A DEATH LETTER*
[* The
following letter was
written sixty years ago. Graf Helmuth
James von Moltke, whose
home had become a focal centre of resistance
to the then German Government, was arrested early in 1944 and condemned
to
death.]
MY DEAR - To
begin with the ending: at about three
o'clock the sentence was read out: Moltke,
death and
deprivation of estate.
We are to
hang, because we put our thoughts
together, thoughts without intent of violence, namely: how [to] make
Christianity a sheet-anchor in chaos. This
thought alone is demanding its toll of heads tomorrow.
Dear Heart, first let me
declare that quite plainly the last twenty-four hours of life are in no
way
different from any others. I
had always
imagined the shock it must be to tell oneself: this is the last time
you will
see the sun go down, the last time you will be going to bed. Nothing
of the kind. I
may be a little overwrought, I daresay I am.
A sense of
exaltation has certainly come
over me.
How
graciously the Lord has dealt with me! It
may well sound extravagant, but I am so
brimming with gratitude, there is literally no room for anything else. His leading during the two
days of the trial,
how firm, how clear it was! "When thou passest
through
the waters, I will be with thee: and through the rivers, they shall not
overflow thee: when thou walkest
through the fire,
thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee."
Thanks, dear
Heart, thanks above all to the Lord,
thanks, Beloved, to you for your prayers, thanks to all the others who
have
been praying for me.
Your husband,
your weak, cowardly, complex and most
ordinary husband, yes, he has been privileged to experience that. Were freedom to be offered
me now, I own that
I should have to readjust myself, so tremendous has been the
demonstration of
God, his presence, his omnipotence. Leaving
me dumb, my love, except to say and to pray: may God be as bountiful to
you as
He has been to me, then even a husband's death - what of it?
Further, He
brought me so low, that now at length,
in my thirty-ninth year, I understand my sinfulness, am able to beg for
his
forgiveness, can completely confide myself to His mercy. In addition, He gives me
time and opportunity
to put my affairs in order as far as may be, so that all earthly cares
may drop
away. Then He
causes me to know to the
depths the pain of departure and the fear of death and the terror of
hell, to
the end that these also may be behind me. Moreover,
He provides me with faith, hope and
love, and with a riches
in these things which exceeds
all measure.
In
conclusion, I say to you, in virtue of the
treasure which has spoken out of me, and which fills this homely
vessel, the
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship
of the
Holy Spirit be with you
all.
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