nothing else but shadows meerly produced by natural magick for when the thing was over the shadow was vanished also So that the people heard nor saw no more of the Magicians Frogs So likewise when the imagination of reason is exercised upon a religious account though it be in the way of idolatry many strange things may be atcheived and attained unto where the imagination of reason is religiously bent For these two horns like a Lamb did signifie zeal in Religion though in an idolatrous way So that this beast being studious of Religion did by the strength of his imagination and his diabolical holiness He exercising his minde more upon idolatry and worshipping of images then the other beast did before him So that this beast with two horns like a Lamb could go further in his religious imagination then the other beast did And deceive the people more by a way of lying signs and wonders so that the people took this beast to be more god-like then the other for this beast did seem to make fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men He did this upon a religious account to deceive the people as the Egyptians did upon a temporal account as I said before That is he went to imitate the Prophet Elijah to bring fire from heaven in the sight of men as Elijah did even as the Magicians of Egypt did imitate Moses But this fire the beast brought from heaven it was no real thing but onely a shadow or likeness of fire as the Egyptians was For this fire that he brought from heaven it did no body no hurt onely dazled the phantasies of them that saw it with a shadow of fire but no substance Even as the Egyptians did in the temporal But the fire Elijah brought from heaven it burnt up two Captains and their fifties because the fire that came from heaven it was a real substance and did execution But a shadow doth nothing but deceive the phantasie of man for the present As in the fourteenth verse And deceived them that dwelt on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast saying to them that dwelt on the earth that they should make an image to the beast which had a wound by a Sword and did live In this 14 verse he had power to command the people to make an image and to dedicate it to the beast that received the wound with a Sword and did live And in the fifteenth verse he would shew another sign or miracle that should deceive the people more then the former sign of bringing fire from heaven on the earth in the fight of men So that he would deceive their dark understandings for he had power to give life to the image of the beast that the image of the beast should both speak and cause that as many as would not worship the Image of the beast should be killed CHAP. XXXVIII THis I would have the Reader to observe that the Image that this beast with two horns like a Lamb did cause to be made and set up the Image was the same form and likeness though made of wood or stone as that beast was of that received a wound by a Sword and did live And that beast was a man and the Image of that man did this beast cause to be set up to be worshipped For that beast with two horns like a Lamb had power by his subtile and diabolical inchantments to make this Image of the first beast to speak And by the speech of the Image it should cause that as many as would not worship the Image of the beast that is the form of this Image of a man should be killed now this seemeth very strange to the minde of man and so it did to those people in that time that the wisdom of reason the devil should by his witchcraft-power in point of Religion and worship to make an Image which the work-man hath made with his own hands for to speak It cannot chuse but to cause ignorant and dark-minded people to be deceived and to fall down and worship it They supposing that the Spirit of the holy Gods doth come into it at or in its season and speak to the people so that they are fully perswaded that it is the spirit of the holy Gods that speaketh in it So that they fall down and worship it not thinking that the imagination power and authority of the beast hath out-witted them for the beast did make an Image of the other beast aforesaid and did set it apart or dedicated it of purpose for a God to be worshipped And made Priests overseers of it and consecrated the Image by the Priests in a holy manner And some boy or childe had a way to go into the Image and speak in it such words as the beast and the priests should order the childe to speak So that the childe must speak thorow the mouth of the Image as if the Image did speak it self Just like unto a wooden puppet in a play But as the Scriptures saith none of their Images doth nor can speak thorow the throat But secresie between the beast and the priests might keep the thing so close that the people might know nothing but that the Image did speak it self And so they being bewitched with ignorance and darkness and deceived by this policy they do worship the Image And so much the more because the Image did speak and the words that the Image did speak they must be such words as he that gave order to make it would have it speak That is to worship the Image in the spiritual and to command all people small and great bond and free rich and poor in the temporal to receive a mark in their right hand or in their foreheads as in the sixteenth verse So that no man might buy or sell save he that had the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name as in the 17. verse These were the things that the Image must and did speak and these were the miracles that this beast wrought in the eyes of the people whereby they were deceived For these seemed to be great miracles and so they were to that which knoweth not the true God for great things may be accomplished by the spirit of reason in man if backed with the authority and power of the nation But greater things then these have been acted in this nation upon a spiritual account and more spiritual wonders and miracles have been wrought by the spirit of reason in John Robins John Tancy and others For they have been able by that spiritual witchcraft-power to present half Moons Stars burning shining lights to the fancy of people Also John Robins hath presented by his spiritual witchcraft-power the form of a Dragon and the form of a serpent and thick darkness with divers other lying signs and wonders I call them lying signs because they
our God The meaning is this after John had seen the utter overthrow of this great idolatrous City Babylon Immediately after he heard a great voice of much people in heaven that is he heard the voice of the twenty four Elders the four Beasts the Prophets and Apostles and the multitudes of Saints which cannot be numbered and the holy Angels saying or giving praise unto God in such like words as these Allelujah salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God All these sounding forth their praise unto God together must needs be a great voice indeed onely this is to be minded that none but the revelation of the Spirit could hear it in heaven and yet be here upon earth So that this great voice John heard in heaven it was by those aforesaid in praise unto God that he had avenged the blood of his servants at her hand as you may see in the second and third verse Again they said Allelujah and her smoak rose up for ever and ever So that all this joy and glory John heard in heaven it was even for this one thing that God had judged thus to give that whore who corrupted the earth with her spiritual fornication a perpetual torment that the smoak of it might ascend for ever and ever And in verse the 4th The four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sate on the throne saying Amen Allelujah so that you may see that all are concern'd in this matter to give praise unto God for this judgement upon her These four beasts the Reader may remember I have shewed what they are in this Treatise but for the four and twenty Elders I have said little of them here but I have spoken more largely of them in the Interpretation of the eleventh of the Revelation And in the fifth verse A voice came out of the Throne saying Praise our God all ye his servants and ye that serve him both small and great His servants signifies his Prophets and Messengers whom God did send Small and great doth signifie all true believers or Saints let them be ever so great in faith and knowledge or ever so small or weak in faith and knowledge Yet so it be true faith though but small they are all required by that voice from the Throne to praise God and for what must they praise God for even for his judgement upon the whore And not onely so but that God will raign now himself over you in eternal joy and glory and raign over the wicked persecutors in eternal pain and shame as you may see in the sixth verse CHAP. LXXII ANd I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude and as the voice of many waters and as the voice of a mighty thundering saying Allelujah for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth This voice of a great multitude and as the voice of many waters and as the voice of many thunderings they are the same as I said before to wit the four and twenty Elders the four Beasts the Prophets and Apostles and the multitude of Saints more then can be numbered and the holy Angels These in their praises unto God was the voice of many waters and the voice of thunderings I say these are they that doth sing Allelujah to the Lord God omnipotent who reigneth for ever and ever in joy and glory with his Saints and for ever and ever over the reprobates in eternal torments as aforesaid For these voices say in the seventh verse Let us be glad and rejoyce and give honor to him That is to God for the marriage of the Lamb is come and his wife hath made her self ready This Marriage is an eternal Marriage with God and the elect seed for all the elect seed are Saints from the beginning of the world to the end of it are called by the Spirit but one virgin And this Lamb the virgins Husband is no other but God himself as I have shewed before So that at the end of time all the Elect Seed shall be married unto God their King Redeemer not onely in true righteousness and holiness as they were in the state of grace here in this world But they shall be marryed unto the Lamb which is the onely wise God blessed for evermore to that eternal felicity joy and glory with him So that his wife shall have a propriety in those eternal joys even as a vertuous woman hath here in her husbands estate For in the eighth verse And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen clean and white For the fine linen is the righteousness of Saints that is the righteousness of Faith For faith purifies the the heart and Saints being clothed with this righteousness of Faith they become virgins They are called virgins in that they are not defiled in their souls with idols and false worship which is called by the Spirit fornication or whoredom So that this Bride the Lambs wife being clothed with the righteousness of Faith it is called by the Spirit fine linen clean and white and this is the righteousness of Saints who is the Bride to God her Husband Who putteth upon this white cloathing a Garment of eternal glory which will shine more brighter than the Sun More might be said in this thing but I suppose there is enough said to satisfie the Seed of Faith And as for the nineth and tenth verses I shall pass them by because I have spoken of them and given the meaning of them in the Interpretation of the eleventh of the Revelation CHAP. LXXIII VErse the eleventh And I saw heaven opened and he hold a white horse and he that sate upon him was called Faithful and true and in righteousness he doth judge and make war This white horse is the same white horse as I spake of before in the sixth chapter of Johns Revelation and he that sate upon this white horse is the same that sate upon that white horse to wit the righteousness of Saints And he that sate upon this white horse was no other but Christ Jesus the onely wise God as I have shewed before For this is to be minded by the Reader that though Christ hath a righteousness of his own which may be a white horse for himself to sit upon he being called Faithful and true and in righteousness he doth judge Yet nevertheless the righteousness of Saints is included all into one righetousness so make up but one white horse for the onely wise God to sit upon and to make war That is he made war with death hell and the devil as I said before and overcame them and so had many Crowns upon his head as you may see in the 12 verse These many Crowns upon his head they signifie but two Crowns all other Crowns of glory which he hath they are all included in these two That is he hath a Crown of glory upon his head as he is the Creator of all things
do at this day or shall hereafter to the worlds end Therefore if the Reader doth but understand the spiritual substance and meaning of Johns visions though not every particular circumstance I say it will give full satisfaction to the minde of man as to the Scriptures and to their eternal salvation The first thing that John saw in his Vision it was a door opened in heaven Now I would have the Seed of Faith to understand that there is a door belonging to heaven and a door belonging to hell Therefore called in Scripture the gates of heaven and of hell as Christ said unto Peter I have given thee the Keyes of heaven and of hell So likewise when the five foolish virgins came to the door where the Bridegroom was but the door was shut upon them so that they could not come in to that Eternal Marriage So that there is a door belongs to Heaven also there must be some body to open this door It is much like unto a Kings Palace where no inferior person can see into it except the Door-keeper do open the door There is no earthly Kings Palace but hath a door to it neither can any man see into it except the door be openâ—â— Now as there is a door of earthly substance which may be seen and felt belonging to every earthly Kings Palace the Palace being earthly also though decked and set forth very gloriously to the eye of Sense and Reason because it belongeth to Reasons kingdom So likewise there is as real an Heavenly Palace above and beyond the stars where Christ the King of Heaven doth sit upon his Throne Also there is a door belonging to it of a spiritual and heavenly substance which may be seen felt and understood by the eye of Faith as the other is by the eye of Reason Therefore it is said in Scripture by the Apostles We speak the things which we have seen which we have heard which we have tasted which we have handled of the word of life So that there is as real a spiritual substance to be seen tasted and handled by the Seed of Faith in the minde as there is temporal things by the seed of Reason Likewise Christ is called a Door himself and he hath the Key of Davia who openeth and no man shutteth And this is he that opened the door of Johns understanding and let him see in a vision the glory of heaven and him that sate on the Throne as you may see in the second verse For as soon as ever John had heard the voice that is as soon as ever the door of his understanding was opened the door of heaven was opened also And the door of heaven being opened there was presented in a vision to his sight few things that must be hereafter Now what those things which must be hereafter are they are signified in the vision in the chapters following For the voice which talked with John in the vision bade him come up hither and I will shew the things which must be hereafter And immediately John was in the spirit that is he was so ravished and wrapt up in his spirit w th the sight of heaven and the glory thereof in the vision the door of heaven being opened that he was as Paul was whether in the body or out of the body he could not tell For John did see things unutterable for indeed the things of Gods becoming flesh and suffering death and the glorious effects thereof they are unutterable that is the tongue of man cannot explain it not as it is in it self But men that have written the Scriptures and have had visions and revelations of these heavenly things they have expressed them to the capacity of man as they could by words So that men might believe the things of God which are spiritual and eternal by words of mortal men like themselves As men do understand one another in the things of this world And the gift of interpretation of Scriptures which was written by Revelation and Vision I say it is more profitable to man then the Scriptures themselves For what profit is it to a man to read another mans revelation or vision and know nothing of it himself Therefore interpretation of Scriptures is the best and most profitable gift unto the Seed of Faith now adays to lead them unto their eternal rest Therefore to unfold something more of Johns vision in the second verse And immediately he was in the spirit and behold a Throne was set in heaven and one sate on the Throne And in the 3 verse he tells what he was like that sate on the Throne and in the 4 verse he saith And round about the Throne were four and twenty Seats and upon the Seats John saw four and twenty Elders sitting cloathed in white Raiment and they had on their heads Crowns of Gold And in the 5 verse There were seven Lamps of fire burning before the Throne which are the seven Spirits of God And in the 6 verse And before the Throne there was a Sea of Glass like unto Chrystal and in the midst of the Throne and round about the Throne were four Beasts full of eyes before and behind And in the 7 verse And the first Beast was like a Lion and the second beast like a Calf and the third beast had a face like a Man and the fourth beast was like a flying Eagle The 8 verse And the four beasts had each of them six Wings about him and they were full of eyes within and they rest not day and night saying Holy holy holy Lord God Almighty which was and is and is to come The 9 verse And when those beasts gave glory and honor and thanks to him that sate on the Throne who liveth for ever and ever I shall give a short interpretation of these things afore mentioned In the second verse John saw a Throne in heaven and him that sate thereon You may remember how I have shewed before that there is Thrones in heaven as there is here in earth and there is a Throne in special for the King of Heaven as there is for a King here on earth And he which John saw to sit upon the Throne in Heaven it was no other but the Lord Jesus Christ as aforesaid Though John doth set him forth in the 3 verse that he was to look upon like a Jasper and a Sardine stone with other glorious expressions which is onely to set forth the glory of him that sate upon the Throne And in the 4 verse Round about the Throne were four and twenty Seats and upon the Seats were four and twenty Elders sitting cloathed in white Raiment and they had on their heads Crowns of Gold It is much like unto the Throne of an earthly King for an earthly King hath many Seats for his Nobility to sit on round about the Throne where he seats himself And the Nobility doth fit in those Seats according to their degree and place Likewise the
faith he may say he saw the Saints that suffered for the testimony of Jesus to have white robes given them as if the thing were already done for when things are certain to be done and nothing can prevent it a man may say it is done So it is with Faith it knowing that nothing can prevent Gods design and purpose in that he hath determined to save and bless those the Seed of Adam and to destroy and curse those the seed of the Serpent to eternity So that eternity is looked upon by the Seed of Faith to be in present being And this was Johns revelation in the vision which he saw in the opening of the fifth Seal CHAP. XX. NOw in the twelfth verse John saw when he opened the sixth Seal He beheld and lo there was a great Earthquake and the Sun became black as Sackcloth of hair and the Moon became as blood I have opened the meaning of the Earthquake and of the Sun being as black as sackcloth of hair and the Moon like blood these things I have opened already in The Interpretation of the Eleventh Chapter of the Revelation so that I shall say no more of it here And as for the latter part of this Chapter it is onely a prophecy of the end of the world Onely this I shall give you a word or two to shew what is meant by the Heavens being departed as a scroll when it is rolled together as it is said verse 14. and Isaiah 34.4 The meaning is this that the Clouds of Heaven and the Air and the influence of the Stars of Heaven shall be rolled up as a Scroll For the Clouds and Air have spread themselves over the face of the Skie so they may be called the Heavens for were it not for the Clouds to scatter the Rain on the earth and the Air to blow upon the creatures here on earth all creatures would die So that man and beasts and all creatures do possess a Heaven in themselves even from the influence of the Clouds and the Air. So that the Clouds and the Air is that Heaven that God will at the end of the world roll up like a Scroll Also God will take away the Sun Moon and Stars so that they shall not penetrate their light and heat thorow the Air and Clouds of Heaven not to give any refreshment to the seed of the Serpent who shall be left here in this earth in utter darkness For this earth shall be the place of hell for the reprobate seed to be in to eternity so that they shall cry unto the Mountaines and Rocks to fall upon them to hide them from the wrath of the Lamb. That is they could wish that the Mountains and Rocks would crush them to pieces so that they might be hid as to have no being at all Seeing the Clouds and the Air which over-spread the Heaven which did refresh our lives which made our lives to live in Heaven also But now this is rolled up like a scroll there is nothing but black darkness without Air or Winde which makes us burn like fire and brimstone we having no refreshings from the Heavens so that it would be happy for us if the Mountains and Rocks would fall upon us that we might be hid or have no sensible being for ever And this will be the state of the reprobate seed at the end of the world And this is the true meaning of the Heaven being rolled up like a scroll and not the fixed Element For the fixed Element hath an earth standing upon it which shall stand to eternity Onely this the Sun Moon and Stars that gave light on this side the Skie shall be taken from the Heaven so that nothing but darkness shall remain for ever and ever But the Element which we call Heaven shall stand to eternity but that Heaven as must be rolled up like a scroll it is the Air and Clouds of Heaven as aforesaid So much concerning the Interpretation of the chief things in the sixth Chapter CHAP. XXI IN the 7 chapter it is said And after these things I saw four Angels standing on the four corners of the earth holding the four winds of the earth that the wind should not blow on the earth nor on the Sea nor on any tree These four Angels that John saw in the vision which had power to hold the four winds that the wind might not blow they were four Angels of pure reason Who had a Commission from God to hold the four winds that they should not blow upon the earth nor upon the sea nor upon any tree For if God should but take away the four winds from blowing upon the earth sea and trees all creatures would immediately perish and die So that these four Angels which John saw in the vision which had such power over the four winds it was onely to signifie what shall be at the end of the world Then shall these four Angels execute their office so that the four winds shall not blow But there is something else to be done in the interim for though the four Angels have their Commission from God to do that work yet they must stay till such time as another work must be done As you may see in the 2 verse And John saw another Angel ascending from the east having the Seal of the living God and he cryed with a loud voice to the four Angels to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea Now this Angel that ascended from the East it was Christ himself he having the Seal of the living God he must needs have the Seal of the living God he being the living God himself He gave order to the other four Angels that they should not put their Commission in execution until he had sealed the servants of God in their foreheads For it is Christ that sealeth every servant of his in their foreheads in that they do receive the holy spirit of promise whereby they are sealed up unto the day of Redemption And when the soul is sealed and can witness in his spirit the assurance of his salvation he may be said to be sealed in his forehead And as for Johns saying this Angel that had the seal of the living God he ascended from the east it is spoken with relation of Christs coming out of the east at his birth to work the redemption for those that he now doth seal with the Seal of the living God That is with his own holy Spirit witnessing to their spirits the assurance of eternal life by his death Which they by faith do set to their seal So that they by faith do seal to the truth of the thing and he doth seal the assurance of everlasting life unto their consciences and this is the seal of the living God in their foreheads And in the 4 verse John heard the number of them which were sealed and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes
of the natural Moon and Stars it is their proper place when they shine to give light in the night But I have spoken more of the Moon in The interpretation of the Eleventh of the Revelation therefore I shall speak no more of it here Onely this to remind the Seed of Faith what great judgements did ensue upon the sounding of this fourth Angel Persecution of the Gospel persecution of the Law and destruction of the Jews which were the Stars These things were at the sounding of the fourth Angel You whose understandings are inlightned may see what hath followed upon the sounding of the Trumpet of these four Angels And how this fourth Angel it sounded half upon the Law of Moses and half upon the Gospel of Jesus So that now there is three Angels more to sound and great woes will follow upon it As it is said in the last verse of this chapter Woe woe woe to the inhabitants of the earth by reason of the other voices of the Trumpets of the three Angels that are yet to sound So that there will follow a great woe upon the sounding of these three Angels Which I shall unfold in order as they follow in the next chapter So I shall say no more of this I having given the interpretation in short of all the chief things of concernment in the eighth chapter CHAP. XXVI CHapter the nineth At the sounding of the fifth Angel in the first verse John saw a Star fall from heaven unto the earth and to him was given the Key of the bottomless pit Now this Star that fell from heaven unto the earth it was that beast or king that did arise out of the Sea which is spoken of Revel the 13 chapter and the first verse This beast was one of Herods the Dragons sons and the next beast that did arise after him And this beast he was like a Leopard and he had seven heads and ten horns and the Dragon gave him his power and authority And this beast had Crowns upon his ten horns And upon his heads the name of blasphemy So that he was furnished with the Dragons power and authority and his blasphemy to despise the living God and to persecute the Saints as his father the Dragon did when he persecuted Christ at his birth and made war with the remnant of his seed So that this beast which arose out of the Sea he may be said to be a Star that fell from heaven unto the earth because he was one of the Dragons sons For John saith he saw a wonder in heaven a great red Dragon that persecuted the woman which red Dragon was no other but Herod And this Star which fell from heaven unto the earth it was Herods first-born son therefore called a Star that fell from heaven unto the earth It is said to fall from heaven because this Star was of the same seed or nature as the Dragon was of For it is said by John that he saw a wonder in heaven a great red Dragon this red Dragon is said to be in heaven Because he had the spirit or seed of the fallen Angel in him in a great and extraordinary measure Which Angel was first in heaven he being created an Angel of light but was thrown down unto this earth when he deceived Eve Neither did that Angel that deceived her ever ascend up into heaven again to this day nor never shall But Herod and his sons and all wicked kings and rulers they being of the fallen Angels seed they may be said to fall from heaven And they being of his seed they may be called a Dragon and Satan a Serpent a Devil and Stars Though they act several ways yet all from one root that is from one seed even from the spirit or seed of the fallen Angel as aforesaid Therefore if any Head-magistrate or man doth act after the manner of a Dragon he may be said to be a Dragon as Herod And if any man act after the manner of a subtile serpent as those Jews did that tempted Christ they may be called Serpents And if any man act the part of a devil as Judas did he may be called a devil And if any king doth act as a Star that burneth like a Lamp or more worse this Star did that fell at the sounding of the fifth angel they may be called Stars that fal from heaven unto the earth Because as I said before the original or father of all wickedness even the fallen Angel he was thrown down from heaven unto this earth And the Dragon Serpent Devil and Stars they being of his seed they may be said by the Revelation of John to fall from heaven unto this earth For when the Angel was thrown down from heaven unto this earth his seed was all thrown down unto this earth with him And this earth hath and is the devils kingdom ever since and will be to the end of the world And in this sense it may be said that this Star fell from heaven unto the earth and to him that is unto this Star was given the Key of the bottomless pit And in the second verse it is said And he opened the bottomless pit and there arose a smoke out of the pit as the smoke of a great furnace and the Sun and the Air were darkned by reason of the smoke of the pit This bottomless pit here spoken of it is the imagination of reason in man for the imagination of mans heart is continually evil or bottomless or topless That is the imagination of Reason cannot finde out what God is nor where he is nor what the devil is nor where he is notwithstanding he is the devil himself That is the spirit of Reason which is the soul of man is the devil and the imaginations that proceeds from it is that bottomless pit the Scriptures speaketh of It is bottomless because it is eteenal for that which is eternal hath no end therefore no bottom so called by the Spirit A bottomless pit and he that had the key of the bottomless pit was the Star aforesaid The meaning is this He may be said to open the bottomless pit in that he had power given him to command the dark reason and imaginations of the idolatrous peoples hearts to come forth to fight for his Crown and Dignity and for the Image and Worship which he did set up Now he had power given him of the Angel of the bottomless pit that is from the fallen Angel aforesaid He being the Angel of the bottomless pit as it is said in the eleventh verse of this Chapter And they had a King over them which is the Angel of the bottomless pit whose name is Abaddon c. Now I would have the Reader to understand that from this king the Angel of the bottomless pit did Herod the Dragon receive his power He being that beast that did ascend out of the bottomless pit which is spoken of in the eleventh Chapter of the Revelation which
I have opened already And this Dragon gave his power to this Star so that the Angel of the bottomless pit did give power to his own seed or sons successively so that the Angels sons are called by several names And this son which had the key of the bottomless pit and had power given him to open it he is called A Star that fell from heaven unto the earth For all wicked Kings and Magistrates who are the seed of the fallen Angel they are called Stars because the first original of them was from heaven But as that seed is become mortal they may be said to fall unto the earth and here it is that they work all their wickedness blasphemy and idolatry against God And the bottomless pit is in the earth also for there is no other bottomless pit but the imagination of mans heart and out of this bottomless pit cometh all manner of wickedness And when this bottomless pit is opened either by the Law or Command of the good Magistrate or the bad there will arise unrighteousness fear wrath and envy out of it But this Star that had power given him he was a wicked Magistrate for when he opened the bottomless pit by his power and command there arose a smoke out of the pit as the smoke of a farnace And the Sun and the Air were darkned by reason of the smoke of the pit Now this smoke that did arise out of the bottomless pit of his own and his peoples imaginations and the pride of their hearts it was his and their breathings forth of blasphemy against the living God and revenge upon all those that would not submit to worship as they did And this smoke which was breathed forth from himself and his people it did darken the Sun and the Air. That is it made the Faith and Worship of the Gospel which did signifie the Sun to be darkned so that the Worship of the Gospel could not be seen to shine for a season And the Air was darkned also The Air doth signifie the light of reason That is the very light of reason was so darkned that they could not worship God according to the light of reason For the smoke of the pit was so great that is ignorant dark and idolatrous worship was breathed and threatned forth that it became like the smoke of a great furnace so that no Sun or Air could be seen That is the idolatrous dark worship was so great and overspread the earth and the threatnings against any other worship it being the smoke of the bottomless pit it darkned the Sun and the Air that they could not be seen for smoke That is no Worship of the Gospel nor Worship of the Law which was the light of Reason which signifies the Air could be seen by reason of the smoke of the pit For as the smoke is great that doth arise from a furnace so that it doth dazle the light of the fire and candle that it cannot be seen what is in the furnace So the smoke of the bottomless pit was so great that the light of the Sun and the Air was darkned that none could see into the bottomless pit That is the light of the Gospel nor the light of the Law could not penetrate thorow the smoke of the pit to see what was in it The breathings forth of blasphemy and idolatry was so great that it darkned the Sun and the Air as aforesaid CHAP. XXVII ANd in verse the third And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth and unto them was given power as the Scorpions of the earth have power Now these locusts that came out of the smoke of the bottomless pit I declare they were men though called by the revelation of John Locusts For it was the power of the Stars command that opened the bottomless pit of his own imagination and that breathed out threatnings against all that would not obey his command So that there arose out of the smoke of his imagination a multitude of locusts that is a multitude of wicked men and these wicked men should have power given as the scorpions of the earth have power That is this Star did give Commission to those locusts that came out of the smoke they had power given them by his Commission to spread themselves upon the earth And as the natural scorpions of the earth have power to hurt or sting any they shall light upon so likewise these locusts that came out of the smoke of the pit they also had power to hurt men whomsoever they did light upon Onely this their power was limited by a secret providence it was commanded them verse 4. That they should not hurt the grass of the earth neither any green thing neither any tree but onely those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads The green grass and green things and tree did signifie the Saints that sh uld not be hurt For though the smoke of the bottomless pit had darkned the Sun and the Air in that they durst not worship according to the Law nor Gospel not publick because of the smoke aforesaid Yet the Saints were not to be put to death nor hurt by these locusts not for a certain time For the Saints did forbear outward and publick Worship of the Gospel for a season so that the locusts did not hurt them according to the secret command and providence of God but onely those that had not the seal of God in their foreheads And in the fifth verse it is said And to them it was given that they should not kill them but that they should be tormented five moneths and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when he striketh a man Now those men which had not the seal of God in their foreheads they were not to be killed by the locusts that came out of the smoak of the pit But they were to be hurt and stung by them and this stinging should torment them for five moneths That is for such a time as their power did last Now what the Spirit doth mean by five moneths as to time it is uncertain and not revealed But as the torment is great unto that man that is stung with a natural scorpion in his body So likewise the sting that these locusts did strike those men with who had not the seal of God in their foreheads it was as the sting of scorpions and the torment was like unto it Now this torment or sting hath relation to the minde of man as well as to the outward man For the sin of idolatry or false worship especially against a mans will it will torment and sting the soul of man as the sting of a scorpion doth the body so that no rest can be found For when men are forced to worship contrary to the light within them else they must loose their estates so that these locusts they do either sting men in taking away their estates and afflicting them with
of the Spirit a good Beast good King or good Angel So on the contrary if the power and authority of the Head-Magistrate doth act it self forth in unrighteousness and injustice and idolatry and persecution for conscience sake he is called by the spirit an evil Beast a Serpent a Devil a Dragon So that when the spirit or seed of Reason doth act in the Head-Magistrate like a Dragon that King or Head-Magistrate may be said to be a Dragon as Herod And when a Head-Magistrate doth act as a subtile Serpent he may be called a Serpent as did those Jews in Christs and the Apostles time And when a Head-Magistrate doth act as a devil he may be called a devil as murdering Cain in point of wâ—â—â—ip slew his brother Abel and so the Jews did by Christ in point of worship Therefore Christ calls those Jews which were Head-Magistrates as the high Priests and Levites he calls them serpents devils saying they were of their father the devil for he was a murderer and a liar from the beginning Now Cain was the first liar and murderer and so the first devil in the state of mortality And those Jews that would have killed Christ were the children of Cain therefore called devils because they did the same works as Cains their father had done For they had persecuted and killed Prophets and righteous men and so they did Christ himself as Peter doth relate in the Acts of the Apostles So that they walked in the way of their father Cain therefore called devils Onely this I would have the Reader to understand that when the Spirit of Reason doth act in the Head-Magistrate as a Serpent or as a devils or as a Dragon or any other way that the Scriptures doth brand for wickedness it is all acted in this world though John doth say he saw it in heaven But it is by way of vision but the wickedness is acted in this earth for the spirit of reason which is the devil is become mortal and so he exercises his cruelties and murthers upon mortals like himself But it is said to be in heaven because the first original of reason came from heaven The fallen angels nature being the spirit of reason fallen it became mortal and so hath run thorow the seed of mortality and so acts in the state of mortality as a serpent devil or dragon And is said by the Revelation of John to be seen in heaven because the spirit of reason the devil the original of it came from heaven but the things acted by it is acted in this earth c. CHAP. XXXV NOw the spirit of reason in this beast that did arise out of the sea to whom the Dragon gave his power seat and authority unto he is said to be like unto a leopard Now a leopards a speckled or spotted creature Now this beast is said to be like unto a leopard in regard of the policy which he did exercise to gain the people to fight for him and his image For he seemed to the people to be very religious and zealous in worship but it was to images of wood and stone Yet this form of worship and command he gave to the people to worship the Image they were as white spots of righteousness And his threatning of those that would not bow down to worship the Image these were his black spots So that he in this regard may be said to be like a leopard that is spotted black and white Black to the Saints but white to those that received the mark of the beast in his right hand or in his forehead and in this regard he may be said to be like a leopard Secondly He is said to have feet as it were the feet of a Bear that is he acted as a Bear doth with his feet That is to claw and break the bones of that in pieces which he hath power over for the strength and mischief of a Bear it lieth most in his feet So was it with the beast he by his Command to worship the Image which he did set up claw and break the bones of those Saints that would not fall down and worship the Image by persecution imprisonment and death it self And in this regard he may be said to have feet as it were the feet of a Bear Thirdly It is said And his mouth was as the mouth of a Lyon the meaning is this he acted with his mouth as the mouth of a Lyon doth That is as the mouth of a Lyon doth roar with such an exceeding great and terrible noise that the beasts of the forrests exceedingly fear and tremble at the noise of the Lyon that cometh out of his mouth So likewise the roaring noise that came out of this beasts mouth made all the Saints in Asia at that time to fear and tremble For there was gone out of this beasts mouth great blasphemy as in the fifth verse And a Command went out of his mouth that they should worship the Dragon who gave his power seat and authority unto this beast And in regard the Dragons power seat and authority was given and established upon this beast there went a Command out of this beasts mouth that all people should worship the beast as they did the dragon as in the fourth verse of this chapter So that the mouth of this beast may be said to be like the mouth of a Lyon For these his Commands to worship devils and blasphemies against the living God proceeded out of the beasts mouth even as the floods of water did out of the dragons mouth And in this regard the beast may be said to have a mouth like the mouth of a Lyon Now it is to be observed that this beast had one of his heads as it were wounded unto death Now it is to be minded that it was but as it were nor was thought unto death but his head were not quite dead if he had he would have done no more mischief to the Saints But his deadly wound was healed so that the world did the more wonder after him saying Who is like unto the beast Who is able to make war with him Now I would have the Seed of Faith to minde who it was that did give this beast that deadly wound in his head and yet was healed again It was the faith and patience of the Saints that did give him this deadly wound in that they would not worship the beast nor his image but did suffer persecution unto the death joyfully So that this beast was sick with torment of soul in that he could not bring them from the faith of Jesus to worship devils nor to submit to his will so that he was wounded almost to death So that he was weary of persecuting the Saints his Conscience being so wounded he gave over persecuting for a season until his Conscience was healed again And though it be said that he had a wound by a sword and did live it was no other sword but the
how shall a man know that his name is written in the book of Life but in that he knoweth the true God and how to worship the true God without any idolatry Can he know things of this nature but by a Commission from God surely no. And here lieth the comfort that the Seed of Faith have in this life by a Commission from God By faith they know their names were written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world That is they are to look no further than the beginning of the world that is to the first Adam they being of his seed are not counted by the revelation of Faith to be the world It is the seed of the serpent that is called by the Spirit the world and not the seed of Adam So that the Seed of Faith are those that died in the first Adam yet their names were written in his Seed and Christ the second Adam he being the quickening Spirit of that Seed And as the Seed of Faith was dead in the first Adam so likewise the same Seed is quickened again by the second Adam And so made alive again and may be said to be written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world It is said from the foundation of the world with relation to righteous Abel being slain So that who ever is of Adams seed is of Abels seed and who ever is of Abels seed he may be said to have his name written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world For the Seed of Faith doth go no further to finde his name written in the Book of Life than to righteous Abel For who ever goeth further to finde his eternal Life he will come short of it and never finde it I give this hint to the Seed of Faith onely to let them see where the Book of Life is and where they may finde their names written and not to go at rovers beyond the foundation of the world But go to the first Adam as Moses speaketh of and not as the imagination of Reason doth For who ever goeth beyond Adam to finde his name written in the Book of Life he will never finde it So much for the interpretation of the eighth verse CHAP. XXXVII I Shall pass by the two following verses there being nothing in them but what is commonly known therefore in the next place I shall come to the eleventh verse where it is said And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth and he had two horns like a Lamb and he spake as a Dragon This beast is said to come out of the earth because his power and dominion was most upon dry land Therefore said to come up out of the earth as the other beast did arise out of the sea But this beast had the same spirit of reason in a high nature as the other beast bad and as the dragon had and walked in the same steps or worse than the other beast did and exercised the same authority or worse than the dragon did Yet he had two horns like a Lamb. That is he did appear at his first coming into his Seat more Lamb-like than the other beast whose deadly wound was healed did That is he made a shew at his first appearance as if he would have been more meek and merciful to the Saints that worshipped Jesus than the other beast was So that the Saints had some little hopes that he would have let them exercise their Worship buy and sell and trade without taking the mark of the beast in their foreheads or in their hands And it is very like they had some little space of time at his first coming in to worship buy and sell and trade For it is not to be understood that the Saints were always persecuted and put to death if they had they would have been all extirpated out of the world before three hundred years were expired So that there was sometimes more liberty than at others as there hath been in all Ages So that the two horns of his power did seem to be like a Lamb as if they would do but little hurt for no man doth so much fear the horns of a Lamb as they do the horns of a Bull for the horns signifie Power Now these two horns like a Lamb they did signifie quietness in Religion and peace in the Civil State So that this beast appearing with two horns like a Lamb it gave great hopes to the Saints that they should have liberty of Conscience to worship Jesus And peace in the natural or temporal State to buy and sell and trade freely one with the other As these two Powers did signifie the spiritual power and the temporal power they being the two horns like a Lamb. But this beast he spake as a Dragon And in the twelfth verse He exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him and causeth the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast whose deadly wound was healed Now what the power of the first beast was I have shewed before But in the thirteenth verse And he doth great wonders so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men Now these wonders that was done by this beast who had two horns like a Lamb they were but counterfeit Wonders and no real thing For the imagination of man may do seemingly great things to the sight of the dark minde of man There may be wonderful strange things produced by the imagination of reason When the minde is exercised upon a Religious score they may do seeming Wonders and Miracles as they do by their imagination upon a natural account Did not the Magicians and Southsayers in Egypt by their imagination do many seeming miracles as Moses did Did not they cause Frogs seemingly to appear before Pharaoh as Moses did and many other things as Moses did But this the Reader may understand that the Frogs that Moses brought upon Pharaoh they were real substances alive But the Magicians Frogs which they brought up in the sight of Pharaoh they were but shadows like Frogs without substance But the minde of Pharaoh and his people being ignorant and dark took the shadow for substance But if mens mindes be not as dark as pitch they may know that the Egyptians miracles were nothing else but shadows presented to the dark phantasie of man by the imagination of natural art and figure For if the things the Magicians did before Pharoah and the people had been any thing but shadows The people of the land and the King would have been as much troubled to get away the Frogs and other things that the Magicians brought upon Egypt as they were with those Frogs and other things that Moses brought upon Egypt But it may be clear to those that are not as dark as pitch that all those things which the Magicians of Egypt did were
is the Song of the Lamb that is the Song of the Gospel of Jesus And the other hundred forty and four thousand in the seventh Chapter they sung the Song of Moses that is the Song of the Law Now there is no man that could learn or sing this new Song of Praise unto the Lamb nor the Song of Moses but those that were redeemed from the earth Now the Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb what they are I have opened before Also what the Harps are I have shewed before so that I need say no more of it here CHAP. XLII IN the fourth Verse These are they which were not defiled with women for they are virgins Also they are said to be the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in the fifth Verse there is said In their mouth was found no guile for they are without fault before the Throne of God Observe that those hundred forty four thousand Saints they are said not to be defiled with women for they are virgins The meaning is this they were not defiled in their souls with idolatry in worshipping of idols and false gods For idolatrous men are called Whores and who ever worshippeth images or false gods may be said to go a whoring after strange gods and so comes to be guilty of spiritual whoredom and spiritual fornication and so may be said to be defiled with women as the Scriptures doth in many places prove the truth of this Interpretation And as for their being Virgins the meaning is this they were not tainted with the idolatrous worship of the Nations set up by those Beasts aforesaid that they were as pure in their souls from idolatry as a virgin is from knowing of man For as a virgin is not defiled with man so were these Saints not defiled with idols and images Which idols and images are called in the spiritual Women for they follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth that is they followed him in the Worship of the Gospel notwithstanding that great idolatry and persecution there was in the time while the Apostles Commission did last which was a matter of three hundred years And they are called The first fruits unto God Observe They are called the first fruits unto God because they were of the Jews Seed whom God made a Covenant with that they should worship him as Moses should direct them And these hundred forty and four thousand who were redeemed by their faith and obedience to the Gospel in the Apostles Commission I say these were of the Jews as I said before therefore called the first fruits unto God For the believing Gentiles are not called the first fruits unto God because God chose the Jews Church first Therefore the believing Jews are called by the Spirit in John the first fruits unto God And these being preserved in their spirits from defiling themselves with idols they are said in their mouth was found no guile for they are without fault before the Throne of God That is they were not guilty of worshipping of false gods and so not defiled with women but worshipped Christ in the way as he gave his Apostles to establish as aforesaid And in the sixth verse John saw in his vision another Angel flie in the midst of heaven having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth and to every nation and kindred and tongue and people This Angel John saw flie in the midst of heaven having the everlasting Gospel to preach I declare it was Peter he being the Head-Apostle to whom Christ committed the preaching of the Gospel unto and to whom Christ committed the keyes of heaven and of hell and upon Peters Faith Christ called A Rock upon which he would build his Church Also I would have the Reader to minde that Christ gave this power to all the twelve Apostles as well as to Peter For they all had their Commission from Christ after he was ascended to preach the everlasting Gospel to all Nations that dwell upon the earth according to that saying of Christ to his Apostles before he suffered death Who said unto his Apostles whom he had chose Go preach the Gospel to every creature or to all nations and lo I will be with you to the end of the world c. Now this Gospel was preached to all nations according to the words of Christ in the time of the Apostles Commission As may be read Acts 2.5 And there dwelling at Jerusalem Jews devout men out of every nation under heaven Unto these Jews did Peter and the rest of the Apostles preach the Gospel of Jesus they speaking though unlearned men to every man in his own tongue the wonderful things of God So that this Gospel which the Apostles preached it was carried to all Nations on the earth as you may read Acts 2. beginning at the seventh verse And as for the everlasting Gospel being preached to every nation and kinred and tongue and people it was preached at that time aforesaid and at other times For Jew and Gentile doth include all nations kinred tongues and people And Paul being chosen of Christ to preach the everlasting Gospel unto the Gentiles he was made one with the rest of the Apostles in the Commission of the Gospel So that Peter he being the Apostle of the Jews and Paul being the Apostle of the Gentiles they both preaching one everlasting Gospel so counted by the Spirit in John but one Angel flying in the midst of heaven having the everlasting Gospel to preach Therefore minde though there were Apostles besides Paul and divers other Preachers of the Gospel in the time of that Commission which did last a matter of three hundred years as aforesaid yet they are all called by the revelation in John but one Angel because they were all under one Commission And Peter being the chief and head Apostle of the Commission of the Gospel I declare by revelation that he is called by John that Angel that he saw flie in the midst of heaven having the everlasting Gospel to preach And this everlasting Gospel which was preached it was Christ crucified unto death and Christ risen again and ascended up into glory in that same body he suffered death in And this was that Gospel the Angel did preach unto them that dwell on the earth This is also the everlasting Gospel which is preached to every nation kinred tongue and people And according to the words of Christ when he was upon earth to his Apostles the Gospel was preached to every nation on the earth by Peter and Paul and the rest of the Apostles and Ministers ordained by them and Christ was with them to the end of the world That was to the end of their Commission which did last as aforesaid a matter of three hundred years So that you whose understandings are enlightned in the knowledge of revelation and interpretation of Scripture you may see what is meant by the Angel who had the everlasting
both Jew and Gentile being called that holy City even as the other Babylon was troden and destroyed without the City of Jerusalem Which was many miles off Jerusalem thus in short I have given the interpretation of the most things of concernment in the fourteenth Chapter CHAP. XLV CHapter the fifteenth in the first verse John saw another sign in heaven great and marvellous seven Angels having the seven last Plagues for in them is filled up the wrath of God This great and marvellous sign that John saw in heaven it was those Plagues or wrath of God that was to be poured out upon this spiritual Babylon and those beasts and nations and people who did drink of the cup of her fornication of idolatry which is more explained in the sixteenth Chapter Also John saith he saw another sign great and marvellous It is said to be another sign because he spake in the chapter before much of that temporal Babylon with the Plagues and fall of it But in this fifteenth chapter these Plagues hath relation onely to this mystery Babylon therefore said to be another sign in heaven great and marvellous It is great and marvellous indeed for he saw the utter destruction and end of the world therefore calls them the seven last Plagues before upon the other Babylon But these seven Plagues are the last Plagues that are to be poured out upon the earth therefore called by the Spirit marvellous because the whole wrath or final wrath of God is filled up or finished upon the whore beast false prophets and all idolatrous persons in the world And this is to be executed by seven Angels that is these seven holy Angels have Commission from God to pour out those seven last Plagues in a suitableness or likeness to those Plagues that was poured out upon Egypt as will appear in the next chapter In the second verse John saw as it were a Sea of glass mingled with fire and them that had gotten the victory over the beast and over his image and over his mark and over the numbers of his name stand on the Sea of glass having the harps of God The Reader may remember that I have shewed before when I treated upon the fourth Chapter of the Revelation that there is a Chrystal Sea like unto glass or Chrystal waters in heaven above the Stars as really as there is Sea of waters here upon the earth and as certain as ships and other vessels can and do swim or glide upon the Sea and waters here below So may spiritual bodies stand or walk upon the Sea of glass in heaven above the Stars And this Sea of glass is mingled with fire it is said to be mingled with fire to signifie the purity of it the more because fire is that which purifies more then any thing but water Therefore the spirit of God is compared to fire and to water as Christ shall baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire and Christ will give every true believer water of Life so that as the Spirit of God the operation of it is compared to fire and to water those two being the purifying things upon earth So likewise this Sea of glass mingled with fire which John saw in heaven it was that Chrystal Sea or Chrystal waters like unto clear glass Which was before the Throne of God as in the 4th of the Revelation aforesaid And John saw all them that had gotten the victory over the beast and over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name stand on the Sea of Glass having the harps of God That is the Saints of God who by their patient suffering they got the victory over the beast for faith and patience will conquer the greatest enemies in the world both within a man and without a man And this faith and patience in the Saints in the second Commission Was that which kept them from worshipping of idols images or submitting any ways to that false worship set up by the beast And in this regard the Saints may be said to get victory over the beast his image mark and name Which things I have opened before onely this is to be minded by the way that the Saints that getteth this victory over all false worship they shall have spiritual bodies that shall be capable to stand upon the Sea of glass in heaven even upon that Chrystal Sea which is round about the throne of God Even as men do stand upon ships upon the Sea of this world as aforesaid Observe if there be such power in saith in bodies that are mortal as to make them to walk upon the waters as in Christ and in Peter who walked in those bodies of flesh upon the waters how much more shall those whose faith is become a fiery glory which hath spiritualized the whole body That is it is a spiritual body capable to stand upon the Sea of glass in heaven as our earthly bodies are upon the firmest earth here below And those Saints that stand upon this chrystal Sea of glass these have the harps of God Now what is meant by the harps I have shewed before And in the third verse these that stood upon the Sea of glass having the harps of God they sing the Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb which two Songs I have opened before Now what the words of the Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb are some of them are set down in the third and fourth verses And those that stood upon the Sea of glass with the harps of God did sing these two Songs in those words aforesaid Their tongues being the harps of God to sound forth his praise and glory for his great mercies towards them There is nothing else of any great concernment to know in this Chapter but what I shall have occasion to speak of in the chapters following therefore I shall say no more nor interpret no more of this fifteenth Chapter CHAP. XLVI IN the sixteenth Chapter and the first verse John heard a great voice out of the Temple saying to the seven Angels Go your ways and pour out the Vials of the wrath of God upon the earth These seven Angels are to pour out the seven last Plagues upon the earth they are called seven Angels because of those seven several Plagues that are to be poured out upon the earth in the last dayes These Angels who had the seven last Plagues to pour out upon the earth they were of the holy Angels but whether they were just seven more or less is not much material But because the Plagues are counted but into seven therefore called seven Angels who poured out their Vials of the wrath of God which wrath of God are those seven Plagues when as one or two Angels might at the command of God pour out all those seven vials But this Book of the Revelation of John doth speak much of seven And 1. of the seven Spirits of God before the Throne
is the nature of Faith to rejoyce and not onely so but the holy Apostles and Prophets shall and will certainly rejoyce that God hath avenged them on her This is in like manner as the Kings and Merchants aforesaid did stand afar off and lament the downfal and destruction of this great City Babylon The one is required to rejoyce at her destruction and the other is said to stand afar off and doth lament her destruction Yet neither of them both doth see it visible but it is in the nature of one to rejoyce eternally over her destruction they beinâ— in eternal happiness and it is in the nature of the other to lamenâ— eternally for her destruction because their condition will be eternally sad with her So that the Spirit doth speak what things shall be though 〈◊〉 at the present time Likewise the Heavens are bid to rejoyce over her The Reader is not to understand that the starry Heaven or Element is to rejoyce over her but the Heaven doth imp oy those creatures that are in Heaven as the holy Angels who desired to pry into the mystery of Salvation by Christ So these holy Angels are capable to rejoyce with the Apostâ—es and Prophets over the destruction of this great City Babybon c. CHAP. LXX VErse the 21. And a mighty Angel took up a stone like a great milstone and cast it into the sea saying Thus with violence shall that great City Babylon be thrown down and shall be found no more at all Here the Reader may see that the lamentation of the Kings and the Merchants and the rejoycing of the Heaven and the holy Apostles and Prophets are set before the downfal of this City Babylon so that which must be first is last and that which must be last first This is that which puzzles all the wise men in reason but the Spirit of Faith can trace the steps of God and finde him out where ever he goeth For the Scriptures the Law and the Prophets and the Gospel have been the pathes for Gods Spirit to walk in but there hath been many turnings and windings in these two beaten pathes I may say beaten by the seed of Reason the seed of Reason Non commissionated men have travelled thorow these two pathes these many hundred years but never could finde out those narrow pathes where Gods Spirit use to go Neither could they finde him for if they could have found him they would have known him and many other heavenly Mysteries which is of absolute necessity for man to know but it is hid from their eyes and revealed to mean and inferior men in the sight of the world So that all Commissionated Prophets and Apostles and true Witnesses of the Spirit can trace the narrow pathes where God goeth nay though God seem to hide himself yet the Spirit of Revelation will finde him out Did not the Prophets finde out the meaning of Moses and so came to know the God of Israel Did not the Apostles finde out the Spirit of God in the Prophets writings Hath not God given us the Witnesses of the Spirit to finde out the meaning of the Prophets and of the Apostles And so we have found the true God in all those narrow pathes he hath walked in by his Spirit in the Law and in the Gospel Nay and in this Book of the Revelation of John God hath as it were hid himself more obscure than in most places of the Bible yet the revelation of Faith hath found him out as will be seen by the eye of Faith in this Treatise But the Reader may know that the latter part of this Chapter from the twentieth verse to the end is onely the Spirits rehearsing of the destruction of this spiritual Babylon And of the ransacking of that great City by the Angels who poured out the vials of Gods wrath upon her even as an Army doth ransack a City when they are overcome by their enemies As in the 22 23 24 verses And the voice of Harpers and Musicians Pipers and Trumpetters shall be heard no more at all in her That is all pleasant musick whatsoever shall be ransacked and taken from her so that no pleasure or delight shall be found Neither shall there be any crafts-man or milstone to grinde any more in thee That is no man shall use any Trade or grinde any corn any more in thee And the light of a Candle shall shine no more in thee and the voice of the Bridegroom and of the Bride shall be heard â—o more at all in thee That is all lights whatsoever shall be taken from her and that joy of marrying and giving in marriage shall be taken away These things afore-mentioned doth include all the glory and comfort that can be had or that men have had in this world The wrath of God hath ransacked this City of all and in the ransacking of this City there God doth finde the blood of Prophets and of Saints and of all that were slain upon the earth as you may see in the last verse of this Chapter So that God will ransack this City Babylon even as the King of Babylon did Jerusalem as Jer. 25.10 So Jer. 7.34 Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride for the land shall be desolate c. That destruction of Jerusalem was much like unto this onely that was but for a time and that a short time too but this is for eternity So much for the interpretation of the chief things in the eighteenth Chapter CHAP. LXXI IN the eighteenth Chapter Johns revelation and vision did treat onely upon the utter downfal and destruction of the spiritual Babylon and this nineteenth Chapter doth set forth the joy and glory and triumph the Saints and Angels have in the destruction of this great City For now doth begin their eternal glory and not before neither is the one nor the other not as yet But as John saw in the vision the downfal of the Whore so in his vision he saw the rejoycing of the Saints and Angels in heaven after her destruction which things will be as certain as if at present therefore it is that John doth say he saw these things as if they were performed and done already For it is a usual course of the Spirit to speak of things to come as if they were in present being because the Seed of Faith can patiently stay Gods time for the accomplishment of his promise And are contented onely with the assurance of faith in themselves that they shall rejoyce in heaven that God hath avenged their blood upon this wicked city Babylon who killed the Prophets Apostles Saints and Martyrs of Jesus Chapter nineteen And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven saying Allelujah salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord
God himself onely So that as he was the Creator of all things he had this Name written on him as he was the Creator Jehovah God Almighty I am that I am this was the Name of God as he was the Creator and this name was written on his Spiritual body which was his vesture for his God-head Spirit to live in but now God is become flesh and hath cloathed the Godhead Life with a garment of flesh as a vesture and shed his most precious blood he being in the condition of a Son or a Servant he made himself capable of the pains of death and so died unto Sin that is to satisfie sin for nothing could satisfie sin but the blood of God And by his dying unto it he destroyed sin in that death could not keep him under it For if death could have kept that body of Christ in the grave so that it might not have risen again then sin and death would have lived for ever and ever and this world would have had no end So that by this death of God he hath conquered sin death and hell for the Seed of Adam that they shall have no power over them not as to keep them under eternal torments But on the contrary he hath by his death overcome sin death and hell so as to make them serve for the eternal torment of the seed of the serpent who have acted sin So that as he hath gone thorow the condition of a Redeemer and overcome sin death and hell upon those two considerations aforesaid By the body of his flesh he hath purchased to himself as he is the Redeemer a name written on that body of flesh which is called his vesture King of kings and Lords of lords But here is one thing more to be minded that this death of Christ was that which treadeth the wine-press of the wrath of Almighty God For God was wrath with sin and nothing could punish sin but an eternal death so that God having no way to destroy sin and to be even with the serpent that brought sin and death into the world not onely to himself and his own seed but also to Adam and his seed So that God being willing to avenge himself of the serpent and his seed and to restore Adam and his Seed again he took upon him the Seed of Abraham which is the nature of Adam and not the nature of Angels of whose nature the serpent was of And so clothed the eternal spirit with a body of flesh and so offered up the eternal spirit unto death that he might destroy him that had the power of death which is the devil which devil is no other but the spirit of reason in man So that as death was in the devils hands before Christs death yet now by his death he hath gained the power of death himself â—nto his own hands So that now he will deliver his own seed from it and will inflict the same death eternal upon the devil and his seed as he would have done upon God and his seed So that the wrath of Almighty God it was against sin and death which the serpent brought into this world upon all the seed of Adam and the body of God by the assistance of the eternal spirit must tread the wine-press of it That is the eternal spirit was the life of the blood that was in that blessed body so that he poured out his soul unto death and was offered up throw the eternal spirit and this was the treading the wine-press of the wrath of Almighty God he being the Almighty God himself and by this work of Redemption he hath a Name written upon that body of flesh he suffered death in King of kings and Lord of lords I confess these things are deep mysteries hard for me to explain in words and more hard to be understood by those who know not what revelation doth mean For things of this nature cannot be explained with that ease as other matters may which is more easie to understand but the Seed of Faith may see what is meant by the wine-press of Gods wrath and who it was that treadeth it in that his soul was made an offering forsin and so hath a Name by his sufferings King of kings and Lord of lords as aforesaid CHAP. LXXVII IN this sixteenth verse John hath concluded the marriage of the Lamb with the joy and glory the Saints shall have in heaven over the destruction of Babylon that is over the destruction of all wicked persecuting men from the beginning of the world to the latter end thereof and by what means these things hath been accomplished Even by that sharp Sword that goeth out of Christs mouth in giving his Angels command to pour out the vials of his wrath upon the earth and by his own garment dipt in blood hath he accomplished glory and eternal happiness to the Saints and shame and endless misery to the reprobate So that in the latter part of this chapter the Spirit doth call to rememberance the great destruction of that great City Babylon and doth incite the Saints in heaven to increase their joy in heaven by feeding upon the destruction of that great whore who caused all the nations of the earth to drink the wine of her fornication as you may see in the seventeenth verse Verse the seventeenth And I saw an Angel standing in the Sun and he cryed with a loud voice saying to all the fowls that she in the midest of heaven Come and gather your selves together unto the Supper of the great God These fowls that fly in the midst of heaven are the Saints they are called by the Spirit the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven and these fowls are invited to Supper with the great God Hâ—â—â— the Reader may see that Christ is the great God for they sup with him they were married unto that is the Lamb they were married unto and he the fowls of heaven must sup with Also this is he that is King of kings and Lord of lords even the great God and that which the great God and the fowls of heaven must have to supper it is set down in the 18 verse Verse the eighteenth That ye may ear the flesh of Kings and the flesh of Captains and the flesh of men and the flesh of horses and of them that fit on them and the flesh of all men both free and bond both small and great This verse doth imply all both great and small that fought under the banner of the beast and the false prophet which false prophet signifies the spiritual Power of the whore as aforesaid and the beast signifies the Civil Power or Head-magistrate who committed fornication with the woman and so joyned together to fight against God and his Saints And these Kings Captains and mighty men and small and great they were all authorized by these two Powers aforesaid to fight against God and his Saints and so they did persecute and kill
a scroll and where the place of the reprobates shall be Chap. 21. What is meant by the four angels who had power over the winds and what by the sealing of the servants of God in their foreheads Chap. 22. What is meant by the first and second Angels sounding and of the mountain burning with fire and what is meant by the third part of creatures that died in the sea Chap. 23. What is meant by the Star that fell from heaven and how it burned like a Lamp Chap. 24. What is meant by the rivers and fountains of waters being made bitter and how those that drunk of them died Chap. 25. What is meant by the sun being smitten that she could not shine but a third part of her only and what is meant by the Moon and Stars being smitten and how a third part of them did not shine nor give no light in the night Chap. 26. What is meant by the Star that fell from heaven unto this earth what is meant by the bottomless pit and the key that openeth it and of the smoke that did arise out of the bottomless pit Chap. 27. What is meant by the smoke of the pit and by the locusts that came out of it how the Saints are called green grass and trees Chap. 28. What the four Angels were and how mens heads may be said to be like Lyons heads and what is meant by fire smoak and brimstone that issued out of their mouthes Chap. 29. What the serpent is and how they may be said to be the â—ayle and how they may be said to have stings and how they do hurt Chap. 30. How the Papist Episcopal Presbytery and Independent Ministery doth resemble the angels of the Churches of Ephesus Smyrna Pergamos and Thyatira and what Judgements did follow Chap. 31. How the Baptist Ranter and Quaker their Ministery doth resemble the Angels of the Churches of Sardis Philadelphia and Laodicea and how plagues doth follow at and in the sounding of their Ministery Chap. 32. The Interpretation and difference between the dragons ten horns and the beasts ten horns and how they may both be said to have seven heads apiece Chap. 33. No true faith upon the earth but in the time of a Commission from God Chap. 34. The Interpretation and distinction why man may be called a dragon devil or serpent and how the seed of Reason may be said to be in heaven Chap. 35. How the beast may be said to be like a Leopard what is meant by his feet being like the feet of a Bear and his mouth like the mouth of a Lyon and what is meant by his deadly wound being healed Chap. 36. What is meant by the Tabernacle in heaven and by those that dwell in it how the Saints are not called the world and how they may know their names are written in the Book of Life Chap. 37. What is meant by the beast out of the earth with two horns like a Lamb and what the two horns doth signifie and how those miracles he wrought were counterfeit and meer shadows Chap. 38. What is meant by the Image and how the Image may be said to speak Chap. 39. What is meant by receiving the mark of the beast in the forehead and in the right hand and how they may be said to have the name of the beast and the number of his name Chap. 40. The Interpretation of the number of the beast and how he may be said to be six hundred threescore and six and yet but the number of a man Chap 41. What is meant by the Lamb that stood upon mount Sion and what those hundred forty and four thousand were who stood upon mount Sion with him and how the voices of the Saints are called the sound of waters and as the noise of thunder Chap. 42. The Interpretation how men and women may be said to be not defiled with women and in what sense they may be called Virgins And why the Jews are called the first-fruits unto God and who the Angel was that did flie in the middest of Heaven and how the everlasting Gospel was preached to every nation and kindred and tongue and people Chap. 43. The difference between the temporal Babylon and the spiritual Babylon expounded and how men may be said to drink the wine of the wrath of her fornication Chap. 44. How Christ is called by the Spirit The Son of Man and what is meant by the white cloud and the Crown of Gold upon his head and what is meant by the sharp sicle in his hand and what is meant by reaping the earth and how the wine-press of Gods wrath is â—roden without the gates or City of Jerusalem and what the City is Chap. 45. How the Saints of God are capable to stand upon the sea of glass in heaven as men may upon this earth they being spiritual bodies Chap. 46. What is meant by the seven vials of Gods wrath poured out upon the earth and what Angels they were that poured them out and why they are called seven Angels and how the Angel of the Gospel doth pour out his plagues as the Angel of the Law did Chap. 47. The Interpretation of the waters being turned into bloud and how the waters of the soul of man is turned into bloud in the spiritual as the natural waters of Egypt were Chap. 48. How the seâ—d of Reason did drink the Saints bloud and how they must drink their own bloud and what is meant by pouring out the vial upon the Sun and by scorching men with fire Chap. 49. An Interpretation of the kingdom of darkness in the temporal and what that darkness signifies Chap. 50. How the spirit of Cain doth run through all wicked Herods and how the Land of Goshen doth signifie true light and the Land of Egypt hell death and darkness Chap. 51. What is meant by the great River Euphrates in the natural and in the spiritual and how it may be said to be dryed up and who they are that are called kings of the earth Chap. 52. How these three unclean spirits like frogs proceeded from one spirit and yet by their several operations and workings they may be called three Chap. 53. A further Interpretation of the dragon beast and false prophet and how all the worship set up by them is false Chap. 54. An Interpretation of the operation of that wisdom that cometh out of the dragons mouth and why it is called by the Spirit an unclean spirit like a frog Chap. 55. What the unclean spirit is that came out of the beasts mouth and how they are clothed in scarlet Chap. 56. What is meant by the false prophet and how he cometh to be clothed in sheeps clothing and how these three unclean spirits like frogs deceive one another and all people else Chap. 57. What is meant by the great earthquake and by that great hail and how every stone may be said to weigh a talent and how mingled with fire and brimstone
Chap. 58. How the spiritual Babylon is compared unto the temporal and how false worship may be and is called Mystery Babylon in opposition to the mystery of God with many other things opened And how and when the Scepter departed from the Jews and how the Gentiles worship is idolatrous and so becomes or makes up that great City Mystery Babylon the Mother of harlots and what is meant by her fornication Chap 59. How the Kings of the earth may be said to commit fornication and how the Saints do drink the wine of the wrath of her fornication how the scarlet coloured beast doth carry the whore and how she fits upon the beast and what is meant by the beast and why called a scarlet coloured beast Chap. 60. The Interpretation of the woman how she is arrayed in scarlet colour and purple and precious stones with a golden Cup in her hand and what these things do signifie and how the woman may be said to be drunken with the blood of the Saints Chap. 61. The Interpretation of the beast that was and is not and yet is and how he may be called the eighth and is of the seven with other deep secrets Chap. 62. How the woman may be said to sit upon seven mountains and what the mountains are Chap. 63. The Interpretation of the ten horns and what is meant by their having power one hour with the beast and how they make war with the Lamb and what weapons they fight with and with what weapons the Lamb doth overcome them Chap. 64. How the ten horns received power from the beast to persecute the Saints and how the same ten kings received power from God to make the whore desolate to fulfil Gods will yet all but wicked kings yet they did his will Chap. 65. How all this 17th Chapter was shewed unto John by vision and none could interpret it but he that hath a Commission from God Chap. 66. The difference between the temporal Babylon and the spiritual Babylon and how this spiritual Babylon is called an habitation of devils and a cage of every hateful bird and a hold of every unclean spirit and how the kings of the earth and all nations committed fornication with her Chap. 67. How the Saints may be said to come out of her and how she must drink her own blood and what is meant by filling her cup and giving it her double to drink and what maner of famine and fire she shall be destroyed with Chap. 68. What is meant by the Merchants standing afar off for fear of her torment Chap. 69. How the Prophets and Apostles are bid to rejoyce over the destruction of the great City in that God hath avenged himself on her Chap. 70. How the seed of Reason doth walk in the paths of the Scriptures yet cannot finde out the true God but the Seed of Faith can finde out God in all those narrow paths where he doth walk and how the voice of mirth did cease when Babylon is destroyed and the blood of Prophets and Saints is found in her Chap. 71. How the four beasts and four and twenty Elders and Saints do sing praise unto God for the perpetual downfall of spiritual Babylon Chap. 72. What is meant by the voice of many waters and the voice of mighty thunderings and how the Saints are married unto God Chap. 73. What is meant by the white horse and by the many Crowns that he had on his head and of the difference of glory between the work of Creation and the work of Redemption and how it may be said that no man knew his name but himself Chap. 74. The Interpretation of the garment of Christ down to the foot and his vesture dipt in blood what is meant by treading the wine-fat Chap. 75. What is meant by the Armies in heaven that followed Christ and how they al sat upon white horses and how Christ trode the fierceness of the wiâ—â—-press of Almighty God and yet not his Fathers wrath Chap. 76. The Interpretation of the Name of Christ written upon his thigh and how he may be called King of kings and Lord of lords in respect of the power of his Creation and the power of his Redemption and how his death got power over sin death and hell so that he can dispose of death now as he pleases for his own glory Chap. 77. What is meant by the fowls of heaven and what the Supper is they are invited unto and what it is they must have to Supper and how the Saints may be said to eat the flesh of Kings and of Captains and of mighty men Chap. 78. How the temporal Power signifies the Beast and the spiritual Power signifies the false Prophet and how they are both cast alive into a lake of fire and brimstone and what is meant by the remnant that were slain with the sword that came out of his mouth with the end of the nineteenth Chapter Chap. 79. The Prophets prayer and thanksgiving unto Jesus Christ the onely God who became very man and yet was very God at the same time Chap. 80. What is meant by Gog and Magog and how the Camp of the Saint may be said to be compassed about in all the four quarters of the earth and what that fire is that came down from heaven Chap. 81. How Non-commissionated men are those that do add unto the Prophecy of this Book of the Revelation and to all the Scriptures and 〈◊〉 the plagues written in that Book will be added unto them for going before they were sent of God Chap. 82. How men are said to diminish or take away from this Book and how he hath his part taken out of the Book of Life All the Chief HEADS of the most Divine MYSTERIES plainly opened in the several Chapters of this Book CHAP. I. THe first Chapter of the Revelation of John doth speak of things which must shortly come to pass John calls it The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto him to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass John might well say that God did give it unto him because Jesus Christ is God as he doth make it appear in his following Discourse in this Chapter Also those servants which he was to declare this Revelation of Jesus Christ unto I declare it was unto the Ministers of those Seven Churches in Asia and from them to the Churches themselves Also John doth speak much of this Book of the Revelation by way of vision as well as revelation and that doth make this Book of the Revelation to be the more difficult and hard to be understood or to be interpreted Therefore many wise and learned men have gone about to interpret some places of it but have left the greatest part of it as a sealed Book which cannot be opened and have left that which they have writ upon as dark to the Reader as it was at first And the cause is they do not know what
revelation which doth arise from the Seed of Faith is neither can they distinguish between revelation and vision many other reasons might be given why but I shall let that pass now But to the matter in hand It is said that the knowledge of theâ—â— great Mysteries should be signified by his Angel unto his servant John Now what this Angel was I shall speak some thing of it hereafter But John was to beat record of the word of God and of the testimony of Jesus Christ and of all things that he saw and this record which John bear it was to the seven Churches in Asia Therefore he directed his Revelation to them and his Revelation was this Grace be unto you and peace from him which is and which was and which is to come and from the seven Spirits which are before his Throne First what is meant by him which is and which was and which is to come This he I declare was no other but the Lord Jesus Christ this is he that is because he is now become flesh therefore he is called the Word of God that is the Word became flesh according to Johns saying In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God And this Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us and this was Christ which is that word of God which is God and is in heaven in that very same flesh which the eternal spiritual body became and suffered death in And in this regard John did say Grace and peace unto the seven Churches from him that is because he is now become flesh and is now in heaven in that same body as aforesaid Secondly it is said and which was this Jesus Christ is he that was also as you may see Exodus 3.14 A little before in that chapter God doth send Moses to Pharoah Moses desiring in whose name he must go God giveth him this answer God said unto Moses I am that I am and thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel I am hath sent me unto you This I am I declare by Revelation is no other but Jesus Christ and this is he which was that is he was without a body of flesh at that time when he spake to Moses and the Prophets yet he had a body when he spake to Moses in the form and likeness of a man 〈◊〉 man could not have been the Image and likeness of God 〈◊〉 Gods body though it was like a man yet it was a spiritual subâ—tance clear as chrystal and as I may say swifter then thought brighter than the Sun Therefore Moses could not see his face and live for a mortal eye-sight cannot see an heavenly and spiritual glory therefore there is no seeing nor knowing of God before he became flesh nor how he is ascended up into the same glory where he was before but by faith onely For no man can see the face of Jesus now he is in glory and live no more then Moses could see his face and live before he became flesh And this Jesus was that I am that spake to Moses and that Jehovah and that God which was that is he was from eternity and revealed to mankinde from the beginning Thirdly This Jesus is he which is to come that is he is to come to put an end to all time that there might nothing but eternity remain for as there was a beginning of time so likewise there shall be an end of time and as eternity had no beginning so shall it have no ending But here lyeth the great mystery that eternity became time and time became eternity again The meaning is this God became flesh and flesh was in time and Christ he being that flesh of God therefore called by the Revelation of John he which was before he became flesh he was God then under the title of God the Father And after he did become flesh the Revelation of John doth say He is that he is God now under the Title of God the Son and as he is to come he is God under the Title of God the Holy Spirit yet these three are but one personal glory They are all called by the Revelation of John but he that is which was and which is to come And as Moses and the Prophets did see by the eye of faith that God was a spiritual body in the form of a man and that this God would become flesh this I say they did see by the eye of faith and so were very well satisfied the truth of this may be understood by the eye of Faith from that saying of Moses unto the children of Israel where he sayeth God will raise you up a Prophet like unto me him shall you hear That is God will become flesh himself so that he may be capable to be a Prophet that you may be the more capable to hear him so likewise that place the 9. of Isaiah he prophesieth of God becoming flesh in that he saith To us a childe is born unto us a son is given and the govenrment shall be upon his shoulder and he shall be called the Mighty God The everlasting Father The Prince of Peace This Isaiah did see by the eye of Faith that God should become a little childe Great is this mystery of God but few that understand it For this Jesus is the onely wise God which is which was and which is to come which hath washed every true believers soul in his own blood neither can any thing cleanse and purge the conscience of man from the guilt of sin and fear of eternal death but the blood of a God But I shall speak more of that hereafter what should be the meaning of those Seven Spirits which are before his Throne I declare by Revelation that those Seven Spirits which were before the Throne of God they were those gifts and blessings of grace which Christ gave unto the Ministery of the Seven Churches after his ascension as may plainly be read in the second chapter of Johns Revelation Where he beginneth to write to the Seven Churches and the Angel of every several Church which Angel was the Minister I say they had every one of them a several reproof and a several gift and blessing therefore I shall let the reproof alone because it would be too large to interpret Onely I shall name the several Blessings because the seed of Faith may the better understand the interpretation of them therefore I shall set them down in order I. The first Gift and Blessing is sent unto the Angel of the Church of Ephesus which is as followeth To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the Tree of Life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God II. The Blessing of the Church of Smirna is Him that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death III. The Blessing of the Church of Pergamos To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden Manna and will give him a
there is here on earth and there is a King of heaven to sit upon that Throne of Glory as there is many kings here in earth which doth sit upon Thrones of glory here Because this world is in many Kings hands therefore divided into many Kingdomes and that is the very cause that earthly Kings fight and kill one the other But the Kingdom above the Stars is but one kingdom and hath but one King over it and this King is no other but God himself which sitteth upon the Throne of Glory But I shall have occasion to speak something more of Thrones hereafter therefore I shall say no more of it here onely this will give you a little light into it CHAP. VI. ANd because men might be throughly convinced that Jesus Christ is the onely God I would have them to consider these places of Scriptures and the interpretation And see if they will bear any other sense and being well grounded upon that they will understand the whole matter the better Therefore I shall pass by some verses in this chapter I not conceiving them to be of so great concernment as this is The 8th verse of this chapter John meaning Christ where he saith I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the ending saith the Lord which is and which was and which is to come the Almighty Here you that have faith to believe may understand that Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end the Lord Almighty And as John being in the Isle of Patmos as he saith in the 9th verse for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ here John seemeth as if he did suffer persecution for two that is to say for God and for Jesus Christ yet in the 10. and 11. verses he concludes them both in one saying That he was in the spirit on the Lords day and heard behinde me as he saith a great voice as of a trumpet I would have the Reader to observe that the Seventh-day Sabbath which was given to the Jews was called the Lords day Because it was given by the Lord Almighty to Moses and by him given to the people of Israel and so called the Lords day So likewise the Resurrection of Christ it being the first day of the week is called the Lords day also Now here being two Lords-days and yet but one Lord of them both how shall this matter be reconciled Thus the Lords-day which was made by the power of his Creation is one thing and the Lords-day that is made by the power of his Redemption is another Because the Lord Almighty was in two several states as thus when he created the world and made man in his own image and likeness he himself was a spiritual substance a body in form like a man but no flesh blood and bone This God was when he created man and all things else but when God became flesh he was in another condition he now having flesh blood and bone that he might work a Redemption to the Seed of Adam to a more excellent condition then that was wherein he was created and a more miserable condition to the seed of the serpent then he was created in And this I would have the Seed of Faith to understand that the same God which created man I say the same God redeemed man which thing is two proper and distinct works for one and the same God to do Therefore distinguished by two several denominations of Father and Son Neither was it proper for God after he became flesh to create any thing Neither could God have redeemed mankind to an eternal happiness but by his becoming flesh Neither could any serpent or devil have put God to death if God had not took upon him the nature of man For the nature of man cloathes it self with flesh blood and bone and so is made capable to be put to death by the seed and nature of reason which is the serpent or devil But I shall speak more of Gods death hereafter onely this I would have the Seed of Faith to minde that twofold condition of God as aforesaid And then you will not stumble at Johns saying that he did suffer for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ As if they had been two distinct things and so he doth in some other places in this book of the Revelation as in the first chapter verse 5 he saying And from Jesus Christ who is the faithful witness c. Which doth intimate to the seed of reason as if there were two Gods But I declare it is spoken with relation to Gods twofold condition that is to say the proper power and work of God as he was the Father it was to create And the proper power and work of God as he is the Son it is to die and to redeem And yet all but one God but in two conditions or in two states therefore set forth by the revelations in the Scriptures under nomination of Father and Son Therefore I would willingly have the Seed of Faith to understand the twofold condition of God And then the Scriptures which doth seem to contradict one the other will be reconciled in one and so there will be a great deal of peace arise from the right understanding of the Scriptures And the cause why where is so much dissatisfaction in reading the Scriptures by the professors now adays it is because they understand them not this I know by experience But as I said before as there was a twofold state in one God So likewise there was two Lords-days as aforesaid yet but one God But the meaning of John when he saith he was in the spirit on the Lords day I declare his meaning was the day of Christs Resurrection And this he calls the Lords-day that is it was the day of Gods rising from death to Life in that death was not able to keep him under for death doth keep every creature under it neither could any creature nor Son of God overcome death but God himself Therefore Christ must needs be God the Father of all Life in that he gave life to all creatures in his creation And nothing could procure by his death a Resurrection of a new life and an eternal Redemption but the blood and death of God himself Therefore let the Seed of Faith lay as much trust upon the blood of Christ believing it to be the blood of God as they can The more weight they lay upon it the more peace and satisfaction they shall finde So on the contrary those that deny and call it blasphemy for a man to say that God did die I say there is no salvation for such a man neither will he finde any benefit by the blood of Christ because he looks upon it to be but the blood of the humane nature or the blood of a man notwithstanding the Scriptures is so full to prove that Christ is God and Christ he died therefore God did die And this
saith and so called The Son of David of the Tribe of Judah When as indeed he was Davids Lord He was Davids Lord as he was the Creator But as he took upon him the seed of the woman which is the nature of man he became a little Childe and so God became flesh And he being of the Tribe and â—â—age of David as he is a Redeemer he may be and is called The Son of David And whatsoever David did in point of war it was justified by Jesus Christ as he was his Lord For it is said in Scripture That David walked with a perfect heart before the Lord in all things onely in the matter of Uriah And David being the first King that wrought righteousness before the Lord in all his war and he being of the Tribe of Judah he is called by the Revelation of John the first beast that was like a Lyon For he acted as in the person of Christ who is the Lyon himself of the Tribe of Judah as Jacob did prophesie when he blessed his sons Now I would have the Reader to understand that all these four beasts spoken of here they were men though they be called by the Revelation of John beasts Also he doth distinguish them into four several forms the first like a Lyon the second like a Calf the third beast had a face like a man and the fourth beast was like a flying Eagle These four beasts as I said before were all men and not onely so but good men onely this I would have the Reader to minde that they are called Beasts in relation to the work that they were to do And so they acted after that manner as such beasts use to do As the nature of a Lyon is to destroy and tear in pieces And the nature of a Calf is to act simply and foolishly and yet innocent also Now the third beast had a face like a man that is he acted as a rational man by wisdom and policy And the fourth beast was like a flying Eagle that is he acted in swiftness and strength and according to other properties that is in an Eagle And so according to the natures and properties of these four beasts did men act and do act in this world therefore called four beasts when as they were no other but men But I shall leave the distinction of the persons of the other three to those that are better read in Histories than I am Neither is it revealed unto me who the persons were therefore I shall speak no more than is revealed unto me but the Reader may understand what the four beasts are by what is afore-written therefore I shall say no more of it but go unto the 8th verse CHAP. X. IN the eighth verse it is said That the four beasts had each of them six wings about them and they were full of eyes within and they rest not day and night saying Holy holy holy Lord God Almighty which was and which is and which is to come The chief things in this verse to be known is what is meant by those six wings which the four beasts had which were full of eyes within The meaning is this that each of these four beasts had six wings that is they had six wings apiece And these six wings apiece it was the spirit of revelation which gave them wisdom to order and manage the affairs of their battels And these six wings were employed thus Two of them were to be employed before in the fore-front of the battel And two of them were to be employed in the rere or hinder part of the Army lest the enemy should come upon the back of them And the other two wings were to be employed in the middle that in case their enemy should put them to the worst both before and behinde that they might flie away with those two wings in the midst And this was very good revelation and wisdom and called by the Revelation of John six wings For the Scriptures doth call revelation and good counsel wings As that saying Revel 12. verse 14. it is said There was given unto the woman two Wings of a great Eagle that she might flee into the Wilderness Which wings was no other but revelation as I have opened in the Interpretation of the Eleventh of the Revelation And where we finde in the Scriptures that God hath commanded his Prophets and Apostles to flie from one place to another in case of persecution it is not meant that God would give them wings to flie But he will give them wisdom and revelation to get from it And in this sense they may be said to have wings to flie away and in this sense the four beasts aforesaid may be said to have each of them six wings And as for their being full of eyes within that is they had a spirit of discerning both of spiritual and of temporal things Therefore it is said that these four beasts full of eyes before and behinde that is they had the eye of Faith before and the eye of Reason behinde That is they did discern by the eye of Faith before the things of God and how he became flesh and shed his blood as afterwards is expressed by these four beasts And the eye of Reason being behinde it did discern and see how the matters went in this world For though it be said they were full of eyes yet they had but two eyes apiece that is the eye of Faith and the eye of Reason But neither of these two eyes did offend them as it doth many thousands now adays And because the Seed of Faith may not stumble at this interpretation because I say there was but two eyes when as John saith they were full of eyes You may remember that I have written before concerning the seven Spirits of God and yet but one Spirit Onely that one Spirit had seven several workings in the seven Churches of Asia So likewise these beasts having but two eyes yet they were full of discerning both of spiritual and temporal matters For the eye of Faith did see up into heaven and the glory thereof and the eye of Reason did see the utmost parts of this world here below For these two eyes did see as much as could be seen if they had had forty eyes they could have seen no more But in regard they did see so much they are said by the revelation of the spirit that they were full of eyes before and behinde c. Again it is said That these four beasts rest not day and night saying Holy holy holy Lord God Almighty which was and is and is to come That is they cease not to give glory honor and thanks to him that sate on the Throne who liveth for ever and ever I would have the Seed of Faith to observe that these four beasts give glory and honor unto Christ here as he was God the Father As Isaiah the 6 and 3 where it is said And one cryed one to
another and said Holy holy holy is the Lord of Hosts the whole earth is full of his glory Likewise the four and twenty Elders fall down before him that sate on the Throne and worship him that liveth for ever and ever and cast their Crowns before the Throne saying Thou arâ— worthy O Lord to receive glory and honor and power for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created Revel 4. and 10 and 11 verses Here you may see that the four beasts and the four and twenty Elders gives glory unto Christ the onely God as he was the Creator and in the condition of the Father He being the Lord Almighty the Lord of Hosts the Alpha and Omega the first and the last he that liveth for ever and ever in that death could not keep him under as aforesaid But in the 5 chapter the four and twenty Elders give glory unto this Christ the onely God as he is a Son And hath redeemed them and so doth the four beasts also And as for the four and twenty Elders I shall say nothing of them here because I have spoken of them in the Interpretation of the 11th Chapter of the Revelation So I having given the interpretation of the chief things in the fourth chapter of Johns Revelation I shall go unto the first chapter and give the interpretation of the chief things in that also CHAP. XI IN the first verse of the 5 chapter John saw in the right hand of him that sate on the Throne a Book written within and on the backside sealed with seven Seals Why doth John say he saw in the right hand of him that sate upon the Throne a Book written within and sealed on the backside with seven Seals when as he that sate on the Throne was no other but God the Creator of all things And Jesus Christ is he that created the world and all things therein as aforesaid And yet he that had the Book in his right hand was not to open the Book nor to loose the Seals thereof The meaning is this that Christ Jesus as he was God the Fatherâ— and Creator of all things it was not his proper place and work to open the Book with seven Seals For it doth belong to him as he is God the Redeemer For as I said before God did and doth act according to the twofold state and condition he was in So that he had the Book of Life in his right hand as he was God the Creator but as he is God the Redeemer he must take the Book out of his own right hand and open it and loose the Seals thereof For John in his vision did see Christ to sit upon the Throne as he was God the Father and the Creator Also in his vision he saw Christ sit upon the Throne as he was God the Son and as he suffered death and so redeemed mankinde And in like manner he and the Elders give thanks and praise unto him as he is the Creator And sometimes they give thanks unto him all together as he is the Redeemer Yet all but one God however it doth seem by Johns vision as if there were two when as it is spoken with relation to a twofold state and condition in God But who can understand but the Seed of Faith Therefore I would not have the Seed of Faith to stumble at these sayings of John which doth here and there speak as if there were two Gods But consider he speaks it but by way of vision and all visions can never be understood so clear and plain as interpretation is For I am certain that John did believe in no other God but one even Jesus Christ the onely wise God blessed for ever and ever though spoken of with relation to a twofold condition as I have shewed before This Book which was in Christs right hand as he was God the Father I declare it was the Book of Life wherein was written the names of all the elect seed of all the seven Churches of Asia and of all the elect seed of the seven Churches of Europe I say the elect seed are all written in that Book of Life which is in Christs right hand and the seven seals on the backside of this book they were the seven visible Churches of Asia That is they were sealed up by the doctrine and faith of the Gospel they received the holy spirit of promise whereby they were sealed in their souls with the holy Spirit of promise that they were redeemed unto eternal happiness by the blood of the Lamb. And this I say that the witness of the spirit of Faith in the conscience here in mortality it is but a sealing up to the day of glory Therefore what assurance witness or sealing soever a man hath in his soul in this life it is called by the Revelation of John but a seal on the back side of the book of Life For those seven Churches of Asia were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise in that they believed the doctrine of Christs death and resurrection and so they were sealed in their hearts with the assurance of eternal life their names being written within the book of Life And because there was seven Churches of Asia which did truly believe and were sealed in their souls with the assurance of everlasting life They are called seven Seals on the backside of the Book of Life For all sealing of this side of death it is called but sealing on the backside of the Book of Life For it is much like unto a book or letter the matter and substance is within the letter or book but the seal is without or on the backside But he that breaketh open the seal of the letter or book he seeth what is within So is it with Christ he having the Book of Life in his right hand wherein the elect Seed are written and the assurance of faith which the elect Seed of the seven Churches of Asia had and as others have are called the seven Seals on the backside of the Book of Life Which no man in heaven nor in earth could open the Book nor loose the Seals thereof but Christ as he is God and Redeemer You that have faith may see what is meant by the Book and by the seven Seals on the backside c. CHAP. XII IN the second verse John saw a strong Angel proclaming with a loud voice Who is worthy to open the Book and to loose the seals thereof And in the third verse And no man in heaven nor in earth neither under the earth was able to open the book neither to look thereon I shall pass by these two verses there being but little matter of concernment in them but I shall go to the 4 verse And I wept much because no man was found worthy to open and to read the Book neither to look thereon Here John was at a hard set in his vision when he saw God have a B ok
in his right hand And no man in heaven nor in earth could open it nor read it There was cause enough for John to weep because that Book was the Book of Life And many thousands and millions of souls were written in that Book As he afterwards maketh mention of and many that had suffered persecution unto the death which were slain under the altar who suffered for the testimony of Jesus whose names were written in the Book of Life And if this Book should not have been opened the condition of the Saints would have been sad which suffered all those things for the name of Jesus who loved not their lives unto death who had their names recorded in the Book of Life That at the general day of Gods Account when he shall make up his Jewels their names being written in the Book of Life They may have that blessed reward which God did promise and they did faithfully believe and expect But if none could have opened the book neither in heaven nor in earth what benefit would they have had for all their faith and sufferings This was enough to make John and all other Prophets and Believers to weep also if there should be none found neither in heaven nor in earth that can open the Book of Life But in the 5 verse one of the Elders said unto John in the vision Weep not behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah the root of David hath prevailed to open the Book and to loose the seven Seals thereof One of the Elders puts John in good comfort again for there is one found now that can open the Book and read it also This is that Lion as Jacob prophesied of Gen. 59. ver 9 as I have spoken of before This Lion hath prevailed to open the book He openeth the Book as he is God the Son And as he became a Son he is called the Lion of the tribe of Judah and as he is God the Son he is called a Lamb. And as he was God the Son he suffered death to redeem his people And as he is a Redeemer he hath prevailed to open the Book and to loose the seven Seals thereof That is as he is the Redeemer he hath power to raise every one of them again that are written in the Book of Life That is all the Seed of Faith which are elected in the secret decree and councel of God as he was the Creator And as he is the Redeemer he hath power to give life everlasting to every one of the Seed of Faith who were written in the Book of Life And when John saw there was one found in heaven that could open the book he gave over weeping For one of the Elders had shewed him in the vision one that could open the Book and looâ—e the seven Seals thereof For in the 6 verse John beheld and lo in the midst of the Throne and of the four beasts and in the midst of the Elders stood a Lamb as it had been slain having seven horns and seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth This Lamb which John saw in the vision in the midst of the four beasts and the Elders it was Christ This I suppose all men that profess the Scriptures will confess it Now observe that this Lamb which stood as it had been slain it was no other then God himself For this Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes now these seven horns which the Lamb had it was the faith and patience which the seven Churches of Asia had which did inable them to go thorow their sufferings with cheerfulness For when a man doth suffer for his Faith in God patiently and willingly he destroyeth his enemy more in submitting unto suffering or death it self than if he should resist his enemy And this doth become a horn to push the persecutors soul Thus it was with the seven Churches of Asia they were by their faith and patience made able to suffer persecution and death it self Which became as seven horns to push and gall the souls of their persecutors For though the horns of a Lamb doth but little harm to the outward flesh yet when they get within the flesh they will gall very much That is when the horn of suffering for righteousness gets into the minde and soul of the persecutor it doth gall his soul exceedingly with the fear of eternal damnation This I think experience will shew the truth of it For the Quakers and others which suffer for a lye yet they think they suffer for truth and the persecutors knows no other but that they do suffer for truth Therefore the sufferings of the Quakers cannot chuse but push and gall the persecutors Consciences The Quakers being so stedfast and confident in their way which do not fear their lives unto the death This suffering of theirs doth trouble and molest the mindes of the Civil Powers which doth shew that suffering in innocency though for a lye it will be a horn to push and gall the souls of the persecutors Then how much more would they push and gall if they suffered for Truth That is if their Ministery which provoke them to meet contrary to the Parliaments Order were true as the Ministery of the seven Churches of Asia were But it is not therefore they suffer for a lye yet the persecutor not knowing it he is and will be pushed and galled in his soul with the fear of eternal death for doing it CHAP. XIII NOw it is to observed that this Lamb that was slain had the seven horns and the seven eyes Now these seven horns as I said before which the Lamb had they were the sufferings of the seven Churches of Asia in the ten Persecutions According to that saying of Johns Revelation the second and the 10th he giving an exhortation to the Church in Smirna that they should fear none of those things which they should suffer Behold the devil shall cast some of you into prison that ye may be tryed and ye shall have tribulation ten days Now this devil that shall cast some of them in prison I shall shew what he is hereafter But as for the ten days tribulation which the Saints should suffer it was spoken with relation to the ten Persecutions And they are called by the revelation of the spirit but ten days When as it was at times a matter of three hundred years that their tribulation did last which was the ten Persecutions yet called by the spirit but ten days tribulation And the faith and patience which these seven Churches of Asia had being made able to suffer with chearfulness those ten days tribulation it being the ten Persecutions aforesaid They are called the seven horns which the Lamb had For they by their sufferings did push and gall the souls of the persecutors as the Lamb himself did when he did suffer death For he did procure no less then eternal damnation to his persecutors by his suffering
of the children of Israel Now it is not to be understood that John did mean exactly such a number and no more that were sealed But if the spirit of revelation will call a hundred hundred thousand but a hundred and forty four thousand who shall gainsay it But in regard there is an equal number spoken of by John of every tribe it is according to reasons account no more then one hundred forty and four thousand that were sealed of the twelve Tribes of Israel Therefore whether they were more or less sealed with the seal of the living God I shall not dispute the thing Neither is it much material to know so that I shall pass by the rehearsing of the Tribes and come to the nineth verse where it is said After this I beheld and lo a great multitude which no man could number of all nations and kindred and people and tongues flood before the throne and before the Lamb cloathed in white robes and palms in their hands This great multitude which no man could number they were the Gentiles that were brought to the faith of the Gospel in the time of the Apostles Commission which did last a matter of three hundred years then was all tongues nations kindreds and people brought to the Faith of Jesus And these were that great multitude which John saw in the visiâ—n which no man could number These were those that John saw stand before the Throne and before the Lamb these were those he saw cloathed in white Robes Now what these white Robes is I have shewed before not but that there hath and will be many thousands of the Gentiles tongues and nations since that time that will be saved But these that John saw in the vision it was chiefly those Saints in the Apostles Commission and it was them that he saw in the 10 verse to cry with a loud voice saying Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the Throne and unto the Lamb. And in the 11 verse All the Angels stood round about the Throne and about the Elders and the four beasts so that all the holy Angels and the Elders and the four beasts fell on their faces and worshipped God So that the Angels and Elders and the four beasts had faces else they could not fall on their faces to worship God For God hath a face of his own and those that worship him must have faces also Else they cannot worship God also they must have a tongue to say Blessing and glory and wisdom thanksgiving and honor and power and might be unto our God for ever and ever Amen So that Angels Elders and those four beasts had tongues to praise the living God Now John being in a great amaze in the vision to see such an innumerable multitude which no man could number to stand before the Throne of God all in white robes He in the 14 verse asketh one of the Elders what these be that are arayed in white robes And he said unto John These are they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their Robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Now what is meant by the white Robes and being washed in the blood of the Lamb I have shewed before and what is meant by the Throne so that to the end of the seventh chapter it is onely to signifie the glory of the Redeemed ones who were and are washed in their souls here in this life in the blood of Christ They shall serve him day and night in his temple in heaven and stand before his Throne of glory where he is Neither shall there be any more hunger nor thirst neither shall the heat of persecution light any more upon them Nor the natural sun to offend them any more by its extream heat For in this kingdom of heaven where the Lamb is in the midst of the Throne he shall feed them and shall lead them unto living fountains of water And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes this is that glorious and happy condition that all the saints shall have who have got those white Robes of the righteousness of faith being washed in the blood of the Lamb. And this will be at the end of time yet Faith doth look upon this condition immediately after the end of this natural life Therefore said by John as if the thing were already done and accomplished to him and to every one that is gone out of this world it is so but to us that are alive it is not yet accomplished So much for the interpretation of the seventh Chapter CHAP. XXII THe eight chapter in the first verse it is said And when he had opened the seventh Seal there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour Now I would have the Reader to understand that these seven Seals which were opened in Heaven they were those seven Seals that were on the backside of the Book of Life as I shewed before which were the seven Churches of Asia Likewise it is Christ that doth open the seven Seals and at the opening of every Seal John saw some extraordinary sight in Heaven either destruction upon the wicked and persecution upon the Saints or blessings upon the Saints So that the opening of every Seal produced something new to John in his vision But in the opening of the seventh Seal there was silence in Heaven about the space of half an hour That is there was a little space of time between the opening of the other six Seals before this seventh Seal was opened So that John had some little space of time before the opening of the seventh Seal was shewed unto him And this is that he calls silence in Heaven about the space of half an hour It might be forty hours for ought we know but if he saith half an hour who shall gainsay it But sure I am it was a little space of time between the opening of the other six Seals before the seventh Seal was opened unto his understanding For he made no stop in opening the six Seals before And as there was something did follow upon the opening of every one of the six Seals so there doth follow something upon the opening of the seventh Seal For in the 2 verse John saw the seven Angels which stood before God and to them were given seven Trumpets These seven Angels which John saw in the vision I declare they were the Ministery of the seven Churches of Asia These being those seven Angels which John did write unto as I said before for these seven Angels which John did write unto in the second chapter it was to signifie those great tribulations and sufferings that the Ministery and the Churches themselves should undergo But in the eighth chapter John saw these seven Angels which were the Ministers of the seven Churches of Asia in another condition He saw them now as if they were in a state of glory And now instead of tribulation for ten days which ten
him neither had ever any man that wisdom and power as he had Therefore it is said in Scripture Never any wan spake like this man Neither did any man speak forth that wisdom as he did for he is said to be the wisdom of God He must needs be the wisdom of God he being God himself as I have shewed before Yet for all this he was smitten with sufferings so that his wisdom and righteousness could not shine forth so bright and clear as it would have done onely a third part of it did shine That is truth took place in the hearts of some few that did believe him So that the light of heaven did not shine into the hearts of the generality of the people of the Jews because they saw such sufferings did attend the believing in him Therefore it is said many believed on him but durst not confess him because of the sufferings they saw would follow So that this Jesus which signifies the Sun was smitten with persecution and sufferings in the time of his Ministery that there could but a third part of his heavenly light shine upon the people of the Jews And happy were those that this light did shine upon But the generality of the people did smite this Sun with persecution so that they could see no heavenly light in him at all so that the Sun did not shine upon them at all So that he became as darkness unto them not yielding them any true spiritual and heavenly peace in their souls so that the light of this Sun shined not at all upon their hearts but was darkness unto them For this was he that did make their hearts fat so that they might not see any saving light in him For they were to smite the Sun with envy and malice so that he might not shine upon their souls any of that heavenly light which was in him Therefore he spake in parables and dark sentences that they might not understand But unto his disciples it was given them to understand the mysteries of the kingdom So that a third part of the Sun of righteousness did shine upon their souls But the rest or other part of the Sun it did never shine upon the persecutors who had smitten him nor the generality of the peoplâ— but was as darkness upon their minds And this is the spiritual meaning of the Sun being smitten at the sounding of the fourth Angel The Moon also was smitten so that a third part of her did shine Now I would have the Seed of Faith to understand what is meant by the Moon This Moon I declare it doth signifie the Law of Moses as the Gospel doth the Son of God which was Jesus And as the Gospel of Jesus was or Jesus himself was the Sun that was smitten as aforesaid So likewise John the Baptist did signifie the Moon Because he was the last Prophet of the Law as I have shewed in The interpretation of the Eleventh chapter of the Revelation And he being smitten and put in prison and afterwards put to death the third part of the Moon may be said to be smitten So that a third part of the light of the Moon was put out or darkned that is the light or righteousness of the Law a third part of it was darkned when John the Baptist was smitten he signifying the Moon as he was the last Prophet of the Law Also the Rulers of the Jews were the third part of the Stars that were darkned also For they were smitten also at the sounding of the fourth Angel That is they were smitten with fear trouble and wrath in their mindes that righteousness could not be had by the Law So that the light joy and peace that they received before by the righteousness of the Law it is now smitten and darkned For by the preaching of John the Baptist who tells them of another righteousness then that of the Law even the righteousness of Faith in the Son of God So that he bids them bring forth fruits of repentance that is a better fruit then that of the Law that is a better righteousness then the righteousness of the Law Therefore he tells them that he which did follow after him meaning Christ whose shooes latchets he was not worthy to unlose that they should look and minde him he would tell them of a righteousness of Faith which was a better righteousness then that of the Law Which would yield them more peace and satisfaction to their mindes then the righteousness of the Law would For the righteousness of the Law though performed very exactly it will be but as the light of the Moon in mens minds But the righteousness of Faith which the Gospel signifies it shines in the minde of man as the Sun at Noon-day So that the worshippers in the Law were the third part of the Stars that were smitten at the fourth Angels sounding And this fourth Angel sounded until the destruction of Jerusalem For as the Sun was smitten as aforesaid so likewise the Moon and Stars were smitten also The Moon was smitten first in John the Baptist he being the last Prophet of the Law as aforesaid he smote the hearts of the Rulers of the Jews with the declaration of a Christ that would bring another righteousness and worship then that of the Law Which would yield them more peace if they could believe So that they became so smitten in their mindes that they fell a persecuting and smote him and smote the Sun also But in a while after the Moon and Stars were smitten themselves That is at the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans the Moon and Stars were smitten That is the worship of the Law of Moses which signifies the Moon it was smitten And the Rulers of the Jews which were the Stars were smitten by the Romans So that a third part of the Moon hath been darkened ever since and a third part of the Stars have been darkened ever since For the worship of the Law which signifies the Moon was never set up since not in his brightness neither hath the Stars that is the Rulers of the Jews any power to set up that worship of the Law or to punish any that doth not submit unto it So that the third part of the Stars are so smitten that they are become darkened So that you that have faith may know that the Gospel which which did signifie the Sun was smitten and darkened when Jesus was smitten at his first coming to the day of his death therefore called by the Revelation of John the third part of the Sun was smitten and darkened and shined not for a third part of the day Likewise the Law that signifies the Moon it was smitten and darkened first in John the Baptist and so were the Stars also But afterwards at the destruction of Jerusalem the Moon and Stars were both smitten and darkened so that a third part of the Moon and Stars did give no light in the night Because the light
outward trouble Or else they must worship against the light of their conscience and so sting their souls and have the torment of his mind which is as the torment of a scorpion when he striketh a man So that when men are tormented and stung in this manner both in soul and body they will chuse rather to die than to live and shall seek for death but it shall flee from them These things hath been experienced in all Ages by some and will be to the end of the world Verse the seventh And the shapes of the Locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battel And the latter part of the verse The faces of these locusts were like men Verse the eighth They had hair like unto the hair of women and their teeth were as the teeth of a Lion And in the nineth verse They had breast-plates of iron And in the tenth verse And they had tails like unto scorpions and there were stings in their tails and their power was to hurt men five months These locusts that came forth of the smoak of the pit may be said to be in shape like horses prepared unto battel in regard of their strength and preparedness of minde they had to hurt and to destroy for the faces of the locusts were like the faces of men They must needs be like men for they were men onely they were wicked men therefore called Locusts Their hair is said to be like the hair of women in regard they did wear their hair long and their teeth may be said to be like Lions teeth in respect of the readiness they had to tear in pieces with their teeth And they may be said to have breast-plates of iron in that they were exceedingly well armed Also they may be said to have tails like Scorpions because of that poisonous nature that lay in their tailes for there was a sting in it which did hurt men five months Which men are called Scorpions as that of Ezekiel chap. 2. v. 6. he speaking to the rebellious house of Israel whom he calls bryers and thorns as they were fit for nothing else but for the fire Yet they like Scorpions did endeavor to sting Ezekiel but he was incouraged of God not to be afraid of them So that wicked men are Locusts and Scorpions and do sting men about worship with persecution and death it self And this sting may be said to be in their tails when they persecute men meerly for conscience or religion sake Then is the sting in their tails and they do hurt men as the Scorpion of the earth doth hurt when he striketh a man So that great Plagues were upon the earth at the sounding of the fifth Angel Which Plagues did proceed from the smoak of the bottomless pit it being opened by that king who is the the Angel of the bottomless pit whose name is called Appollion That is the Angel of Reason that was first thrown down from heaven unto this earth even he that deceived our first parents as aforesaid which is the destroyer And this Reason that is the fallen Angels nature is that which rules in all wicked Kings and Magistrates therefore called by the Revelation of the Spirit Serpents Dragons Devils Stars Angels the devil and his angels yet all from one Angel of reason fallen And this angel of reason fallen from heaven unto this earth is the Angel of the bottomless pit of the imagination of mans heart which doth send forth that smoak locusts and Scorpions which doth sting and hurt their fellow-creatures Which doth bring such Plagues and woe upon the inhabitants of the earth which is far more then I can relate at the sounding of the fifth Angel But I shall leave the Reader to consider of it therefore I shall say no more of it here CHAP. XXVIII ANd in the thirteenth verse The sixth Angel sounded and John heard a voice from the four horns of the golden Altar which is before God As for the Altar I shall not speak of that for that hath been opened in my other Writings neither shall I speak of the voice which John heard nor of the horns he speaketh of for the thing is of no great concernment to know But I shall proceed to the fourteenth verse The voice that came from the four horns of the golden Altar which is before God saying to the sixth Angel that had the Trumpet Loose the four Angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates Now I would have the Reader to understand that these four Angels that were bound in the great river Euphrates were not good Angels but evil angels That is they were the Dragons angels that is they were four kings that were of the same seed and nature as he was For they came from the old serpent the devil which beguiled Eve He may be called the old serpent because he was the first Angel that was thrown down from heaven unto this earth And where the spirit of this Serpent-angel is in King or Magistrate they being of his seed they may be called Angels also For the devil and his angels are reserved in chains of darkness until the Judgement of the great day The meaning is this the devil was that old serpent-angel that deceived Eve as aforesaid And he being an Angel of light before he was cast down from heaven but now he being upon this earth and dissolving into seed he is become an angel of darkness Why because he hath lost the knowledge of himself what he was himself and what the other Angels were that were of the same nature of reason as he himself is I say he hath lost the knowledge both of the form of Angels and their natures and what he was himself So that he is now in chains of darkness wondering in his imagination what the devil should be Not thinking himself to be the devil and this is spiritual chains of darkness not to know what the devil is in his form and nature And those great men that came of his seed that is to say the seed of the serpent As Cain the first-born of the devil cursed Cham scoffing Ishmael prophane Esau that Dragon Herod with thousands of other kings and great men that are of his seed therefore called angels So that these angels are reserved in chains of darkness until the Judgement of the great day as well as the devil their father For they are as ignorant what the devil is and that they are angels as the serpent is what he was before he was thrown down from heaven So that I would have the Seed of Faith to know that there is no such thing as the seed of reason doth vainly imagine as to think that there is any such thing as a devil and his angels in chains of darkness out of the body of man distinct from man For there is no devil but man and what is in the body of man And this spirit of reason in man is the devil and when the spirit of
Sword of the Spirit which was in the Saints Even the faith of Jesus which enabled them to suffer with cheerfulness the spoyling of their goods and not loving their lives unto the death rather than to worship the beast or his image And this was that deadly wound that the beast had in his head and this was the first day and one of the ten days tribulation the Saints did undergo For when men suffer meerly for their faith of Jesus or in innocency of minde in matter of worship they do by their sufferings wound the persecutors soules more than if they should turn again and fight with a sword of steel So that it wa◠the Saints patient sufferings that did give this beast as John speaketh of that deadly wound in his head But after a season his deadly wound was healed That is after the plague of his heart was over that he saw he should not die He grew more worse much like Pharaoh when Moses had taken away the Plague from him and his people his heart was hardened and made more cruel and worse So was it with this Beast when his conscience had the fear of the present death taken off him so that he was healed as to that Then he grew worse then he was before For now his mouth uttered blasphemy and power was given unto him to continue forty two months as in verse the fifth These forty two months hath relation to the Ten Persecutions which did last a matter of three hundred years For the spirit and power of this beast did run thorow the loins of all them seven heads they all being partakers of the Dragons power seat and authority For it runs thorow the loins of al wicked Beasts or wicked Head-Magistrates For they have all the spirit of Reason even the spirit of the Dragon though not in such a measure as the Dragon hath So that the power of this beast should continue in himself and in others forty two months That was all the days of the Ten Persecutions which time was the same as the two Prophets did prophesie which is said to be forty two months Which time was as long as the Apostles Commission did last about three hundred years as aforesaid And as I have shewed in The Interpretation of the eleventh of the Revelation CHAP. XXXVI BUt in the sixth verse the 〈◊〉 that was healed of his deadly wound he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God to blaspheme his Name and his Tabernacle and them that dwelt in heaven So that you may see now this Beast was healed of his wound he was worse and blasphemed more against the living God and against his Tabernacle Which Tabernacle was the body of Christ And those that dwelt in heaven are the Saints who worshipped by faith in the Tabernacle of God which is in heaven Therefore said to dwell in heaven and in the seventh verse It was given him that is the Beast aforesaid to make war with the Saints and to overcome them and power was given him over all kindreds and tongues and nations Now the Beast being recovered of that wound the Saints did give him he comes on a fresh and makes war against them Not onely in blaspheming against the living God or living Jesus whom the Saints did worship and serve and would not worship and serve him Therefore he makes war with the Saints and overcomes them That is causeth all those he could light of to deny their Faith in Jesus and worship as he would have them or else they must be put to death So that he did overcome many of the Saints and put them to death For power was given him over all kindreds tongues and nations That is he had power over all other people but those that worshipped Jesus To command them to worship him and that worship he did set up and all people but the Saints did obey Some for fear and some for love but all did obey to worship the beast onely those that had faith in Jesus therefore they were overcome and killed by this beast But the others the kindreds tongues nations saved their lives for the world wandred after the beast his power was so great So that all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him whose names are not written in the book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world as in the eighth verse The meaning is this that the spirit of reason in this beast and in all other beasts or Head-Magistrates that are of the seed of the serpent should have such power over the dark reason of man to worship him and the image he doth set up And the whole world lying in ignorance and darkness they are thorow their ignorance ready and willing to worship any thing that the spirit of Reason in the Head-Magistrate shall command them And the ignorance and darkness of men in point of worship is so numerous that hardly any can be seen in the world but idolaters So that it may be said that all that dwell on the earth doth worship the beast none excepted but those whose names are written in the book of Life which are but few in comparison For the worshippers of the true God are but few in comparison of those that worship the devil For the spirit of reason is the devil and what image or form of worship is set up by the spirit of reason in the Head-Magistrate having no Commission from God it is but of the devils setting up And who ever doth bow down to worship in that manner and form they do but worship the Beast and his image and so worship devils And is not the whole world at this day as well as at that time as well those that profess themselves Christians as well as Heathen Turks and Pagans under that darkness of minde as to worship false gods idols and devils So that the whole world may be said to worship the beast and his image though not all one kinde of image For every Opinion of Religion in the world hath one image or other to worship in stead of God And it must needs be so because the world doth not know the true God in his form and nature therefore they worship devils in stead of God though in divers forms and manner But I would have the Seed of Faith to mind that when I say all the world the Elect Seed are excepted For the Seed of Faith are not counted the world though they be in the world As Christ said I pray not for the world but for them thou hast given me out of the world and that thou wouldest keep them from the evil of the world So that the Scriptures doth never count the Saints the world though they be in the world So that the Scriptures may say that all the world wandred after the beast for all the world doth wander after one false worship or other but those that have their names written in the book of Life Now
all false worshippers or idolaters whatsoever So that this plague which is poured out by the third Angel upon the rivers and fountains of waters it is upon all those peoples souls aforesaid So that no motion of peace could arise in their souls not to eternity this being one of the last vials of Gods wrath which he will pour out upon this wicked unbelieving persecuting idolatrous world Turning the waters of their souls to blood that is all their peace shall be turned to fear horror and torment for ever and ever So much for the fourth verse and the third vial CHAP. XLVIII IN the fifth verse And I heard the Angel of the waters say Thou art righteous O Lord which art and wast and shalt be because thou hast judged thus Verse 6. For they have shed the blood of Saints and Prophets and thou hast given them blood to drink for they are worthy This Angel of the waters is the same Angel that poured out his vial upon the waters aforesaid And the Angel giveth thanks unto Christ the onely God because he hath judged thus That is because he hath poured out the vial of his wrath upon all persecuting devils and worshippers of devils For those that persecute and those that worship idols are all one for they all help to shed the blood of Saints and Prophets so that Saints and Prophets are forced to drink of the wine of the wrath of their fornication in that they shâ—d their blood because they will not worship devils as they do So in like manner God doth make them to drink of the wine of his wrath in that he gives them blood to drink That is they have their own blood to drink for they are worthy and their own blood is nothing else but the wrath of God working in their souls which turns all the motions of their mindes into blood so that they have nothing to drink but the blood of their own souls For as they drunk the blood of Saints and Prophets in that they shed their blood with delight because they would not bow down to their worship So now they having no more Saints blood to drink they must now drink their own blood for they are worthy For look what measure the seed of reason hath mete to the Seed of Faith the same shall be meted to them again For as they have drunk the blood of Saints and the blood of Prophets so God will give them their own blood to drink to eternity And this is righteous judgement in God as the Angel that came out from the altar doth say as in the seventh verse c. Verse the eighth And the fourth Angel poured out his vial upon the Sun and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire Verse the nineth And men were scorched with great heat and blasphemed the Name of God which hath power over these Plagues and they repented not to give him glory This fourth Angel poured out his vial upon the Sun I would have the Reader to mind that this vial that is poured out upon the Sun It hath relation to that Plague the two Angels that came to Lot did pour out upon Sodom and Gomorrah And as there was a total destruction of those two Cities and the inhabitants thereof by the fire that came from the Sun at the word of the Lord. So that these two Angels that came to Lot they may be said to pour out their vial upon the Sun in that they did cause the Sun to burn up those two Cities with all the people cattel and every thing else in them For the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by fire it was onely to signifie that the destruction of the world at the end of time shall be burnt up by fire as Sodom and Gemorrah was And that the Angel of the Lord by vertue of his Commission shall pour out his vial of Gods wrath upon the Sun that is the Angel shall cause or command the Sun to give forth its heat that shall set the element on fire So that all wicked idolatrous men and women shall be burnt with fire as Sodom was for their wicked unnatural lusts For God will punish idolaters with the same punishment as the people of Sodom who committed such things as is unnatural for Sodom and Gomorrah being burnt with fire it was an example onely to shew what God will do at the end of time unto this wicked unbelieving world he will overthrow it even it he did the Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah And because the Reader may see that the vial of Gods wrath was poured out upon the Sun to execute his wrath upon Sodom in that the Sun burnt up those two Cities and the people thereof see Gen. 19.23 24 verses it is said The Sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. That is the Sun was the captain or head governor of that fire and brimstone that was rained down from heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah So that Gods wrath was poured out upon the Sun that the Sun might pour it out upon Sodom For when the Sun was risen upon the earth that is when the original or captain of all fire did arise on the earth it commands brimstone and fire to rain down upon those two Cities Even as a General of an Army doth command his men to fall on upon his enemies For the Sun is appointed of God to be the chief Governor of the host of heaven that is the starry heavens so that God commanding the Sun to give forth its heat beyond its usual course as he did to Hezekiah to make the Sun go ten degrees backwards So that the Sun is obedient to Gods command and if God doth give an Angel a Commission to command the Sun to give forth its heat and to burn and consume a People City or Nation then it may be said that the Angel poured out his vial upon the Sun Thus it was with Sodom and Gomorrah the Angel poured the vial of Gods wrath upon the Sun And the Sun poured it out upon the Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in that it caused fire and brimstone to rain down upon them until they were utterly consumed So in like manner will this Angel pour out his vial upon the Sun at the end of time and the Sun shall do by the wicked as aforesaid as the Sun did by Sodom and Gomorrah For that was as I said before onely to signifie what will be done at the end of time Yet John in his vision saw the thing done that is according to his faith it is done for faith admits of no time but what is present But this I would have the Reader to minde though there will be destruction by the fire of the Sun at the end of the world like unto that of Sodom and Gomorrah as aforesaid Yet there is a spiritual meaning in these words also which I shall unfold as followeth This Sun spoken of here it doth signifie in the
spiritual the Son of God whose eyes are like a flame of fire and his feet like unto fiue brass This is he that treadeth the wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God as in Revel 19.15 Now as the vial of Gods wrath was poured out upon the natural Sun in that the Sun had power to burn up Sodom and Gomorrah as aforesaid So likewise the Son of righteousness had the vial of Gods wrath poured out upon him also In that he treaded the fierceness of Gods wrath that is his own wrath as he was the Creator So that he suffered death at the hands of his creatures which death is called by the spirit the wine-press of Gods wrath And this wrath being poured out upon the Son of Righteousness he hath power given him to scorch men with fire That is he hath power to scorch the consciences of wicked men with the fire of hell This power also doth he give to every true Prophet and Apostle and Minister whom he doth chuse And as the death of Christ is called the fierce wrath of God so likewise it may be called a fire for the wrath of God may be called a fire though executed in several other ways So that this death of the Son it being charged upon the consciences of all wicked persecuting idolatrous men and women by the Apostles Prophets and Ministers chosen by them It doth scorch their consciences with the fear of eternal death which is the fire of hell as in the nineth verse And men were scorched with great heat and blasphemed the Name of God which hath power over these Plagues So that every true Messenger of Christ hath power to scorch the consciences of men and to kindle the fire of hell in all persecuting spirits and false worshippers who worship false gods And this fire and heat was very much poured out by the Apostles and those Ministers ordained by them in the primitive times so called For none knows what those persecuting beasts and false worshippers who received the beasts mark did suffer nor how their consciences were scorched with the fire of hell even whilest they were in this world which was but a taste of what shall be hereafter But this taste it made them blaspheme against him that had power over these Plagues For the minde of man is so desperately wicked that if he could destroy that God that hath power over these Plagues even as they did those his messengers and the Saints that believed them But the Saints may see that there is a secret spiritual power in every true Messenger of God to scorch the souls of persecuting and despising men and women with the heat of hell fire this I know to be true by experience as well as by faith For the doctrine of the true God and his true Worship it doth torment the souls of the seed of the serpent inwardly as the heat of the Sun doth outwardly to a mans body and men are more subject to blaspheme for the torment within then they are for torments without Because the one is but for a time but the other is for eternity So that the spiritual scorching with great heat is that John chiefly intends in this chapter in relation to the torment of mind that was upon those beasts that persecuted the Saints and all those that received his mark as aforesaid In the time of the Apostles Commission and with relation to the end of the world Thus in some measure I have given the litteral and spiritual meaning of the fourth Angel pouring out his vial upon the Sun and of the 8. and 9. verses CHAP. XLIX VErse the tenth And the fifth Angel poured our his vial upon the seat of the beast and his kingdom was full of darkness and they gnawed their tongues for pain This fifth vial it hath a twofold meaning that is a litteral and spiritual meaning The litteral meaning is in relation to the vial or plague that Moses poured out upon Egypt as you may see Exodus the 10.22 23 And Moses streched forth his hand towards heaven and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days and in the 23. verse They saw not one another neither rose any from his place for three days c. Here the Reader may see that this vial was poured out in the natural upon Egypt and upon the seat of the King of Egypt Pharâ—ah being king Therefore called the beast and the seat of the beast signifies the power and authority that Pharaoh had over all the land of Egypt And this Vial being poured out upon the seat of the beast it signifies upon all those that were under his government That is that were of his own people so that there was thick darkness in the Kings palace and upon his servants no place free as there was upon the inhabitants of Egypt so that darkness was all over the land of Egypt no place free For if any place had been free from darkness in the land of Egypt then I say the vial had not been poured out upon the seat of the beast So that this vial Moses poured out of thick darkness it was upon the seat of the beast that is upon King Pharaoh in whom the power and authority of Egypt did stand So that when darkness was poured out upon the King in whom the light of all the Laws of Egypt did shine forth upon the people if the Seat in whom the Law is placed be darkned then the people which must obey must needs be darkned also For where a King or Head Magistrate hath power given him either from God or from man to make Laws for people to obey that power and authority is called by the Spirit the Seat of the beast And when God doth pour out the vial of his wrath upon this Authority then I say the vial may be said to be poured out upon the Seat of the Beast so that the Reader may see what is meant by the Seat of the Beast Now I have opened a little what is the litteral or natural meaning of the fifth Angel pouring out his vial or plague upon Egypt and what the Plague was and what the Seat of the Beast is I shall now also give you to understand the spiritual meaning of these things aforesaid Observe there was many Pharaohs that were Kings of Egypt in those four hundred years that Israel was in bondage in Egypt yet all these King Pharaohs are included in that one King Pharaoh unto whom Moses was sent So that all the Kings of Egypt are counted by the Spirit but one King Pharaoh And all those Plagues which Moses poured out upon Egypt it was upon this King Pharaoh even until God had utterly consumed him and he did in the Red-sea these things were fulfilled in the history and in the natural at the beginning of Moses Commission And that beast Pharaoh king of Egypt his actions of oppression to the Israelites they were upon the temporal
which Land there is the light of Faith whereby they may see the way to that eternal light of Glory where no sad or melancholly thought shall arise to darken the light of peace joy and everlasting glory So on the contrary the Land of Egypt it signifies that hell and darkness of the minde So that all those who know not the true God nor his true Worship they are in that spiritual darkness in their mindes as the Egyptians were who gnawed their tongues for pain Even so will it be with all those wicked beasts who have and do set up Images and Idols of gold wood and stone or any false worship whatsoever contrary to Moses the Apostles and the two Witnesses of the Spirit I say all those that worship contrary to these three Commissions they are in that spiritual Egyptian darkness in their mindes whilest they are here in this world And this darkness in their spirits it will lead them to that eternal dark night when as no light shall appear for ever That is no motion of peace or hope of deliverance shall arise in their mindes for ever and ever And then shall this Beast and all that received his mark name or number of his name gnaw their tongues for pain to eternity For this Vial or Plague is poured out upon the seat of the beast then of necessity it will follow that all that worship according to his command will have the Vial of darkness poured out upon them also So much for the interpretation of the fifth Vial and of the tenth Verse CHAP. LI. I Shall pass by the eleventh and come to the twelfth verse And the sixth Angel poured out his Vial upon the great river Euphrates and the waters thereof was dried up that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared This great river Euphrates was in the Land of Canaan where those four Angels was bound as I shewed before And as those four Angels were loosed at the sounding of the Trumpet of the sixth Angel so at the pouring out of the sixth Vial this great river Euphrates must be dryed up Now this great river Euphrates it signifies all the rivers and fountains of waters in the whole world in the natural That is to say at the end of the world God will pour out his vial of wrath upon all rivers and fountains of waters so that they shall be dryed up so that the thirst of man and beast shall not be quenched this will God do in the natural Also God will pour out his vial of wrath upon the spiritual estate of man even upon the great spiritual river Euphrates that is upon all the souls and consciences of wicked idolatrous persecuting men and women all the world over That is the waters of their souls shall be dryed up so that no motion of peace shall arise or spring from their souls to quench the thirst of sin then no more then there did to Dives the rich man who being in hell wanted one drop of cold water to cool his tongue But the river of his soul that did run with motions of peace in his natural life it was now dryed up so that no drop of cold water could be had That is not one motion of peace or hope could arise in his spirit it being dryed up by the wrath of God being poured out upon the river of his soul So that the souls or spirits of all wicked persecuting idolatrous people all the world over maybe called in the spiritual the great river Euphrates and the vial of Gods wrath being poured out upon the spirits of those people aforesaid it doth dry up all the waters of their souls That is all their peace so that no hope of eternal happiness can arise in them For all hope is dryed up so that there is no motion of peace can arise in their souls to quench the fire of hell in them for all the waters are dryed up in their souls and this is that great spiritual river Euphrates spoken of by John Whose waters thereof are dryed up for the peace of the minde of man is called in Scriptures Water as Christ saith He that believes in me out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water So likewise Christ said to the woman of Samaria if thou hadst asked me I would have given thee water of Life and it should be in thee a well springing up unto eternal life So that there is spiritual waters that doth spring out of the soul of man as there is natural waters that doth spring out of the earth or out of the rocks And these spiritual waters doth satisfie the spirit of man in its kinde as the natural waters doth in its kinde And as there is a spiritual water that doth proceed from the Seed of Faith so likewise there is a spiritual water that doth proceed from the seed of reason in man And this water that doth proceed or arise from the seed of reason it doth give great satisfaction to the minde of man Now these spiritual waters that doth arise from the seed of reason are called by the spirit the great river Euphrates And this is that river Euphrates that the sixth Angel poured out his vial upon and dryed up all the waters as aforesaid Not but that the natural river Euphrates which signifies all the rivers in the world will be dryed up also Onely this book of the Revelation of John it hath generally a two fold meaning that is to say a spiritual meaning and a temporal meaning So that both the great river Euphrates in the temporal and the great river Euphrates in the spiritual the waters of them both will be dryed up at the end of time which thing will be unexpressible sad to all those who have no water of Life in their souls to drink It is said by the spirit of John that this great river Euphrates was dryed up that the way of the Kings of the east might be prepared Now what these Kings of the east are is very necessary to know These Kings of the East I declare they are all good Kings further I declare that Christ the King of Heaven is said to come out of the East as you may read Math. 2.2 3 verses Where the wise men from the East came to Jerusalem saying where is he that is born King of the Jews for we have seen his Star in the East and are come to worship him So that this Jesus the King of the Jews he is called the King of the East because his Star in the East directed the wise men to finde him out that they might worship him Now this is to be minded by the Reader that Prophets Apostles and Saints they are called by the Spirit Kings and Priests unto God as the Scripture saith So that all Prophets Apostles and true Believers may be called Kings And seeing the King of Kings came out of the East these all following him in the same steps of faith and
patience they are called by the Spirit Kings of the east So that Christ his Prophets Apostles and Saints are those Kings of the East who have the aforesaid waters dryed up that the way for these Kings of the East might be prepared That is there is no natural rivers upon earth that shall hinder or keep from being dryed up neither temporal nor spiritual For the vial of Gods wrath it will dry up all the rivers of waters upon earth natural and all rivers of waters spiritual when Christ shall come in the clouds of heaven with all his Saints the Kings of the East to put an end to this bloody persecuting unbelieving world And to dry up all the waters of peace in mens souls And the Kings of the East by their faith and patience shall walk upon the waters of wicked persecuting mens souls as upon dry ground That is the Kings of the East shall rejoyce in the eternal destruction of their enemies even as their enemies did over them when they persecuted and put them to death So that the way that is the hearts of the Saints enemies may be as a way for the Kings of the East to tread and trample upon all that joy peace and comfort that the Dragon beast and false prophet had when they persecuted the Saints Which Saints are the Kings of the East and that faith and patience the Saints had it prepared themselves to suffer with chearfulness the persecution and death it self So that the waters of the great river Euphrates even the waters of their persecutors souls was dryed up that the Kings of the East that is the Saints might be prepared to fight that good fight of Faith as the Saints did in the time of the Ten Persecutions So much for the interpretation of the twelfth verse CHAP. LII VErse the thirteenth And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs came out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet These three unclean spirits like frogs they are said to come out of the mouthes of three several persons to wit the Dragon beast and false prophet yet these three proceed all from one spirit even the spirit of the fallen Angel or as I may say the spirit of Cain that Dragon-devil who was the first murderer And the spirit of Cain remaining in the seed it bringeth forth many Dragon-devils like himself So that all Dragon-devils make up but one Dragon and so all wicked beasts make up but one wicked beast so all false prophets and false priests or false speakers they make up but one false prophet Now they are called three unclean spirits like frogs in regard of the threefold operations and workings of them For they proceeded from that one spirit of reason the devil Onely this one spirit of reason it doth work three several ways and by three several persons yet all three of them were like frogs They were all alike for wicked idolatry and persecution of the Saints and to deceive the people For they are the spirits of devils working miracles which go forth unto the Kings of the earth and of the whole world to gather them to the battel of that great day of God Almighty as in the 14 verse of this chapter So that these three spirits like frogs that came out of the Dragons mouth and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet They were to go forth to all the Kings of the earth and not onely so but to all great men in the whole world to invite them to persecute and to fight against the Saints with a sword of steel and with other cruel deaths When as the Saints had no other weapons of war but those that were spiritual to wit the sword of the spirit the shield of faith the helmet of salvation these and such like weapons of war the Saints do fight withal But the Dragon beast and false prophet they by their councel power and authority did invite all the kings of the earth and of the whole world to fight against the Lord Jesus and the remnant of the Seed of Faith who are the Saints With persecution and death as aforesaid with carnal weapons and inventions of cruel deaths as the Scriptures and History doth make mention of But the Revelation of John gave him to see that the last battel that will be fought between God Almighty and the dragon beast and false prophet it will be at the end of the world That is Jesus Christ he is God Almighty he and his Saints and Angels shall fight with the dragon beast and false prophet and with all the Kings of the whole world And he and his Saints shall give them an utter overthrow that is an eternal overthrow so that the dragon beast and false prophet with all the adherents unto them shall be destroyed with a second death which shall burn as a lake of fire for even and ever CHAP. LIII IT will be necessary to open something more of the dragon beast and false prophet and of those three unclean spirits like frogs that came out of their mouths The Reader may remember that I shewed before that there was many dragons since Cain yet all counted by the spirit but one dragon and so of the beast and false prophet all are included into one Now this dragon spoken of he is meant the same great red dragon spoken of in the 12. of the Revelation who persecuted the woman namely Herod though there was many dragons after him yet it is called all but one dragon they being all partakers of the same spirit and acted in the same persecution of the Saints So likewise that beast that did arise out of the Sea with seven heads and ten horns as in the thirteenth chapter verse the first Is that beast spoken of here by the spirit though there was divers other beasts after him yet they acting by the same spirit of persecution of the Saints they are all called by the spirit but one beast So likewise the false prophet is meant that government of worship that was established upon the Chief or High-priests of the nations so that there was a spiritual government of worship which did belong to those Images and Idols that was set up by the Power and Authority of the Beast As all Forms of Worships let them be true or false there must be some particular Head as Aaron was High-priest of the Worship of the Law and Christ the Head of the Gospel Worship yet there was many more High-priests besides Aaron yet all called but Aaron the High-priest Even so it was with the false prophet the same spirit of idolatry and persecution for conscience sake for not submitting to worship the beast and his image it did run thorow the spirits of all the false priests as it did in him that was the chief who was set up by the power of the beast at the
come out of the world for she doth deceive all nations and her power is every where where Gods people doth dwell So that there is no going out from her power except they go among the heathen But the meaning of the Spirit is this that Gods people should come from their idolatrous worship and practise So that you may not commit fornication with idols that you may not be partakers with them of their sins and so you shall receive none of her plagues For in the fifth verse Her sins have reached up to heaven and God hath remembered her iniquities So that now she must be rewarded as she rewarded the Saints as in the sixth verse Reward her even as she rewarded you and double unto her double according to her works in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double That is as she hath drunk the blood of Prophets the blood of Apostles the blood of Saints and Martyrs of Jesus now she must have her own blood to drink And not onely so but her cup must be filled up double that is she shall drink the torments of her own soul eternally As soon as one torment is suffered the cup of her soul shall be filled up again with another torment So that her cup shall be always full of torment for her to drink eternally And thus will her cup be filled double and double again For though God hath suffered his servants the Prophets and Apostles and Saints to have their blood poured out and drunk by this whore and the beast The time will come that he will avenge their blood upon these two and all their adherents and give them their own blood double to drink So that their cup shall be so full of the wine of Gods wrath that they shall be drinking of it to eternity As for the seventh verse there is little matter of concernment so I shall pass it by and speak a little of the eighth verse where it is said Therefore shall her plagues come in one day death and mourning and famine and she shall be utterly burnt with fire for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her This eighth verse doth determine a total and final destruction of the spiritual whore or City Babylon and that her plagues shall come in one day death and mourning That is the first death which is a natural death it shall enter into a second death and cause much mourning because it is a living death and a dying life Else there would be no mourning in death and as for the famine she shall suffer the meaning is this That there shall be such a famine or want of peace in her soul in the second death that no motion or thought of peace or deliverance shall arise in her soul to give any hope so that there will be a famine of peace indeed for she will be utterly burnt with fire It will be a fire indeed for the fire of Gods wrath will burn eternally and never be quenched besides the destruction of the glory of this world So that the Reader may see what will be the end of this spiritual mystery Babylon with the beast and all false worshippers Which thing hath been prophesied of ever since Moses he being the first Commissionated Prophet and I being one of the last God hath given me understanding to interprete the Revelation of John the Evangelist even till I have found out a period of the destruction of that great City Babylon Which destruction and utter downfal is concluded by Johns Revelation in the eighteenth chapter and the eighth verse so that I shall patiently wait the time when God will make it visibly appear yet by faith I do know it will certainly be so even as all Prophets and Apostles have done before me CHAP. LXVIII FRom the eighth verse to the twentieth verse it is onely a relation of the astonishment in the mindes of men who were Merchants and had trading at Sea who were made rich by trading with idolatrous people For the Kings of the earth who have committed fornication with her and lived deliciously with her they shall bewail and lament her when they see the smoak of her burning They may well lament for her for they have committed fornication with her so that they shall suffer with her For there will be but little time for them to see the smoak of her burning before they are in it themselves But the Spirit doth speak what the heart of man would speak in case there were time given men to see such a destruction and he not in it himself So likewise it is said They standing afar off for fear of her torment That standing afar off is onely to set forth what the minde of man doth use to do in the case of a temporal destruction or if a temporal City were to be burnt up Men that are afraid will stand afar off for fear there is the same thoughts in man as to the end of the world men would stand afar off when that comes if they could So that the Kings who committed fornication with her and the Merchants that were made rich by her they did stand afar off in their mindes for fear of her torment But they were quickly in it as well as she and all that lamentation that was made rich by her in respect of that riches and temporal costliness that they had by her it was all in the minde of man and would have done so indeed had they had time For if this great City was destroyed in one hour there was little time to stand afar off to see her torment But the Spirit speaks forth what is in the nature and minde of man and what he doth use to do in temporal things and would do at that day if they could Therefore I shall pass by all their lamentation Alas alas this great City and come to the twentieth verse CHAP. LXIX VErse the twentieth Rejoyce over her thou Heaven and ye holy Apostles and Prophets for God hath avenged you on her Here the Reader may see that the holy Apostles and Prophets are encouraged to rejoyce at the destruction of Babylon before she is destroyed For she is not destroyed yet neither are the Prophets and Apostles as yet capable to rejoyce over her destruction for most of them are asleep in the dust of the earth But it is a usual thing for the Spirit to speak of things at a distance as at present being because God that is truth or the God of truth cannot lie but will give unto his servants the Prophets and Apostles the things he promised them And they by faith believed him and did suffer persecution and the loss of their lives by this City Babylon giving themselves up to their wicked wills depending upon God to avenge their blood on her So that they by faith did obtain the assurance in themselves that God would avenge their blood on her Again the Revelation of John may bid them rejoyce because it
is so that this is to be understood that this Satan the devil shall deceive the nations in all the four quarters of the earth to their eternal perdition Also it is to be minded that there is a principle of persecution for religion worship even in Gog and Magog that is to say in all the heathen as there is in those that profess and confess the Scriptures For if Gog and Magog doth but hear of any man or people that doth worship any other God besides his God he will persecute him to death especially if he be a native under his dominions and so is it with all professors of Religion who know not the true God nor his true worship So that Satan the devil he hath gone forth unto all the four quarters of the earth and hath deceived the nations therein with false worships and imagining of false gods this many hundred years have they been deceived and not onely so but there is a spirit of persecution that doth run thorow the nations in all the four quarters of the earth even amongst professors of the Scriptures as there doth in the heathen So that all the four quarters of the earth they fight against God and compass the Camp of the Saints about and the beloved City The Saints are called by the Spirit the beloved City so that this beloved City must needs be compassed about because the Saints doth live in the four quarters of the earth and the nations of the four quarters of the earth being deceived by Satan they persecute the Saints every where So that they by their persecution they have and do and will to the end of the world compass the Camp of the Saints about who is the beloved City I say these aforesaid will compass the Camp of the Saints with persecution until fire come down from God out of heaven and devour them this fire that cometh down from heaven it is meant that eternal fire of Gods wrath upon his enemies as you may see in the 10 verse And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever The meaning is this that Gog and Magog with all the nations of the four quarters of the earth who were deceived by the spirit of reason the devil to worship false gods and to persecute the Saints in all parts of the earth They shall at the end of the world as aforesaid they shall be cast into the same lake of fire and brimstone as the beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormented for ever and ever as aforesaid So that at the end of the world that spirit of reason which men received from the lost Angel with all its wisdom whereby it hath deceived all the nations of the earth and hath always persecuted and killed the Saints the beloved City of God from the beginning of the world even from the righteous Abel to the end of the world I say this spirit of reason which is called by the Spirit Satan a devil this Spirit who hath caused Gog and Magog and all the nations of the earth to persecute the Saints This devil with all the seed who hath fought under his banner though in several forms and manner he and they with the beast and false prophet with all their adherents shal be cast into a lake of fire and brimstone where they shall be tormented for ever and ever and this fire and brimstone is that wrath of God that cometh down from heaven which is called by the Spirit fire that came down from God out of heaven and devoured them c. So that this chapter is but a rehearsal of what was said before in the 18 and 19 chapters both of the destruction of mystery Babylon and of the glory of the Saints Yet I thought it something necessary to open the meaning of Gog and Magog because I have not met with those words before neither have spoken of them in that book aforesaid But as for the rest of the matter in this 20 chapter I have said as much as need be said of it in one place or other in this Treatise and in The interpretation of the eleventh of the Revelation and to repeat one thing twice over would be needless and as for the chief heads contained in the 21 22 chapters I have opened them in the said Interpretation of the eleventh of the Revelation So that I shall interpret a little what is meant by those words of Johns Revelation the 22 chapter 18 19 verses and so conclude this Epistle CHAP. LXXXI THese words of John hath been an occasion of many persecuting and ignorant men and womens spirits to persecute and rail against the purest truth that ever was declared and against the true Messengers whom God hath chosen and sent Whom he hath endued with the spirit of Revelation and Interpretation of Scriptures more then all the men in the world besides in that when things have been declared and Scriptures interpreted beyond the common sense that learned men have declared and interpreted they have said with great anger and zeal that we have either added to the word of God or else we have diminished from it Therefore to satisfie the Reader I shall open how a man may be said to add unto the prophesie of this Book of Johns Revelation and how he may be said to diminish or take away the words of this prophesie of this Book The words of John are these verse 18. For I testifie unto every man that heareth the words of the prophesie of this book if any man shall adde unto these things God shall adde unto him the plagues that are written in this book Verse 19. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophesie God shall take away his part out of the book of Life and out of the holy City and from the things which are written in this book I would have the Reader to minde and he may know whether a man doth adde unto this Book or take from it for this is to be minded that who ever doth undertake to be a Minister of Christ without a Commission from him or shall undertake to give the interpretation of the Scriptures without having the gift of Interpretation which gift he cannot have except he have a Commission from God or from him that did receive it from God For how is it possible that any man should give true interpretations of the Scriptures and of that Book of the Revelation of Saint John and yet not know the true God nor the right devil Therefore it is for certain that all Non-commissionated Ministers and Speakers whatsoever in all the seven Churches in Europe I say it is they onely that do add unto this Book and they onely that do take from it They may be said to add to it because they give this and that