Letters · Zweiter Band · Theil IV (1775)

Awakening-letter for the New Year.

Bd II · Th IV · Brief 77 · Der siebenundsiebzigste Brief

Addressee — To Georg Heinrich Fischer. Salutation "Herzlich geliebter Bruder!" — Rule B (herzlich geliebter → "dearly beloved brother"). Body mix: dir (du to the brother) + euch / ihr Lieben / eurer / Euer aller (ihr to the household) → English you/your for both. Standalone Euer aller on the close → Your all's (Th III 37). schwacher Bruder → weak brother. No verbundener. No God-apostrophe.
Date — Mülheim, 31 December 1764.
Provenance — Translated from the public-domain 1775 first edition (Theil IV, pp. 188–190), 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 Seventy-seventh Letter.

Awakening-letter for the New Year.

Dearly beloved brother!

Since the brothers W. and K. will go thither for a visit; I have hereby wished to greet you brotherly, and to wish from the heart, both to you and to the other dear household, the Lord's rich grace, blessing and peace, at the close of the old and the beginning of the new year.

The balsamic powers of the gracious name of Jesus must be instilled into our ground, all soul-powers, and the whole man, unto all renewal.

In the love toward our sweet, great, inmost-near God; (O! how strange, how cold is our heart!)

In the pure hearty brother-love; (O! how does not every one go forth in his own!)

In the earnestness, to venture all life of nature, of selfhood, and old customs thereby; (O! how tender and how sluggish!)

In the diligence unto heart's-gathering and prayer; (O! how negligent, how scattered!)

In the lively watchfulness against all siftings of our soul-enemies, and in daily expectation of the coming of our Bridegroom; (O security! O sleep-sickness!)

Finally unto all renewal in holy walk and godliness. (O! what people should we long-called ones not be!)

Awake then with me, you beloved! and let yourselves be awakened unto this holy work! Perhaps this year is our last. Ah! that yet none of us remain behind! Seek and suck into yourselves the life-spring opened in Jesus and brought so inwardly-near, in withdrawal from all deceitful comfort of temporality. Begin today once! I will begin anew. I will remember you; remember you also me before God! Let us, in a word, so begin, as we wish to close, that we may make honor to our King, and comfort and joy to one another! Amen Jesus! Yea Amen!

This is also wished from the heart and in Jesus' name to all the other acquaintances thereabout.

Your all's Mülheim, weak brother. the 31st of December, 1764.

❦

German

Der siebenundsiebzigste Brief.

Erweckungs-Brief zum Neuen Jahr.

Herzlich geliebter Bruder!

Da die Brüder W. und K. zum Besuch dorthin wollen; so habe hierdurch brüderlich grüßen, und sowohl dir, als übrigen lieben Hausgenossen, des HErrn reiche Gnade, Segen und Frieden, zum Beschluß des alten und Anfang des neuen Jahrs von Herzen anwünschen wollen.

— 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 New-Year letter of the 31st of December, 1764, from Mülheim to Georg Heinrich Fischer. The brothers W. and K. will go thither for a visit; he greets the brother and the household, and wishes the Lord's rich grace, blessing and peace at the close of the old year and the beginning of the new. The balsamic powers of Jesus' gracious name must be instilled into the ground, the soul-powers, and the whole man, unto all renewal — in love toward the inmost-near God, in hearty brother-love, in earnestness against nature and selfhood, in heart's-gathering and prayer, in watchfulness against the siftings of the soul-enemies, in daily expectation of the Bridegroom. Awake then with me; perhaps this year is the last; seek the life-spring opened in Jesus, in withdrawal from the deceitful comfort of temporality. Begin today once. Greeting also to the other acquaintances thereabout. Mülheim, the 31st of December, 1764.

Instilled unto all renewal. The balsamic powers of the gracious name of Jesus must be instilled into our ground, all soul-powers, and the whole man, unto all renewal: in the love toward our sweet, great, inmost-near God — how strange, how cold is our heart; in the pure hearty brother-love — how does not every one go forth in his own; in the earnestness to venture all life of nature, of selfhood, and old customs thereby — how tender and how sluggish; in the diligence unto heart's-gathering and prayer — how negligent, how scattered; in the lively watchfulness against all siftings of our soul-enemies, and in daily expectation of the coming of our Bridegroom — O security, O sleep-sickness; finally unto all renewal in holy walk and godliness. What people should we long-called ones not be.

Awake then; begin today once. Awake then with me, you beloved, and let yourselves be awakened unto this holy work. Perhaps this year is our last. Ah, that yet none of us remain behind. Seek and suck into yourselves the life-spring opened in Jesus and brought so inwardly-near, in withdrawal from all deceitful comfort of temporality. Begin today once; I will begin anew. I will remember you; remember you also me before God. Let us, in a word, so begin, as we wish to close, that we may make honor to our King, and comfort and joy to one another. Amen Jesus. Yea Amen. This is also wished from the heart and in Jesus' name to all the other acquaintances thereabout. Mülheim, the 31st of December, 1764.

A few words and echoes.

the brothers W. and K. will go thither. a New-Year visit; greeting to the brother and the household.
the Lord's rich grace, blessing and peace. at the close of the old and the beginning of the new year.
balsamic powers of the gracious name. instilled into the ground, the soul-powers, and the whole man.
unto all renewal. in love, in brother-love, in earnestness, in heart's-gathering and prayer, in watchfulness.
how strange, how cold is our heart. toward the inmost-near God.
every one go forth in his own. the pure hearty brother-love wanting.
nature, selfhood, and old customs. to be ventured; how tender and how sluggish.
heart's-gathering and prayer. how negligent, how scattered.
siftings of our soul-enemies. lively watchfulness; daily expectation of the Bridegroom. (Luke 22:31)
O security! O sleep-sickness! while the Bridegroom tarries. (Matthew 25:5)
what people should we long-called ones not be. holy walk and godliness.
Awake then with me. perhaps this year is our last.
none of us remain behind. (Hebrews 4:1)
the life-spring opened in Jesus. brought so inwardly-near; suck it in. (Psalm 36:9)
withdrawal from all deceitful comfort of temporality. begin today once.
so begin, as we wish to close. honor to our King; comfort and joy to one another.
Your all's / Mülheim, weak brother. the 31st of December, 1764.

Cite this letter

Gerhard Tersteegen, Geistliche und erbauliche Briefe, Zweiter Band, IV. Theil, Brief 77 (Solingen, 1773–75); trans. Jarred Fenlason, https://gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdii-thiv-077.html.

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