Chapter 20, Session #32 (Part 4 of 4 parts)

On advice, counsel and exhortation to those who have newly turned from darkness within, to the Light of Christ within themselves. Part 4 of Chapter 20 begins with a review and further discussion of where we left off in Part 3.

In your holy “form” of meeting together, have your mind in that love, life, virtue and power of the Lord, in order to enjoy more and more of his presence. Though you have received an anointing from the Holy One, this will not lead you to abandon assembling with the Lord’s people to where they lie down in the green pasture of life where there is no spirit of dead “formality”. Your form of godliness will be accompanied with power, you who have received the ingrafted Word.

The spirit of dead formality can assume a form of sound words and plainness, etc., and, under this disguise, effect much evil and deceive many. This evil spirit of deceit, hypocrisy and formality has done more mischief against the Truth than all open opposition and persecution could ever do. This is the way and work of the spirit of deceit. If he cannot prevail by direct opposition and persecution, he will use the words and profession of truth, and appear and work under that form. Thus, he causes many to conclude that Friends are just like others, and their way is just like other ways. We see evil among them even under the very form of godliness. This has caused many to take up a latitudinarian and relativistic spirit and say that all men are liars, and that all religion is a cheat. Those who once knew the way of the Lord and then gave way to the spirit of deceit, hypocrisy and formality are more abominable in the sight of the Lord than pagans or profane unbelievers. False brethren are most dangerous, and hypocrites are most odious in the sight of God and all good men.

So, my dear Friends, this one thing I would have you establish as a foundation in your mind and fully understand that the spirit of satan working under the form of godliness is that which has been, is, and will in the form of godliness, be the greatest destroyer and opposer of the power of God. With dead formality and under the form of godliness, the destroying form of apostasy entered into early Christianity, and soon obscured the light of the glorious gospel. And the old adversary effected the apostasy by turning into a professor of Christianity which he could not bring to pass with bloody persecutions and open opposition. So, watch against him in his appearance not only in others but in yourself.
References:

• The True Christian’s Faith and Experience Briefly Declared.
• The quote in our introduction

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Advices read in these podcasts can be found on page 29 in our Book Of Dicipline.

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