Letters · Zweiter Band · Theil IV (1775)

Strengthening under inward sufferings and darknesses.

Bd II · Th IV · Brief 147 · Der hundertundsiebenundvierzigste Brief

Addressee, date, and source

Addressee — To N. N. (unnamed). Salutation "N. N."
Date — Undated on the leaf (no dateline or place-line; closes …Dich und deine Hausgenossen grüßende verharre.).
Provenance — Translated from the public-domain 1775 first edition (Theil IV, pp. 371–372), 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 Hundred and Forty-seventh Letter.

Strengthening under inward sufferings and darknesses.

N. N.

I desire to greet you heartily in the name of Jesus, and to wish you his blessing and peace. It seems to me I have a true compassion with you in your present sufferings and darknesses, especially since I received your last; yet not such a compassion that I should dare to desire of God your complete deliverance, which will come when the divine moment shall be there.

According to my light I will and must say to you only these two words: that your state, especially with regard to these darknesses, not only does not displease God, but rightly pleases him; and that therefore you have nothing to do but to bear the same with peace and willingness of spirit.

We ought not to fear the sufferings, but the offending of God. Escape, when you can, all anxiety, all hard, restless, distressed being through a mere forgetfulness and yieldedness of your mind. Bear childishly what you cannot change. What does it matter concerning us? Love the most lovely Being, worship him; praise him; rejoice in him, for he is worthy of it, and requires it of us. Greeting you and your household, I remain.

❦

German

Der hundertundsiebenundvierzigste Brief.

Stärkung unter inwendigen Leiden und Dunkelheiten.

N. N. Ich begehre dich herzlich in dem Namen JEsu zu grüßen, und dir seinen Segen und Frieden anzuwünschen. Mich deucht, ich habe ein wahres Mitleiden mit dir in deinen jetzigen Leiden und Dunkelheiten, sonderlich seitdem ich dein Letzteres bekommen; dennoch kein solches Mitleiden, daß ich von GOtt sollte begehren dörfen deine völlige Befreiung …

— 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. An undated short letter to N. N. (du): heartfelt greeting in Jesus' name; true compassion in present inward sufferings and darknesses since the last letter — yet not such as to dare ask God for complete deliverance, which will come at the divine moment; the state with these darknesses does not displease God but pleases him — bear it with peace and willingness of spirit; fear not the sufferings but offending God; escape anxiety by forgetfulness and yieldedness; bear childishly what cannot be changed; love, worship, praise, rejoice in the most lovely Being — he is worthy and requires it; greeting to the household.

How to read the German. The panel is the 1775 first-edition wording in the house orthography used for Band II / Th IV (settled 2 Sep 2026). Distinctive KEEP forms (seyn / kanst / bäte / thun / Aengstlichkeit / ists / 147te / Letzteres / dörfen) stand as on the leaf; grüssen→grüßen, grüssende→grüßende. House folds include Stärckung→Stärkung, Dunckelheiten→Dunkelheiten, Leyden / Mitleyden→Leiden / Mitleiden, hertzlich→herzlich, zwey→zwei, Befreyung→Befreiung, causal dann→denn (denn er ists werth), Versalien GOTT / JESU→GOtt / JEsu. KEEP seyn / kanst / bäte / thun / Aengstlichkeit.

English choices. you/your for du; N. N. kept; bäte ihn an → worship him; Geistes-Willigkeit → willingness of spirit; Gelassenheit → yieldedness; Hausgenossen → household. Divine names ordinary. Modern morphology in ordinary prose (Jarred Rule C, 2 Sep 2026) — no decorative -eth. No authorial emphasis (§9d).

How the German reads here. Panel KEEP forms (seyn / kanst / bäte / thun / Aengstlichkeit / ists) stand; grüssen→grüßen / grüssende→grüßende; Stärckung / Dunckelheiten / Leyden / Mitleyden / hertzlich / zwey / Befreyung / dann (causal) / GOTT / JESU are folded by the house rules (Spec §3; CRITICAL Hertz*-class).

A few words and echoes.

"Ich begehre dich herzlich in dem Namen JEsu zu grüßen" — I desire to greet you heartily in the name of Jesus (Hertz-class folded; long-ü grüssen→grüßen*).
"jetzigen Leiden und Dunkelheiten" — present sufferings and darknesses.
"wann der göttliche Augenblick wird da seyn" — when the divine moment shall be there (KEEP seyn).
"mit Frieden und Geistes-Willigkeit zu tragen" — bear with peace and willingness of spirit.
"nicht die Leiden, sondern die Beleidigung GOttes fürchten" — fear not the sufferings but the offending of God.
"bäte ihn an" — worship him (KEEP bäte).
"denn er ists werth" — for he is worthy of it.
"Dich und deine Hausgenossen grüßende verharre" — greeting you and your household, I remain (long-ü grüssende→grüßende).

Cite this letter

Gerhard Tersteegen, Geistliche und erbauliche Briefe, Zweiter Band, IV. Theil, Brief 147 (Solingen, 1773–75); trans. Jarred Fenlason, https://gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdii-thiv-147.html.

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