Letters · Zweiter Band · Theil IV (1775)

Brotherly testimony of love. A wish of peace and of blessing to a sick man.

Bd II · Th IV · Brief 61 · Der einundsechzigste Brief

Addressee — To Johann Engelbert Evertsen, Barmen. Salutation "Mein liebster Bruder!" — not Rule B (Mein liebster Bruder → "My dearest brother"). Body du / dir / dich / dein / deinem / deinen (the brother) → you/your. Standalone Dein on the close → Your. verbundener → obliged. No God-apostrophe.
Date — Mülheim, 11 November 1762.
Provenance — Translated from the public-domain 1775 first edition (Theil IV, pp. 150–152), 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 Sixty-first Letter.

Brotherly testimony of love. A wish of peace and of blessing to a sick man.

My dearest brother!

I have from the first moment on, as I received the news of your important attack and sickness, taken part from the heart in your suffering, commended you to the Lord, and, however touching I also represented to myself your possible homegoing, nevertheless been able to deliver you again into the hands of our God with all quietness of my mind. I know that your way has been right, and accordingly your going-out will be peace.

Indeed it was not yet just agreeable to my mind, nor is it yet, that the Lord will take you to Himself through this sickness. I trust He lets you still a while in our midst to our comfort and refreshment. Our God sees what we would gladly see; but we do not always see what is the best. Should it please His Majesty to take you hence, so my soul greets, kisses and blesses you! Peace, eternal peace be with and over you, in the power of the gracious name of Jesus, as your eternal life and salvation! I thank God, and hope to thank Him with you before His throne eternally for all His mercies, and also for this, that we have found one another in this world, loved, and enjoyed much good in our acquaintance. The God who has most graciously forgiven us all our sins will also not regard the frailty in our acquaintance: It is yet in Him; it has been for Him; it will not pass away eternally.

I know not that we have anything to forgive one another; otherwise be hereby everything brotherly settled. May God strengthen, refresh, and delight you, my brother, through His loving presence and influence! I and all the children here hold you in our prayer, and greet you in inmost-obliged love. Jesus with you!

Your Mülheim, obliged weak the 11th of November, 1762. brother.

❦

German

Der einundsechzigste Brief.

Brüderliche Liebes-Bezeugung. Friedens- und Segens-Wunsch an einen Kranken.

Mein liebster Bruder!

Ich habe vom ersten Augenblick an, wie ich von deinem wichtigen Zufall und Krankheit die Nachricht bekam, von Herzen Theil genommen an deinem Leiden, dich dem HErrn anbefohlen, und, wie rührend ich mir auch deinen möglichen Heimgang vorstellete, dich dennoch mit aller Beruhigung meines Gemüths in die Hände unsers GOttes wieder überliefern können.

— 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 November letter of the 11th, 1762, from Mülheim to Johann Engelbert Evertsen at Barmen, sick. From the first moment he received the news of the brother's important attack and sickness he has taken part from the heart in his suffering, commended him to the Lord, and, however touching the possible homegoing, been able to deliver him again into God's hands with all quietness of mind. The way has been right; the going-out will be peace. He trusts the Lord will yet leave him a while in their midst; should it please His Majesty to take him hence, his soul greets, kisses and blesses him — peace, eternal peace, in the gracious name of Jesus. He thanks God for all His mercies and that they found one another in this world; he knows of nothing to forgive; the children here hold him in their prayer. Mülheim, the 11th of November, 1762.

The news, and the quietness of mind. From the first moment, as he received the news of the important attack and sickness, he has taken part from the heart in the suffering, commended him to the Lord, and, however touching he also represented to himself the possible homegoing, nevertheless been able to deliver him again into the hands of our God with all quietness of mind. He knows the way has been right, and accordingly the going-out will be peace. Indeed it was not yet just agreeable to his mind, nor is it yet, that the Lord will take him to Himself through this sickness. He trusts He lets him still a while in their midst to their comfort and refreshment. Our God sees what we would gladly see; but we do not always see what is the best. Should it please His Majesty to take him hence, so his soul greets, kisses and blesses him. Peace, eternal peace be with and over him, in the power of the gracious name of Jesus, as his eternal life and salvation.

Mercies, and nothing to forgive. He thanks God, and hopes to thank Him with him before His throne eternally for all His mercies, and also for this, that they have found one another in this world, loved, and enjoyed much good in their acquaintance. The God who has most graciously forgiven them all their sins will also not regard the frailty in their acquaintance: it is yet in Him; it has been for Him; it will not pass away eternally. He knows not that they have anything to forgive one another; otherwise be hereby everything brotherly settled. May God strengthen, refresh, and delight him through His loving presence and influence. He and all the children here hold him in their prayer, and greet him in inmost-obliged love. Jesus with you. Mülheim, the 11th of November, 1762.

A few words and echoes.

from the first moment. the news of the important attack and sickness.
taken part from the heart. in your suffering; commended to the Lord.
the possible homegoing. nevertheless delivered again into God's hands.
with all quietness of mind. the way has been right.
your going-out will be peace. accordingly.
not yet just agreeable to my mind. nor is it yet, that the Lord will take you to Himself.
still a while in our midst. to our comfort and refreshment.
what we would gladly see. we do not always see what is the best.
should it please His Majesty. my soul greets, kisses and blesses you.
peace, eternal peace. in the gracious name of Jesus; your eternal life and salvation.
I thank God. to thank Him with you before His throne; all His mercies.
that we found one another in this world. loved; enjoyed much good in our acquaintance.
the frailty in our acquaintance. yet in Him; for Him; will not pass away eternally.
nothing to forgive one another. hereby everything brotherly settled.
strengthen, refresh, and delight you. His loving presence and influence.
the children here hold you in our prayer. inmost-obliged love.
Your / Mülheim, obliged weak brother. the 11th of November, 1762.

Cite this letter

Gerhard Tersteegen, Geistliche und erbauliche Briefe, Zweiter Band, IV. Theil, Brief 61 (Solingen, 1773–75); trans. Jarred Fenlason, https://gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdii-thiv-061.html.

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