Letters · Zweiter Band · Theil IV (1775)

In what way God must blot out the evil in us, and create the good.

Bd II · Th IV · Brief 94 · Der vierundneunzigste Brief

Addressee — To Johann Engelbert Evertsen, Barmen. Salutation "Liebster Bruder!" — not Rule B (Liebster Bruder → "Dearest brother!"). Body mix: du / dir / dich / dein / deinen (the brother) + eure (ihr to the circle, eure sämtliche Angelegenheit) → English you/your for both. o HErr! für dich is God-address → You (not thou). No standalone Dein / Euer on the close (dateline only). No verbundener. Ihr-address of the circle is not a second addressee.
Date — Mülheim, 5 December 1766.
Provenance — Translated from the public-domain 1775 first edition (Theil IV, pp. 230–231), 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 Ninety-fourth Letter.

In what way God must blot out the evil in us, and create the good.

Dearest brother!

For your brotherly blessing-wish and your all's entire concern, in regard to my past birthday, I thank with humble bowing, I who in all truth do not count myself worthy to be named among God's children, or to be regarded so. Be it, O Lord! for You my life, time and powers! —

It is very much the truth, what you write: That God must blot out the evil, and create the good; only, that we deny the evil with whole will, i.e. turn ourselves from it; (to deny is ours; to blot out and put to death is God's work) and that we draw near to God through prayer and turning-inward, and wait for the good, which we also cannot make nor give ourselves. Yea, prayer and turning-inward also the Lord will work more than we ourselves: Blessed is he whom You choose, and cause to draw near to You, etc., it properly says. Psalm 65:5.

The report of the frame of those minds there is quite pleasant to me: Grace, blessing, love and peace be wished them all out of the fullness of Jesus! in whose Name I desire to greet them all. The divine blessing and the purpose eyed by the Lord be richly experienced by each one! Jesus live!

Mülheim, the 5th of December, 1766.

❦

German

Der vierundneunzigste Brief.

Auf was Weise GOtt das Böse in uns tilgen, und das Gute schaffen müsse.

Liebster Bruder!

Für deinen brüderlichen Segens-Wunsch und eure sämtliche Angelegenheit, in Ansehung meines verflossenen Geburts-Tags, dancke ich mit demüthiger Beugung, der ich mich in aller Wahrheit nicht werth achte, unter GOttes Kindern genannt, oder regardirt zu werden.

— 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 December letter of the 5th, 1766, from Mülheim to Johann Engelbert Evertsen at Barmen. For the brother's blessing-wish, and the entire concern of those there, over Tersteegen's birthday just past — he had turned sixty-nine on the 25th of November — he thanks with humble bowing, and does not count himself worthy to be named among God's children. Be it, O Lord, for You: my life, time and powers. What the brother writes is very much the truth: God must blot out the evil in us and create the good; only we deny the evil with whole will — to deny is ours; to blot out and put to death is God's work — and draw near through prayer and turning-inward, waiting for the good we cannot make. Prayer itself the Lord will work more than we. Blessed is he whom You choose and cause to draw near. The report of the frame of those minds there is pleasant; grace, blessing, love and peace be wished them all from the fullness of Jesus. Mülheim, the 5th of December, 1766.

To deny is ours; to blot out is God's. The brother has written that God must blot out the evil and create the good. Tersteegen agrees, and then draws the line: we deny the evil with whole will, that is, we turn from it; to deny is ours, to blot out and put to death is God's work. Through prayer and turning-inward we draw near and wait for the good we cannot make nor give ourselves. Yea, prayer and turning-inward also the Lord will work more than we ourselves. Blessed is he whom You choose, and cause to draw near to You: that is how the psalm properly reads.

The report from Barmen. The report of the frame of those minds there is quite pleasant. Grace, blessing, love and peace be wished them all out of the fullness of Jesus; in whose Name he desires to greet them all. The divine blessing and the purpose the Lord has in view be richly experienced by each one. Jesus live. Mülheim, the 5th of December, 1766.

A few words and echoes.

Dearest brother!
your brotherly blessing-wish. and your all's entire concern, in regard to my past birthday.
I thank with humble bowing. I who in all truth do not count myself worthy to be named among God's children.
Be it, O Lord! for You my life, time and powers!
It is very much the truth, what you write. That God must blot out the evil, and create the good.
we deny the evil with whole will. i.e. turn ourselves from it.
to deny is ours; to blot out and put to death is God's work.
through prayer and turning-inward. we draw near to God, and wait for the good.
which we also cannot make nor give ourselves.
prayer and turning-inward also the Lord will work more than we ourselves.
Blessed is he whom You choose, and cause to draw near to You. it properly says. (Ps. 65:4 / print 65, 5)
The report of the frame of those minds there. is quite pleasant to me.
Grace, blessing, love and peace be wished them all. out of the fullness of Jesus.
in whose Name I desire to greet them all.
the purpose eyed by the Lord. be richly experienced by each one.
Jesus live! Mülheim, the 5th of December, 1766.

Cite this letter

Gerhard Tersteegen, Geistliche und erbauliche Briefe, Zweiter Band, IV. Theil, Brief 94 (Solingen, 1773–75); trans. Jarred Fenlason, https://gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdii-thiv-094.html.

← Bd II · Th IV · Brief 93 Bd II · Th IV · Brief 95 →