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things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. This is the man of God's path, and to flee covetousness, and the love of money, and such as make gain their godliness; for such are destitute of the truth: and this should be the practice of all true christians now.

And do not the men of the world, with the covetous priests and teachers, and others, fly after riches and money, instead of flying from it? and after gain supposing it to be godliness? and is not this a mark, that such have erred from the true faith, and are fallen into hurtful lusts, which drown them in destruction and perdition, by falling into a temptation and a snare, in coveting after riches and the love of money, which is the root of all evil? hath not the root of this evil been manifest by the teachers of the world, and other people? the priests and teachers by destroying people for their bellies; and the people by coveting and encroaching other people's goods, and so destroy their own and others too: the teachers and others shewing, that they are erred from the faith which Christ is the author and finisher of, who saith, 'freely you have received, freely give; and beware of covetousness.' For the apostle saith, a bishop must not be a striker, nor greedy of filthy lucre, nor a brawler, nor covetous; but he must hold fast the faithful word, and be blameless and such bishops and elders, teachers and deacons, were Timothy and Titus to ordain, as you may see, in 1 Tim. iii. and Titus i. And they were to hold the mystery of faith in a pure conscience: and therefore, how can any bishops and teachers, elders or deacons be the succeeders of them, that the apostles, and Timothy, and Titus ordained, that are strikers, persecutors, covetous and greedy of filthy lucre, yea, and cast people into prison whom they do not oversee, nor teach, nor preach to are not such erred from the faith, the evil beasts and slowbellies, that suppose gain to be godliness, that serve not the Lord Jesus Christ, but their own bellies, which the apostle bid Titus, rebuke sharply.' And now you may see such as coveted to be rich, and were persecutors and strikers, and greedy of filthy lucre, such Timothy and Titus were not to ordain bishops and teachers, elders and deacons; for such were erred from the faith; then they were not like to hold the mystery of faith in a pure conscience, which Christ is the author and finisher of, who saith, freely you have received, freely give.' For the apostle, in Acts xx. saith, that he was pure from the blood of all men;' he took the church to record, 'that he had coveted no man's silver, gold, nor apparel;' and said, that the church knew themselves, that his hands had ministered unto his necessities, and them that were with him.' Now here was a clear free minister of Christ. And now let the bishops, priests, and teachers, &c. in Christendom, try themselves and their practice by the scripture, and the apostle's example, and the command of Christ,

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who saith, freely you have received, freely give.' Can you say, that you have coveted no man's silver, gold, nor apparel, either of your own people, nor others, whom you have not preached to? can you say, you are clear from the blood of all men, as the apostle said, and call the christians to record? if you do say you are; will not the gaols testify against you, and the courts, and your own hearts and consciences also will witness against you? and how many have been persecuted and prisoned by you till death, for not giving you money and tythes, whom you do not work for? what persecuting and hauling before courts have you made? you cannot call the christians to record,' that you are clear from the blood of all men, that you covet no man's silver, gold, nor apparel, and that you labour with your hands for your own necessities and others, and that you are not greedy of filthy lucre, and are not strikers and persecutors, nor are they that covet after money and the riches of this world; and that you do not give freely,' as Christ commands, manifesting that you have not received freely from him; but that you are erred from the faith of Christ, (by which the apostles lived,) and from the conversation of the saints in the primitive times. For the apostle saith to the church, 'let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as you have.' And the Lord saith, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Heb. xiii. 5. and Josh. i. 5. And so, this should be the conversation of all that profess Christ Jesus, and then they would covet after the best gifts, and not after the earthly things, and follow after love and charity.

And the apostle saith, be ye followers of me, even as I am also of Christ. And so it is clear the church of the true christians is not to follow any teacher, but as he followeth Christ in his life, faith, practise, and doctrine. And if they make a profession of the form of godliness, without the power, and spirit, and truth, they were to turn away from them, and not to follow them: but as every one hath received Christ Jesus, so walk in him in humility.

The 5th month, 1679.

G. F.

VOL. V.-55

THE MAN CHRIST JESUS THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH,

And true Mediator, in opposition to the Papist Head, their Pope: Prayers to, and for the Dead, their Shaved Crowns, and Saints' Relics, and Purgatory, disproved to be Christian or Judaic, consequently Heathenish or Pagan, by Scripture Testimony.—By G. F.

WHERE did ever any, (or where is there any proof, that either in the old world to the flood, or from the flood to the coming of the children of Israel out of Egypt, or from their coming out of Egypt unto Christ, and from Christ all the apostles' days,) pray unto the dead, or to saints and angels, as in this night of apostacy since the apostles' days, as the apostates from christianity, called papists do? or where did ever any go to graves for dead men's bones, or holy relics, (as they are called,) in all those ages aforementioned, and say, there was virtue in them to work miracles by, as the papists say they have done, in the apostacy since the apostles' days.

And where did ever any, either in the old world, or since, in the prophets' and apostles' days, pray to any saint? or make any saint a mediator, (but only Christ Jesus,) as the papists in the apostacy do.

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For doth not the Lord say in his law, whosoever touches the dead body of a dead man, and purifieth not himself, and defileth the tabernacle of the Lord, that soul shall be cut off from Israel, because the water of separation was not sprinkled upon him? And if a man died in a tent, all that came into the tent and all that was in the tent was unclean seven days; yea, every open vessel that was not covered was unclean, Numb. i. and whosoever touched a dead man that was slain with the sword in the field; or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days. And the water of purification was to go upon them:' now seven is perfect; so the perfection was to go upon them before they were made clean again.

And Moses, when the children of Israel had been at battle with the Midianites; he bid them, abide without the camp seven days: and whosoever touched any slain, they were to purify themselves, and to purify their raiments,' as in Numb. xxxi. Yea, all their gold and silver, brass, iron, tin, and lead, which they had taken from the unclean heathen, they were to make it go through the fire, and then it should be clean; and it must be purified by "water of separation; for that which could not abide to go through the fire must go through the water.'

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And saith the Lord, ye shall wash your clothes, and after seven days ye shall be clean, and then come into the Lord's camp.

Now if the war in the old covenant was to be so holy and clean, and

all the people were to be so holy and clean; then what is the spiritual war in the new covenant? must not perfection go upon every one, before they can be clean, to enter into God's camp? must not their inward clothing be washed, as they washed the outward? and must not they pass through the fire of his baptism, and holy water of his word, before they can come into the camp of God, and to his tabernacle? for the seventh day was a day of washing and of purifying in the old covenant, yea, himself and his clothes. And if he did not wash himself and his clothes, if he touched a grave, or a dead man's bone, or been in a tent where a dead man lay, or had been in the war where dead men were; if he purified not himself, he was to be cut off from the congregation; because he had defiled the tabernacle of the Lord, and the water of separation had not been sprinkled upon him.

And therefore, if they were to be so clean and holy in the old covenant, with these outward washings; much more ought they to be clean in the new covenant, with the heavenly washings, with the holy water of the word; and if they be not washed with this water of the word, and the blood of Jesus, are they not cut off from the holy and clean congregation, and from God's tabernacle spiritually in the new covenant? for God set his outward tabernacle in his congregation, in the old covenant. Levit. xxvi. 11. But God sets the heavenly tabernacle amongst his holy and clean congregation, in the new covenant, that he hath congregated together with his spirit. And therefore, all they now that run to graves for dead men's bones, and call them relics, and pretend to do miracles by them; are they not below the law of God in the old covenant, and defilers of that tabernacle, and cut off from the congregation of the old covenant? and then much more far off the congregation of the new covenant; though in words they may profess it.

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And the Lord saith, every leper, and every one that hath an issue, or is defiled by the dead, whether male or female, shall be put out of his camp, that they should not defile his camp,' Numb. v. 3. as Miriam was put out seven days for her leprosy and disobedience. For, saith the Lord, I will dwell in the midst of you.'

So see what a care of holiness and cleanness was to be in the camp of the old covenant; much more in the new, of inward leprosies and issues, who are defiled by dead Adam, they must be purified by the water of the word, and the blood of Jesus the second Adam, before they can come into his holy camp. And who have been in the spiritual war, with the spiritual wickedness, if that they have touched the dead, or his bone, or his grave, they are defiled, till they be purified by the water of the living word, which was before the dead was, or his bone or grave either: for the Lord saith, touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you.'

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2 Cor. vi. 17. And David saith, the heavens are the Lord's, but the earth he hath given to the children of men. The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence.' Psalm cxv. 16, 17. Then why should any ask counsel of the dead, and pray unto the dead, if they praise not the Lord? Again, David saith, the slain that lie in the grave God remembereth no more, they are cut off from his hand.' Psalm. lxxxviii. 5.

And therefore, how can the dead be mediators? and are not they dead in sins and trespasses, that run to the graves for dead men's bones, and call them holy relics?

And again, David saith, the sacrifices of the dead; cvi. 28.

they that join themselves to Baal Peor eat and the dead praise not the Lord.' Psalm

So here you may see they that joined to Baal Peor, did not join to the Lord, nor sacrifice to him, but such were dead from the Lord, and did eat the sacrifices of the dead. And are not all they that profess themselves christians in the new covenant as dead, that either pray or offer to the dead? nay, are they not worse and more dark than they, because they profess a higher and greater thing, than they in the old covenant?

And David said, 'thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and after receive me into glory.' Psalm lxxiii. 24.

So here you may see, all must be guided by God's counsel, if they will be received into glory; and not be guided by the counsel of the dead, but by the counsel of the living God: 'but such as forget the works of the Lord, they wait not for his counsel to be guided by it. Psalm cvi. 13. And Isaiah saith, let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh, and come that we may know it.' Isa. v. 19.

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And so, these waited for counsel from God, and not from the dead. And did not the apostate Jews in the days of Isaiah, seek unto wizards and familiar spirits, that peeped and muttered? and were not all those judged in the old law? and are they not much more in the days of the gospel, the power of God? for does not Isaiah say, 'when they shall say unto you, ask counsel of them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep and mutter: then make them this answer, is there a people any where that asketh not counsel of their God, should men run to the dead from the living.'

And therefore, he saith further, to the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light or morning in them.' Isa. viii.

Now here it may be seen, there were some that taught this doctrine to seek after, and unto wizards and familiar spirits; and therefore, the

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