Epistle 399

Dear friends, you who profess the light, faith, grace, and spirit of Christ, and the pure undefiled religion before God the Father, are to keep yourselves unspotted from the world [Jas 1:27], and to bridle your tongues [Jas 1:26] from evil words, which corrupt good manners [1 Cor 15:33]; the light of Christ Jesus letteth you see the spots of the world; and the grace of God will teach you to deny them [Tit 2:21f]; and the spirit of truth, if you be led by it [John 16;13], teacheth you to mortify and subdue them. . . . and that which keeps you from the spots of the world, will keep you from the body of death [Rom 7:24], and sins of the world; which you are made free from, by the circumcision of Christ, by his spirit, and by the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, are made free from the law of sin and death [Rom 8:2]. . . .

<276> . . . And take heed of greediness, and earthly mindedness, and covetousness, which the apostle called idolatry [Col 3:5]; for it is a great spot and blot of the world that lieth in wickedness [1 Jn 5:19]. . . .

And all such that follow the lust of the eye, the pride of life, and the lust of the flesh, which is not of the Father, but of [1 Jn 2:16] the god of the world [2 Cor 4:4], that abode not in the truth [John 8:44], such are spotted with the spots of the world, and are proud, vain, lofty, scornful, high, and spotted with the world's spots, and are void of the pure undefiled religion before God the Father. And take heed of malice, hatred, envy, wrath, rage, and fury; these are the spots of the world, who bear such fruits, contrary to the spirit of meekness, gentleness, kindness, tenderness, sobriety, love, and mercifulness, which are the fruits of the pure spirit of God [Gal 5:19-23], which leadeth to the pure undefiled religion before God the Father, which is to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep unspotted from the world [Jas 1:27]. . . . <277> . . . . And this is the one pure undefiled religion that all christians should be of, which is from one God, the creator of all. So there is one God, the creator of all, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom all things were made and created [John 1:3], who is the one mediator betwixt God and man; even the man Christ Jesus [1 Tim 2:5]; there is one body, and one spirit, even as you are called to one hope of your calling [Eph 4:4]; and one God and Father of all, who is above you all, and in you all, and through you all [Eph 4:6]; and there is one faith [Eph 4:5] which Christ Jesus is the author and finisher of [Heb 12:2]; and there is one baptism [Eph 4:5], and by one spirit we are all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, bond or free, must all drink into this one spirit of Christ [1 Cor 12:13], and so to keep the unity in the spirit, which is the bond of peace [Eph 4:3]. For the apostle saith, 'If any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his [Rom 8:9],' Rom. viii. 9. for Christ saith in his prayer to his Father, 'That they be all one, (meaning the true christians,) as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, that they may be one, even as we are one; I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one [John 17:21-23];' to wit, the believers and followers of Christ. John xvii. 21, 22, 23. Here you may see, God and Christ are one in them, (so he prayeth, that his people may be one,) in whom they have rest, life, peace, and salvation with God, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

'Let your conversation or practice be without covetousness [Heb 13:5],' &c. Heb. xiii. 5.

'Only let your conversation be as becometh the gospel of Christ [Phil 1:17].' Philip. i. 17.

G. F.