Letters · Zweiter Band · Theil IV (1775)

Instruction, how one is to conduct oneself in temptations.

Bd II · Th IV · Brief 67 · Der siebenundsechzigste Brief

Addressee — To Anna Christina Spieker, Wittenhaus. Salutation "In JEsu, unserem süßen Heilande, herzlich geliebte Schwester!" — Rule B (herzlich geliebte → "dearly beloved sister"), inside the longer formula "In Jesus, our sweet Savior, dearly beloved sister!". Leaf süssen ſſ (long ü) → house süßen; leaf Heylande y → house Heilande; leaf hertzlich wrap hertz- / lich tz (67-1_sal_hertz, 67-1_sal_rtz); body hertzliches tz (67-1_hertzliches); Hertzens-Kleinheit tz CONFIRMED (67-1_Hertzens-Kleinheit, 67-1_Hertzens_word); both Stütze the identical tz-ligature (67-1_stuetze_pair); close Hertzen tz (67-1_Herzen_word); house fold tz→z; panel herzlich / herzliches / Herzens-Kleinheit / Stütze / Herzen. Body du / dir / dich / dein / deine / deiner / deinen (the sister) → you/your. Standalone Dein on the close → Your. verbundener → obliged. No God-apostrophe.
Date — Mülheim, 22 May 1763. (leaf den 22. May 1763. KEEP May; crops e166_date, e166_l/l24. Months KEEP leaf. 1799 Mai not adopted.)
Provenance — Translated from the public-domain 1775 first edition (Theil IV, pp. 164–166), 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-seventh Letter.

Instruction, how one is to conduct oneself in temptations.

In Jesus, our sweet Savior, dearly beloved sister!

It has not been possible for me sooner than now to be able to answer your otherwise pleasant little letters with a few lines; but I have not therefore forgotten to hold you in brotherly love, and earnestly to commend you to the Lord. I have for some time been so weakened that I can scarcely write a little letter; and yet I am more than usually occupied with labor and visiting, from morning until evening.

With your continuing bodily infirmity, as also especially with your attacks of temptation, I have hearty compassion: I can however assure you, dear sister, in regard to this latter, that you have no cause to fear, for your inner will takes indeed no part in the evil, which you do not do, but suffer with pressure. The 101st little saying of the Lottery already tells you clearly: It comes from the blood, and must humble you, but not so strongly disquiet you. The all-too-great fearing and alarm makes everything only worse. Forget as much as possible what goes on in the outer man. Look with devotion upon God's holy presence, and let it serve you thereto, so much the more to go out of yourself, and to sink yourself with naked trust into Jesus, that He may become your holiness and stay in you.

We often take unawares the good given by God as our stay; temptations and miseries must bring us off from that. Smallness of heart gives God and quiet trust toward God. What have not almost all the saints had to endure also in this piece, in order to be kept and made holy! Paul, Armelle, Pazzis, etc. That you have discovered it to me was needful and good: Now however forget it also as much as possible. Suffer as well as you can. Remain of good courage in the faith, with all experience of your miseries! God knows it anyway, and has long known what a poor child you are, and yet He has loved you, and loves you still now freely: So love you Him then only again for His own sake, and through this love suffer everything that you have to suffer. It also does no harm (though it indeed hurts) that through such bodily and spiritual trials the ground is uncovered and laid bare; that does nothing to the matter: God is just as near, though behind the cloud. Whoever in the ground wills nothing but God, has nothing to fear.

I greet you, dear sister, with a brotherly heart, and remain through grace

Your Mülheim, obliged weak the 22nd of May, 1763. brother.

❦

German

Der siebenundsechzigste Brief.

Unterricht, wie man sich in Versuchungen zu verhalten.

In JEsu, unserem süßen Heilande, herzlich geliebte Schwester!

Es ist mir nicht eher, als jetzt, möglich gewesen, auf deine mir sonst angenehme Brieflein einige Zeilen zu können antworten; aber deßwegen habe doch nicht vergessen, dich in brüderlicher Liebe zu fassen, und dem HErrn angelegentlich anzubefehlen.

— 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 May letter of the 22nd, 1763, from Mülheim to Anna Christina Spieker at Wittenhaus. It has not been possible sooner than now to answer her otherwise pleasant little letters; he has not forgotten to hold her in brotherly love and to commend her to the Lord. Weakened this while, yet more than usually occupied with labor and visiting. With her continuing bodily infirmity and especially her attacks of temptation he has hearty compassion: she has no cause to fear, for her inner will takes no part in the evil she does not do but suffers. The 101st little saying of the Lottery already tells it: it comes from the blood, and must humble, but not so strongly disquiet. Forget as much as possible what goes on in the outer man; look with devotion upon God's holy presence, and sink with naked trust into Jesus. Temptations must bring us off from taking the given good as our stay; smallness of heart gives God. Paul, Armelle, Pazzis endured the like. Suffer as well as you can; remain of good courage. God has long known what a poor child she is, and loves her still freely — love Him then only again for His own sake. Whoever in the ground wills nothing but God has nothing to fear. Mülheim, the 22nd of May, 1763.

No cause to fear; it comes from the blood. With her continuing bodily infirmity, as also especially with her attacks of temptation, he has hearty compassion. He can assure her, in regard to this latter, that she has no cause to fear: her inner will takes indeed no part in the evil, which she does not do, but suffers with pressure. The 101st little saying of the Lottery already tells it clearly — Not to consent. To feel sin and yet to avoid it is the way to holiness; to do evil, and to suffer evil, is a great distinction. It comes from the blood, and must humble her, but not so strongly disquiet her. The all-too-great fearing and alarm makes everything only worse. Forget as much as possible what goes on in the outer man. Look with devotion upon God's holy presence, and let it serve thereto, so much the more to go out of herself, and to sink herself with naked trust into Jesus, that He may become her holiness and stay in her.

Smallness of heart; freely loved. We often take unawares the good given by God as our stay; temptations and miseries must bring us off from that. Smallness of heart gives God and quiet trust toward God. What have not almost all the saints had to endure also in this piece, in order to be kept and made holy — Paul, Armelle, Pazzis. That she has discovered it to him was needful and good: now however forget it also as much as possible. Suffer as well as you can. Remain of good courage in the faith, with all experience of your miseries. God knows it anyway, and has long known what a poor child she is, and yet He has loved her, and loves her still now freely: so love Him then only again for His own sake, and through this love suffer everything that you have to suffer. It also does no harm, though it indeed hurts, that through such bodily and spiritual trials the ground is uncovered and laid bare; God is just as near, though behind the cloud. Whoever in the ground wills nothing but God, has nothing to fear. I greet you, dear sister, with a brotherly heart. Mülheim, the 22nd of May, 1763.

A few words and echoes.

not sooner than now. to be able to answer your otherwise pleasant little letters.
not forgotten. to hold you in brotherly love, and earnestly to commend you to the Lord.
so weakened. scarcely write a little letter; more than usually occupied with labor and visiting.
bodily infirmity. and especially your attacks of temptation; hearty compassion.
no cause to fear. your inner will takes no part in the evil you do not do, but suffer.
the 101st little saying of the Lottery. it comes from the blood, and must humble, but not so strongly disquiet. (Gal. 5:17)
the all-too-great fearing and alarm. makes everything only worse.
the outer man. forget as much as possible what goes on there.
naked trust into Jesus. that He may become your holiness and stay.
the good given by God as our stay. temptations and miseries must bring us off from that.
smallness of heart. gives God and quiet trust toward God.
Paul, Armelle, Pazzis. almost all the saints had to endure also in this piece.
needful and good that you discovered it. now forget it also as much as possible.
of good courage in the faith. suffer as well as you can; with all experience of your miseries.
loves you still now freely. love Him then only again for His own sake. (1 John 4:19)
the ground uncovered. God is just as near, though behind the cloud. (Ex. 13:21; 1 Cor. 10:1)
whoever in the ground wills nothing but God. has nothing to fear.
obliged weak brother. Mülheim, the 22nd of May, 1763.

Cite this letter

Gerhard Tersteegen, Geistliche und erbauliche Briefe, Zweiter Band, IV. Theil, Brief 67 (Solingen, 1773–75); trans. Jarred Fenlason, https://gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdii-thiv-067.html.

← Bd II · Th IV · Brief 66 Bd II · Th IV · Brief 68 →