What a good courage under suffering is.
The Eighty-fourth Letter.
What a good courage under suffering is.
Dearest brother!
While writing I receive your latest agreeable of the 20th of this. I thank the Lord, that it is with you and the remaining acquaintances so tolerable as it is: I greet them all quite heartily, and so, as if I named each one; then certainly they are all and each present to my mind now and otherwise many times; the ailing and the suffering I greet all in particular: The Lord be inwardly near to them, and give them and us under all pressure good courage, not only courage, but such a courage as arises from value-regard of the Cross and knowledge of divine faithfulness; that I call good courage.
One prizes much the worth of minds according to the measure of their savoury communications, and the like. I do not think so. Those whom God loves He does not always caress; He chastens them, to make them partakers of His holiness; the daily bread the Lord gives besides, along with it. Ah! when God under all outer and inner pressure, also experiences of our own miseries, only reaches His holy end-purpose, that we be preserved from excesses and false comfort, finely bowed, and ever more prepared thoroughly to leave ourselves, and to sink into God: What then is ever more at stake thereon? All comfort outside God is besides only a true uncomfort; and soon our pilgrim-way ends. Yet a little we keep one another company on the way, soon at a better place. Lord Jesus abide with us, for it will become evening. I greet quite heartily you and the rest.
Mülheim, Wholly Yours in the 24th of January, 1766. the Lord.
German
Der vierundachtzigste Brief.
Was ein guter Muth unter dem Leyden sey.
Liebster Bruder!
Unterm Schreiben erhalte dein letzteres Angenehmes vom 20ten dieses. Ich dancke dem HErrn, daß es mit dir und den übrigen Bekannten so leydlich ist, als es ist: ich grüße sie alle gar herzlich, und so, als wann einen jeden nennete; dann gewißlich sind sie alle und jede meinem Gemüth jezt und sonst vielmals gegenwärtig …
— 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 January letter of the 24th, 1766, from Mülheim to Johann Engelbert Evertsen in Barmen. While writing he receives the brother's latest agreeable of the 20th. It is so tolerable with him and the remaining acquaintances as it is. He greets them all quite heartily, the ailing and the suffering in particular. Good courage under all pressure: not only courage, but such a courage as arises from value-regard of the Cross and knowledge of divine faithfulness. One does not prize minds by savoury communications; whom God loves He does not always caress, He chastens them. When under all pressure God only reaches His holy end-purpose, what then is ever more at stake? All comfort outside God is a true uncomfort. Yet a little they keep one another company on the pilgrim-way; Lord Jesus, abide with us, for it will become evening. Mülheim, the 24th of January, 1766.
Good courage under the Cross. While writing he receives the latest agreeable of the 20th; it is so tolerable with the brother and the remaining acquaintances as it is. He greets them all quite heartily, as if he named each one; they are all present to his mind. The ailing and the suffering he greets in particular: the Lord be inwardly near, and give them and us under all pressure good courage — not only courage, but such a courage as arises from value-regard of the Cross and knowledge of divine faithfulness; that he calls good courage.
Whom God loves He chastens. One prizes much the worth of minds according to the measure of their savoury communications; he does not think so. Those whom God loves He does not always caress; He chastens them, to make them partakers of His holiness; the daily bread the Lord gives besides. When under all outer and inner pressure, also experiences of our own miseries, God only reaches His holy end-purpose — that we be preserved from excesses and false comfort, finely bowed, prepared thoroughly to leave ourselves and to sink into God — what then is ever more at stake? All comfort outside God is besides only a true uncomfort; soon the pilgrim-way ends. Yet a little they keep one another company on the way, soon at a better place. Lord Jesus abide with us, for it will become evening. Mülheim, the 24th of January, 1766.
A few words and echoes.
- While writing I receive your latest agreeable. of the 20th of this.
- so tolerable as it is. I greet them all quite heartily.
- as if I named each one. then certainly they are all and each present to my mind.
- the ailing and the suffering. I greet all in particular.
- good courage under all pressure. not only courage, but such a courage as arises from value-regard of the Cross.
- knowledge of divine faithfulness. that I call good courage.
- the worth of minds. according to the measure of their savoury communications.
- Those whom God loves He does not always caress. He chastens them, to make them partakers of His holiness. (Heb. 12:6)
- the daily bread the Lord gives besides. along with it. (Matt. 6:11)
- when God only reaches His holy end-purpose. finely bowed, prepared to leave ourselves and to sink into God.
- What then is ever more at stake thereon? all comfort outside God is a true uncomfort.
- soon our pilgrim-way ends. yet a little we keep one another company on the way.
- Lord Jesus abide with us. for it will become evening. (Luke 24:29)
- Wholly Yours in the Lord. Mülheim, the 24th of January, 1766.
trans. Jarred Fenlason · gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdii-thiv-084 · all rights reservedEnglish translation © Jarred Fenlason · All rights reserved · gerhardtersteegen.com.