Letters · Zweiter Band · Theil IV (1775)

To look upon oneself even in ways of suffering as given to God, in thorough hope of an eternally satisfying Good.

Bd II · Th IV · Brief 98 · Der achtundneunzigste Brief

Addressee — To Elisabeth Schröters, Krefeld. Salutation "In der Gnade JEsu herzlich geliebte Schwester!" — Rule B (herzlich geliebte → "dearly beloved sister"), inside the longer formula "In the grace of Jesus, dearly beloved sister!". Leaf herzlich already z (crops/e236_sal1, crops/e236_sal2). Body du / dir / dich / dein / deiner / deinen (the sister) → English you/your. Standalone Dein on the close → Your. verbundener schwacher Bruder → obliged weak brother. No God-apostrophe. Ihr-address is not this letter.
Date — Mülheim, 18 March 1767.
Provenance — Translated from the public-domain 1775 first edition (Theil IV, pp. 236–238), 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-eighth Letter.

To look upon oneself even in ways of suffering as given to God, in thorough hope of an eternally satisfying Good.

In the grace of Jesus, dearly beloved sister!

When this opportunity comes, and I can just collect myself a little, I find myself inclined to greet you also with this my hand; as I then have so often done with my heart, although in weakness, yet in sincere brother-love. No, dear sister, I forget you by no means. I know that you sometimes have it dark, oppressed and hard. I take part from the heart in your burdened circumstances, which I nevertheless look upon as a very needful and for you wholesome way of God to your purifying. The Lord will stand by and help through.

Look upon yourself as a creature given to God after body and soul, after heart and will; let Him do with you; do not speak into it. Bear the experiences of your weaknesses and infirmities to your humiliation, and sink yourself with all that, and so as you find yourself, into the bosom of the most inwardly near love and mercy of God, without reflecting and reasoning. Just now there falls into my hand for you the 69th hymn in the Blumen-Gärtlein: God, who knows You, loves You, etc. it is quite serviceable for you.

Ah, dear sister! this life is a life of preparation, full of burden, misery and hardship; a right Cross-life: so God has ordained it, and so it must please us. Whoever does not in truth believe in a God, and in the Invisible and Eternal, O! he would have to become melancholy or desperate. But now we know an eternal highest Good, hope with ground upon a good evening, and know that everything that meets us here strange and bitter must all serve and work together to our salvation. So then look, dear sister, upon yourself and your sufferings not with such anxious and fearful eyes! Venture yourself thereby, and give yourself over to Him who will not fail you, or let you fall. O! this God, this most inwardly and eternally satisfying Good is unspeakably near to us in the ground of our souls: He waits for us; into Him we are to sink ourselves, occupy ourselves only with Him, not with ourselves, not with our miseries and sufferings; for He is only the Man who will save His people from their sins; Jesus is His Name.

In this most honorable and sweet Jesus-Name I greet you, dear sister, heartily, as before His face. Greet also heartily from me your housemates and remaining dear acquaintances as opportunity serves. All friends known here also request their hearty greeting to you. I remain by grace

Your Mülheim, obliged weak the 18th of March, 1767. Brother.

❦

German

Der achtundneunzigste Brief.

Sich auch in Leydens-Wegen als an GOtt verschenkt anzusehen, in gründlicher Hoffnung auf ein Ewig vergnügend Gut.

In der Gnade JEsu herzlich geliebte Schwester!

Da diese Gelegenheit vorkommt, und ich eben mich ein wenig besinnen kan; so finde ich mich geneigt, dich auch mit dieser meiner Hand zu grüßen; wie ichs dann mit meinem Herzen so oft, obgleich in Schwachheit, doch in aufrichtiger Bruder-Liebe gethan habe.

— 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 18th, 1767, from Mülheim to Elisabeth Schröters at Krefeld. When this opportunity comes, and he can just collect himself a little, he finds himself inclined to greet her also with this his hand, as he then has so often done with his heart, although in weakness, yet in sincere brother-love. No, he does not forget her; he knows she sometimes has it dark, oppressed and hard; he takes part from the heart in the burdened circumstances, which he nevertheless looks upon as a very needful and for her wholesome way of God to her purifying. The Lord will stand by and help through. Let her look upon herself as a creature given to God after body and soul, after heart and will; let Him do with her; sink herself into the bosom of the most inwardly near love of God, without reflecting and reasoning. This life is a life of preparation, a right Cross-life; they know an eternal highest Good, and that everything strange and bitter must serve and work together to their salvation. So then look not upon yourself and your sufferings with such anxious eyes; venture yourself thereby; He will not fail you or let you fall; Jesus is His Name. Mülheim, the 18th of March, 1767.

A creature given to God. Look upon yourself as a creature given to God after body and soul, after heart and will; let Him do with you; do not speak into it. Bear the experiences of your weaknesses and infirmities to your humiliation, and sink yourself with all that, and so as you find yourself, into the bosom of the most inwardly near love and mercy of God, without reflecting and reasoning. Just now there falls into his hand for her the 69th hymn in the Blumen-Gärtlein: God, who knows You, loves You. It is quite serviceable for her.

A right Cross-life. This life is a life of preparation, full of burden, misery and hardship; a right Cross-life: so God has ordained it, and so it must please us. Whoever does not in truth believe in a God, and in the Invisible and Eternal, would have to become melancholy or desperate. But now we know an eternal highest Good, hope with ground upon a good evening, and know that everything that meets us here strange and bitter must all serve and work together to our salvation. So then look not upon yourself and your sufferings with such anxious and fearful eyes. Venture yourself thereby, and give yourself over to Him who will not fail you, or let you fall. This God, this most inwardly and eternally satisfying Good, is unspeakably near in the ground of our souls; He waits for us; into Him we are to sink ourselves. He is only the Man who will save His people from their sins; Jesus is His Name. In this most honorable and sweet Jesus-Name he greets her heartily, as before His face. Mülheim, the 18th of March, 1767.

A few words and echoes.

In the grace of Jesus, dearly beloved sister!
When this opportunity comes. I can just collect myself a little.
I find myself inclined to greet you also with this my hand. as I then have so often done with my heart.
although in weakness, yet in sincere brother-love.
No, dear sister, I forget you by no means.
you sometimes have it dark, oppressed and hard.
I take part from the heart in your burdened circumstances. a very needful and for you wholesome way of God to your purifying.
The Lord will stand by and help through.
Look upon yourself as a creature given to God. after body and soul, after heart and will.
let Him do with you. do not speak into it.
sink yourself into the bosom. of the most inwardly near love and mercy of God.
without reflecting and reasoning.
God, who knows You, loves You, etc. the 69th hymn in the Blumen-Gärtlein.
this life is a life of preparation. full of burden, misery and hardship.
a right Cross-life. so God has ordained it, and so it must please us.
an eternal highest Good. hope with ground upon a good evening.
everything that meets us here strange and bitter. must all serve and work together to our salvation. (Rom. 8:28)
So then look, dear sister. upon yourself and your sufferings not with such anxious and fearful eyes.
Venture yourself thereby. give yourself over to Him who will not fail you, or let you fall. (Heb. 13:5)
this most inwardly and eternally satisfying Good. unspeakably near in the ground of our souls.
into Him we are to sink ourselves. occupy ourselves only with Him.
He is only the Man who will save His people from their sins. Jesus is His Name. (Matt. 1:21)
In this most honorable and sweet Jesus-Name. I greet you heartily, as before His face.
Your / Mülheim, obliged weak brother. the 18th of March, 1767.

Cite this letter

Gerhard Tersteegen, Geistliche und erbauliche Briefe, Zweiter Band, IV. Theil, Brief 98 (Solingen, 1773–75); trans. Jarred Fenlason, https://gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdii-thiv-098.html.

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