That the fellowship-love must aim at God alone.

The Hundred and Twenty-first Letter.

That the fellowship-love must aim at God alone.

N. N.

With this opportunity I must greet you at least with a few lines. My former will presumably have arrived just the day I well received your agreeable lines of the 5th of this; wherein you give me a repeated assurance of your inseparable love.

Although I am even otherwise perfectly assured of this your hearty love, and have all experience thereof; yet it is agreeable, when the childlike love once thus breathes. I can give you, much-beloved sister, just such an assurance of my unmoved brother-love and fellowship with my whole heart: Although I trust that I need among you just so little of such contestation; the heart feels it otherwise: But believe it yet also then without misgiving, when you do not feel it, when I do not say it, when I do not show it, yea, when I even, after the requirement of the circumstances, must nearly show the contrary: And so are we yet much more to be minded in regard of our Savior.

You mean, your love toward me is little to be esteemed. Yea, little were our fellowship-love to be esteemed, when it were regarded merely humanly: Only, so far as it is out of God, and aims at God, may and must it be important to us. Once, when I say: I account myself unworthy of the love of the least child of God, then I say precisely what I feel; although it sounds so humble.

I see with brotherly compassion that you are again afflicted with your usual malady: Through the bearer I hope, according to God's will, to receive the news of some bettering. Meanwhile, since love is now the jewel after which your heart stretches itself; so I trust, love will also surely tinge the suffering with its sweet powers, and make it lovely and sufferable. I have also these fourteen days been quite cast down, have every afternoon fever, and very great affliction in the head. I write this upon rising, afterward I should not be able. God is in all things good and lovely. My spirit and body hunger after rest; but to find such in this time, all hope is cut off from me ever more. —

German

Der hundertundeinundzwanzigste Brief.

Daß die gemeinschaftliche Liebe allein auf GOtt zielen müsse.

N. N. Mit dieser Gelegenheit muß E. E. wenigstens mit einigen Zeilen grüßen. Mein Voriges wird vermuthlich eben den Tag angekommen seyn, wie ich eure angenehme Zeilen vom 5ten dieses wohl erhalten habe; worin ihr mir eine wiederholte Versicherung eurer unzertrennlichen Liebe gebet.

— 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).