Letters · Zweiter Band · Theil IV (1775)

That in the world we have only anguish, and that in Jesus alone the peace of God is to be found.

Bd II · Th IV · Brief 154 · Der hundertundvierundfünfzigste Brief

Addressee, date, and source

Addressee — To a brother (unnamed). Salutation "Herzgeliebter Bruder!"
Date — Undated on the leaf (no dateline or place-line; closes Bin / Dein / sehr schwacher Bruder.). Body: diese wenigen Zeilen; Joh. 16. / Joh. 14. / Phil. 4, 7.
Provenance — Translated from the public-domain 1775 first edition (Theil IV, pp. 383–385), in normalized GS 1845 house orthography, collated against the 1798/99 second edition (Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin). All rendered words come from public-domain prints.

The Hundred and Fifty-fourth Letter.

That in the world we have only anguish, and that in Jesus alone the peace of God is to be found.

Beloved brother!

I found myself moved, with these few lines once heartily to greet you, and from my inmost to wish you the peace: I also just then found yet time and so much strength.

What think you, dear brother! has not our Savior spoken the truth, that in the world we should have nothing but anguish, or distress. Let one seek as one will, one will not find it otherwise. Our cross-fleeing nature has sought it otherwise, and found it nowhere. Those who come after us will not let themselves be made wise by our hurt; they will seek the way past the anguish, but will not find it. In the natural life, being and mind there is no easing nor rest to be hoped. The pilgrim must learn according to his part to bow, to yield and to die. Through true dying one comes to the going-out from the distress; and the full going-out attains the free going-in into the promised land of rest, of which Jesus John 16. has said: In me ye have peace. This Jesus-peace, which the Savior calls my peace (John 14.) is the best, sufficient and only counterweight against all distress, unrest and care of this life.

Ah! my God, who will be against us, when only Thou and Thy deepest God-peace are with us? Let the whole world be in anguish, war and unrest, when we only have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ: but if it is lacking inwardly, then the need remains in all things. Ah! if only people knew it! When a man hears that Christians are to have it well, then nature, which gladly has good days, understands it of itself, and will not go to the suffering. Meanwhile we cannot and ought not to desire good days according to nature; and the spirit cannot have it well otherwise, or we must go out from nature, world and all selfhood; for there is not peace, but anguish. In Jesus alone is peace. So let us then leave the element of distress; give nature and selfhood over to the cross and dying; but through the drawing of love and of peace let ourselves be pointed and enticed into the wilderness of the inward seclusion of the spirit, in order happily to experience the noble God-peace in Jesus, and through this high peace to let our heart and senses, unapproachable to all disturbance and noise, be kept turned inward in Jesus. Phil. 4, 7.

I for my part know no other retreat, no other medicine against all distress in the world, than on the one hand to yield and bow myself; on the other hand through seclusion and inward turning to seek and keep the peace in Jesus.

Now may this hidden God-peace also strengthen and content your spirit in all, and at all times, that God's work in us may go forward ever more unto the goal, until we finish our course of faith in peace! I remain

Your very weak brother.

❦

German

Der hundertundvierundfünfzigste Brief.

Daß wir in der Welt nur Angst haben, und daß in JEsu Allein der Friede GOttes zu finden.

Herzgeliebter Bruder!

Ich fand mich bewogen, mit diesen wenigen Zeilen dich einmal herzlich zu grüßen, und aus meinem Innersten dir den Frieden zuzuwünschen: Auch fand eben noch Zeit und so viel Vermögen.

— 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. An undated letter to a beloved brother (du): moved to greet and wish peace; the Savior's word that in the world we have only anguish or distress; cross-fleeing nature seeks otherwise and finds nowhere; the pilgrim must bow, yield and die; through true dying the free entrance into the promised land of rest — In me ye have peace; Jesus-peace the best counterweight; if God-peace is with us, who will be against us; nature wants good days and will not go to the suffering; leave the element of distress; give nature and selfhood to the cross and dying; be drawn into the wilderness of inward seclusion to keep heart and senses unapproachable to disturbance, turned inward in Jesus (Phil. 4:7); no other retreat or medicine than yielding and seeking the peace in Jesus; may God's work go forward until the course of faith is finished in peace — Your very weak brother.

How to read the German. The panel is the 1775 first-edition wording in the house orthography used for Band II / Th IV (settled 2 Sep 2026). Distinctive KEEP forms (seyn / Creutz / Creutzflüchtige / Werck / Stöhrung / dünckt / kans / anderst / dalassen / Lermen / Retirade / 154te / Glaubens-Lauf) stand as on the leaf. House folds include hertzlich→herzlich, Hertzgeliebter→Herzgeliebter, Hertz→Herz, eintzige→einzige, Artzney→Arznei, grüssen→grüßen, Heyland→Heiland, vorbey→vorbei, freyen→freien, Leyden→Leiden, gantze→ganze, stärcke→stärke, verheissene→verheißene, causal dann da→denn da, Versalien → digraph. KEEP seyn / Creutz / Creutzflüchtige / Werck / Stöhrung / dünckt / kans.

English choices. you/your for the brother (du); Rule B arm 2 Beloved brother; standalone Dein → Your; Creutzflüchtige → cross-fleeing; Werck → work; Arznei (leaf Artzney) → medicine; Retirade → retreat; Stöhrung / Lermen → disturbance / noise; unannehmlich → unapproachable; Scripture cadence at In me ye have peace and my peace kept with the letter's word (-eth only Scripture/Luther-cadence with German listed — here ye in the John 16 echo). Divine names ordinary. Modern morphology in ordinary prose (Jarred Rule C, 2 Sep 2026) — no decorative -eth. God-address Thou / Thy (house §7, closed 2 Sep 2026 — capitalised; not You). No authorial emphasis (§9d).

How the German reads here. Panel KEEP forms (seyn / Creutz / Creutzflüchtige / Werck / Stöhrung / dünckt / kans / anderst / dalassen) stand; hertzlich / Hertzgeliebter / Hertz / eintzige / Artzney / grüssen / Heyland / vorbey / freyen / Leyden / gantze / stärcke / verheissene / dann da / GOTT are folded by the house rules (Spec §3; CRITICAL folds).

A few words and echoes.

"Daß wir in der Welt nur Angst haben, und daß in JEsu Allein der Friede GOttes zu finden" — that in the world we have only anguish, and that in Jesus alone the peace of God is to be found.
"Unsere Creutzflüchtige Natur" — our cross-fleeing nature (KEEP Creutzflüchtige).
"In mir habt ihr Frieden" — In me ye have peace (John 16:33).
"meinen Frieden (Joh. 14.)" — my peace (John 14:27).
"wer will wider uns seyn, wann nur du und dein tiefster GOttes-Friede mit uns ist?" — who will be against us, when only Thou and Thy deepest God-peace are with us? (Rom. 8:31 cadence; KEEP seyn).
"dem Creutz und Sterben hingeben" — give over to the cross and dying (KEEP Creutz).
"vor aller Stöhrung und Lermen unannehmlich" — unapproachable to all disturbance and noise (KEEP Stöhrung).
"keine andere Arznei … daß GOttes Werck in uns" — no other medicine … that God's work in us (leaf Artzney→Arznei; KEEP Werck).

Cite this letter

Gerhard Tersteegen, Geistliche und erbauliche Briefe, Zweiter Band, IV. Theil, Brief 154 (Solingen, 1773–75); trans. Jarred Fenlason, https://gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdii-thiv-154.html.

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