Thank you for your good letter which I received today, as well as the book and the 22 kroner. We will buy the wine, but I haven’t yet decided whether I can accept your money for the French lessons. We can discuss that at a later date, but thank you for your kind-heartedness.

Your letter to Father was even more full of excellent material than usual. God has given you grace to trap him in a web like the spider does with its prey. I believe it will be difficult for him to escape as long as you continue doing that a while longer, until he comes to the acknowledgement that he is content to be in the web; then you can give him your support—not before.

As you’ve surely noticed, a person has to be as wise as a serpent and as harmless as a dove. If we are obedient to the Spirit in all things, everything will take place quite naturally.

My heart was in total agreement with what you said about Ludvig and the church and the things that need to be sacrificed. Everything has to be sacrificed if we want to have peace. All carnal tears could be spared if, once and for all, we let go of the sacrifice and allow it to remain there. When God gives me grace to write to Father, I will ask him to save the letters you have recently sent him, because I believe they will continue to be of value. I hear Br. Anthony is tired both in body and soul. I believe he will have to offer a very great sacrifice if he wants to be fully along. If he doesn’t give up everything, I believe he will end up like the rich young ruler.

I was just over at P. Roa’s house, and I read to her the letter you wrote to Father. She began to weep because just today she had gone through the battle that was described in the letter, the battle to let the sacrifice remain on the altar once it has been placed there. Afterwards, we read about the river in Ezekiel 47, how it brought life wherever it flowed, and how the trees bore fruit that would not fail (verse 12); but the river’s swamps and marshes would not be healed; they would be given over to salt. Verse 11. If a person stagnates and does not obey the Spirit of God, they become like these swamps and marshes that are given over to salt, and life and vegetation can’t grow along the salty banks. The salt preserves the water in the marsh from decaying, but at the same time allows nothing to grow around it. We spread salt on garden paths in order to kill the grass. In this manner, I believe a soul can be preserved from decay by the power of the salt even if he is stagnant, but he is no longer fruitful. The soul, by the preserving power of the salt, can be saved on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. We never salt anything that is alive, only what is dead. I’ve never heard of running salt water; however, the river was flowing. The river must definitely be the Spirit of God; but since there was no salt in the river, the salt isn’t in the Spirit. But where is it then? The Lord is the Spirit, and the Spirit only testifies about the sacrifice—not about the salt on the sacrifice. The sacrifice is Jesus, and the Spirit testifies about Him. The salt which the sacrifice is salted with is on the outside of the sacrifice. What is the salt then? My understanding has reached its limit here; I can’t find a solution. Wait—perhaps light is beginning to dawn. The salt preserves the sacrifice as a sacrifice, so that it can continue to be a sacrifice for all generations and throughout all ages. But in order to be preserved as a sacrifice by the salt, there must always be an object, and that is a person, a human being. Therefore it is written: “Have salt in yourselves.” “You are the salt of the earth.” So, a person has salt in himself. Mark 9:50. Without salt, there is no sacrifice. To be able to pass on a whole sacrifice to our descendants, we must have salt in ourselves so that we can convey Him (Jesus) to them as a sacrifice. He can only be passed on to the next generation by the saints—those who are the salt of the earth. In other words, the saints are the salt of the earth who preserve Jesus as a sacrifice for all generations. Hallelujah, I’ve received light. God gave me this wonderful light just now. I started out writing blindly and reasoned my way to clear light. You see for yourself the course it took.

How delightful are the Lord’s ways. What a holy commission it is to be salt that preserves Jesus as a sacrifice down through the ages. The apostles were salt to preserve the sacrifice for those nearest them; they in turn passed it on, and so it continues. Yes, in truth, I now understand Jesus’ deep words: “You are the salt of the earth.” No wonder the salt that loses its power isn’t fit for anything. It’s remarkable how God’s Spirit analyzes everything for us. We are the salt. The salt can’t bring forth life and vegetation, but the river can.

When you consider the writings of God-fearing men and women down through the ages, it is the saints who have preserved them. The saints are the salt. But then the writings themselves must also be the sacrifice!!! Because every sacrifice will be salted with salt—that means, preserved! This is the Word of the Lord, and we don’t need to worry about what will happen after we are gone. If we are not freed from this concern, our work isn’t a sacrifice; and, of course, can’t be salted, and consequently can’t be preserved. Here is a wide open field where the fruits remain when they have been sacrificed and salted. What amazing promises, what wonderful hidden treasures in secret places. We can’t admire God’s wisdom and majesty enough.

When your body is a sacrifice, I believe it can be preserved by the salt. Through your work in Christ, many saints (the salt) will be active in praying for your life on account of the work God has given you to carry out, because you are a sacrifice. This is exactly how it must be. He unites everything with the cross. When good health can be united with the cross, we know that being healthy is God’s will, and then He gives good health. Many of the saints slept (died) because they lived in a negligent manner. Wisdom from God lengthens a person’s days. Yes, we have a lot to learn about this. When our bodies are presented as living, acceptable sacrifices to God, we can be sure that these sacrifices are also salted with salt, because it is written that every sacrifice will be salted with salt. But the body is only salted with salt as long as it is a sacrifice. If the salt loses its saltiness, the sacrifice will rot—in this case, the body. The same thing happens to all other sacrifices. (Have you suffered so many things in vain?)

Thank you very much for sending the book by Madame Guyon. It will be very interesting to read.

All the very best and warmest greetings from your brother,