A sick friend, who in heavy sufferings is comforted unto the blessed Easter-day, together with a wish of blessing upon his son.
The Eighty-sixth Letter.
A sick friend, who in heavy sufferings is comforted unto the blessed Easter-day, together with a wish of blessing upon his son.
In the grace of Jesus, our Saviour, dearly beloved brother!
Your beloved of the 6th of this I have been unable to answer sooner than today. My ailing condition, sundry painful incidents, especially in the past winter and until now, make me, with increasing years, ever more unwilling and unfit for my otherwise usual work, among which writing belongs: Meanwhile yet my love to God, to His truth and to His children, through His assistance, shall never fall away.
The sorrowful circumstances of your dear old father (whom I greet heart-brotherly in the name of Jesus) go to my heart. The Lord, the inmost-near, good, faithful One, prove Himself also as such with the dear patient, with all needful strengthening and blessing on the inward, also refreshment and easing on the outer man, according to His good pleasure! It is yet the Lord who does all this; His purposes are worthy of adoration and of love. The Passion-tide lasts yet not eternally for believers, and on our approaching blessed Easter-day the dear Saviour will be able to say to each one among us (and also to the dear J. zu N.): "Have you not had to suffer these things, and so enter into your glory? Have I not had just through such trials and purifications to lead you, to make you small and pure, and capable of my fellowship? And now, since the temporal and light tribulation is past, must you now not lay the hand upon the mouth, and with joyful heart sing and say: The ways of the Lord are pure goodness and truth."
O! may our faith not be befogged through the present, the uncomely, and the bitterness of the suffering, but look upon the Love-hand that gives it, that gives the strength after the Cross; and upon the certain, blessed end of the Lord! Dear brother! I too had once often and long to sit in the sick-room with a now blessedly deceased brother: Outwardly the misery was great, and it did not look fair; there my faith had its exercise and school under the long-lasting miserable circumstances; and at the thoughts of dying I came upon the thoughts of a glorious resurrection, with remembrance of some beautiful expressions of a godly poet among the first Christians, namely of Prudentius; I think I still have them in memory with the translation that I made at the patient's bed:
No, fear not, you my members! You come to God with Christ again. Believe that freely. He bears you as His own even, Calls you with Himself from death into life: He is faithful.
Will sickness threaten, greet it with joy; Despise want, tribulation and sufferings, Whatever may come. Look upon the dark grave with courage, Go with Christ, the Risen One, However it goes, after Him!
I will yet also enclose the Latin verses on a little leaf, if perhaps the dear patient might once have a good little hour, when someone could read them to him. — — The Lord bless, support and refresh you also, my dear brother, in your present burdensome office in the sick-room! Jesus prove Himself as present with and in you! God often moves my poor mind, that I can earnestly offer up to His mercy and grace-oversight both the dear suffering father and the mournful mother, as also you, dear brother. Think also of me before the Lord: He will help, that we soon meet before His face with perfect joy. I remain by grace
Your Mülheim, obliged weak the 25th of February, 1766. fellow-brother.
German
Der sechsundachtzigste Brief.
Ein krancker Freund, der in schweren Leyden, wird auf den seligen Ostertag vertröstet, nebst Segens-Wunsch an dessen Sohn.
In der Gnade JEsu, unsers Heylandes herzlich geliebter Bruder! Dein Geliebtes vom 6ten dieses habe unmöglich eher, als heute, beantworten können.
— 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 February letter of the 25th, 1766, from Mülheim to Johann Christoph Höcker. He has been unable to answer the brother's beloved of the 6th sooner than today. His ailing condition and sundry painful incidents, especially through the past winter and until now, make him, with increasing years, ever more unwilling and unfit for his usual work, writing among it; yet his love to God, to His truth and to His children shall never fall away. The sorrowful circumstances of the dear old father go to his heart. Passion-tide does not last eternally for believers; on the approaching blessed Easter-day the dear Saviour will be able to say that they had to suffer these things and so enter into glory. Faith must not be befogged by the present bitterness of the suffering, but look upon the Love-hand that gives it, and upon the certain, blessed end of the Lord. He once sat long in the sick-room with a now blessedly deceased brother, and came upon thoughts of a glorious resurrection, with a translation he made at the patient's bed of some verses of Prudentius. He will enclose the Latin verses on a little leaf. The Lord bless, support and refresh the brother in his burdensome office in the sick-room. Mülheim, the 25th of February, 1766.
Comfort unto Easter-day. A sick friend in heavy sufferings is comforted unto the blessed Easter-day, together with a wish of blessing upon his son. The brother's beloved of the 6th could not be answered sooner. His own ailing condition, sundry painful incidents, especially in the past winter, make him ever more unfit for his usual work; yet love to God, to His truth and to His children shall never fall away. The sorrowful circumstances of the dear old father go to his heart. The Lord, the inmost-near, good, faithful One, prove Himself as such with the dear patient. It is the Lord who does all this; His purposes are worthy of adoration and of love. Passion-tide does not last eternally for believers; on the approaching blessed Easter-day the dear Saviour will be able to say: have you not had to suffer these things, and so enter into your glory?
The Love-hand, and verses at a sick-bed. Faith must not be befogged through the present, the uncomely, and the bitterness of the suffering, but look upon the Love-hand that gives it, that gives the strength after the Cross, and upon the certain, blessed end of the Lord. He too had once often and long to sit in the sick-room with a now blessedly deceased brother; there his faith had its exercise and school, and at the thoughts of dying he came upon thoughts of a glorious resurrection, with remembrance of some beautiful expressions of a godly poet among the first Christians, namely of Prudentius, which he translated at the patient's bed: fear not, you my members; you come to God with Christ again; will sickness threaten, greet it with joy; look upon the dark grave with courage. He will yet enclose the Latin verses on a little leaf, if the dear patient might once have a good little hour. The Lord bless, support and refresh the brother in his present burdensome office in the sick-room. Jesus prove Himself as present. God often moves his poor mind to offer up both the dear suffering father and the mournful mother, as also the brother. Think also of me before the Lord; He will help, that they soon meet before His face with perfect joy. Mülheim, the 25th of February, 1766.
A few words and echoes.
- Your beloved of the 6th of this. I have been unable to answer sooner than today.
- My ailing condition. sundry painful incidents, especially in the past winter and until now.
- ever more unwilling and unfit. for my otherwise usual work, among which writing belongs.
- my love to God shall never fall away. through His assistance.
- The sorrowful circumstances of your dear old father. whom I greet heart-brotherly in the name of Jesus.
- the inmost-near, good, faithful One. prove Himself also as such with the dear patient. (Ps. 25:8; 1 Thess. 5:24)
- His purposes are worthy of adoration and of love. it is the Lord who does all this.
- The Passion-tide lasts yet not eternally for believers. on our approaching blessed Easter-day.
- Have you not had to suffer these things. and so enter into your glory. (Luke 24:26)
- the temporal and light tribulation is past. must you now not lay the hand upon the mouth. (2 Cor. 4:17)
- The ways of the Lord are pure goodness and truth. (Ps. 25:10)
- may our faith not be befogged. look upon the Love-hand that gives it. (2 Cor. 4:18)
- the strength after the Cross. the certain, blessed end of the Lord.
- I too had once often and long to sit in the sick-room. with a now blessedly deceased brother.
- there my faith had its exercise and school. under the long-lasting miserable circumstances.
- thoughts of a glorious resurrection. some beautiful expressions of a godly poet among the first Christians.
- No, fear not, you my members. you come to God with Christ again.
- Will sickness threaten, greet it with joy. look upon the dark grave with courage.
- I will yet also enclose the Latin verses on a little leaf. if perhaps the dear patient might once have a good little hour.
- The Lord bless, support and refresh you also. in your present burdensome office in the sick-room.
- Jesus prove Himself as present with and in you. God often moves my poor mind.
- both the dear suffering father and the mournful mother. as also you, dear brother.
- Think also of me before the Lord. He will help, that we soon meet before His face with perfect joy.
- I remain by grace Your obliged weak fellow-brother. Mülheim, the 25th of February, 1766.
trans. Jarred Fenlason · gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdii-thiv-086 · all rights reservedEnglish translation © Jarred Fenlason · All rights reserved · gerhardtersteegen.com.