The concern for our blood-friends must not disturb the peace of the heart.
The Twelfth Letter.
The concern for our blood-friends must not disturb the peace of the heart.
Dearly beloved sister!
Jesus give your heart peace! That your parents and siblings are a concern to you is good; they are a concern to me as well: That you however let yourself be brought into a disquieting grief thereby is not good, but a weakness, yea a temptation of the enemy, who does not grant you the peace and the trust of your heart, because he knows that Jesus, as a King of Peace, will also establish His kingdom in your inward parts in peace.
Offer your relatives, with me, heartily up to the Lord, as often as they fall upon your mind, and then let them lie before God, without packing them up again: God holds them much dearer than you can have them, and His compassion will not let itself be surpassed by your compassion. Meanwhile it is true; one must in all points become aware of oneself and one's weakness, before one becomes thoroughly free of it: Only, one must not let oneself be so confused thereby.
Be of good courage; keep the peace of your mind, and the trust in grace! Thank the Lord that He has received you into His house as His child, and that you have thereby come into a far nobler and greater kindred; after the same I greet you as my beloved sister, and after the same I name myself joyfully
Your Mülheim, obliged weak the 7th of August, 1755. brother.
German
Der zwölfte Brief.
Die Angelegenheit vor unsere Bluts-Freunde muß die Ruhe des Herzens nicht stören.
Herzlich geliebte Schwester!
JEsus gebe deinem Herzen Friede! Daß dir deine Eltern und Geschwistere anliegen, ist gut; sie liegen mir auch an: Daß du dich aber so dadurch in eine beunruhigende Betrübniß läßt bringen, ist nicht gut, sondern eine Schwachheit, ja eine Versuchung des Feindes, der dir die Ruhe und das Vertrauen deines Herzens nicht gönnet …
— Opening lines of the original German. The complete transcription of all 605 letters appears in the forthcoming Encounter Press critical edition; Brief 1 is shown in full as a sample.
German text: public domain (1773–75 first edition / 1845 Gesammelte Schriften).
Translator’s notes
What this letter is. A short August letter of the 7th, 1755, from Mülheim to Anna Maria Rittershaus at Barmen-Gemarke. The concern for blood-friends must not disturb the peace of the heart. That her parents and siblings lie upon her is good; they lie upon him as well. That she lets herself be brought into a disquieting grief thereby is not good — a weakness, a temptation of the enemy, who does not grant her the peace and the trust of her heart. Jesus is a King of Peace, and will establish His kingdom in her inward parts in peace. Offer the kindred up; let them lie before God; be of good courage in a nobler kinship. Mülheim, the 7th of August, 1755.
Blood-friends, and the King of Peace. The parents and the siblings are a concern to her, and to him. That is good. To be brought into a disquieting grief thereby is not. It is a weakness, yea a temptation of the enemy, who begrudges her the heart's peace and trust, because he knows that Jesus, as a King of Peace, will also establish His kingdom in her inward parts in peace. Offer the relatives up to the Lord, with him, as often as they fall upon the mind; then let them lie before God, without packing them up again. God holds them much dearer than she can have them; His compassion will not let itself be surpassed by hers.
A nobler kindred. Meanwhile it is true: one must in all points become aware of oneself and one's weakness, before one becomes thoroughly free of it. Only, one must not let oneself be so confused thereby. Be of good courage; keep the peace of the mind, and the trust in grace. Thank the Lord that He has received her into His house as His child, and that she has come thereby into a far nobler and greater kindred. After that kindred he greets her as his beloved sister, and names himself joyfully her obliged weak brother. Mülheim, the 7th of August, 1755.
A few words and echoes.
- the concern for our blood-friends. Angelegenheit vor unsere Bluts-Freunde — parents and siblings; they lie upon her, and upon him. (his ¹)
- Jesus give your heart peace. as a King of Peace He will establish His kingdom in the inward parts in peace. (Isa. 9:6; John 14:27)
- offer your relatives up. with him, as often as they fall upon the mind; then let them lie before God, without packing them up again. (Ps. 55:22; 1 Pet. 5:7)
- God holds them much dearer. His compassion will not let itself be surpassed by hers.
- be of good courage. keep the peace of your mind, and the trust in grace.
- received you into His house as His child. a far nobler and greater kindred; after the same he greets her as his beloved sister. (Eph. 2:19; 2 Cor. 6:18)
trans. Jarred Fenlason · gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdii-thiv-012 · all rights reservedEnglish translation © Jarred Fenlason · All rights reserved · gerhardtersteegen.com.