Letters · Zweiter Band · Theil IV (1775)

How an assaulted mind is to conduct itself against the inward enemies after the example of Hezekiah, 2 Kings 18, 19. Necessity of such purifying-days.

Bd II · Th IV · Brief 78 · Der achtundsiebzigste Brief

Addressee — To Elisabeth Schröters, Krefeld. Salutation "Herzlich geliebte Schwester in der Gnade unsers Heylandes!" — Rule B (Herzlich geliebte → "dearly beloved sister"), inside the longer formula "Dearly beloved sister in the grace of our Saviour!". Leaf herz- already z (c/e190_body1). No comma after Schwester (1799 comma not adopted). KEEP Heylandes y. Body du / dir / dich / dein / deiner / deinen / deinem (the sister) → you/your. Standalone Dein on the close → Your. No verbundener on this close. Bare geliebte Schwester! in the body is not Rule B → beloved sister. No God-apostrophe.
Date — Mülheim, Good Friday, 1765.
Provenance — Translated from the public-domain 1775 first edition (Theil IV, pp. 190–194), 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-eighth Letter.

How an assaulted mind is to conduct itself against the inward enemies after the example of Hezekiah, 2 Kings 18, 19. Necessity of such purifying-days.

Jesus Christ, our great high priest and Saviour, who on the stem of the cross has borne and reconciled all our sins, also on the same has victoriously overcome all our soul-enemies and powers of darkness, (Col. 2. v. 15.) He mightily give peace to your heart, and overcome also in you all assaults of the evil enemy!

Dearly beloved sister in the grace of our Saviour!

The tidings of your bodily sickness and weakness have moved me manifoldly to brotherly compassion and heartfelt intercession: Own sickness-circumstances however hindered, that I could not testify such in writing, as then also still even now I can scarcely use my head so much: But since the dear brother N. at your prompting has reported to me something of your mind-sufferings and temptations; so I must yet through a little letter make known to you my brotherly participation in your sufferings. When a member suffers, then they all suffer.

Be only, beloved sister! quieted in God's name and of good courage! your sufferings are more burdensome than dangerous. We have to do with a long-since overcome enemy, as the above-cited place from Col. 2. assures. These enemies, overcome by Jesus for us, He will Himself also overcome in us. We shall then also only let Him do it, and hide ourselves, as the little children, in His mother's lap, without engaging ourselves in the least with the enemies. When the Lord permits it, they can make us afraid, but not harm. All the hairs on our head are numbered. All such hostile assaults are not so much to be feared as rather to be despised, since everything is thrown in and felt against the will of the mind.

It goes with our souls at times as with a besieged city, which is quite surrounded by the enemies, and anguished through much poisonous shot. So it went there in the type of the city Jerusalem; (2 Kings 18. and 19.) the insolent enemies stormed the city with blasphemies against the God of Israel; that was hard, a day of distress, of rebuke and of blasphemy: (ch. 19, 3.) but how did they defend themselves therein? Hezekiah said: Answer the enemies nothing! (ch. 18, 3.) Through this contempt the enemies became so angry, that they wrote the very blasphemy-words upon a letter, and sent it to Hezekiah. So distinctly are the most godless things sometimes injected into assaulted hearts, as if one could see them written and painted before one's eyes. How did the distressed Hezekiah then now do it? Did he become so afraid before the letter? Or, did he write a great letter back in defense? By no means! He esteemed the enemy not so much; he had only to do with God. He took the evil letter, laid it open down before God's presence, and said: Lord! see, what the enemy says! (ch. 19, 14.) and therewith he left it, and the enemies were all smitten.

See, sister! so shall we also do it, and leave it to come upon the Lord. At last after the sorrowful Good Friday a joyful Easter will follow. This we shall meanwhile yet also know, that such hard suffering- and purifying-days are more necessary and more wholesome to us than we can believe. Ah! there is in us very much that is unclean, from which we must be swept in such a furnace of misery; very much that is high, that must be humbled; very much hard and bitter nature-being, that must be broken and softened; very much that is reasoning, that must be simplified; very much that is own, that must in us be discovered and melted away; etc. So that we may well worship the wise ways of the Lord, approve them, and let Him do with us, without wanting to understand it exactly. From afterward we shall with David Psalm 25, 10. have to say: The ways of the Lord are nothing but goodness and truth. On Good Friday everything was dark to the disciples; On Easter-day however it was said: See you now, must it not go through such sufferings to glory?

Now I write much more than I at first thought. Now I am also quite weary. The sweet King of the cross and of honor, Jesus, give you to all the required grace and wished-for blessing! He sweeten you, dear sister, your sufferings! He suffer and conquer also at last in you, to the glorifying of His name!

I greet you, dear sister, in the name of Jesus; brother S. greets likewise. As it is convenient, request also the remaining friends and acquaintances there to be greeted heartily from us, especially the dear brother N. to whom I also wanted to write; it was however this time too much for me. recommended to the gracious oversight of the Lord I remain

Your Mülheim, weak fellow-brother. Good Friday, 1765.

❦

German

Der achtundsiebzigste Brief.

Wie sich ein angefochten Gemüthe gegen die innere Feinde nach dem Exempel Hiskiä, 2 Kön. 18, 19. zu betragen. Nothwendigkeit solcher Läuterungs-Tage.

JEsus Christus, unser großer Hoherpriester und Heyland, der am Stamme des Creutzes alle unsere Sünden getragen und versöhnet, auch an demselben alle unsere Seelen-Feinde und Machten der Finsterniß siegreich überwunden, (Col.

— 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 Good Friday letter of 1765, from Mülheim to Elisabeth Schröters at Krefeld. The tidings of her bodily sickness and weakness have moved him manifoldly to brotherly compassion and heartfelt intercession; own sickness-circumstances hindered him from testifying it in writing, and even now he can scarcely use his head so much. The dear brother N., at her prompting, has reported something of her mind-sufferings and temptations; so he must yet through a little letter make known his brotherly participation. When a member suffers, then they all suffer. Be only quieted in God's name and of good courage: her sufferings are more burdensome than dangerous. They have to do with a long-since overcome enemy; these enemies, overcome by Jesus for us, He will Himself also overcome in us. Hide as the little children in His mother's lap, without engaging with the enemies. When the Lord permits it, they can make us afraid, but not harm. All the hairs on our head are numbered. Such hostile assaults are not so much to be feared as rather to be despised.

Hezekiah's letter. It goes with our souls at times as with a besieged city, surrounded and anguished through poisonous shot. So it went in the type of Jerusalem: the insolent enemies stormed the city with blasphemies against the God of Israel — a day of distress, of rebuke and of blasphemy. How did they defend themselves? Hezekiah said: Answer the enemies nothing. Through this contempt they wrote the very blasphemy-words upon a letter and sent it to him. So distinctly are the most godless things sometimes injected into assaulted hearts, as if written and painted before the eyes. Did Hezekiah become so afraid, or write a great letter back in defense? By no means. He esteemed the enemy not so much; he had only to do with God. He took the evil letter, laid it open down before God's presence, and said: Lord! see, what the enemy says. And therewith he left it, and the enemies were all smitten. See, sister: so shall we also do it, and leave it to come upon the Lord. At last after the sorrowful Good Friday a joyful Easter will follow.

Purifying-days. Such hard suffering- and purifying-days are more necessary and more wholesome than we can believe. There is in us very much that is unclean, from which we must be swept in such a furnace of misery; very much that is high, that must be humbled; very much hard and bitter nature-being, that must be broken and softened; very much that is reasoning, that must be simplified; very much that is own, that must be discovered and melted away. So that we may well worship the wise ways of the Lord, approve them, and let Him do with us, without wanting to understand it exactly. From afterward we shall with David say: The ways of the Lord are nothing but goodness and truth. On Good Friday everything was dark to the disciples; on Easter-day it was said: See you now, must it not go through such sufferings to glory? He writes much more than he at first thought, and is now quite weary. The sweet King of the cross and of honor give her the required grace; sweeten her sufferings; suffer and conquer also at last in her. He greets her in the name of Jesus; brother S. greets likewise. As it is convenient, the remaining friends there, especially the dear brother N., to whom he also wanted to write — it was this time too much. Mülheim, Good Friday, 1765.

A few words and echoes.

the tidings of your bodily sickness and weakness. moved me to brotherly compassion and heartfelt intercession.
own sickness-circumstances however hindered. even now I can scarcely use my head so much.
the dear brother N. at your prompting. something of your mind-sufferings and temptations.
a little letter. my brotherly participation in your sufferings.
when a member suffers, then they all suffer.
quieted in God's name and of good courage. more burdensome than dangerous.
a long-since overcome enemy. as Col. 2. assures.
these enemies, overcome by Jesus for us. He will Himself also overcome in us.
hide as the little children. in His mother's lap, without engaging with the enemies.
they can make us afraid, but not harm. when the Lord permits it.
all the hairs on our head are numbered.
not so much to be feared as rather to be despised. thrown in against the will of the mind.
as with a besieged city. surrounded, and anguished through poisonous shot.
in the type of the city Jerusalem. insolent enemies, a day of distress, of rebuke and of blasphemy.
answer the enemies nothing. through this contempt they wrote the blasphemy-words upon a letter.
as if written and painted before the eyes. the most godless things injected into assaulted hearts.
he esteemed the enemy not so much. he had only to do with God.
Lord! see, what the enemy says. the evil letter laid open before God's presence.
and therewith he left it. the enemies were all smitten.
see, sister! so shall we also do it. leave it to come upon the Lord.
after the sorrowful Good Friday a joyful Easter.
more necessary and more wholesome than we can believe. such hard purifying-days.
swept in such a furnace of misery. much that is unclean, high, hard, reasoning, own.
worship the wise ways of the Lord. approve them, and let Him do with us.
from afterward. the ways of the Lord are nothing but goodness and truth.
on Good Friday everything was dark to the disciples. on Easter-day: see you now.
must it not go through such sufferings to glory?
now I am also quite weary. much more than I at first thought.
the sweet King of the cross and of honor. the required grace and wished-for blessing.
brother S. greets likewise. the remaining friends there, especially brother N.
Your / Mülheim, weak fellow-brother. Good Friday, 1765.

Cite this letter

Gerhard Tersteegen, Geistliche und erbauliche Briefe, Zweiter Band, IV. Theil, Brief 78 (Solingen, 1773–75); trans. Jarred Fenlason, https://gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdii-thiv-078.html.

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