Children of God, seek a kingdom in you, that flesh and blood strive not for, nor cannot enter therein, a kingdom undefiled, and that fades not away, hid from that which feeds on earthly things, a heavenly kingdom, bearing heavenly fruits, and where heavenly things abound; wherein the heavenly Spirit rules, guides, and brings forth fruits of itself, heavenly fruits, the fruits of grace and meekness, and of a lowly mind, the fruits of peace and gentleness, and forbearance among yourselves. These are heavenly fruits and the virtues of the tree of life, and that which the loftiness of flesh and blood looks not for, nor does esteem, which loves the praise of men, and to be known in that which this world can see into with the outward understanding: But wait with patience to feel that quickened, which is sown in tears, and springs up with joy, out of the sight of the natural understanding, that that alone may bear you, and therein all your fruit may be found, and so come to the knowledge of the tree by its fruits; and let the life open the understanding (and not the notion, or the sight) that is the heavenly learning of Christ Jesus the Righteous, full of grace and truth; but striving to get up to the knowledge of heavenly things in notion and form, before the thing itself be born and brought forth, this is the wrong way to learn Christ, and the way of the world, that vails the life; for this knowledge stands in the sensual part, to exalt and puff up the mind above the meekness and lowliness that is in the Spirit of Christ Jesus, and beguiles the soul of the simplicity in which it should feed; and so a tree may grow high, and hard, and strong, yet fruitless and out of the power, got above the Poor, above the Innocent, out of the feeling of the Sufferer and Man of sorrows where He is; and the end of this growth is not in the pure rest, for the higher anyone grows here, the more does that wither and die in them, which is soft, and tender and melting, which makes one, and is the true Fold for lambs, where the lions must lie down in the end, if they come to rest, and that eye put out which looks to be great among men, that comes not into the rest, but has strife in the mind, strife in words and secret smitings, which defile the rest, and lead into the division and separation; but the little Child leads into the rest, and that which is lowly gives the entrance.
So feel that which is lowly and meek to arise above self, that which stills all strife at home in your minds, and gives peace in temptation and tribulation; that's a soft and tender thing in you, that is the Peace-maker, that's blessed of God. And this is first felt under the world, under the strife, suffering by the strife in patience, to bring to the end of the strife and the world, and in the end of it, and all exaltation, He comes to arise over the world and the enmity, who is not of a striving nature, but lives by hope, and believes to see to the end of all things under which He suffers, and to out-live every temptation by suffering. And so by an everlasting life comes over the world, and to reign over all things that are not of that eternal nature; but not to join with the evil.
And he that in the particular is born of this, has overcome the world in himself, and knows how to walk towards his brother in that which has power over the world and out-lives all, whereby he can suffer therein, and brings forth its own undefiled into one to rest, ever aiming in the ministrations at the kingdom of truth, peace and holiness, which is the end of all gifts and callings among the brethren, and is only obtained as that arises in all which suffers by the world, but is not of the world, which he that is Christ's minister comes to turn men to.
And this Seed all should know, which is beloved of the Father and Heir of the everlasting kingdom, who strives not by violence, but entreats; who seeks not revenge, but endures all contradictions from all against Himself, to the end He may obtain mercy for all from the Father. And this is the Seed of eternal peace, and the eternal Peace-maker, which was fore-ordained of the Father, and has power to endure all things, and subdue all things by overcoming.
So this seek in yourselves and all men, and in it seek one another as brethren. This is that which is perfect, and is never to be done away, neither can it be overcome of the world; wrath cannot enter it; it strives for nothing but to live its own life, which the world strives not for; nor can any that are of it strive with it; the worldly spirit seeks not that crown, whose life is to suffer all things, to be meek, and low, and poor, and rejected; reviled, contemned of the world, bearing the reproach of all that's above God in all. And little striving in the will of man is there for this kingdom, or the cross that belongs thereto, which no exalted mind can bear nor glory in.
And this is the righteousness that exceeds the Scribes and Pharisees, and Professors, and that wherein they cannot enter; nor can any reign in this kingdom, but who can bear the cross which leads to the crown, and has a habitation in that which cannot be moved with change nor kindled with wrath.
This the heritage of the meek, and the kingdom which only belongs to the poor in spirit and pure in heart, where the hardness of heart is broken, and melted, and self dead, many spirits desire to look into it; but few to live the life of it; It's only for the Heirs who are born through sorrow, and slain with ease; to whom flesh and blood is an enemy, and with the eye that looks out lightly esteemed among men.
http://www.strecorsoc.org/jnayler/epistles.html#1
