Selected Extracts

You can do no better than to approach God untiringly with your inner will and desire in every matter, sighing that He might strengthen your heart and give you the power to penetrate into His holy will, so that you may recognize what separates us from our God. And do not let the spirit of this world beguile you, ensuring it does not fill your mind Gemüth In the context of German Pietism and mysticism, "Gemüth" refers to the depth of the soul, encompassing the will, emotions, and inner disposition. with earthly things, which destroys the noble image of God original: "edle Bildniß GOttes"; a reference to the Imago Dei, the belief that humans are created in God's image, which mystics believed was obscured by worldly attachments.. God is faithful; He will help you out of every evil, if only you desire Him without ceasing.

2. When I remember the gracious drawing original: "Zugs"; this refers to the "divine draw" or attraction, a common mystical concept where God pulls the soul toward Himself. of God in my soul—how He has drawn me from the very beginning—I stand in great wonder. There was always such an earnest hunger and desire for God in my soul that I could not express my longing in words; instead, I pressed toward God with earnest desire and will, until finally the gates of darkness and death in the soul were burst asunder, and the entrance to God's heart was opened to me. It is impossible to say what joy was then in the soul; I experienced there that God Himself was present in that earnest, anxious desire and will, and thus drew me through that very desire. One must simply not allow oneself to be deterred, but must look the wrath of God right in the eye and wrestle like Jacob A reference to Genesis 32:24–32, where the biblical patriarch Jacob wrestles with an angel and refuses to let go until he is blessed. for as long as it takes to be perceptibly heard: Lord! I will not let you go, unless you bless me original: "HErr! ich lasse dich nicht, du segnest mich dann.".

decorative woodcut printer's ornament with symmetrical floral scrollwork