How one must examine important undertakings for some time beforehand in prayer.

The Hundred and Fortieth Letter.

How one must examine important undertakings for some time beforehand in prayer.

Jesus be the Master of our heart.

My dear brother!

Your little letter and enclosure (which comes back herewith) I received Saturday evening through a third hand. When you write to me in future, write rather by post! A brother's words, were they even only a few, are at all times dearer to me than a stiver: this letter might have been opened by a strange hand.

You do brotherly in that you communicate your undertaking to me. I will gladly do what you desire of me, and examine it before God: May he grant thereto an impartial and unfailing light! This one thing surprises me, that you say not a word of what motives you find in yourself for this undertaking, so that I might weigh them with you; likewise, whether you yourself have sufficiently and in the needful composure of mind examined the matter before God? So that in such an important matter you may yet not rush in at random, but may be sure of the divine good pleasure. For once, we are no longer our own; we have in no point to dispose over ourselves. We must let our whole mind and all the powers of the soul be gathered by the eternal Wisdom, and yield them up forever into her free power and disposition: It stands with her, and not with us, when, how and whither our heart is otherwise to be directed, without the least prejudice to her sovereign right over us. You know all this yes, as well as I; only my sincere love to you, my brother! makes me careful on your account: Besides, it seems to me on the whole as if there were something hasty with you in this matter; such would not be good at all. I think you ought to take some weeks, yes months, for examination, during which time you ought to keep your mind as unoccupied (untroubled) and free as possible, both from all understanding-work and distraction not absolutely needful, and also from all considering, willing and not-willing in this particular matter, offering the same much to God, and disposing yourself, more than otherwise, to holy solitude and to simple prayer to God. But if you have perhaps already taken such a time of examination for yourself (which I ought yet to have known, so that I might have united myself with you therein), then you must now also grant me such a one; were it even not so long, so that I too may have room, according to brotherly love, to lay the matter before God.

If the matter please God, be assured it will never displease me. The Lord knows my heart toward you. I am a poor man: Yet the finishing of your soul in God lies more on me than you perhaps think. Your welfare will rejoice me in every way as my own. I would long since have come over, but the state of my mother-in-law does not allow that I can be away a full day. I could at last perhaps ride out once about midday and return in the evening; but then one has yet little time and freedom. To meet each other halfway would also do; but if the least wind is there, I may not. I will yet see how it will fit? Meanwhile I greet and kiss you in the spirit, commend you to the faithful oversight of Jesus, and myself to your remembrance. Greet your sister and the other friend, whose name I have forgotten, also kindly, and wherever else there is opportunity.

wholly Yours in the Lord.

German

Der hundertundvierzigste Brief.

Wie man wichtige Vorhabens einige Zeit vorher im Gebät prüfen müsse.

JEsus sey der Meister unsers Herzens. Mein lieber Bruder!

— 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).