure.
- no devil, no man, no affairs. no sufferings or temptations; no chance of things can take it. (Rom. 8:38–39)
- only when we actually sin. then it is interrupted; just so long as the will remains in the sin.
- the union of devotion. at the time of prayer and of solitude; without the least image.
- heart-devotion, not head-devotion. gently, sweetly, childlikely; wait His workings.
- surrender and patience. content with all that God gives or does not give.
- swarming thoughts. they profit more than they harm.
- in intercourse and in all affairs. the first remains; the second cannot be so had; do not force it.
- renew devotion. remembrances of God's nearness; looks of love; not needless chatter.
- the sensible and perceptible union. hangs so entirely upon God that neither we nor a creature can give it.
- a traveler in fair weather. sometimes loafs more than in the storm.
- salvation least of all depends on this. our progress likewise.
- on Good Friday Jesus kept the first. neither the third nor the second; as also we.
- Mülheim, the day before Easter, 1762.
trans. Jarred Fenlason · gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdii-thiv-059 · all rights reservedEnglish translation © Jarred Fenlason · All rights reserved · gerhardtersteegen.com.