Letters · Zweiter Band · Theil IV (1775)

That one must occupy oneself not with oneself, but with God in love and trust.

Bd II · Th IV · Brief 80 · Der achtzigste Brief

Addressee — To Anna Christina Spieker, Wittenhaus. Salutation "In der Gnade JESU herzlich geliebte Schwester!" — Rule B (herzlich geliebte → "dearly beloved sister"), inside the longer formula "In the grace of Jesus, dearly beloved sister!". Leaf herz- already z (z/head_all, wc/e196_disp). Body du / dir / dich / dein / deiner / deinen (the sister) → you/your. Standalone Dein on the close → Your. schwacher Bruder → weak brother. No verbundener on the close (verbundenem Herzen is the greeting, not the subscription). No God-apostrophe.
Date — Mülheim, 22 May 1765.
Provenance — Translated from the public-domain 1775 first edition (Theil IV, pp. 196–198), 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 Eightieth Letter.

That one must occupy oneself not with oneself, but with God in love and trust.

In the grace of Jesus, dearly beloved sister!

I just now receive your pleasant of the 21st of this. To your previous, also pleasant to me, I have therefore not answered, because I expected you personally daily: Yet I remember that I also was for the most time unusually weak, and quite out of a state to write. Alone! should I therefore forget you? Or, should you therefore be far and strange to me? Because I do not write to you so often; or, because God hinders it, that you still cannot come to me bodily. Straight the contrary. I know not, that I ever thought of you more earnestly, and you have been nearer to me in the spirit, than even now, when I have not spoken with you personally for a long time: Know also not, that I think of you with sadness, but with spirit-union and blessing-wish. I know you indeed, who you are in yourself; (the Lord still better) never have you been dear and worth to me for the sake of yours, but for the sake of that which is of God in you. And God looks much less upon the Yours and the Mine in us: He loves only the His in us, but overlooks the Ours, because we no longer cherish it as the Ours, but suffer it as something foreign and painful.

Do not occupy yourself so much with yourself, dear sister; it profits nothing. God knows indeed, who you are. (See the 25th of the last printed rhymes) Think on your God with love and with trust; rejoice and delight yourself in Him, whose perfections, love and faithfulness are infinite and unchangeable. Are you perhaps sometimes so dull, that you think He is absent, He thinks not on you, etc., then write as a little letter to Him, and tell Him, that you nevertheless will love Him, and for His pleasure gladly suffer. With will you must not live in distraction; but through own-will and own working will you also further no inward-turning. Remain in the solitude, when the Lord gives it; remain then in God's presence, as you are and as you can, will-less and work-less, that He may do with you what pleases Him. God must be Master, and we sweet subjects be. Amen! Lord Jesus!

I greet you dear sister, with a bound heart.

Your Mülheim, weak brother. the 22nd of May, 1765.

❦

German

Der achtzigste Brief.

Daß man sich nicht mit sich selbst, sondern mit GOtt in Liebe und Vertrauen beschäftigen müsse.

In der Gnade JEsu herzlich geliebte Schwester!

So eben erhalte ich dein Angenehmes vom 21ten dieses. Auf dein Voriges, mir auch angenehmes, habe darum nicht geantwortet, weil dich täglich persönlich vermuthet habe: Doch erinnere ich mich, daß ich auch die meiste Zeit ungewöhnlich schwach, und zum Schreiben gar außer Stand gewesen bin.

— 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, 1765, from Mülheim to Anna Christina Spieker at Wittenhaus. He has just received her pleasant of the 21st of this; he had not answered the previous, also pleasant, because he expected her personally daily; yet he remembers that he also was for the most time unusually weak, and quite out of a state to write. Should he therefore forget her? Should she therefore be far and strange to him, because he does not write so often, or because God hinders that she still cannot come to him bodily? Straight the contrary. He has never thought of her more earnestly, nor been nearer to her in the spirit, than even now, when he has not spoken with her personally for a long time. He knows her, who she is in herself; the Lord still better. Never has she been dear and worth to him for the sake of hers, but for the sake of that which is of God in her. God looks much less upon the Yours and the Mine; He loves only the His in us, and overlooks the Ours. Do not occupy yourself so much with yourself; it profits nothing. Think on your God with love and with trust; rejoice and delight yourself in Him. If you think He is absent, then write as a little letter to Him. Remain in the solitude when the Lord gives it; remain then in God's presence, will-less and work-less. God must be Master, and we sweet subjects be. Mülheim, the 22nd of May, 1765.

Not with yourself, but with God. Do not occupy yourself so much with yourself; it profits nothing. God knows indeed, who you are. See the 25th of the last printed rhymes. Think on your God with love and with trust; rejoice and delight yourself in Him, whose perfections, love and faithfulness are infinite and unchangeable. Never has she been dear and worth to him for the sake of hers, but for the sake of that which is of God in her. God looks much less upon the Yours and the Mine in us: He loves only the His in us, but overlooks the Ours, because we no longer cherish it as the Ours, but suffer it as something foreign and painful.

Will-less and work-less. Are you perhaps sometimes so dull, that you think He is absent, He thinks not on you, then write as a little letter to Him, and tell Him that you nevertheless will love Him, and for His pleasure gladly suffer. With will you must not live in distraction; but through own-will and own working will you also further no inward-turning. Remain in the solitude, when the Lord gives it; remain then in God's presence, as you are and as you can, will-less and work-less, that He may do with you what pleases Him. God must be Master, and we sweet subjects be. Amen! Lord Jesus. Mülheim, the 22nd of May, 1765.

A few words and echoes.

your pleasant of the 21st of this. just now received; the previous, also pleasant, unanswered, because he expected you personally daily.
unusually weak, and quite out of a state to write. for the most time; yet should I therefore forget you?
far and strange to me. because I do not write so often, or because God hinders that you still cannot come bodily.
Straight the contrary. never thought of you more earnestly; nearer in the spirit than even now.
who you are in yourself. the Lord still better.
not for the sake of yours. but for the sake of that which is of God in you.
the Yours and the Mine. He loves only the His; He overlooks the Ours.
suffer it as something foreign and painful. no longer cherish it as the Ours.
Do not occupy yourself so much with yourself. it profits nothing; God knows indeed who you are.
the 25th of the last printed rhymes. Think on your God with love and with trust.
rejoice and delight yourself in Him. whose perfections, love and faithfulness are infinite and unchangeable.
then write as a little letter to Him. if you think He is absent; nevertheless will love Him. (Psalm 73:23)
own-will and own working. will further no inward-turning; with will you must not live in distraction.
Remain in the solitude. when the Lord gives it; remain then in God's presence, will-less and work-less.
God must be Master. and we sweet subjects be. Amen! Lord Jesus!
Your / Mülheim, weak brother. the 22nd of May, 1765.

Cite this letter

Gerhard Tersteegen, Geistliche und erbauliche Briefe, Zweiter Band, IV. Theil, Brief 80 (Solingen, 1773–75); trans. Jarred Fenlason, https://gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdii-thiv-080.html.

← Bd II · Th IV · Brief 79 Bd II · Th IV · Brief 81 →