[Typewritten copy, not original]

Thank you for your good letter with the enclosed letter from N.N. Such articles have no substance—it’s like they are nonexistent, although they do exist—and they should never see the light of day; because despite all our labor, there is no end to the darkness. It takes a strenuous effort to get people to understand, and even old graybeards prefer to cling to folly instead of the cross.

There is a meeting hall here where everything is confused by all sorts of winds of doctrine. I’ve visited there, together with the brothers on the Tordenskjold, and we have given our testimonies; but it’s been of little use as far as I can see. They preach a whole lot of entertaining things, but without the power of the cross. They say they want to receive everything directly from God. Man is nothing. They thereby exclude the people God has appointed in the church for the equipping of the saints unto perfection. They’ve received this teaching from Satan, and it must be opposed as strongly as possible. A Swedish preacher was at that hall yesterday, preaching misleadingly about Romans 7 and 8. I wrote a few things down on a piece of paper about his misconceptions and gave it to him. He read some of it and saw that I disagreed with him. He then said, “Most likely you are still in bondage—in Romans 7.” I replied that I had tasted liberation and had been baptized in the Holy Spirit several years earlier. “Are you one of those Smith people?” he asked. “My name is Johan Smith,” I responded. “So, you’re the brother of Aksel Smith,” he said. “Yes, I am.” You should have heard him then. He shouted out at the top of his lungs to the rest of the assembly: “I want to warn people against Skjulte Skatter; it’s dangerous. It contains Catholic teachings and leads people into bondage.”

In spite of this, I just kept quiet and walked out, because I sensed a bitter spirit in it, which I have rarely felt the likes of before. People jeered at me; it was like I was a criminal. God didn’t permit me to answer him in the heat of the moment; instead I had to suffer and commit it to Him who judges righteously. The preacher said in his message that now they didn’t need to obey God; Christ had already done that. Preaching the way to freedom based on such appalling expressions is completely outlandish. It’s ironic that such people speak about dangerous doctrines. The “Catholic” reference is probably because we have been distributing Prayer by Madame Guyon.

The article about military service has done a great deal of good. Lieutenant B. has received light as a result of it.

We have been reassigned from the Valkyrjen, which is due to be fitted with a new anchor chain and winch. We will be deployed onboard again in about five weeks.

Warm greetings.

Your brother,