This republication of John Skepp's Divine Energy is one of several works we recommend to those seeking to preserve the truths expressed in the Doctrines of Grace. When the publisher was first called by grace and converted from a life of crime to follow the Lord Jesus Christ on, 16th January 1970, he was virtually illiterate and learned to read through reading the bible and classical Christian literature. The first Christians he met we connected to an Assemblies of God church and were not Calvinists and he soon realized strange views were held by those professing Christ. It was after reading Dr. John Gill's Body of Doctrinal Divinity and other classical Christian books that he realized the Doctrines of Grace were those taught in the bible and as a result joined the Bierton Strict and Particular Baptist Church, in 1976. It was then that the errors held by many among the various professing Christians began to surface and it was realized that eduction was needed to restore gospel truths among the people of God. For this reason Bierton Particular Baptists has republished a range of recommend reading books. Divine Energy is one of many recommended., Some of which are listed as Further Publications at the end of this book.
About the Author: JOHN SKEPP was born in 1675. It is recorded in Joseph Hussey's Diary that John Skepp was 'converted thoroughly' to Christ under Hussey's preaching and, initially, became a member of the Congregational Church in Cambridge under Mr. Hussey's care. At what time or under what circumstances John Skepp became a Baptist we have not been able to discover but he was eventually, according to further notes in Hussey's Diary, 'dismissed to be the Pastor of an Anabaptist church in London.' It appears that Mr. Skepp, was settled as pastor of the Particular Baptist congregation meeting at Curriers' Hall, Cripplegate, about 1710. When John Gill was ordained to the pastorate on March 22, 1720, John Skepp was one of the participating ministers. Mr. Skepp asked the usual questions to the candidate and also preached a charge to the church, from Hebrews 13:17. Twenty-one months from this period, Skepp's ministerial labors were ended. We were unable to locate any existing account of Skepp's last days upon the earth. As one writer said, "His sun went down at noon, or soon after. He died December 1st, 1721, aged forty-six years." John Skepp wrote only one work, and it was originally composed in the form of sermons and delivered from the pulpit. It was later altered and somewhat prepared for the press by the author, but it was not published until 1722, about a year after Skepp's death. Dr. John Gill, who had a great esteem for the memory of Mr. Skepp, published a second edition of this book in 1751, and prefixed to it a recommendatory preface. He also divided the work into chapters, at the head of which he placed their contents, for the more easy reading, and better understanding.