Letters · Zweiter Band · Theil IV (1775)

A blessing-wish for the New Year.

Bd II · Th IV · Brief 65 · Der fünfundsechzigste Brief

Addressee — To Johann Engelbert Evertsen, Barmen. Salutation "Liebster Bruder!" — not Rule B (Liebster Bruder → "Dearest brother"). Body du / dir / dich (the brother) → you; euer aller (the Bekannten, pl.) → your. No standalone Dein on the close → no Your. No verbundener. No God-apostrophe.
Date — Mülheim, 6 January 1763.
Provenance — Translated from the public-domain 1775 first edition (Theil IV, pp. 159–160), 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-fifth Letter.

A blessing-wish for the New Year.

Dearest brother!

I wish you and all the acquaintances there, for the New Year, a rich experience of the power of the name of Jesus in all your hearts. The lovely, heart-strengthening, salvation-bringing fragrance of this life-balsam, poured out at Christ's birth, spread itself forth in our inward parts, and be diligently perceived by us in still turning-inward, that we love Him above all, and through His magnetic love-drawings let ourselves be more mightily drawn out of ourselves and out of all, unto the inner chamber of His love-communion in the Spirit, so as to remain kept when an evil little hour comes, and not to starve when famine would come into the land; but through this divine love-power, as with an escort, to be helped through all storms and dangers of this year. Amen Jesus! fulfill that in me, in my brother, and in all my fellow-travelers. Amen! Song of Sol. 1:2 and 3.

With brother S. it remains still just so, as when N. was here. — — The Herr Doctor knows with him also not much more than patience: God grant that such may grow with him and us at the cross! as you know, that I saw it not long ago in the garden of God. Jesus glorify Himself in us all!

Mülheim, the 6th of January, 1763.

❦

German

Der fünfundsechzigste Brief.

Segens-Wunsch zum Neuen Jahr.

Liebster Bruder!

Ich wünsche dir und allen dasigen Bekannten, zum Neuen-Jahr, eine reiche Erfahrung von der Kraft des Namens JEsus in euer aller Herzen.

— 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 January letter of the 6th, 1763, from Mülheim to Johann Engelbert Evertsen at Barmen. A New-Year blessing-wish: that he and all the acquaintances there may have a rich experience of the power of the name of Jesus in all their hearts. The lovely, heart-strengthening, salvation-bringing fragrance of the life-balsam poured out at Christ's birth, spread itself forth in the inward parts, and be diligently perceived in still turning-inward, that they love Him above all, and through His magnetic love-drawings let themselves be more mightily drawn out of themselves unto the inner chamber of His love-communion in the Spirit — so as to remain kept when an evil little hour comes, and not to starve when famine would come into the land, but as with an escort to be helped through all storms and dangers of this year. With brother S. it remains still just so, as when N. was here; the Herr Doctor knows not much more than patience; God grant that such may grow at the cross. Jesus glorify Himself in us all. Mülheim, the 6th of January, 1763.

The name of Jesus, and the life-balsam of His birth. He wishes him and all the acquaintances there, for the New Year, a rich experience of the power of the name of Jesus in all their hearts. The lovely, heart-strengthening, salvation-bringing fragrance of this life-balsam, poured out at Christ's birth, spread itself forth in the inward parts, and be diligently perceived in still turning-inward, that they love Him above all, and through His magnetic love-drawings let themselves be more mightily drawn out of themselves and out of all, unto the inner chamber of His love-communion in the Spirit. So as to remain kept when an evil little hour comes, and not to starve when famine would come into the land; but through this divine love-power, as with an escort, to be helped through all storms and dangers of this year. Amen Jesus: fulfill that in me, in my brother, and in all my fellow-travelers. Amen. Song of Solomon 1:2 and 3.

Patience at the cross, until He glorify Himself. With brother S. it remains still just so, as when N. was here. The Herr Doctor knows with him also not much more than patience: God grant that such may grow with him and us at the cross — as he knows, that he saw it not long ago in the garden of God. Jesus glorify Himself in us all. Mülheim, the 6th of January, 1763.

A few words and echoes.

a blessing-wish for the New Year. the name of Jesus in all your hearts.
the acquaintances there. a rich experience of His power.
the life-balsam poured out at Christ's birth. the lovely, heart-strengthening, salvation-bringing fragrance.
still turning-inward. diligently perceived in our inward parts.
His magnetic love-drawings. drawn out of ourselves and out of all.
the inner chamber of His love-communion. in the Spirit. (Song of Sol. 1:4)
an evil little hour. remain kept. (2 Pet. 3:17)
when famine would come into the land. not to starve. (Amos 8:11)
as with an escort. helped through all storms and dangers of this year.
Amen Jesus! fulfill that. in me, in my brother, and in all my fellow-travelers. (Song of Sol. 1:2 and 3)
with brother S. it remains still just so, as when N. was here.
the Herr Doctor. not much more than patience.
grow at the cross. as you know, I saw it not long ago in the garden of God.
Jesus glorify Himself in us all. Mülheim, the 6th of January, 1763.

Cite this letter

Gerhard Tersteegen, Geistliche und erbauliche Briefe, Zweiter Band, IV. Theil, Brief 65 (Solingen, 1773–75); trans. Jarred Fenlason, https://gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdii-thiv-065.html.

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