Epistle 277

My dear friends,--When you were formerly in a profession, you took your servants, your apprentices, your children along with you to your places of worship. And now, that you are come to truth, and are convinced that the same is the truth of God, through which you come to have a portion and inheritance of life and salvation, and of a kingdom and world which hath no end [Luke 1:33, Eph 3:21], and into a possession of that which formerly you did profess in words. Now, therefore, friends, you that are come to this possession, and go into the assemblies of the people of God, that are gathered into his name [Mat 18:20], (where salvation is,) and in no other name under heaven, but in the name of Jesus Christ [Acts 4:12]. . . . And then after you may come to find fault with your servants, children, &c. and for a small matter put some of them away, when the fault is in yourselves, that you did not take them along with you to the meetings, and govern them in the wisdom of God, and true understanding and knowledge; which is to know the <23> true God, and his son Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent; whom to know is life eternal [John 17:3]. . . . Therefore rouse up yourselves, that you may exercise the right wisdom and understanding in that which lives for ever, and is and will remain when all the contrary is gone; into which all must be brought; that in that you may be good patterns [Tit 2:7] and examples [1 Tim 4:12] in all your families, and bring them forth with you to your meetings, that they may find the substance of that which you did formerly profess in words. And now you enjoying the substance, be more careful, be more diligent and circumspect, that God may be glorified throughout all your families, and his name may be called upon, and honoured, and exalted, who is God over all, blessed for ever. . . .

<24> . . . . Therefore in it they should train them up in the truth, through which all should be free; not in the eye-service of men, but serving the Lord [Eph 6:6] in righteousness and diligence, in their services: that they may be partakers of the heavenly life, [Heb 3:1?] and come to be heirs of salvation [Heb 1:14], and children of the promise [Gal 4:28], and sons and daughters of Sion, to whom Christ is elect and precious [1 Pet 2:6], and through him their conversations may be brought up into heavenly things, and their minds and affections to be set on things above [Col 3:2]. So friends, all these things consider of in the life which was before death was, in the truth which the devil is out of [John 8:44], in the wisdom of God, which is pure from above [Jas 3:17], and in the righteousness, which was before unrighteousness was, that God may be glorified throughout all your families, who is blessed for ever.

G. F.