Tersteegen, Gerhard, also ter Steegen (Moers, 1697-1769, Mülheim, Ruhr), a Pietist (see Pietismus) and poet of humble origin, worked his way up as a weaver and merchant before becoming an itinerant preacher in the Lower Rhine district. His publications include Auserlesene Lebensbeschreibungen heiliger Seelen (3 vols., 1733-53) and sermons, Geistliche Brosamen (2 vols., partly posthumous, 1769-73). He wrote more than a hundred hymns, some of which have remained in regular use in the Protestant Church; ‘Gott ist gegenwärtig’ and ‘Ich bete an die Macht der Liebe’ are notable examples contained in his collection Geistliches Blumengärtlein inniger Seelen (1729).

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