Letters · Zweiter Band · Theil IV (1775)

God's Father-heart and intention in outer suffering and inner weakness.

Bd II · Th IV · Brief 97 · Der siebenundneunzigste Brief

Addressee — To Johann Engelbert Evertsen, Barmen. Salutation "Liebster Bruder!" — not Rule B (Liebster Bruder → "Dearest brother!"). Body mix: du / dir / dich / dein / deines / dessen (the brother) + euch (ihr to the patients, gebe euch, kindlich krank zu seyn) → English you/your for both. Hymn-line Ich bin ja, HErr! in deiner Macht is God-address → You (not thou). No standalone Dein / Euer on the close (dateline only). No verbundener. Ihr-address of the patients is not a second addressee.
Date — Mülheim, 6 March 1767.
Provenance — Translated from the public-domain 1775 first edition (Theil IV, pp. 234–236), 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-seventh Letter.

God's Father-heart and intention in outer suffering and inner weakness.

Dearest brother!

Your beloved of the 23rd of February I receive aright. The ailing circumstances of your body moved me and others. It comes indeed from our dear heavenly Father, that comforts: His intentions can not otherwise than be worthy of adoration and of love, that quietens: And He is certainly as Father with us in the need, that strengthens. May He then also prove Himself with you, dear brother! (as also with all the remaining dear patients there) as a true Father, (Heb. 12:5–11.) and give you to be childlikely sick, when it shall be so! The Lord has much moved me to commend you, dear brother, to His oversight, love and blessing-power, in the Name of Jesus, and it still happens. At first a compassion with some of those minds there would come upon me, but fell away again, with impression that there is as yet no danger. — —

Now! hitherto the Lord has helped; His Name be praised! Meanwhile it remains thereat: I am indeed, Lord! in Your power, etc. May the Lord further give the needful according to His good pleasure, and let our life and our life-power remain sanctified to Him!

The experiences of our weak standing in the spiritual are more needful and more useful to us than we think. Sadness and faint-heartedness is not the benefit eyed thereunder, but a fruit of self-love. Sweet smallness and more letting-go of ourselves, so as to stand in Christ, and not in ourselves, the Lord will work thereunder. Ah yes! may He do that!

I greet and embrace you, dearest brother in the Spirit of our love-fellowship. Offer me up to the Lord; I gladly do the like.

Mülheim, the 6th of March, 1767.

❦

German

Der siebenundneunzigste Brief.

GOttes Vater-Herze und Absicht im äußern Leyden und innerer Schwachheit.

Liebster Bruder!

Dein Geliebtes vom 23ten Febr. erhalte richtig.

— 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 March letter of the 6th, 1767, from Mülheim to Johann Engelbert Evertsen at Barmen. His beloved of the 23rd of February is received aright. The ailing circumstances of the body moved Tersteegen and others; it comes from the heavenly Father — that comforts; His intentions are worthy of adoration and of love — that quietens; He is as Father with us in the need — that strengthens. May He prove Himself a true Father with the brother and with the remaining patients there, and give them to be childlikely sick, when it shall be so. Tersteegen has been much moved to commend the brother to His oversight, love and blessing-power, in the Name of Jesus, and it still happens. At first a compassion with some of those minds there would come upon him, but fell away again: as yet no danger. Hitherto the Lord has helped; His Name be praised. Meanwhile it remains: I am indeed, Lord, in Your power. May He give the needful, and let life and life-power remain sanctified to Him. The experiences of our weak standing in the spiritual are more needful and more useful than we think; sadness and faint-heartedness is not the benefit eyed thereunder, but a fruit of self-love. Sweet smallness and more letting-go of ourselves, so as to stand in Christ and not in ourselves — the Lord will work that. Offer me up to the Lord; I gladly do the like. Mülheim, the 6th of March, 1767.

That comforts, that quietens, that strengthens. The brother's letter of the 23rd of February has told the ailing circumstances of the body. They moved Tersteegen and others. It comes indeed from our dear heavenly Father — that comforts. His intentions can not otherwise than be worthy of adoration and of love — that quietens. And He is certainly as Father with us in the need — that strengthens. May He then also prove Himself with the brother, as with all the remaining dear patients there, as a true Father, and give them to be childlikely sick, when it shall be so. The Lord has much moved him to commend the brother to His oversight, love and blessing-power, in the Name of Jesus, and it still happens. At first a compassion with some of those minds there would come upon him, but fell away again, with impression that there is as yet no danger.

Hitherto the Lord has helped. Hitherto the Lord has helped; His Name be praised. Meanwhile it remains thereat: I am indeed, Lord, in Your power. May the Lord further give the needful according to His good pleasure, and let our life and our life-power remain sanctified to Him. The experiences of our weak standing in the spiritual are more needful and more useful than we think. Sadness and faint-heartedness is not the benefit eyed thereunder, but a fruit of self-love. Sweet smallness and more letting-go of ourselves, so as to stand in Christ and not in ourselves — the Lord will work that. Ah yes, may He do that. He greets and embraces the brother in the Spirit of their love-fellowship. Offer me up to the Lord; I gladly do the like. Mülheim, the 6th of March, 1767.

A few words and echoes.

Dearest brother!
Your beloved of the 23rd of February I receive aright.
The ailing circumstances of your body moved me and others.
It comes indeed from our dear heavenly Father, that comforts.
His intentions can not otherwise than be worthy of adoration and of love, that quietens.
He is certainly as Father with us in the need, that strengthens.
May He then also prove Himself with you as a true Father. (Heb. 12:5–11)
give you to be childlikely sick, when it shall be so.
to commend you to His oversight, love and blessing-power. in the Name of Jesus, and it still happens.
a compassion with some of those minds there. fell away again: as yet no danger.
Hitherto the Lord has helped. His Name be praised. (1 Sam. 7:12; Ps. 113:3)
I am indeed, Lord! in Your power. (Simon Dach)
May the Lord further give the needful. and let our life and our life-power remain sanctified to Him.
our weak standing in the spiritual. more needful and more useful than we think.
Sadness and faint-heartedness is not the benefit eyed thereunder. but a fruit of self-love.
Sweet smallness and more letting-go of ourselves. so as to stand in Christ, and not in ourselves.
the Lord will work thereunder. Ah yes! may He do that!
I greet and embrace you, dearest brother. in the Spirit of our love-fellowship.
Offer me up to the Lord. I gladly do the like.
Mülheim, the 6th of March, 1767.

Cite this letter

Gerhard Tersteegen, Geistliche und erbauliche Briefe, Zweiter Band, IV. Theil, Brief 97 (Solingen, 1773–75); trans. Jarred Fenlason, https://gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdii-thiv-097.html.

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