Preface

...to be made known; yet at the same time, and precisely through this refusal—which was restricted only to the duration of his pilgrimage original: "Wallfahrt"; a common Pietist metaphor for a person's earthly life and spiritual journey toward heaven—he gave it to be understood that he was not opposed if the high talent of grace original: "Gnadenpfund"; a biblical reference to the Parable of the Talents, suggesting that spiritual gifts are entrusted by God to be multiplied for the benefit of others entrusted to him in these anointed outpourings were in this way put to interest original: "auf Wucher gelegt"; here used in the positive biblical sense of "earning a return" on a spiritual investment rather than the modern negative sense of usury after his death.

He allowed this to be clearly seen by one of his still-living intimate friends, when the latter brought the matter up with him a few years before his end, and discussed the arrangement of the whole work to be chosen in such a case. At that time, what this friend laid before his eyes in a written sample—which he had prepared with great diligence for this purpose and kept with him—was entirely after his heart.

Although this matter itself has stood firm in the mind for all these years since the blessed departure original: "hochseligen Hingang"; a respectful term for the death of a holy person of the man of God, one has nonetheless, due to the importance of the task, [proceeded] with the—