How to attain unto the peace on earth which the little Child Jesus has brought.

The Hundred and Twenty-sixth Letter.

How to attain unto the peace on earth which the little Child Jesus has brought.

Dear sister!

The little Child Jesus brings us peace on earth: That is a miracle; on earth, where it goes so, where daily and hourly new sufferings, strife and trials, from without and within, befall one, and one must also still feel oneself, on earth, say I, to be able to have peace. If this is to come to pass, then must we become yielded, innocent cradle-children, who let themselves be dealt with; who take too much thought for no thing, and take all directly from God's hand.

Your bodily weaknesses, your trials from without and within, your inward mind-changes (where no clearly-conscious guilt is on your side) take childishly from God; love Him and His good pleasure in all; and think not much upon men, upon evil spirits, or upon other causes; for otherwise you cannot have peace on earth.

All that is adverse and bitter harms not, save only when you take it too strongly unto yourselves. And all that is pleasant and strengthening, which God gives from within, lasts shorter and profits less, when you take yourselves thereof also too strongly. And just therefrom can it sometimes have arisen, that, when you have written the like unto me, you have thereby made yourselves forfeit of some sensible grace. The opening harms not, but the pleasantness. Childlike unpleasantness gives peace on earth. Therefore it pleased me well in your letter, that even in unforeseen faults you seek as much as possible to quiet yourselves by bowing, forgetting and looking upon Jesus. Remain, with God, by the child-mind; for in the troubling works the tempter. In the inward peace works and dwells God. You feel it indeed sometimes, how graciously the Lord deals with you, and vouchsafes you undeservedly His friendship-glances. O! not to trust such a God, and not to yield oneself, that is sin!

German

Der hundertundsechsundzwanzigste Brief.

Wie zu dem Frieden auf Erden, den das Kindlein JEsus mitgebracht, zu gelangen.

Liebe Schwester!

Das Kindlein JEsus bringt uns Frieden auf Erden: Das ist ein Mirakel; auf Erden, da es so zugehet, da einem täglich und stündlich neue Leiden, Streit und Proben, von Außen und Innen, vorkommen, und man auch sich selbst noch fühlen muß, auf Erden, sage ich …

— 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).