John Frederick Peter (1746-1813)
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Married Brother Johann Friedrich Peter, who passed away on July 13: He left behind the following report of his life.
I was born May 19, 1746 at Heerendyk in Holland and baptized by Brother Grube. I enjoyed what was to me the always-admirable care of the Brudergemiene from my tenderest youth. When I was two years old, my dear parents put me in the children's school in Hartem, from where I, along with the whole school, came to Zeist. I cannot think on the years of my childhood that were spent there without tears of joy. The Savior's love let itself be felt noticeably among the children. Together we often beseeched the Lord on our knees for hearts that were warmed by His Blood and totally engulfed by His Death and Suffering.
In 1755 I came, with some other children,
to the Children's School in Niesky. The bleak and uncomfortable circumstances
there had an influence on my subsequent disposition and style of thinking.
My high spirits were lost into a pensive nature. This did not damage my
heart, however, but rather drove me further to seek my only pleasures
and joys in the Savior, and to sacrifice my self-love to him. As
a poor sick being, I had to run to Him always. In this condition,
I came to [Gross] Hennersdorf on May 6, 1756, through the transfer of
the Niesky School. There I devoted myself to the Savior anew, and
made a covenant with Him that he should apply me to something completely
and make me the payment for his suffering, and if I should not thrive
for him in the care of the community, that I would have him take me home
to him. That I already made such a pact with the Savior as a child,
and often thereafter renewed it, made my progress in the Boys-Choir, into
which I was taken on January 2, 1759, much easier. As I grew to
know that I was sinful and corrupt throughout, the Savior held his powerful
hand over me so I would not allow myself to be concerned by my sinful
tendencies, and yet sometimes my heart was so anxious about my sinful-misery
that I cried for grace and mercy. The Savior used a lengthy sickness
to bring my heart to rights, and to mark it with His bloody martyr's beauty,
and I received, in His blood, mercy from my weeping and pleading for the
forgiveness of my sins. On November 26 of the same year, I was taken into
the Gemeine to my deep humility, and I dedicated myself to the Savior
with body and soul. I was thoroughly cheered and learned to understand
what one had from the dear Savior. In everything, I turned to Him.
On August 30, 1760, after I had wept
much for my infirmities and weaknesses and worried that my whole progress
was not yet to the joy of the Savior, I became a happy participant in
the Holy Abendmahl. At the time, I did not yet have the true understanding
of this most worthy sacrament, but I was full of joy and let flow tears
of thankfulness and sinfulness. In that same year, the Paedegogium
was transferred to Niesky. There, in the school of the Holy Spirit,
I grew in an understanding of my sinfulness and my depravity, as well
as of my Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ. He punished me for the
betterment of my soul when I wanted to put him off of something; in particular,
he showed me the triviality of my own judgment, and afterwards led me
always to appear as I was before my Savior and my Brothers. Subsequently,
I found the holy truth that a youth can go on his way without punishment
if he holds himself to God's Word. I had a special share in the
blessed work of the dear Brother Johannes von Watteville in our Choir;
by the feeling of my deep depravity, the sanctification and chastening
of the spirit, soul, and body through Jesus' body became an ever-greater
matter to me. Each day I opened myself to the Savior for one hour
to discuss all that was happening with me. Thus, through His mercy,
I could be openhearted towards my choir-elder. On August 29, 1765,
I was taken into the Single Brethren's Choir. I entered it with
the complete intention of willingly lending body, soul, and limb to please
Jesus, and serving Him in my tiny way in whatever he would ask of me,
to which end I asked for His mercy with many tears. With this understanding,
I went to the Seminary in Barby on September 18 of the same year to set
about my studies. The dear community of hearts among the young Brothers
who studied there was worth much to me, but the pleasure of the calm communion
with the Savior consoled me effusively for my sinful-misery, and became
thereafter ever more indispensable to me. Various circumstances
gave me reason to feel humble, among them that I came into the hourly-prayer
community on August 27, 1766, and also had a Quartan Fever1
from September 1767 to May 1768. At the same time, I could rejoice
that He would not desert me, His most depraved and poorest creature, who
had nothing but His bloody mercy. Through the above-mentioned fever,
my body was cured completely of sickly attacks that I had often had before,
and which had also set my studies back. Because I knew my weak intelligence
well, I turned now with great diligence to make up everything that I had
neglected, in order to become useful to the Savior through His mercy.
The many blessings of the Savior, for which I held myself unworthy, made
my heart burn with love and gratitude for Him, and made me dedicate my
soul and my bodily strength to His service in more complete devotion to
Him. I spent the year 1769 in particular, the final year of my stay
in Barby, with my heart in this spirit. During a conversation with
Him, which was accompanied by the indescribable and consoling feeling
of the Savior's nearness, my heart was fully prepared for the call to
North America that I received after the Brethren's Synod that year, and
now could take on with joy. After a wistful and tearful farewell,
I started my journey on January 4, 1770, on foot and in a frustrating
snow flurry, alongside four other Brethren. On the 18th, we came
to Zeist, from where we went to Amsterdam. After an unforgettable
Abendmahl with the Single Brethren's Choir there, we—that is, eight people—sailed
for London, where we met Br. Nathanael Seidel, his wife, and three other
Brethren, all of whom were waiting for a ship to North America.
After a five-week stay in Lindsey House, and a happy sea-journey of nine
weeks, we came to Bethlehem on May 18, in the company of the Seidels.
The Abendmahl on the following day, which was my birthday, remains unforgettable
in my memory. On May 28, I came to serve in the young boys school
in Nazareth, under the most beautiful and appropriate watchword: "There
are several gifts, but there is one spirit. Mercy and strength he
gave without measure." The Savior showed himself in my work with
the children and boys. To tell them about His love in the Children's
Hour was, to me, and undeserved blessing. He himself must have opened
and filled my mouth. After some time, the pleasure that I had with
the children was interrupted by painful circumstances that made my cry
to the Lord and weep many tears for his help, and he made me grow in understanding
and strengthened me anew for His further service with the children. But
the Savior guided me in 1773 to a new occupation: helping Br. Fommelt
in Bethlehem with the care of the apprentices and boys and Br. Bonn with
the keeping of the accounts of the Single Brother's Choir. On January
30, I entered into this pursuit bent with sin. On June 6, I was
taken on as an acolyte. I abandoned myself to the awareness that
the Savior knew my poverty and weakness, and to His merciful guidance,
which I richly experienced through various trials, in particular during
the years 1776-77 and 1778, which brought oppressive circumstances to
the Single Brethren's Choir. That group gave over its house to a
Continental Hospital, and had to live scattered around. I must confess
to the praise of the Savior that he kept me in firm belief in him though
the sad circumstances described here, and blessed my slight service.
In one special temptation that came upon me, he did not let me fall:
it could have been that my musical talent became dangerous. I noticed
that this talent was prized by the world, and it would secretly press
upon me. The Savior, to whom I lamented this with tears, heard my
prayers and brought me through sickness into the calm once more. The visit
of our dear Brother John Friedrich Reichel was also a blessing to my heart,
and it motivated me in what I wrote during the months from April to September
1779. On September 15 of that year, I came to Lititz as the Recorder
in the Conferences and Community Scribe. After a seven-month stay,
on May 22, 1780, I left for North Carolina with Brother and Sister Friedrich
Reichel and Jeppe Nielsens. On June 16, I came into Salem with them,
to serve the Gemeinen there in the same capacity [recorder and scribe].
On September 16, to my humility, I was blessed as a deacon in the Brethren's
Church by Br. Reichel. After the blissful passing of Br. Johann
Michael Graff on August 29, 1782, I took on the role of an interim minister,
which I fulfilled until September 1784 when Br. Koehler came to Salem
as minister. I must confess with shame and submission and the deepest
thanks for my dear Savior, that during frequent periods of despondency
over myself, when I uttered before Him many Kyrie Eleision2,
He mercifully showed himself to me and in my work, and powerfully encouraged
me through the prevailing blessing of the community. When the young
boys' school was built, which occurred at this time, I took over running
it and had much joy in the children. On a Sunday, as I was riding
to Friedland to care for the gathering there, I experienced a special
protection of my life when I fell from the horse. At the close of
Br. Johannes v. Watteville's visit among the Wachovia Gemeinen, I was
bound in holy matrimony to the Single Sister Catharina Leinbach, who I
accepted from the Savior's hand. I had hitherto laid my path at
Jesus' feet, and a feeling of His peace recommended His further merciful
guidance to me in the state of marriage. I remained, during all
the changes, His patient. Often I had to be ashamed of myself, that
I had lamented so much misery before him. He renewed me ever again,
however, in the comfort of His mercy. My sojourn and service in
Salem lasted until 1790, from which I have nothing about which to boast
but weakness, and that the Savior is powerful in the weak. I must
mention one other thing to his praise—for which I owe special thanks to
Him—that he richly blessed the use of the musical talents that I received
from His hand for the beautifying of the Liturgies and festival gatherings,
and whereby I myself had much blessed enjoyment for my heart. Although
I had not wished for a change of service, a call came to my wife and me
very unexpectedly to serve the Savior in the Pennsylvania Gemeinen.
I would have liked to have stayed in Wachovia, but I accepted this also
from the Savior's hand, and thanked Him for the peaceful purpose he had
for me. The leave-taking from Salem, during which we humbly came
to know the love of the Brethren, will remain unforgettable to me.
It occurred on August 23, 1790. On September 9, we came into Graceheim,
Maryland, the place we had been destined for in the meantime, pleased
and thankful. Brother and Sister Gottlob Sensemann, our predecessors,
had left for the Indian Gemeine at Petquotting a few days before.
We seemed like lost children, and appealed to the Savior for his aid so
that we could carry out our duty to this Gemeine to his satisfaction.
Brother and Sister Andr. Hübner visited from Lititz on September
18 and started us on our tasks. Our duty in this Gemeine lasted
only until April 3, 1791; the next day we left for Bethlehem, reaching
that place on the 9th of the same, happy and grateful that the Lord had
brought us there. In addition, I had the joy of meeting my dear
old mother and father, who were yet healthy. Four days later, however,
my father was laid sick with a raging chest-fever, and soon after, on
April 28, he went gently and blessedly to the Savior, to my deep sadness.
Yet, I was glad that I had been able to see and speak with him again.
It was another source of pain for me that my cheerful hopes of receiving
work in Bethlehem were not fulfilled at that time. I was given the
task of caring for the school in Hope, New Jersey. We came there
on May 7, 1791. This assignment was not as comfortable to me as
I could have wished. I sighed and wept before our Savior, and wished
for nothing but to be consoled by him. He is to be thanked that
he made my burden bearable through His loving nearness.
So far goes this essay, dated August 11,
1792.
In December 1793, our blessed Brother and
his dear wife came to Bethlehem again and served as the Chief Accountant,
along side Br. Schropp, then the Gemiene-Vorsteher. He [Br. Peter]
also took over the keeping of the community diary, and the role of scribe
for the Elder's Conference. In addition, he served in various ways with
his musical talent. He carried out all his duties with much faithfulness
and dutifulness. —After the Provincial Synod for the workers of the Gemeinen
in this area was held here in October 1802, he and his wife received a
call to work in the little Gemeine in Mountjoy. At the end of 1804,
he was called as the Recorder of the Helfers-Conferenz for the Gemeine
in Bethlehem, and to that end returned here in January 1805. In
July 1806, he asked to lay down this assignment because of his weakness.
This request was granted to him. His principal occupation was to
write the Gemein-Nachrichten, in which his good eyesight, for which he
was very thankful to the Savior, stood him in good stead.
He was tireless in everything he undertook,
and cared for it with exemplary faithfulness. In such a spirit he
served accountant and treasurer for the Brethren's Widows Society; it
was a particular joy to him to give an annuity to those widows who were
to receive such payment from the accounts of the Society.
This pleasurable task he carried out until a few days before his passing.
His service as Organist of the Gemeine, which he carried out with unmistakable
faithfulness and diligence, brought him the special thanks of the Gemeine.
His lovely compositions and musical pieces for the community will keep
his memory with us. On the twelfth of this month, (July), in the
evening after the funeral of the blessed sister Irmer, he related to another
brother what his joy would be at being Home, by the Lord. He did
not suspect that this happiness was intended for him so soon. He
ended his activities as organist here below on Earth, and then after a
night spent sleepless from anxiety, he went at eight o'clock on the morning
of the 13th to the Children's Hour, to play the organ. Just after
that, he went to see Br. Freytag in the Apothecary, complaining that he
did not feel well. There, he dropped to the ground when an attack
suddenly befell him, and it appeared that he might then go gently and
easily to our Lord, whom he had faithfully served in his way and with
the gifts that he received from Him—it was at an end. The necessary
efforts were immediately made, as if he still lived, but they were fruitless.
And so his soul left him for the blessed place acquired for it by Jesus'
suffering, to eternal joy.
What otherwise relates to the progress of
our blessed Brother among us is well enough known, as can be seen from
his essay. The intercourse with the Man of Pain was and remained of the
first importance to him; his heart's desire and longing was to love Him
ever more deeply and tenderly. He diligently prayed to the Savior for
the welfare and labor of the Brethren's Church, and the propagation of
the realm of Jesus among Christians and Heathen.
Our dear Sister Peter, who went to Reading
on the twelfth of this month on a short visit to a friend, and to whom
the report her husband's swift passing had to be sent, felt deep suffering
over her loss. During this trial, his mind—which had been devoted to the
Savior—and his peace-loving consciousness were a manifold edification
and encouragement to her. She did not begrudge him [his rest], however,
as he had been taken without sickness or pain away from his duties into
the eternal peace. She called after him, with the Gemeine:
Rest gently in peaceful stillness
Rest at your friend's breast:
Which is a joy granted to you,
That sweet heaven's desire!
Rejoice now in the marriage-room
Where the heavenly harps ring
Where for your merciful election
The redeemed forever Hallelujah sing.
His pilgrimage below lasted 67 years, one
month, and 24 days.
1 An intermitten fever which returns every
few days.
2 Lord! Have mercy on us!
Updated: 8 June 2001
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