Schleiermacher’s Mother to her Brother.

[VI.] Anhalt [no date].

… . I do not know, dear brother, what conception you have formed of the congregation of the United Brethren, but I can assure you that I love them and honour them with all my heart, and that my soul rejoices that a merciful God has so guided things as to enable us to give our sons into their keeping; for I have often trembled for the poor children, when considering the soul-endangering opinions, principles, and habits that are so prevalent in the present times. Alas! how should we have been able to preserve them from the subtle poison of the present times? We, therefore, thank our dear Father, from the depths of our souls, for having so disposed their young hearts, that they desire not to rush into perdition with the world. O Lord! keep them in Thy truth, that they may see that through Thy love alone can they be happy and can they be saved… . .

The Father to the Son.

[VII.] Anhalt, 21st November, 1781.

DEAR SON,

This day thirteen years ago, I rejoiced greatly when your mother brought you into the world, and I was told it was a son. To-day also, I heartily rejoice in you, for how great and in how manifold ways has not the love and goodness of God been evinced towards you during these thirteen years! Try to be conscious of this love, and to feel yourself happy in the enjoyment of it; rejoice also in your parents, as we rejoice in you, and we will then all eternally rejoice in Him who is the fountain of every joy, and who alone can keep them alive through all eternity. This is the prayer, and hope, and wish of

Your tenderly attached Father.

The Mother to the Son.

[VIII.] Anhalt, 21st January, 1782.

I am glad to see from your letters, my dear son, that our morning hours have not been without use to you. Often recal to mind whatever good thoughts you then heard, and you will ever derive new blessings from them. You write, my dear son, that you feel keenly that the love of Jesus Christ does not as yet dwell in your heart, that you are a poor sinner, and that up to this moment you have not been pardoned by Jesus, and you ask for our advice as to how you are to acquire this spirit of love to Christ. Oh! if you really do feel the need of it, and a yearning after it, then only pray, in truth and in simplicity of heart, to our dear Saviour and faithful Helper, to accord to you His spirit and His aid; for does He not call all those to Himself whose souls stand in need of Him, and does He not promise that what we ask in His name, we shall receive. Only beware, my child, that you do not attempt to begin with your own improvement; for in our own strength we can do nought; but flee with your consciousness of imperfection and sin, with your every want and desire, to the Son of God, to receive grace, yea, one grace after the other, from His abundance. Ah! surely, there will be joy in heaven at your coming, and what happiness, what bliss will it not be to you to be from youth at one with your Saviour, to conquer in His strength all those obstacles to perfection which meet us here under so many forms, and to restore His image in your heart. And now, as regards your physical wants… . .

The Father to the Sons.

[IX.] Anhalt, 10th August, 1783.

MY DEAR CHILDREN,

It gave me great pleasure to learn from your sister, a short time ago, that you were well, and grateful to our dear Lord and Saviour for having guided you to Niesky. But our hearts would have been still more gratified had you yourselves written a few lines, more especially to express your grateful love to your dear mother on her birthday. You may, indeed, have thought that we would probably be absent from home; but when our hearts prompt us to a right thing, we must not listen to such excuses, but be true to the impulse, and leave the result to Him who is the best ruler. In future, dear children, do as I have advised you. Whenever you think of us, or anything about yourselves occurs to you which you would wish us to know, note it down in a few words in your diaries, and at the end of some weeks make a letter out of what you have thus noted. Your letter will then be easy and natural, and you will thus avoid all affectation and the various kinds of self-deception which are born of it… . .

The Mother to the Son.

[X.] Gnadenfrei, 26th October, 1783.

DEARLY BELOVED SON,

Soon after our arrival in this pleasant place, we received the glad and welcome tidings of our dear son’s reception into the communion of the Lord. Our hearts also were moved thereby to joyful thanks and sincere self-abasement. For my part, I look upon your sister’s and your approaching admission into the congregation, as a proof of the gracious satisfaction of our dear Saviour with the step which we have taken in this direction with regard to our beloved children; and I rejoice most heartily, my dear son, that in your mind also the conception of the peace, which our faithful Shepherd wishes to extend to all, is ever becoming clearer. Yes, we cannot possibly fail to see the grace and mercy exercised by Him for the welfare of our souls, when we take into consideration the manner in which He has guided us of late years, and how, more especially as regards you, our eyes were opened about Teschen, and the way to Halle was, so to say, closed to us. I recal those circumstances to your mind, because it is impossible to mistake the hand of the Lord herein, and because He has so graciously and so mercifully drawn us by bonds of love away from the temptations of the world. Let us, therefore, in return, my dear son, cling firmly to Him alone, who is the faithful Shepherd of our souls; let us give up our hearts entirely to Him; let us pour out all our griefs to Him; let us speak to His heart, and daily pray to Him to cast out and take away everything that tends to separate us from Him. Thus He will be able to fill our hearts with His love; and happy shall we be, when able to say—I live, yet it is not I, but Christ, who lives in me. I have the most joyful hope that our blessed Saviour, who has commenced His work in us, will carry it forward until that day be attained.

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Footnotes

1. The Pædagogium has been referred to in a former note. The child’s school now, we believe, termed boys’ school, is the junior training school for those who purpose going into the Pædagogium; but at the present day, at least, it affords education both to Moravian boys and to youths of other denominations who only desire a good commercial education; hence, you find in it boys from six to sixteen years of age.—TRANS. ↩