Gerhard Tersteegen was known as a spiritual teacher among the “Stillen im Lande,” in English, the quiet ones. This was a name given to those seeking God beyond organized religion. In 1728, he devoted himself to the translation of works mystics and quietists. He also wrote devotional books and correspondence on religious subjects. At his cottage, “The Pilgrim’s Cottage” as it was known, he served as a kind of spiritual director for other seekers. From that year to his death he was supported by a small regular income given by his admirers and friends.
On February 9, 1769, Tersteegen lay dying, wracked with respiratory and kidney diseases. He knew his time in the body was short, and he wrote these words:
“In child-like, humble trust in the divine mercy of Christ, I now trust in and await that when my eyes close and others pronounce me dead, I shall at last enter into eternal life and be for ever with my Lord.“
A few days later, Tersteegen’s pains increased as he suffered from convulsions. The final audible words which those attending his death heard were, ‘O Jesus, sweet Jesus!’ At 2 in the morning, April 3, 1769, Gerhard Tersteegen fell asleep on earth to be awakened in Heaven.
A previous post on Tersteegen’s heart for our God as reflected in his famous verse, “the Pilgrim’s Song,” can be found here.
God Calling Yet; Shall I Not Hear?
God calling yet; shall I not hear?
Earth’s pleasures shall I still hold dear? Shall life’s swift passing years all fly,
And still my soul in slumber lie?
God calling yet; shall I not rise?
Can I His loving voice despise,
And basely His kind care repay?
He calls me still, can I delay?
God calling yet, and shall He knock,
And I my heart the closer lock?
He still is waiting to receive,
And shall I dare His Spirit grieve?
Ah, yield Him all; in Him confide;
Where but with Him doth peace abide?
Break loose, let earthly bonds be riven,
And let the spirit rise to heaven.
God calling yet; and shall I give
No heed, but still in bondage live?
I wait, but He does not forsake;
He calls me still, my heart, awake!
God calling yet; I cannot stay;
My heart I yield without delay;
Vain world, farewell! from thee I part;
The voice of God hath reached my heart.
Reposing in Thee A.K.A “Thou Hidden Love of God”
Thou hidden love of God, whose height,
Whose depth unfathomed, no man knows,
I see from far Thy beauteous light,
And inly sigh for Thy repose;
My heart is pained, nor can it be
At rest till it finds rest in Thee.
What is there more that hinders me From ent’ring to Thy promised rest
Abiding there substantially,
And being permanently blest?
O Love, my inmost soul expose,
And every hindrance now disclose!
Is there a thing beneath the sun,
That strives with Thee my heart to share?
Ah, tear it thence, and reign alone,
The Lord of every motion there!
Then shall my heart from earth be free,
When it hath found repose in Thee.
Tell me, O God! if aught there be
Of self, that wills not Thy control;
Reveal whate’er impurity
May still be lurking in my soul!
To reach Thy rest and share Thy throne,
Mine eye must look to Thee alone.
O love Thy sovereign aid impart,
To save me from low-thoughted care;
Chase this self-will from all my heart,
From all its hidden mazes there;
Make me Thy duteous child, that I
Ceaseless may, ‘Abba Father,’ cry.
Ah no! I would not backward turn;
Thine wholly, Thine alone I am!
Thrice happy he, who views with scorn
Earth’s toys, for Thee his constant flame!
O keep, that I may never move,
From the blest footsteps of Thy love!
Each moment draw from earth away,
My heart, that lowly waits Thy call;
Speak to my inmost soul, and say,
‘I am thy Love, thy God, thy All!’
To feel Thy power, to hear Thy voice,
To taste Thy love, be all my choice.
Within the Veil
God is present with us—let us fall and worship, Holy is the place;
God is in the midst, our souls are silent,
Bowed before His Face.
Lord, we kneel before Thee,
Awed by love Divine,
We of Thee unworthy
Own that we are Thine.
Gladly cast before Thee all delights and pleasures,
All our hoarded store—
Lord, behold our hearts, our souls, and bodies,
Thine, and ours no more.
We, O God, Thine only,
Nevermore our own—
Thine the praise and honour,
Thine, and Thine alone.
Thou Who fillest all things, in Thee, living, moving,
Evermore are we;
Shoreless sea unsounded, mystery and wonder,
Sinks my soul in Thee—
I in Thee—no longer
Bound in self’s dark prison,
And the life that moves me,
Fills me, Christ arisen.
Thou the Light that fillest all the endless heavens,
Shinest on my face,
As the tender flowers joyfully unfolding
In their silent grace,
Whilst the Sun beholds them—
Thus my soul is still,
Thine the glorious power,
Thine the mighty will.
Mine but to be simple; in the fields of heaven
All my sweet employ,
Loving and delighting, as a child that singeth
With unbiden joy—
As an eagle soaring
Up the radiant skies,
Even now to find Thee
In Thy Paradise.
Banner image via author, Mutt Lake, Beartooth Mountains, Wyoming. Tersteegen image via Liedboek Compendium. Image of “The Pilgrim’s Cottage” via the journal, “Leben.”
One Pursuit 
What an amazing post of praise through sharing of his teaching~ for seekers and mystics who knew what the true meaning of communion and indwelling were~ experiencing Christ in them so that every word and phrase uttered gave praise. Up to his dying breath and words! I’d love to visit the Pilgrim’s Cottage.
Thank you, dear friend, for teaching us about the amazing anointed leaders before us!
God bless you and Rascal! I pray you have a blessed and safe week, dear friend! 🙏🏻🙏🏻
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HI, Karla. Thank you for your kind words. Indeed, the seekers and mystics of the past have much to speak to us by way of their lives and writings. The mystery of a life in union with our God is beyond our comprehension and must be accepted with blind faith, a faith that produces obedience. The ancient Celts who lived the Christ life knew of this. They referred to the Holy Spirit within them as “the Wild Goose.” He could not be made predictable or tame, and they could only apprehend Him via mystery and a kind of “faith-filled uncertainty.” The Tersteegen song at the end, “Within the Veil,” speaks to this, as does the “Pilgrim Song” captured in the post referenced and linked.
We as humans, apart from the life of our God, adrift in a world for which we are not equipped, and attacked constantly because we bear the Image, do not abide the mystery well. We seek to tame the goose, make the unpredictable certain, the unknowable known, and the mysterious simple and plain. What we get is religion. What we miss is the Christ life in us and the mystery of union with our God.
I will take the mystery, please.
God bless you and your little dog, too! Rascal sends his best.
Tim
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It’s my blessing, Tim. I’m with you on the mystery.
I had not heard the “taming” of the Wild Goose (although I’ve found myself in many wild goose chases in my life~but no more!).
Ah, blind faith and obedience.
Many blessings, dear friend, always. You’ve helped my Christ walk in many ways!
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Thank you for this post. I found it very comforting, although my belief in God has been a slippery slope. I was baptized Catholic and raised Lutheran. Then when I was 11, my step father told me that not everything in the Bible was true. It sent me reeling, lost and confused. I was then raised as an atheist. When I do find myself in a church, I will often be moved to tears. I feel like I am disconnected from that child that believed. I would like to meet her again.
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Hi, Alicia. Thank you for your kind words. And think you as well for your honesty. The honesty in your writing has always impressed me. Honesty bespeaks reality.
Many people struggle with believing in God, yet for most them (I think) the issue is not with God but with the institutional church. The institutional church has largely misrepresented our God for centuries, and many have rightly been skeptical.
Yet at the same time the scientific community increasingly talks about intelligent design, a creator, and the implausibility of the universe coming to be by chance. The odds that the universe came to be by chance are now estimated to be 1 in 10 to the 136th power. That one fact is driving an enormous number of scientists out of the atheistic evolution camp.
That there is a God who is concerned about us will shine through in the darnedest places – earth and life sciences shifting toward that view, His name showing up in nearly everyone’s thinking at some point, near-death experiences where everyone meets Jesus and know it’s Him even if they have never heard of Him prior to the dying.
That you are moved in a church services, that you cannot shake the idea that He is there indicates that He is still interested in you personally and still desires to be your intimate companion in this life. Take heart in this. You are not alone in the universe, or when doing the laundry or sweeping the floor (from your post today).
If you would like to talk (write) about this with a skeptic who found his skepticism overwhelmed by truth, let me know. In the mean time, keep writing! Your courage and honesty always inspires.
Apologies for the many words. Good grief!
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I would love to have a guide through these confusing times. If you have an idea of what I could read now, on the beginning of my journey to being closer to God it would be gratefully appreciated. Much thanks to you for offering a place to find solace.
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I can help with the journey if that would be good for you. Yes, there is much good reading about the life of Christ lived in us. That is the Christian life as Jesus and His apostles presented it and how the church originally lived it. Living by the Life of Christ is still alive and well today around the world. That life is not one of religious traditions and duties, but one of daily communion with the indwelling Spirit of God. It is quite an amazing life!
If you wish to read of this, I can either send or recommend some great books. I have this weird habit of buying dozens of copies and handing them out like candy. Some are mailed, some handed to the recipients personally (obviously up here in northern Minnesota).
Let me know your preference. The books are by some of the most well-know Christian writers from the last 200 years to the present.
God bless you today!
BTW, my apologies for the delay in responding. I just returned home this morning from 11 days of work and personal travel. I did not not get any writing or responding done in that time.
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Moody Paper, darling of Jesus, I would like to recommend, for your progress and joy in believing our beautiful Beloved, a book. It is entitled Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers by Dane C. Ortlund. You can read chapter one here: https://www.daneortlund.com/gentle-lowly It is in my top eleven books of thirty plus years of Christian reading. Burning blessings of Jesus’ beauty in your being and intimate blessings of loving affection from His holy heart as Lord of history and King of heaven.
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