Ful/3/89

Our venerable Brother Johan Fr. Gocht
He has left the following account of his
Course through this Life in his own hand
writing.

I was born in Nieder Oderwitz the 30th Decbr
1697 & was carefully instructed in all that
good by my parents, I even from my
Childhood did not suit for the wise world,
My natural Corruption lay so much the
deeper. I have Since perceived how often
the holy Spirit has endeavoured to draw my
attention, till at length I beCame Concerned
about my Salvation in my 19th year, when
I should first pertake of the holy Sacrament,
but I feel again into the Lightminded ways
of the world & thus spent many years
under the patience of God till at Length
in 1719 in the Passion week my mercifull
Saviour aroused my heart & Shewed me my
unbelief. My prayers & Sighs in the Passion
week were, that our Savr would have mercy
upon me & Sprinkle my heart with his
blood; I felt my heart filled with
Comfort, & it even occurred to me at that
time, that I Should Come to our Savr as a
Sinner; but. I was not alltogeather Clear

in this matter, it was more agreeable to me
to spend my time in reading books &c;
about this time it was proposed to me to marry,
having prayed to god to direct me to a person
who was agreeable to him & fitting for me,
I entered into that State the 9th Nov. 1723
with the present Widow, our Savr blest
our marriage with 3 Sons & 2 daughters
all of whom he Called home to himself.
I Strove all that Lay in my power to
beCome happy but my heart was void
of all feeling, till my faithfull Savr
impressed the words on my heart: as
many as are the Children of God are
led by the spirit of God. from this
time I beCame concerned I pray’d &
Sight’d continually to our Savr that He
would guide & direct me in his path of
peace, I receiv’d the Comforting Answer
from him I will direct you in the way
I will guide you with my Eye.
about this time the great awakening
began in Oderwitz, & I directly
joined with the awakened Souls; I
was at first greatly distressed through
the fear of men, but I was convinced in my

in my heart that I should there find what
my heart Sought for. I went to Berthelsdorf
& heart the Revd Mr Bothe, whom I had
heard twice before, I was greatly affected
& He described my whole hearts situation
as if I had told him my whole state. the
Persecution began to rage against the
awakened Souls, this however did not in the
least interr me; I began to feel a petuclor
Labour of Grace in my heart, & had I
Simply Continued by it, I Could have
Spared myself many an anxious hour;
I Came into a legal Course & my misery
was Such that at length I determined
to open my whole mind to our minister;
who told me I was on the right way, I
had only to pray to God to Conduct
me farther; as soon at he learned that I
associated with the awakened Souls, he
endeavoured all he Could to dissuade me
from it. The meeting in Oderwitz were
forbidden & a great many of those who
frequented them were arrested & Carried
to Zittau. being greatly Concerned at
this Event & they not returning; I
after some days went out to enquire what

what was beCome of them Being come to
Gottlob Weber’s house I found the Officers
Coming out with 2 men whom they had
found their; they no sooner saw me then
the laid hold on me; Saying I must go
before the Justice, I refused to go, as I Saw
no offence which I had Commited, but they
struck me with their stick & abused me in
Such a manner that I fell senseless to the earth.
The people Seeing this rough usage were
provoked & rescued the 2 men Prisoners; being
a Litel recovered I returned lifted up myself
up & my first words were dearest Savr be
mercifull to them & forgive them. I returnd
home & spent the evening happily, the next
day I Could scarce raise up my head for pain,
I Continued for sometime to go on my Course
in Stillness & went frequently to Church
at length I was ordered by a Bailiff to
apear before the Lord at the Mannor, who
asked me if I agreed to those articles
which were given in at Zittau against the
Minister. at that time I Could do no other
wise then afirm I did, upon which He orderd
me to prison, in a place where I was quite
alone, & was often asked If I would not recant
my opinion, which I said I Could not, his
Lord Ship affected to be my friend & artfully
insinuated he had no doubt, but that I would
ask pardon & then all would be well, I was
Extreamly confused & Promissed at Length
I would upon which I was Conducted by my

by my Keeper to the minister, & I thought if
I do it with my mouth yet I am assured my
heart will Contradict me, I had no I sooner beged
pardon that I was Seized with horrors &
Misery that I cannot discribe, I Cryed out
dearest Savr don’t suffer me to be quite aban
don’d I derectly went to the Minister & told
him, how it was with me Since I had recanted
all my Comfort which before I enjoyed in the
merits of my Savr was now intirely gone. He
endeavoured to quiet me with words: saying it
will soon Come again & thus Left me, I was
Soon after Summaned to appear before the
Lord of the mannor: Who Let me know that
I must derectly leave the place which I obey
ed & went directly to Herrnhut where I found
a place to Live in, Thus with a wound heart
& troubled Spirit I came in August 1728 to
Live hear in Hhut. I went in misery for
4 yrs my mercifull Savr Softened my
heart so that I could perceive some dawnings
of hope. one morning as I took my little
daughter out of bed & asked what verse she
would give me she answerd. Thy Love o’erpower
our Senses, Kindles each Spark of Life; happy
the man who Sunk in thee, has all his heart
desires) It was derectly clear to me that I
Should as a lost is Sinner Cast my self at
His feet & Seek the whole source of my
Misery in myself. I soon Saw what great

great reson I had to be a Sinner before him
& Got a blessed insight into the atonement
of Jesus in whom alone Grace & freedom from
Sin is to befound. Soon after this the late
Disciple sent for me & asked, if I would go
into the Class with the late Br Tobias Fried-
rich. This was a great Grace to see Our Savr
opened my enclosed heart so that I Could
Speak of every thing in me just as it was
I also attained to the unspeakable grace to
pertake with the Congn of our Lords Corps
& Blood in the holy Sacrament, Ah what
a blessed moment was that! I esteemed myself
a poor Sinner who recievd I every thing out of
mere grace & recommended myself to the faith
full preservation of our Savr & the maternal
Care of the holy Ghost. His mercies were new
to me every morning, & his grace Conducted
me in Blessing. But alass there came after
this a time in which I felt myself So dry
that I durst not go to the H Sacrament
I was distressed & beged our Savr to forgive me,
& he let me again feel his peace jest in the
day when the W. W. was: Pray with out
doubting. Let us in thy nail, rints see our
pardon & Election free, & Lift up thy
blessed Voice in my heart. Behold I have
graven thee in the Palms of my hands.
In the year 1736 I Came among the
Intercessors, by which I new what it was to

to with our Savr quite alone & to pray for the
prosperity of Jerusalem & the whole
work of God on this Earth, I was now appointed
to be Sick waiter, I beged our Savr to give me
wisdom to Conduct myself & above all an
humble Sinnerlike heart, & thus Spent 10
years in this Office with a willing heart. In
the year 1741 I beCame priestly night watcher
my weakly habit of body made me at first
think that it would be to much for me; but
I Soon thought the Congn has Laid it upon me
& if our Savr has dericted it, he will give
the necessary Strength, & thus Confiding in
him I enterd on this office the 7th Aug
recommending myself to his grace & the preserv
ation of the holy Angls & our Savr has helpt
me thro in the following time as his poor
one who knows of no help but his grace
at the regulating of the Congn Disciples
I & my wife had the unexpected Grace to be
the first pair chosen to this office which filled
my heart with Shame & humiliation before
our Savr, & as offten as it has occured that I
was chosen to be Congn or Choir Disciple it
has always been accompanied with new blessing
for me. In the month of June 1760 I was Seized
with Such a weakness, that I could not attend
my office of night watcher my weakness
increased to that I had hopes of Soon going
home but the hour was not yet Come. It

It is true I was deprived of many blessed meetings
But our dear Savr paid me many a happy
visits in my Corner. The 15th of Feb. 1762
when Br Gregor let me know that I was
to be invested with the dignity of Disciple,
it was as if a Stream of Grace Oerpowerd
me & I poor worm accepted the grace with
Sinnerlike shame & humility
Thus for his own account.

The Character of the late Bro is
known to the whole Congn, He was legitimated
as a faithfull Person, beloved of our Savr
To whom the Character of a real liturgist
Can with right be given. He prayed without
ceasing, & the Spreading abroad of the
Gospel, the prosperity of the Congn &
Choirs & particularly the Directory,
were the Constant Subject of his hearty
& Childlike prayers to our Savr He has
himself decleard how important his office
of Night watcher was to him, which he
continued for 19 year as a priest of good
& Caused the Congn many a pleasure by
his agreeable singing the hours of the night,
refreshed thereby many a Sick one during there
Sleepless nights & put them in mind of there
best friend & physician for Soul & body

body. The great importance which this office
was to him, gave him the more concern when
he through weakness was no longer Capable
at watching for the Congn, the Convirse
with the was of Smart Caused the time
he had to Spend at the healing ponds
not to apear to tedious to him. about
a quater of year ago he went out for the
last time, & enjoyed the Past Commn in
the hall from which time he Continued
in a blessed & still waiting for his happy
hou as often as he was asked how he
did, his answer was happy at Jesus
wounds; on the 31st Jan his hour aproaching
br John Nitschman keept him a blessed
Liturgy, & the blessing at the Congn & his
Choir being emparted to him he departed
to the Joy of his Lord in the 72 year
of his Age.