Epistle 365

Dear friends,--In the Lord's power and holy spirit, feel his presence amongst you, who hath drawn you with his spirit to his son; and you that have received him, he gives you power to become his sons and daughters [John 1:12]; and so from the son of God, the second Adam, you have power to meet, whose power is above Adam's power, and his sons and daughters in the fall.

And now, my friends, if you do want wisdom and knowledge to order you in the affairs and service of God, Christ is the treasure of your wisdom and knowledge [Col 2:3]; and so receive them from his treasury which is above. This heavenly, saving wisdom and knowledge, from whence you have your grace and truth, light and life, and the gospel, the heavenly spirit; yea, heavenly food, and heavenly bread, [John 6:33-58] and water of life [Rev 21:6] from above; and the unleavened bread, and sweet milk of the word, and water of life, to keep the feast [1 Cor 5:8/1 Pet 2:2/Rev 21:6] of the heavenly man's passover, which is not to be found in any of old Adam's sons and daughters' storehouses in the fall; but his old, mouldy, leavened, sour bread, which makes his sons and daughters' hearts to burn one against another, and clothes them with his old rags, which will not cover their nakedness, which they have stitched together, which must be all cast off, and trodden under foot by the spirit and power of Christ; which power turns you to Christ, who clothes all his sons and daughters with his heavenly fine linen [Rev 19:8], which will never wax old [Deut 8:4].

And therefore let all your lamps be trimmed [Mat 25:1-20], and candles lighted [Lev 24:2], that all of you may see your work and service for God and Christ, in this his day. So that you may have the blessings from above from him, as the holy men and women of God had in the days of old; so that there may be nothing lacking [1 Th 4:12], neither spiritual nor temporal.

And so let all things be done in peace and love, in the name and power of Jesus [Col 3:17], amongst you; and all condescend to one another [Rom 12:16] in meekness, patience, and quietness, in the fear of the Lord; being all ordered with the wisdom of God [Wis 8:1], which is from above, which is pure, peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated [Jas 3:17], that all your hearts, minds, and souls may be knit together in the love [Col 2:2] of Christ, and that you may be all of one mind and spirit [1 Pet 3:8/Phil 1:27] in him; and whatever you do, let it be done in the name and power of Jesus, to the glory of God the Father [Col 3:17/1 Cor 10:31], that created all, and takes care for all, blessed for ever. Amen.

G. F.