Letters · Zweiter Band · Theil IV (1775)

Blessing-wish for the New Year.

Bd II · Th IV · Brief 82 · Der zweiundachtzigste Brief

Addressee — To Anna Christina Spieker, Wittenhaus. Salutation "In JESU, unserem süssesten Heylande herzlich geliebte Schwester!" — Rule B (herzlich geliebte → "dearly beloved sister"), inside the longer formula "In Jesus, our sweetest Saviour, dearly beloved sister!". Leaf herz- already z (z/herz, z/sal). Body du / dir / dich / dein / deinem (the sister) → you/your. Standalone Deinem on the close → Your. verbundenen → obliged. schwachen Bruder → weak brother. No God-apostrophe.
Date — Mülheim, 29 December 1765.
Provenance — Translated from the public-domain 1775 first edition (Theil IV, pp. 201–203), 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 Eighty-second Letter.

Blessing-wish for the New Year.

In Jesus, our sweetest Saviour, dearly beloved sister!

Through this occasion I would yet also greet you with my own hand, as with my heart, in the power of the name of Jesus. This name is the us-inwardly-near, mildly opened, gentle, welling love of God, which, as I wish, may also take your inmost on the New, and as a powerful life-balm penetrate, strengthen, refresh and quicken, that you, with me, may become a man after God's heart, and you also, with me, in the coming new year may live, love and suffer to the Lord's all good-pleasure. Amen, Jesus! Take us in, and take us away; to You we are given, to You we yield ourselves wholly; let us not be put to shame, Amen!

It has also been right pleasant and thankful to me, dear sister, that we could once more visit one another in this mortality in love, and God has, against expectation, granted you the needful strengths for the going-and-returning: To Him be for all thanks, praise and honor brought! His Divine Majesty will from grace grant us a whole eternity, to thank Him worthily for all His mercies.

Now I hear, you are sick again; Jesus visit and refresh you in my stead! I have also since then had many a hard attack; I am improving indeed, through God's goodness, again; yet it still falls hard to me, to be able to write even some lines. Be of good courage in God! Though the sun shine not, it is yet there, and gives the needful light. Give God, the God who has done so great things on you, the honor, and trust yourself to Him wholly in faith. You are not alone, He is by and with you; and I also am in the spirit of His love with you. Pray also for me, for I am poor and weak, and should yet think on everything. Be once more brotherly greeted from

Your Mülheim, in God obliged the 29th of December, 1765. weak brother.

❦

German

Der zweiundachtzigste Brief.

Segens-Wunsch zum Neuen Jahr.

In JEsu, unserem süßesten Heylande herzlich geliebte Schwester!

Durch diese Gelegenheit wollte dich doch auch mit eigener Hand, wie mit meinem Herzen grüßen, in der Kraft des Namens JEsu.

— 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 29th of December, 1765, from Mülheim to Anna Christina Spieker at Wittenhaus. Through this occasion he would yet also greet her with his own hand, as with his heart, in the power of the name of Jesus. This name is the inwardly-near, mildly opened, gentle, welling love of God; may it take her inmost on the New, and as a life-balm penetrate, strengthen, refresh and quicken, that she, with him, may become a man after God's heart, and in the coming new year live, love and suffer to the Lord's all good-pleasure. They could once more visit one another in this mortality; God granted her the needful strengths for the journey against expectation. He hears she is sick again; Jesus visit her in his stead. He also has had many a hard attack; he is improving, yet it still falls hard to write even some lines. Be of good courage in God; though the sun shine not, it is yet there. Give God the honor; she is not alone. Pray also for him, for he is poor and weak. Mülheim, the 29th of December, 1765.

The name of Jesus, a life-balm. Through this occasion he would yet also greet her with his own hand, as with his heart, in the power of the name of Jesus. This name is the us-inwardly-near, mildly opened, gentle, welling love of God, which, as he wishes, may also take her inmost on the New, and as a powerful life-balm penetrate, strengthen, refresh and quicken, that she, with him, may become a man after God's heart, and in the coming new year live, love and suffer to the Lord's all good-pleasure. Take us in, and take us away; to You we are given, to You we yield ourselves wholly; let us not be put to shame.

Be of good courage in God. They could once more visit one another in this mortality in love; God granted her the needful strengths for the going-and-returning against expectation. Now he hears she is sick again; Jesus visit and refresh her in his stead. He also has had many a hard attack; he is improving through God's goodness, yet it still falls hard to write even some lines. Be of good courage in God. Though the sun shine not, it is yet there, and gives the needful light. Give God, the God who has done so great things on her, the honor, and trust yourself to Him wholly in faith. You are not alone; He is by and with you. Pray also for him, for he is poor and weak, and should yet think on everything. Mülheim, the 29th of December, 1765.

A few words and echoes.

through this occasion. greet you with my own hand, as with my heart.
in the power of the name of Jesus. this name is the us-inwardly-near, mildly opened, gentle, welling love of God.
take your inmost on the New. as a powerful life-balm penetrate, strengthen, refresh and quicken.
a man after God's heart. live, love and suffer to the Lord's all good-pleasure. (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22)
Take us in, and take us away. to You we are given; to You we yield ourselves wholly.
let us not be put to shame. Amen. (Psalm 69:6)
once more visit one another in this mortality. against expectation the needful strengths for the going-and-returning.
to Him be for all thanks, praise and honor brought. His Divine Majesty will grant us a whole eternity.
you are sick again. Jesus visit and refresh you in my stead.
many a hard attack. I am improving; yet it still falls hard to write even some lines.
Be of good courage in God. though the sun shine not, it is yet there, and gives the needful light.
Give God, the God who has done so great things on you, the honor. trust yourself to Him wholly in faith. (Psalm 126:3)
you are not alone. He is by and with you; I also am in the spirit of His love with you.
Pray also for me. for I am poor and weak, and should yet think on everything.
Your / Mülheim, in God obliged weak brother. the 29th of December, 1765.

Cite this letter

Gerhard Tersteegen, Geistliche und erbauliche Briefe, Zweiter Band, IV. Theil, Brief 82 (Solingen, 1773–75); trans. Jarred Fenlason, https://gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdii-thiv-082.html.

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