Letters · Zweiter Band · Theil IV (1775)

Comfort and encouragement, to commit oneself to the faithful Guide in drought and suffering.

Bd II · Th IV · Brief 89 · Der neunundachtzigste Brief

Addressee — To Johann Engelbert Evertsen, Barmen. Salutation "Liebster Bruder!" — not Rule B (Liebster Bruder → "Dearest brother!"). Body du / dir / dich / dein / Dein (the brother) → you/your. No standalone Dein / Euer on the close (dateline only). Bruder E. KEEP abbreviation (his expansion Engelbert — not expanded). No God-apostrophe.
Date — Mülheim, 18 July 1766.
Provenance — Translated from the public-domain 1775 first edition (Theil IV, pp. 218–219), 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-ninth Letter.

Comfort and encouragement, to commit oneself to the faithful Guide in drought and suffering.

Dearest brother!

Your little letter of the 14th was heartily dear to me, also that it is still in the ordinary with you and the acquaintances. Hitherto the Lord has helped; praised be His name! If it goes equally often through dark, thorny streets, or over dry heaths, where the sun stings and not much refreshment is to be found: yet there is nothing to fear for a soul that will nothing but God, to whom we, as our faithful Guide and good Shepherd, have only so much the more freely to commit ourselves; then certainly He is with us, Psalm 23, and unchangeably the Same. We should also at all times seek to remain as-near-as-possible to Him, and also in comfortless days refuse to be comforted from elsewhere. I too do not always sit at a full table, though I have my daily bread for getting by. O! I know yet that God is God, and of that my soul must rejoice in truth. I know a little the high necessity of the suffering-ways, and of the alternations of weal and woe. And how so little is it also laid upon us, as us! If only our God have peace, joy and delight in us. Eternity is indeed long enough for rejoicing and resting. God helped; God helps; God will finish it.

I do not think that anything will be forgotten; but this shall never be forgotten, to greet Brother E. with a tender heart, to bless, and to offer him up earnestly to the Lord into His faithful oversight and working. Think of me also before God!

Mülheim, the 18th of July, 1766.

❦

German

Der neunundachtzigste Brief.

Trost und Aufmunterung, sich dem treuen Führer in Dürre und Leyden zu überlassen.

Liebster Bruder!

Dein Brieflein vom 14ten ware mir herzlich lieb, auch daß es mit dir und den Bekannten noch im Gewöhnlichen ist.

— 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 July letter of the 18th, 1766, from Mülheim to Johann Engelbert Evertsen in Barmen. His little letter of the 14th was heartily dear; it is still in the ordinary with him and the acquaintances. Hitherto the Lord has helped; praised be His name. If the way goes equally often through dark, thorny streets, or over dry heaths where the sun stings and not much refreshment is to be found, yet there is nothing to fear for a soul that will nothing but God — only so much the more freely to commit oneself to the faithful Guide and good Shepherd; then certainly He is with us, Psalm 23, and unchangeably the Same. Seek to remain as-near-as-possible to Him, and in comfortless days refuse to be comforted from elsewhere. He too does not always sit at a full table, though he has his daily bread for getting by; he knows that God is God, and of that the soul must rejoice in truth. The high necessity of the suffering-ways, and the alternations of weal and woe; how so little is laid upon us, as us, if only our God have peace, joy and delight in us. Eternity is long enough for rejoicing and resting. God helped; God helps; God will finish it. This shall never be forgotten: to greet Brother E. with a tender heart, to bless, and to offer him up earnestly to the Lord into His faithful oversight and working. Think of me also before God. Mülheim, the 18th of July, 1766.

Hitherto the Lord has helped. The little letter of the 14th was heartily dear; it is still in the ordinary with the brother and the acquaintances. Hitherto the Lord has helped; praised be His name. If it goes equally often through dark, thorny streets, or over dry heaths, where the sun stings and not much refreshment is to be found: yet there is nothing to fear for a soul that will nothing but God, to whom we, as our faithful Guide and good Shepherd, have only so much the more freely to commit ourselves; then certainly He is with us, Psalm 23, and unchangeably the Same.

As-near-as-possible; God is God. We should also at all times seek to remain as-near-as-possible to Him, and also in comfortless days refuse to be comforted from elsewhere. He too does not always sit at a full table, though he has his daily bread for getting by. O! he knows yet that God is God, and of that the soul must rejoice in truth. He knows a little the high necessity of the suffering-ways, and of the alternations of weal and woe. And how so little is it also laid upon us, as us! If only our God have peace, joy and delight in us. Eternity is indeed long enough for rejoicing and resting. God helped; God helps; God will finish it. This shall never be forgotten, to greet Brother E. with a tender heart, to bless, and to offer him up earnestly to the Lord into His faithful oversight and working. Think of me also before God. Mülheim, the 18th of July, 1766.

A few words and echoes.

Dearest brother! not the Rule-B form.
Your little letter of the 14th. was heartily dear to me.
still in the ordinary. with you and the acquaintances.
Hitherto the Lord has helped. praised be His name. (1 Sam. 7:12; Ps. 113:3)
through dark, thorny streets. or over dry heaths, where the sun stings.
a soul that will nothing but God. to whom we have only so much the more freely to commit ourselves.
then certainly He is with us, Psalm 23. and unchangeably the Same. (Ps. 23:4; Heb. 13:8)
seek to remain as-near-as-possible to Him. and in comfortless days refuse to be comforted from elsewhere.
I too do not always sit at a full table. though I have my daily bread for getting by.
I know yet that God is God. and of that my soul must rejoice in truth.
the high necessity of the suffering-ways. and of the alternations of weal and woe.
how so little is it also laid upon us, as us! If only our God have peace, joy and delight in us.
Eternity is indeed long enough. for rejoicing and resting.
God helped; God helps; God will finish it.
to greet Brother E. with a tender heart. to bless, and to offer him up earnestly to the Lord into His faithful oversight and working.
Think of me also before God! Mülheim, the 18th of July, 1766.

Cite this letter

Gerhard Tersteegen, Geistliche und erbauliche Briefe, Zweiter Band, IV. Theil, Brief 89 (Solingen, 1773–75); trans. Jarred Fenlason, https://gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdii-thiv-089.html.

← Bd II · Th IV · Brief 88 Bd II · Th IV · Brief 90 →