Of the times of the gracious visitation of God. What the true mark of God therein is. Distinguishing of extraordinary communications and of essential graces.

The Hundred and Thirty-seventh Letter.

Of the times of the gracious visitation of God. What the true mark of God therein is. Distinguishing of extraordinary communications and of essential graces.

NB. The following letter was indeed written by the late Author in the Dutch language; yet, because under his own correction it was still translated into German, it belongs no less among this collection.

N. N.

It is the truth, dearly beloved brother! that we are living through strange days. They are days wherein the kingdom of light and of darkness, the kingdom of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of Antichrist, the longer the more reveal their utmost powers against one another; until at last after the birth-pangs the Lawless One (2 Thess. 2) is destroyed through the Spirit of the Lord, and the so long desired spread of the kingdom of God (which is within us) over the earth will be made manifest.

But these utmost powers of the Lawless One (or of the lawless, as it would have to be translated after the Greek text) will without doubt consist not alone in coarsely-manifest evil, but much in an appearance of the good; so that even the elect (if it were possible) should be deceived. Therefore it is called a mystery, 2 Thess. 2, but a mystery of lawlessness; because the most specious seductions of the last days will in the ground aim at this — that the narrow way be made broad, and under the appearance of the gospel the evangelical law be brought to nothing. This must move us to much praying, and that we try the spirits, yet (under this pretext) do not quench the Spirit.

So I then mark these times as times of the gracious visitation of God. Jesus is at all times willing and ready to seek that which is lost and to save it; and our time to come is also always: Only, beyond that the Lord also gives to man gracious days, times of special visitation (Luke 19:42–44), in which He shines round about a land, place, or particular person in a peculiar way and with more emphasis, touches, moves, makes attentive, and as it were with a milder hand distributes His graces; then the temple is opened, and the kingdom of God comes near. If now such times are not recognized and perceived, a divine judgment follows upon it. But those who love their souls make use of them, as sailors of a fair wind. There come times wherein the access to the temple of God will not be so open. (Rev. 15:8.) Would God that we and others might only recognize it!

Now, in such times of a more or less general gracious visitation of God over a land or place, the Lord often lets the proclamation of His truth go paired with extraordinary communications of His gifts of grace, with great power, strange stirrings, movements and operations, either to give the main matter so much more weight, or to draw the souls through this bait; and also to awaken the attention of others through some things striking the eye, so that (as happened on the day of Pentecost) the multitude come together, moved and astonished at this strange thing, at the same time hear the blessed New, and receive a prick through the heart unto conversion. (Acts 2:37.) O depth of the wisdom and man-loving of God!

This is, worthy brother! according to my insight, the true mark of God in all such extraordinary things which come from Him: But do they all come purely from Him? This one cannot so easily judge in all places from the front as well from behind. If the fruit is good and abiding, then the tree must also be good.

As concerns in particular the violent stirrings of the passions of the mind, strange bodily movements and suchlike effects striking the eye, such can come from an inward good or evil origin; they can also be led over or taken over from without. I have seen of them of various kinds; of some I could have no good thoughts, because the issue also was not good: They had either an inward evil origin, or they were counterfeited. I have seen of those who were led over through speaking or through the example of others, wherein also those to whom such happened went to work fairly simply, and were not able to resist such stirrings, nor to behave otherwise than they did. I have seen of those whom I believed at the beginning to have been right good, who afterward through self-complacency became human and evil. Some brought (as said) no good fruits: Others left nothing at all behind, and the people remained as they were: But also with various others it was the beginning of a thorough conversion, when the sudden discovery of the matters, and the great overturning, so moved them that even the posts of the house (Amos 9:1), that I so speak, shook. It was like that strong wind, earthquake and fire (1 Kings 19:11–12) which went before the Lord, whereupon (where the souls remained faithful) there followed the sound of a gentle stillness, wherein first the Lord was.

Of those other extraordinary things of which Your Honor reports, I would almost say just this. Because in the times of the gracious visitation of God the kingdom of heaven comes especially near; so also is the blessed world of light then opened somewhat more over such a land, place or persons: From this arise the extraordinary communications of the gifts of grace, revelations, visions, &c. Yea, the inward senses (for such the man has for the other world, as the outward senses for this world), which otherwise are covered and without use, can be awakened, so that one receives things of the angelic world not alone to see and to hear, but also in a very sensible way to taste, to smell and to feel, with an enrapturing joy and refreshment of those souls who experience such. In that future life these experiences will be very angelic, innocent and out of all danger: But in this life such experiences lie so much the more exposed to the danger of self-complacency, of human mixture and of the deceit of the enemy, the more the sensual has part therein.

Therefore it happens without doubt that God leads His children in this life manifoldly through faith, which indeed at its time also goes paired with lights, experiences and communications, but with such as are incredibly more essential, spiritual, immediate and sanctifying. And therefore it is also certain that those who experience such extraordinary pleasant things must also experience either following upon them or foregoing extraordinary sufferings; and those who today are refreshed by angels can tomorrow be tormented and chastened by the devil, as a counter-poison of self-complacency. Paul had been caught up into the third heaven, into paradise; he had heard unspeakable words, &c. These were extraordinary communications and graces. But what happened to him? Lest I should be exalted (says he) through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me. 2 Cor. 12.

Paul had also received essential graces from the Lord. God had revealed His Son in him; (Gal. 1:16.) He was crucified with Christ; he lived no more, but Christ lived in him. Cap. 2. These and more other things were essential graces, to be esteemed far higher than his revelations: Nevertheless he had no need of a messenger of Satan for that; for the essential graces, and those which are received in the Spirit more immediately, are according to their nature and kind indeed very beatifying, but also deeply annihilating, thoroughly sanctifying and pouring in all virtue, because they are nothing other than the fellowship and the influence of Jesus Christ and of His life. With the extraordinary graces it is constituted quite otherwise.

From the aforesaid it is now easy to draw the conclusion how one must behave in regard of such extraordinary things. I have already long since publicly disclosed my thoughts thereon: (*) though at that time I had chiefly deceased persons in view, and that which comes before us to hear or to read of their experiences: But in regard of those souls with whom we have intercourse, it is so much the more needful to impress upon them that they must not lust after any kind of extraordinary things, lest they be deceived; and that, where they have the same, they know to guard themselves well against self-complacency, since such things in themselves make us neither better nor more pleasing to God; Also, that they do not remain standing too much at such things, but only make the best use of them; then only pass by such, in order to come to the essential of true conversion, heart-renewal and union with God through faith and love. And in regard of the violent bodily movements, stirrings or other things striking the eye, one must seek to bring them to moderation in a gentle, mild way. But what we, or they themselves, cannot hinder or moderate in a soft or mild way, that one must commit to God and let go; and take good care that one neither in these nor in some other extraordinary things, gifts or communications judge presumptuously; much less condemn, lest one seem to want to set bounds to the Holy One in Israel; (Psalm 78:41.) whose ways are far above us, and who especially in the last days will let many otherwise extraordinary things happen.

That throughout such called souls lack true leaders led by the Spirit of Jesus, I will well believe with you, and have already seen such far too much; and still before my eyes in all places: But! who is sufficient for these things? One will lead the souls either after the method of the school-learned, or after our insights and particular way; whereas yet the particularities in the leading are almost as distinct as the faces of men.

True leaders are like the children's maids, who hold the children from behind by the leading-string: but otherwise leave them room to go where they will, when they only do not run into mire or danger. Enlightened men can well guide the little children; but God must through His grace and Spirit remain the only soul-leader.

Without doubt in these days the souls in general are warned too early and too strongly against the legal strivings and self-activities, so that often the necessary earnestness in the way of self-denial and of prayer, and the needful cooperation or faithful following of grace, is at the same time leaped over. There are times and persons when such warnings are important, which however, when they are ill presented and untimely applied, do far more harm than all own activity. Those who do not work duly, because it is day, and grace is given for working and drives thereto — they remain sometimes their lifelong unmortified people. It is better to work for the Lord somewhat too much than too little. When the night comes, that one cannot work, and the unwise child has run itself tired; then it stands still of itself, and weeps for the mother's arm.

It occurs to me that Your Honor also, as you write, would well gladly have somewhat more unfolded marks of clarity or certainty. Let us, worthy brother, only follow our Leader, who has taken us by the hand, with a believing confidence; without prescribing anything to Him, or desiring too many clearnesses. Perhaps it would not be good for our self-love, if the Lord gave us that which it pleases Him to give to some others. You will confess with me that He gives us our daily bread. Eternity, which is at the door, is long enough to enjoy light, joy and rest: Now is the time to pray, to deny oneself and to die. And certainly the exercise of prayer, of self-denial and of dying with Christ prepares us infallibly for the inward union with God in the Spirit, and that we become receptive, at His time, to receive such lights, communications and graces as the Lord will find good to give us; which true heart-children also will-lessly leave to their Father's good pleasure. But I speak of essential graces, which are received in the Spirit; not of the extraordinary; these latter can also be communicated to a soul still wholly unmortified and unadvanced, but the essential communications seldom or never: And this I forgot to note above. The indwelling of God in the heart (of which among others 2 Cor. 6:16 and following) is an essential and very essential grace: Therefore, whoever will become partaker of this promise must purify himself from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, and press on to perfect his holiness in the fear of God. Cap. 7:1.

Yet not so to be understood, that one could not sooner become partaker of these or some other essential communications of God, or one must be wholly purified and perfected: No! But this is the way upon which these graces meet us, and these graces serve again to finish the way.

You say in your writing that, in order to be turned inward, all desire outside God must into death. You are right — this must be the full and hearty mind of the soul; all must be given over to death; the whole inmost will must separate itself from all known desire and life outside God; so then however the exercise of prayer, or the inward turning, is also the best and only means, truly to become dead to all.

(*) See Way of Truth. 4th Edit. p. 175.

German

Der hundertundsiebenunddreißigste Brief.

Von den Zeiten der gnädigen Heimsuchung GOttes. Welches das wahre Augmerk GOttes dabei sey. Unterscheidung der außerordentlichen Mittheilungen und der wesentlichen Gnaden.

NB. Nachstehender Brief ist zwar von dem sel. Autore in holländischer Sprache geschrieben; doch, weil er unter dessen eigener Correction noch ins Teutsche ist übersetzet worden, gehöret er nicht weniger mit unter diese Sammlung.

— 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).