enlighten every man that cometh into the world, with the life in him, the word, by which all things were made to believe in, and to give them knowledge. So this high priest is he, that filleth and covereth the earth with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea,' so that the earth shall not be seen; and so he both gives and preserves the people's knowledge.' And in these days of Christ, in his new covenant, God poureth out his spirit upon all flesh, to instruct, teach, and lead them, by which spiritsons and daughters may prophesy, and the old men may dream dreams, and the young men, and hand-maids, and servants may see visions,' by the spirit which God hath poured upon them, and hath given them a spiritual knowledge, and which spirit reveals the things of God unto them, and leads them into all truth. For in the old covenant the Lord poured out his spirit upon the house of Israel, and gave them of his good spirit to instruct them, though they rebelled against it; but in his new covenant, which is not according to the old, he pours out of his spirit not only upon the Jews, but upon all flesh of other nations, as well as the Jews, that all flesh may see the glory of God, and see their salvation. For the Lord saith, in Isa. xlix. 26. all flesh shall know, that I, the Lord, am thy Saviour and Redeemer, the mighty one of Jacob.' And again, in Isa. xl. 5. the Lord saith, 'every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be laid low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough plain; and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.' And is not this the gospel-day of Christ in his new covenant? and must it not be fulfilled? but your mountains and hills must be laid down, and your crooked ways and natures must be made straight, smooth, and plain, before this glory of the Lord be revealed, and that all flesh come to see it.

And in Luke iii. 6. it is said, where he speaks of the fulfilling of Isa. xl. how all flesh shall see the salvation of God.' Again, Isa. lxvi. 18, 26. the Lord saith, all flesh, shall come to worship before me: and the Lord saith, it shall come to pass, that I will gather all nations and tongues, and they shall come and see my glory, and I will set him for a sign among them,' speaking of Christ. And the Lord saith, his people's wilderness shall be like Eden, and their desert as the garden of the Lord.' Isa. li. 3. And are not these the days of the new covenant, and to be fulfilled? G. F.

Swarthmore, the 4th month, 1679.

A Warning to all that profess Christianity, and others, to beware of Covetousness, which is Idolatry.-By G. F.

ALL people that do profess Christ, and christianity, this is a warning to you all, to take heed of covetousness; for covetousness was forbidden both in the Old Testament and the New, and by the law of God, and by Christ and his apostles.

For the apostle saith, 'covetousness is idolatry;' and both to the rulers, priests, teachers, and people in the Old and New Testament, that idolatrous practise was forbidden.

And Christ saith, it is one of those evils that defiles a man, that comes out of him.'

And the Lord said in his law, and ten commandments, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.'

Now, if this covetous spirit be kept down, then the idolator is kept down, and that idol out of the heart.

Also, theft and stealing was forbidden in the old covenant, and so it is in the new; and all are to labour in the thing that is good.

Likewise, adultery was forbidden in the old covenant, and so it is in the new; yea, and more than outward adultery: for, he that looks. after a woman to lust after her,' in the new covenant, Christ saith, 'he hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.'

And bearing false witness against his neighbour,' was forbidden in the old covenant, and so it is in the new? for all are to speak truth to their neighbour, and lie not.

And the Lord saith, in the Old Testament, thou shalt not kill.'

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The apostle saith, in the new covenant, they did not wrestle with flesh and blood; and their weapons were not carnal, but spiritual;' and Christ forbids wrath in the new covenant, &c.

And Samuel, who was a judge and a prophet, who judged Israel, 1 Sam. xii. 3. Samuel said, 'I am old and gray-headed, and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day; whose ox or ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded or oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind my eyes therewith?' and the children of Israel answered and said, thou hast not defrauded nor oppressed any of us, neither hast thou received ought at any man's hand.' &c.

Now here was a prophet, and a priest, and a judge, clear from that idolatry of covetousness; and hath not he outstripped many of them which now call themselves prophets and priests, judges and teachers, that profess the new covenant?

VOL. V.-54

And David said, 'incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.' Psalm cxix. 36.

So, if the hearts of all who profess christianity, were inclined to the testimony of Jesus, the spirit of prophecy, that would keep down the earthly spirit of covetousness, which is idolatry.

And as Solomon saith, in Prov. xxviii. 16. he that hateth covetousness, shall prolong his days.' Then he that loveth covetousness, which

is idolatry, shall not prolong his days.

And Jeremiah cried out against the Jews in the old covenant, and said, from the greatest to the least of them, the prophet and the priest, every one of them was given to covetousness, and to deal falsely.' Jer. vi. 13. and Isa. lvi. 11.

And yet, these priests and prophets, from the greatest to the least of them, could make a profession of the old covenant.

And let the priests, and prophets, and people, that profess the new covenant, see if they be not given to this idolatry of covetousness, which was hated and forbidden of God and Christ, and his people, prophets, and apostles.

And Jeremiah further cries out against the Jew, in Jer. xxii. 17. and said unto them, thine eyes and thy heart are for thy covetousness, and for shedding of innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence.'

Now this was the Jews condition in the old covenant, when they forsook God, and his law and spirit.

And now, let all who profess themselves christians, in whom Christ doth not reign, which are not guided by the spirit of God, as the prophets and apostles were, search and try themselves, if the fruits of their eyes and hearts, and the fruits of the spirit that was in the Jews, doth not appear, and is manifest in them, a spirit that lusts to do violence and oppression, and a spirit of covetousness, and of persecution, and of shedding innocent blood, which was forbidden by God and his prophets in the old covenant, and by Christ and his apostles in the new covenant, and by them abhorred and cried out against. But what was the end of the Jews which followed after that wicked spirit, and went from the Lord?

And do those called christians, think in their profession of the new covenant, that they must have liberty in these evil things now, which were forbidden in the time of the old law and covenant? no, no; they are much more forbidden in the new.

And the Lord said unto Ezekiel, that the Jews would come and sit before him as the Lord's people, and they would hear his words, but they will not do them; and with their mouths they would shew much love, but their hearts went after their covetousness.' Ezek. xxxiii. 31.

Now will not the priests and professors of Christendom, hear and say

the words of the new covenant and gospel, and appear to shew much zeal and love for the words of the New Testament, but they will not do them nor practice them; for their hearts and eyes go after their covetousness, which is idolatry.

For have not you, that profess the new covenant in words, done as they that professed the old in words, even coveted goods, fields, houses, and taken by violence, and oppressed a man in his heritage, and devised iniquity, and wrought evil upon your beds, and in the morning-light have practised it, because you had power in your hands?

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And was not woe pronounced against such, that professed the old covenant, and yet walked contrary to it; and much more against all such, as are found in these practises now, who profess the new. Micha ii. And Habakkuk cries, woe to him that covets an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of the evil,' &c. Hab. ii. 9. he tells them, the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam of the timber shall answer it against them.'

And therefore, let such covetous persons, that profess christianity, hearken and hear, if the stones out of the very wall do not cry out against you, and the beam of the timber does not answer it?

And Christ saith, in Mark vii. ' that which cometh out of the man from within his heart, defileth the man, (to wit,) evil thoughts, adultery, fornication, murder, theft, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, blasphemies, pride, foolishness, and an evil eye' now these are the evils that defile men, which the devil, the serpent, who is out of the truth, hath wrought in man's heart, both in Adam and Eve, and the Jews, and the christians that go from God, and disobey his voice and command: for neither God nor Christ wrought any of these evil things in man in the beginning, nor since, who is the author of all good. And therefore, these evil things must be purged out of man by Christ's blood and baptism, and by the mortification and circumcision of the spirit of God.

And Christ said unto them, (to wit, the Jews,) take heed and beware of covetousness; for a man's life consists not in the abundance of the things which he doth possess.' Luke xii. 15.

Oh! that all that are called christians, and all people, would consider this blessed doctrine of Christ the heavenly man; and that they might come to understand and know what their life doth consist in; then they I would take heed and beware of covetousness, which is idolatry.

And the apostle Paul, who had the care of the churches upon him, he writes to the Corinthians, not to keep company with any man that is called a brother, that is a fornicator, or covetous, or idolater, or railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner;' with such an one they were not so much as to eat for such as professed christianity, and followed such

practises, the saints were neither to eat nor keep company with; for they shamed their profession of christianity.

So here the apostles and saints, the true church, had a judgment given them, and did judge out the covetous idolaters, fornicators, drunkards, railers, &c. from having any fellowship with the saints, the true church, not as much as to eat with them, nor to keep company with them of that spirit: for he saith, neither fornicators, nor thieves, nor drunkards, nor covetous idolaters, railers, nor extortioners, &c. shall inherit the kingdom of God.'

And the apostle told the Corinthians, that such were some of them, but they were washed, sanctified, and justified from these things, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by the spirit of God.' So these were washed from their fornication, covetousness, idolatry, drunkenness, railing, and extortion, and justified in the name of Jesus, and by the spirit of God.

So the apostle here doth not speak of the fornicators, and covetous idolaters, and extortioners of the world, which were without; for God judgeth such. But the saints, the apostles, and the true church were to judge them that practised such things within the church, shewing the true christian's church had a power; and not to keep company nor to eat with such, professing Christ, that were of such practises, knowing that the unrighteous should not inherit the kingdom of God, nor drunkards, nor fornicators, thieves, railers, extortioners, nor covetous idolaters; they that lived in these evils, were not like to inherit the kingdom of God; for they were defiled, unwashed, and not sanctified nor justified, &c. So that if the saints did keep company, or did eat with such unwashed, unsanctified, unjustified persons, or have fellowship with them, they took the members of Christ and joined them to an harlot; for he that is joined to an harlot, is one body; for two,' saith he, shall be one flesh.' And therefore, the saints' bodies are members of Christ; God forbid they should be joined to harlots, or that they should make them members of an harlot. And he that is joined to the Lord, is one spirit:' And the saints' bodies are the temples of the Holy Ghost, which proceeds from God and Christ, and being bought with a price, the blood of Christ, and washed, and sanctified, and justified in the name of Jesus Christ by the spirit of God, they are to glorify God in their bodies, souls, and spirits, which are God's, which he hath given to them to glorify him withal; glory to his name forever.

And therefore, all this old leaven of fornication, adultery, theft, covetousness, idolatry, drunkenness, revelling, extortion, and all unrighteousness, envy, malice, and wickedness, must be purged out, which is the world's god the serpent hath wrought in, that they may be a new lump, and keep the feast of unleavened bread of sincerity and truth: for Christ,