case as aforesaid will speak no better things then the blood of Abel But the very same thing will cry aloud for vengeance as the blood of Abel and as their blood did that was slain under the altar as John saw in his vision Therefore the blood of Christ is said to speak better things then the blood of Abel But this I must tell you it speaketh better things to those that have faith in his death and so are washed by faith in his blood To those it speaketh peace joy life and salvation to the soul and these are better things then the blood of Abel or the blood of the Saints which speaketh to the soul fear horror death and eternal damnation These be the things that the blood of Abel and all innocent blood doth speak and the blood of Christ will speak the same things as Abels blood doth to those that persecuted and put him to death at that time So that according to the serpents desire his blood will be upon them and their children for the serpents children are those that walk in the steps of their fathers and as they that put him to death were the seed of Cain their father as Christ said To those Jews that sought his life he said unto them You are of your father the devil and his works you do for he was a murderer and a liar from the beginning And who was he that did the first murder was it not Cain and they were his children and all persecuting men since have been their children And in persecuting the innocent Saints they justifie the deeds of their fathers that persecuted Christ and their persecuting of Christ in so doing they justified the deeds of the devil their father that slew the Prophets and Cain that slew Abel The grandfather of all persecuting devils for worshipping of God contrary to the tradition of their fathers So that the blood of righteous Abel the blood of Christ and the blood of the Saints will be upon the consciences of the persecuting seed of the serpent and upon their children who walk in the steps of their grandfather Cain And this hath and will be fulfilled upon all the children of those persecuting Jews which put Christ to death So that his blood will be upon them and their children for these are their children and may be called so who are the seed of the serpent who walk in the way of their fathers who did kill the Lord of Life And so his blood will be upon them and their children as they did desire So that his blood doth cry as the blood of Abel did for eternal vengeance For none will shed blood upon that account but the serpent or devil and those that are his children So that you whose understandings are enlightned may see that there is a vertue and power in the blood of Prophets Apostles and righteous men which are Saints who suffer for the true declaration and worship of God To cry unto the Lord for vengeance upon those that shed their blood And the Lord will hear the cry of blood more then he will the cry of the Saint before his blood was shed For the very deed of murther for Religion sake hath the reward of vengeance in it So that God the rightous Judge must needs do right to reward every one according to his works So that the suffering of persecution and death for Truths sake as these Saints did as John speaketh of shall have a blessed reward as is said in the 11 verse Those that were slain under the altar for the word of God and the testimony they held they had white robes given unto every one of them And it was said to them Rest yet for a little season until their fellow servants also and their brethren that should be killed as they were should be fulfilled So that you the Seed of Faith may know that these souls that were slain under the altar were not yet in heaven neither is those white robes yet put upon them notwithstanding it is said there were white robes given them For surely if those souls had been in the heaven of glory with their white robes of the rightousness of faith upon them God would never have bid them rest a little season untill their fellow servants and brethren were killed as they were So that it may be clear to you that have faith in the death of the soul and of a resurrection that there is no souls go to heaven without bodies So that souls cannot go to heaven and put on white robes to stand in the presence of God without bodies So that these souls which cried for vengeance mustly still in the earth and rest a season untill the rest of the Seed of Faith hath passed from death as you have So that God may raise you all together and cloth you all with white robes of rightousness and immortality and glory at the resurrection at the end of the world So that you may all be rewarded and clothed with white robes together and not some served this year and other some the next but you shall all be happy together So that you must rest yet a little season untill all things is accomplished and then I will bless you with an everlasting crown of life Because you suffered death for my name in witnessing to me and I will avenge your blood upon mine and your enemies that persecuted and put me and you to death They shall have their reward also which reward of their deeds will amount to no less than to eternal damnation where the black and dark fire of hell shall burn in their souls to eternity Which shall cause them to cry Oh the eternity the eternity with sorrow pain and shame And when you Saints shall receive your eternal joys then shall your enemies receive their eternal sorrows Which is not yet neither will it be until all things be fulfilled which the Scriptures hath foretold of which cannot be long as men do vainly imagine Because the true Witness of the Spirit is now extant in the world who hath declared and made manifest the mystery of the true God becoming flesh and what the right Devil is with many other heavenly mysteries So that you that have faith in this Commission of the Spirit shall at the end of the world receive with the rest of the Saints white robes with them and you will not think it long for Faith doth look upon eternity as real as if it were in present being So that John might say by h s revelation in his vision that he saw under the Altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God c. and the white robes that were given unto them Because he by faith knew that God will give those that are clothed with the white robes of the righteousness of Faith a Crown of everlasting joy and glory at the end of the world which is as sure as if it were in present being Therefore by
Prophet Elijah For the worshippers of Baal were so numerous that Elijah thought there was none but himself that did worship the God of Jacob. But there was seven thousand that had not bowed their knee to Baal And these were the oyl and the wine that should not be hurt by compelling of them to hurt their consciences by worshipping a false God as the generality of the people did thorow the darkness of their mindes They being the black horse for the ignorant dark power of the Head-Magistrate to ride or sit upon For as the horse is black so is the rider with ignorance and darkness in spiritual worship Onely he that sits upon the black horse is the dark power of reason Therefore the Apostles calls it the power of darkness for it is the dark reason of man that doth act deeds of darkness Therefore called the power of darkness and the deeds of spiritual darkness in point of worship is called by the Revelation of John he that sits upon the black horse Because he commandeth all people to worship his imaginary God And the people thorow the darkness of their understandings they do obey and so they become in point of spiritual worship a black horse For the dark power of reason to sit or ride upon c. CHAP. XVIII ANd in the 7 verse it is said And when he had opened the fourth Seal I heard the fourth beast say Come and see and in the 8 verse John looked and behold a pale horse and his name that sate on him was Death and hell followed with him and power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth to kill with sword and with hunger and with death and with the beasts of the earth I would have the Reader to minde the interpretation of this pale horse because everyone of us must be a pale horse for death to sit upon Except we be swallowed up of life as Moses and Elijah was Which I nor no man else at this day doth know he shall So that death must ride upon all sinful flesh Now to give you the meaning what this pale horse is it is no other but the sinful soul of man and woman Therefore as the Scriptures saith When sin entred into the world then death entred in upon it So that as soon as ever the souls of Adam and Eve had let sin enter into their souls Then death entered for death did ride upon sin and sin did ride upon the soul of ours first parents According to that saying of God in the day that thou eatest thereof meaning the forbidden fruit thou shalt dye the death So that as soon as sin entred into their souls death entred also So that the souls of Adam and Eve became as a pale horse for death to ride upon For there was not onely the fear of this first death but the fear of eternal death also Which made the soul of Adam to fear therefore he went to hide himself For the fear of death will make the soul to look pale so that it will become a pale horse for death to ride upon For by sin entering into the world death got power over all life So that death sits upon all life both upon man and beasts For the beasts are made subject to death by reason of the fall of man Onely I would have the Reader to understand this secret that the creatures the beasts were created of God on purpose to be killed for the nourishment of man But if sin had never been committed by man death would never have entered upon the life of man nor beast That is no beast would have died naturally as they do now But what were killed on purpose for some use so that no man would have had such lose as some men now have Some are undone by the dying of Horses others by Cows and others by Sheep and this is death that hath entered into the world upon the beasts For the sin of Adam brought death upon all his posterity and upon the beasts also as aforesaid So that the life of man and beasts is become a pale horse for death to sit upon And the fear of death in Adam did make his soul to look pale And so it doth in all mankinde the fear of death it makes the stoutest heart to look pale especially when the fear of eternal death is not taken away As very few men in the world have the fear of the second death taken from them So that their souls look pale indeed so that the generality of men and women have the fear of eternal death that sits upon their souls so that they are that pale horse that death rideth upon And hell follows immediately after the first death the second death and hell go both together hand in hand These things I say will make any soul to look pale This I can experience both by my self and others before I came to know the true way of redemption And because you the Seed of Faith may know that the soul of man is that pale horse that death sits upon Which sin did cause to enter upon all life I say this death it entered upon the life of God himself So that God died unto sin that is to satisfie sin that sin which brought death with it might enter upon the life of God and kill that life in God for a moment But the life of God being more strong then death it pierced thorow the body of death and quickened a new life again So that he overcame death in that death could not keep him under it As it doth the first Adam and his posterity It is much like unto a valiant soldier who by his valor and strength passeth thorow a body of men well armed And by his getting thorow that body of men he comes to rout and scatter them and gets the victory over them So was it with Christ the onely God he laying down his Godhead life it being in the Manhood unto death he passed thorow death and killed that which did kill him to wit sin death and hell These being mighty strong enemies too strong for any created soul or life to encounter with None could do it but the life of the eternal God himself For sin lyeth heavy upon the soul of man and death is the king of fears it maketh kings to fear and tremble at the sight of it And hell is worse then death it self yet these strong enemies are overcome by the blood of the Lamb and in all those that have faith in it and doth truly understand it So that you that have faith may see what this pale horse is John speaketh of and what death is that sits upon the pale horse And what power they have given unto them over the four parts of the earth Even to kill with the Sword and with hunger and with death and with the beasts of the earth The pale horse and death hath power given them over all life in the four
parts of the earth So that some being so affrighted at death they shall kill with the sword And others again shall be so fearful of death that they shall starve themselves for hunger Others again shall come under death by natural diseases even as the beasts of the earth dieth So that death that rideth upon the pale horse hath power given as long as this world doth last over all flesh that hath life For it is life that must die and death must take it into his custody and swallow up life into the belly of death Else he cannot be called death except death doth utterly annihilate life it cannot properly be called death For while life is in being death is utterly annihilated in life So that there is no being for death at all not in that mans body But when death entreth into that mans blood who was so full of life before Then death groweth more and more in the blood and eateth up the life quite into death So that there is nothing to be seen in all that life but a dead body For death hath got the life of that body in the body for the body was life before as well as the soul But death having overcome them both they are both swallowed up of death So that you may see death as he is As you did see life as he was before And not that the life goes out of the body as men do vainly imagine so that death is he that rideth upon the pale horse as I shewed before And these four horses as John speaketh of in his vision are the same horses as Zechariah speaketh of in his vision Zechariah the 6 and the 3 verse the Prophet saw in his vision four Charrets and Horses the first Charret had red horses and the second had black horses and the third had white horses and the fourth had grizled and bay horses Now the Prophet expresseth in his vision the horses in the plural number to be more horses then one of a sort But John declares them in his vision in the singular number Therefore though there be more exprest by the Prophet yet the matter and substance is all one For all horses are comprized under those four So that there needeth no further opening of the horses then there hath been For there is enough said concerning those four horses and their riders to satisfie the Seed of Faith But if one should speak never so much the seed of reason will not be satisfied Onely this I would have the Reader not to scruple because the Prophet calls the fourth horse grizled and bay when as John calls it a pale horse For grizled doth signifie death sitting upon the life as paleness doth So that the thing is all one though differing something in words So that there needeth be no further interpretation upon those four horses therefore I shall pass by them and come to the next thing of concernment CHAP. XIX IN the 9 verse of this chapter At the opening of the fifth seal John saw in the vision the souls of them that were slain under the altar for the word of God and for the testimony which they held Now I would have the Reader to consider that visions doth many times present to him that seeth it Things that are at a distance and far off as at present or neer at hand As if the thing were in present being This hath been the usual custom of those that write those visions in the Scriptures They being presented to the chosen Prophets and Messengers of the most high God Those visions so presented were to signifie either some extraordinary happiness and deliverances to a particular person or people or nation or else some great judgement and destruction to a person people or nation in the temporal as aforesaid Or else visions are presented to the understanding of man to signifie spiritual and eternal blessings To a number of people or else to signifie spiritual and eternal miseries unto a number of people So that what visions be declared by chosen men of God though the thing be not immediately at hand whether the vision doth signifie temporal or spiritual things Yet the Seed of Faith doth look upon it as if it were in present being Because they believe the truth of the thing as those Prophets of old did prophesie of Christs coming in the flesh as Isaiah saith in the 9 chapter To us a Childe is born and to us a Son is given meaning Christ c. Now the Prophet saith he is born when as he was not borâ— many hundred years after that And so other of the Prophets looked upon the birth of Christ the Redeemer as in present being For as I have said in my other Writings that faith doth look at things afar off and at a distance as neer at hand and in present being But because the seed of reason cannot do so therefore they do not prevent neither the temporal nor the eternal judgement that will come upon them But you the Seed of Faith may know that John did see in the vision by the eye of Faith the souls of them that were slain under the altar And he heard the cry of them when the fifth Seal was opened That God their Redeemer would avenge their blood on them hat dwell on the earth That is upon the persecutors that dwell on the earth Now I would have you the Seed of Faith to understand how these that were slain under the altar could cry for vengeance seeing they were dead under the altar and yet is said to cry aloud for vengeance on them that persecuted and put them to death The meaning is this that the blood of those that were slain for the testimony of Jesus it did cry vertually and efficaciously unto God that he would avenge it according to his will and promise And so God doth hear the cry of their blood that was slain under the altar I say God doth hear their cry as he did the cry of the blood of Abel it came up unto God as in Gen. 3. and 10. And God said unto Cain What hast thou done the voice of thy brothers blood cryeth unto me from the ground So that the blood of Abel did cry from the ground unto the Lord for vengeance and who must the righteous Judge be avenged of but he that shed his brothers blood And in this manner did the souls of them that were slain under the altar for the word of God and the testimony they held cry for vengeance upon those that persecuted and put them to death So that you the seed of reason may see that there is power in blood that is shed for conscience sake in point of worship to cry unto the Lord for vengeance upon those that do murder and kill upon that account And no persecutor of that nature will escape vengeance to come no more then Cain did escape that slew his brother For the blood of those that are slain in such a
make war with the Lamb that is they make war with the Saints and shed their blood For these ten Kings do execute the will of the beast in making war with the Saints for in making war with the Saints they may be said to make war with the Lamb. And as the faith and patience of the Saints did bear their cruel torments to the terrifying of the souls of their persecutors even whilest in this life So that the sufferings of the Saints with patience and chearfulness for they have no other weapons of war but the weapon of the Spirit That is to say a Breast-plate of Righteousness the Shield of Faith the Helmet of Salvation the Sword of the Spirit these are the Lambs weapons of war and he doth furnish his Saints with them so that they shall be able to overcome all their enemies Who fighteth with Spear and Shield or with Sword of steel or Gun these are the devils weapons of war and he fighteth with the Saints with these and such like weapons and so kills the body and hath no more to do That is he puts to death this natural life which is called but a killing the body and hath no more to do But the weapons of war the Saints do use they being spiritual they kill the persecutors soul and yet shed no blood For as carnal weapons doth kill the natural life of man and shed his blood So likewise those spiritual weapons afore-mentioned doth kill that spiritual life in the persecutors with an eternal or second death and yet shed no blood and in this manner shall the Lamb overcome these ten Kings which ten Kings doth include all persecuting spirits whatsoever For the Lamb being King of kings and Lord of Lords he hath chosen his Saints and they are faithful to fight under his banner for he hath called them for that purpose And the Lamb being their King and Captain the Saints shall certainly overcome their persecutors and in this sense the Lamb shall overcome them CHAP. LXIIII. VErse the fifteenth And he saith unto me the waters which thâ—â— sawest where the whore sitteth are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues I have opened this verse before so that I need not speak any thing more of it here but I shall pass by this and go to the sixteenth verse Verse the sixteenth And the ten borne thou sawest upon the beast these shall hate the where and shall make her desolate and naked and shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire These ten horns are those ten Kings aforesaid they received power before from the beast to persecute the Saints and to make war with the Lamb. And now they receive power from God to hate the whore and to fight against her spiritual power as you may see in the seventeenth verse For God hath put it into their hearts to fulfil his will Yet I would have the Reader to minde that these ten horns or ten kings doth imploy all wicked kings who are subordinate or under the beast For all wicked beasts are included in this one beast and all idolatrous spiritual power is included in this one whore or City Babylon So that God will put it into the hearts of wicked kings to put down the spiritual power of idolatry So that the Fifth-Monarchy-men are mightily mistaken thinking in themselves that those Kings or great persons that shall pull down the Popes spiritual power or any other spiritual power that hath neer affinity with the Popish worship I say they are much mistaken For God will put it into the hearts of wicked reprobate men to do his will they shall hate the whore and make her desolate and naked That it they shall smite her flesh with a sword of steel and burn her with fire that is they shall utterly destroy her For burning with fire signifies utter destruction and eating her flesh it signifies the being well pleased in their mindes so that their mindes doth feed upon the destruction of her and in this sense they may be said to eat her flesh Onely this I do confess that the Pope is that whore that must be made desolate for the same spirit of fornication concerning spiritual matters or worshipping of idols is in the Pope and others as there was in other whores who profess the same spiritual power as the Pope doth For one spirit of idolatry hath run thorow the line of them all in all ages and the Pope succeeding after the Ten Persecutions he is called by the Spirit a whore and the last whore And doth not she by her spiritual power sit upon many waters which waters doth signifie multitudes of people nations and tongues doth not she by her spiritual power and temporal both sit almost upon all Europe Doth noâ— she sit upon almost all the Beasts that is the Kings of Europe So that when this whore is made desolate the world will be at an end Onely this I would have the Fifth-Monarchy-men to minde that they must be wicked reprobate men that doth make her desolate for all that fighteth with carnal weapons that is a sword and Gun they are wicked Though God doth put it into their hearts to do his will for one wicked man shall destroy another with carnal weapons For these ten horns which signifies all wicked Kings when they have made the whore desolate they shall give their kingdoms unto the beast until the words of God shall be fulfilled That is these conquerors over the whore shall give their kingdoms unto the Beast who gave them Commission and power at the first to persecute and kill the Saints So that they take no notice that God did put it into their hearts to do his will upon the whore but they attribute all the power and glory of it to the beast looking more upon his Commission and Authority that he gave them To destroy the Saints and by the same Authority they think they do make the whore desolate not minding Gods putting it into their hearts Therefore it is they give their kingdom unto the beast until the words of God shall be fulfilled That is they shall give their kingdoms unto the beast until the end of the world When God shall make a final end that is an eternal destruction of the beast and of the whore and of these ten horns that gave their kingdoms unto the beast then will the words of God be fulfilled CHAP. LXV VErse the eighteenth and the last verse of this chapter And the woman which thou sawest is that great City which raigneth over the Kings of the earth I have spoken of these things in this verse in divers places before so that I need not say no more of it Onely this I would have the Reader to minde that all this seventeenth Chapter the things contained in it it was shewed unto John by way of vision And what judgement should befall in the end to all those that were concerned in those matters of spiritual and temporal
eternal happiness and that his blood might keep down the reprobate seed to endless misery So that the Reader may see what the Spirit doth mean by Christ being clothed with a garment down to the foot and his vesture dipt in blood For I think none are so ignorant as to think that it was any woollen or linnen or silk garment that was dipt in blood that would have been little benefit to any man But the ignorance of people is so great that they will think and believe any thing though never so contrary to reason and yet seem to be wise men in reason but the greater is their darkness in spiritual and heavenly things Yet the Seed of Faith may see what this vesture dipt in blood is and who it was that was clothed with this garment down to the foot It was no other but God himself as is said in the same verse And his Name is called The word of God for there is none can truly be called the Word of God but God for the Word was with God and the Word was God as I have shewed before CHAP. LXXV VErse 14. And the Armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses clothed in fine linnen white and clean These armies which were in heaven they are the Saints and the Prophets Apostles and Witnesses of the Spirit are the Captains over these armies that is all true Believers in every Commission are in these three armies and there is one Chief General in all the armies in heaven and that is God himself So that all these armies in heaven follow him upon white horses For as the General hath a white horse to sit upon so likewise have all the armies in heaven that is to say all the Saints white horses to sit upon also The Reader may remember that I shewed before what is meant by a white horse and how that God himself had a white horse to sit upon to wit his own righteousness of faith By which power of faith God created all things and by the power of faith he fulfilled the Law and by the power of faith he laid down his life unto death and by the power of faith did rise again so that this righteousness of faith is that white horse that Christ doth sit upon Likewise the armies in heaven they follow him upon white horses also that is all the Saints as aforesaid being true Believers in Christs death that his blood was the blood of God so that this blood hath washed their souls in it that their hearts are purified by faith in the blood of the Lamb so that they have the righteousness of faith in them and this righteousness of faith is called by the Spirit A white horse So that all the armies in heaven that is all true Believers they have white horses to sit upon to follow their God their King and their Redeemer And as for their being clothed in fine linnen white and clean that signifies their souls being purified by faith the guilt of all sin is cleansed from them so that though their souls were as red as scarlet with the guilt of sin yet now being purified by faith they are made as white as snow So that their souls are clothed now with peace joy and glory which is as fine linnen white and clean c. Verse 15. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword that with it he should smite the nations and he shall rule them with a rod of iron and he treadeth the wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God This sharp sword that goeth out of his mouth it is out of the mouth of Christ that is when he shall command his Angels to pour out their vials of wrath or plagues upon the enemies of truth It may be called a sharp sword that goeth out of his mouth so that by the word of his mouth he shall cause his Angels to smite the nations and when they have smitten them dead he by a word of his mouth will raise them again and rule them with a rod of iron in that he will make them undergo a second death So that the two-edged sword that goeth out of his mouth shall cut both ways that is to say it shall cut down this natural life and cut down that spiritual life also so that after death they shall have a living death and a dying life so that he will rule them with a rod of iron in utter darkness where is weeping and gnashing of teeth for evermore For as much as he hath trod the wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God he hath purchased to himself a greater power than he had before even a power that after he hath killed this natural life to kill both body and soul of his enemies in hell fire that is with a second and eternal death and so he will rule them with a rod of iron indeed I would not have the Reader to stumble because it is said in Scripture in divers places and in this verse also that he treadeth the wine-press of the wrath of Almighty God as if there were a Father above Christ as men have vainly imagined and have not stuck to say that Christ-trod the wine-press of his Fathers wrath But I would have the Reader to know that there is no such saying in all the Bible as that he trode the wine-press of his Fathers wrath but he treadeth the wine-press of the wrath of Almighty God for he is the Almighty God himself though in a two-fold condition as I have shewed before in this Treatise Which methinks might satisfie the minde of any sober moderate man but if it doth not satisfie the reason of man I cannot help it the thing is truth in it self and it was a truth to the Prophets and Apostles and to John the Evangelist and it is a truth to me and will be a truth to all true Believers to the worlds end CHAP. LXXVI VErse the sixteenth And he hath on his Vesture and on his Thigh a Name written King of kings and Lord of lords This vesture is the body of his flesh as I said before and on his thigh signifies that part of his vesture that is most fittest to write his name upon the thigh being the most fleshy part of a man and so most fittest to write upon That is it was the most fittest part of all the body to thrust the spear into so that there was written on his vesture and on his thigh King of kings and Lord of lords That is he was pierced with the devils spear in the body and in his thigh and by the blood that came out of his own vesture there was this name written upon his own body King of kings and Lord of lords That is that body was the body of God and that blood was the blood of God so that he being the King of Heaven he must needs be King of kings and Lord of lords for who is King of kings but
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
as the vessels of a Potter shall they be broken to shivers even as I received of my Father and I will give him the Morning Star Here those that are strong in faith who holdeth out to the end in keeping Christs works that is who ever holdeth out to the end of his life in suffering for the faith of Jesus He will give him that doth so power over the Nations and he shall rule them with a rod of iron That is he by his faith and sufferings shall have power over the Nations although he loose his life yet he shall have power over the Nations because his sufferings for truth shall lye so heavy upon the consciences of those Nations that persecute upon that account that shall be ruled as it were with a rod of iron for there is rods of iron upon the spirits of men as there is upon the bodies of men For this rod of iron which breaketh mens spirits to pieces even like a Potters vessel by wounding their consciences with the guilt of innocent blood so that the iron rod of Gods wrath will make them afraid of hell and torment will seize upon them and the fear of Gods eternal vengeance upon them for this sin of innocent blood So that all their peace joy and comfort they had in this world is broken in pieces by this iron rod of suffering for truth For was not that Nation of the Jews who put the Lord of Life to death broken to pieces in the comfort of their souls by that iron rod of Christs suffering death And not onely so but the temporal iron rod did break that Nation to pieces a so in a few years after Did not many of those Nations that persecuted the Apostles and Saints in the primitive times had not they a rod of iron upon their hearts And not onely so but a temporal rod of iron which broke them to pieces as to the peace of their mindes and to their temporal peace also as Histories doth mention so that suffering for truth it is as strong an iron rod to break persecuting spirits to pieces even as a rod of iron doth break a Potters vessel For this is to be minded that he that had the greatest faith never made use of any sword of steel nor any temporal rod of iron but as the Sword of the Spirit doth cut mens souls both ways So this rod of iron it is used in a spiritual sense for as words of truth doth cut men to the heart as the Jews were at Peters words so suffering for truth it doth bang the hearts of persecuting men even as a rod of iron and breaketh all their peace and hope to pieces even as a Potters vessel So that he that hath power to suffer for his faith he shall break his enemies to shivers both spiritual and temporal even as Christ did by his sufferings And as Christ did conquer by his sufferings over death sin and hell and not onely but over those persecuting spirits which caused him to be put to death I say he brake all his spiritual and temporal enemies to pieces even as a potters vessel is broken to pieces with an iron rod. Even so it will be with every true believer whose faith doth hold out to the end he shall conquer both sin death and hell in himself and not onely so but he shall rule his enemies without him as with a rod of iron by keeping them under the fear of eternal death who persecute for truths sake So that the peace and hopes of their mindes by the patient sufferings of the Saints will be broken in shivers even as a Potters vessel And Christ will give him the Morning Star This Morning Star is that Day-star that doth arise in the heart as the Apostle speaks This Morning or Day-star is that light of truth or light of the true God that doth arise in the heart of every true Believer and doth guide him in the right way so that the soul is guided by the light of this Star in the way of truth here even to the assurance of eternal life And so the light of this Morning Star doth lead every true Believer into that eternal glory which God hath promised to all those that do overcome those spiritual enemies within and all perâ—ecuting spirits without by his faith and patience c. CHAP. III. 5. He that overcometh the same shall be clothed in white raiment and I will not blot out his name out of the Book of Life c. AS for this white raiment I shall shew what is meant by it in several places of this Treatise and as for Christs not blotting his name out of the Book of Life And as for the Book of Life and how mens names are written therein the Reader shall finde in the following Discourse And as for his name not blotted out of the Book of Life the meaning is this That he that overcometh as aforesaid shall not loose the sensibleness of his name being written in the Book of Life but shall have a certain assurance of it in himself For when a man doth not know by faith that his name is written in the Book of Life that is he having no assurance that he is of that Seed that shall be saved he cannot truly say any otherwise but that his name is blotted out of the Book of Life For though a mans name as he is an elect Vessel is written in the Book of Life yet he not knowing it is to him as if it were blotted out of the Book of Life So on the contrary if any man shall vainly imagine that his name is written in the Book of Life as most people in the world do and he being of the contrary seed his name is not written in the Book of Life neither is he certain that it is not so So that neither of these two they being both uncertain of the thing in themselves their names may be said to be blotted out of the Book of Life For the Seed of Faith his name is written in the Book of Life but he knows it not and the seed of Reason his name is not written in the Book of Life yet he thinks it is but doth not certainly know that it is not So that to the apprehension of them both their names are blotted out of the Book of Life For this I say that except a man hath some witness in himself by voice from God or some secret revelation or by a stedfast faith in those Messengers whom God doth send he cannot know that his name is written in the Book of Life but rather fear that his name is blotted out of it So that the assurance that a mans name is not blotted out of the Book of Life is when a man hath the witness in himself that he knoweth the true God and doth suffer persecution for the truth and not for a lye as all the world doth And so he that overcometh by faith and patient
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
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
form of a white horse it is not much material for it the spirit will call the righteousness of Saints a white horse who shall gainsay it But however the white Robes of the Saints who are washed in the blood of the Lamb are as a white horse for God their King to ride upon So that if you understand the interpretation of this white horse you may the more easily know the meaning of the other three horses Also it is necessary to know who doth ride or sit upon this white horse I declare by Revelation from the holy Spirit that he which John saw sit on the white horse it was no other but Christ himself It was he that had a bowe and a crown was given unto him it may be said the crown was given unto him as he was the Redeemer For this crown of Glory that was given unto him it was as he was the Redeemer and not as he was the Creator And as he was the Redeemer he sate or rode upon the white horse And he went forth conquering and to conquer That is he being the author of the righteousness of Faith as he was the Redeemer that he made the Saints so pure and white that they became a white horse for him to sit upon So that they were able by their faith in the blood of the Lamb to suffer tribulation and death it self So that they became more then conquerors for he that suffereth persecution for the name of Jesus he doth conquer more then he that doth persecute and put to death So likewise Christ that sate upon this white horse as he was the Redeemer he went forth conquering and to conquer That is he went forth in the power of faith by which he created all things he went forth to redeem the Seed of Adam that was fallen under death and the fear of eternal damnation So that death and hell got power over Adam and his Seed so that Christ riding upon the white Horse of innocency or the righteousness of Faith he went forth conquering and to conquer That is he went forth to die to shed his most precious blood and by his giving himself up unto death He conquered over sin death and hell Therefore it is said in Scripture Oh death I will be thy death oh grave I will be thy victory That is he will get victory over the grave as he did over death for he destroyed death in that death could not keep him under it for ever in that he passed thorow it He got victory over the grave in that the grave could not keep him inclosed in the earth So that he went forth conquering and to conquer never leaving off until he had conquered all his enemies That is to say sin death devil hell the grave these all were his enemies and he hath conquered over them all by his becoming flesh and by his suffering of death upon the Cross as he was a Redeemer or as he was God the Son and these enemie did Christ which sate upon the white horse go forth conquering and to conquer to redeem the Seed of Adam And this is the true meaning what is meant by the white horse and by him that sate thereon and by his conquering and to conquer And the bowe which he had it signified the power he had to shout and kill those spiritual enemies which is sin death hell and devil Which could no ways have been killed but by giving his life up unto death and by his passing thorow death and quickening into life again he killed death sin hell and the devil With this dart of offering up his soul unto death it being shot thorow sin death and hell by the strength or bowe of the power of faith in God And as for the Crown that was given him it is spoken with relation to the Son-ship of God as he is a Redeemer So that the Crown of Glory that he hath given him it is attributed unto him as he is a Redeemer For the work of Redemption is counted by the redeemed ones more worthy of a Crown of glory then the work of creation So that this Crown of glory that is given to Christ that sate upon the white Horse it is in relation to his work of Redemption in that he conquered over all those spiritual enemies as aforesaid So much for the first and second verses CHAP. XVI IN the 3 verse it is said And when he had opened the second Seal I heard the second Beast say Come and see And in the 4 verse There went out another horse that was red and power was given to him that sate thereon to take peace from the earth and that they should kill one another and there was given unto him a great Sword These four beasts which John saw in the vision did signifie unto him those wonderful Transactions which were and should be acted here on earth in the state of mortality in the time of the four Monarchies And signified unto John in the way of vision by four horses Now the second horse that did appear to John in the vision was a red horse and power was given to him that sate thereon to take peace from the earth and that they should kill one another This Monarchical Government went forth upon a red horse that is shedding of blood should be the greatest work he that sate thereon should do It was called a red Horse because of the much shedding of blood so that the blood of men is called a red Horse even as the righteousness of faith is called a white Horse And as the souls of the Saints were made white with the blood of the Lamb so are these souls made red with shedding of one anothers blood So that every mans soul became a red horse and he that sate upon this red horse had power given him to take peace from the earth and for that purpose theâ—e was given unto him a great sword Now this great Sword it was to kill and in killing one another peace must needs be taken from the earth So that this Kingly Power though they were many Kings yet they are called but him that sate upon the red horse So likewise though there were many thousand slain and had their blood shed yet they are all called but A red horse so that there is but the horse and his rider for Kings and Magistrates do ride upon the people in that they command the people to kill one another So that people which go to fight to shed one anothers blood may well be called A red horse for they make their souls as red as scarlet with blood-shed And the power of the Magistrate doth ride and sit upon this red horse for he hath a great sword given unto him to command persecutors to kill one another and they must obey and become a red horse or else they must be killed themselves Thus in short I have given you the signification of the red horse and of him that sits thereon For
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
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
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
reason the root which doth send forth refreshing thoughts motions and actions Many times the seed of reason doth this which is as a river of water to refresh the soul of man But when evil thoughts motions and actions do arise out of the heart it causeth fear wrath and torment of soul both of the punishment of the Law here in this life and the punishment of eternal damnation hereafter So that the rivers and fountains of waters that doth flow out of the hearts of men and women they are turned into blood That is as I said before the motions thoughts and actions which did arise out of the heart that yielded peace to the minde they were as water to refresh the heart of man even as water doth quench the thirst of nature both of man and beast But when these waters of the soul be turned to blood there is nothing but thoughts of fear motions of wrath and fear of eternal death So that the soul of man is loth or doth loath to drink of those thoughts motions and actions which are turned to blood that is to wrath and fear of eternal damnation But drink they must of the wine of the wrath of God for they have made the Saints to drink of the wine and wrath of their persecution for not worshipping the beast nor his image nor receiving his mark Though I speak of all men and women in general because all people have a river of water in their hearts but all rivers are not turned to blood But the meaning is all those people who worship the beast his image who receive the mark of his name or the number of his names these things includes both the beast and all false worships and false worshippers since Christ gave the Commission of the Gospel to his Apostles And as Moses poured out that Plague of turning the natural rivers and fountains of water of Egypt to blood at the first coming into his Commission of the Law So likewise will Christ pour out his vial of wrath upon the spirits of men and women and turn the waters of their souls to blood as aforesaid and this will be executed at the latter end of the world which end will be as certain as the beginning was by Moses Therefore John by the spirit of Revelation saw these vials poured out upon the beast and his seat and upon his image and upon those that had his mark name or number of his name as aforesaid For it is the nature of true faith to see things afar off or at a distance as near at hand or in present being So that this vial of Gods wrath which the third Angel poured out upon the rivers and fountains of waters I declare it is meant upon the souls that is upon the peace of the souls of those wicked beasts or Head-Magistrates who set up images idols and forms of false worship and cause the people so to do And all those people that do bow down to this worship they receive the mark of the beast or the name of the beast or the number of his name upon all these their souls is this vial poured out upon That is upon the peace of all their souls which peace is called by the Spirit rivers and fountains of waters And upon these rivers and fountains of waters the Angel doth pour out his vial and turn the waters of idolatrous men and womens souls to blood For this the Reader is to minde that there is motions that doth run in the minde of man as the waters doth in a river or spring And these motions doth cool or satisfie the soul of man as waters doth when men are athirst As the rich man Christ speaks of who being in hell desired one drop of cold water to cool his tongue that is one motion of peace or hope of deliverance out of this heat For if there could but one motion of peace arise out of the heart of one being in hell it would be that drop of cold water to cool the tongue of the soul But these waters being turned to blood by the vial of Gods wrath being poured upon it no waters can arise That is no peace can spring from the souls of men and women who have this vial poured out upon them that is who have the waters of their souls turned to blood that is to wrath torment and the fear of eternal damnation And because the Reader may know that the motions of peace in a mans minde may be called a river of water you may minde the words of Christ where he saith He that believeth 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 the Water of Life it should have been a Well springing up unto eternal life These waters flow from the Seed of Faith in the soul of men and women these are not those waters that are turned to blood But there are waters that proceed from the seed of Reason in the heart of men and women which are motions of natural peace that doth arise from the seed of Reason in man and these are those waters that are turned to blood by the pouring out of the vial of Gods wrath upon them as will appear by Scripture As first the waters of Cains soul was turned to blood for killing his brother Abel 2. The waters of cursed Cham his soul was turned to blood for uncovering his fathers nakedness in that he procured the curse of his father and Cain had more torment upon his soul than he could bear 3. The waters of Esau's soul was turned to blood for despising his Birth-right 4. The waters of King Saul's soul was turned into blood for disobeying the Commandment of the Lord in that it caused him to enquire of a Witch These being all of them the seed of Reason and the waters that is the motions of peace that did arise from that Seed as you may read that Saul had many or much peace for he was called Saul amongst the Prophets And further it is said that the good Spirit of the Lord departed from him and an evil spirit from the Lord was sent unto him That is the motions of peace departed from him and the motions of fear and horror was sent unto him That is the waters of his soul were turned to blood and so will it be not onely with these afore-mentioned but with all the seed of the serpent who rebel against God and that worship false gods as these beasts and all those that receive his mark So that to conclude this vial of Gods wrath of turning the rivers and fountains of waters to blood it hath relation to all wicked Kings and Head-Magistrates who are called by the Spirit Beasts and all those that receive the mark in the fore-head or right hand or his name or the number of his name For the mark name and number of his name doth include
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
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
express these heavealy Secrets as well as I could rather than to bury them with my self alone So that who ever doth read this Treatise of the Interpretation of this Book of the Revelation of St. John I say they must take it as it is and let them remember that God seldom chose Learned men to declare the mysteries of his kingdom but let that pass When I had weighed and pondered in my minde this great mystery of God that God became flesh I was moved in my minde to express my self thus unto God Oh Lord God of truth thou that wert from eternity and hadst thy being of thy self a spiritual body in form like a man thou who knowst no beginning of thy self neither dost thou know any ending of thy self yet thou by thy own wisdom and power became very man clothing thy spiritual body with pure humane flesh onely the Life of that body was no other but the Godhead Life so that thou madest thy self a little lower then the Angels also thou madest thy self capable to suffer the pains of death by thy own creatures and so thy vesture was made red it being dipt in thy own blood for the Redemption of thy own seed the seed of Adam It is thee O Lord that wert the first revealer of heavenly secrets unto mankinde some thou hast revealed thy minde unto by voice of words some by secret inspiration of thy Spirit and others thou hast revealed the mysteries concerning thy self and thy kingdom by the Spirit of Faith that doth arise out of its seed so that the original of all true Revelation and understanding the mysteries of thy kingdom it doth come from thee Oh Lord God of truth so that I can truly say with Moses the Prophets Apostles and Saints Blessed be the Lord God of truth who hath revealed unto me the mystery of God and the mystery of the right devil with the interpretation of many other heavenly secrets spoken of by John in this Book never revealed before unto Prophet or Apostle therefore unto thee O Lord God of truth thou that art King of kings and Lord of lords who art that Alpha and Omega whose garment of flesh was made red and whose vesture of flesh was dipt in his own blood for the Redemption of mankinde thou who art the first and the last even he that was dead but is alive and behold he liveth for evermore to thee onely be ascribed all Allelujah of praises by me thy servant whom thou hast chosen when I thought not of it Also let Allelujah blessing glory and honor be given unto him by all those that doth truly understand and believe these things interpreted in this Treatise I say again let us give all praises honor and glory unto our God our King and our Redeemer even the Lord Jesus Christ both now and for evermore Amen Amen CHAP. LXXX AS for this twentieth Chapter it is onely a relation of things done before and as for the chief things in this Chapter concerning Satans being bound for a thousand years and after the thousand years was expired Satan was let loose with many other things depending thereupon they are opened already in the Interpretation of the eleventh of the Revelation Onely I shall give a word or two to shew what is meant by Gog and Magog This Gog and Magog is the Turk Pagan and all heathen men who never professed the worship of Moses nor the worship of the Gospel that is the same spirit that was in the heathen in former time who were called by the Spirit Gog and Magog as you may see Ezekiel 39.1 Thus saith the Lord God behold I am against thee O Gog. And in verse 6. God will send a fire on Magog So chapter 38.2 Son of Man set thy face against Gog the land of Magog and in the 3 verse and say Thus saith the Lord behold I am against thee O Gog the chief Princes of Meshech Now this Gog and Magog spoken of in Ezekiel it was no other but Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon he I say is called by the Spirit Gog as in 2 Chron. 36 6 and all his princes who had great armies who helped him to fight against Jerusalem and they are called by the Spirit Magog as you may see 2 Kings 24.1 2. Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon came up that is he came up to fight against Jerusalem and there came against Jerusalem bands of the Caldees and bands of the Syrians and bands of the Moabites and bands of the children of Ammon these all came against Judah to destroy it and so they did according to the word of the Lord. And these bands of men aforesaid are called by the Spirit Magog so that it may be clear to the Reader that this Gog and Magog spoken of by John it is meant all the Heathen power upon the face of the earth in that the heathen hath three parts of the world in his hands For this is to be minded by the Reader that this Gog and Magog spoken of by the Prophets they were Heathen powers and people who never did profess nor confess the Scriptures of truth And this Gog and Magog John speaketh of are Heathen men also for the same spirit that was in that Gog and Magog it doth run in the line of that seed even to the end of the world So that the Heathen that shall be destroyed at the end of time may be called Gog and Magog as the other Gog and Magog was destroyed after the seventy years were expired they were destroyed with a temporal destruction but this Gog and Magog John speaketh of they will be destroyed with an eternal destruction at the end of time For this spirit of reason the devil or Satan that was bound for a thousand years and when the thousand years was expired he was let loose which things I have opened in The Interpretation of the eleventh of the Revelation This spirit of reason the devil as aforesaid it being loosed out of prison which prison I have shewed what it is in that book aforesaid so that this Satan being loosed he goeth forth to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth as in the eighth verse of this chapter Gog and Magog to gather them together to battel the number of whom is as the sand of the Sea So that the Reader may see that Satan shall go out to deceive the nations that are in the four quarters of the earth which four quarters doth signifie all the world for the world is divided but into four parts and all these four parts of the earth they are deceived by this spirit of Satan which spirit of Satan I have shewed what it is in my other writings but this is to be minded that the Saints the Seed of Faith are excepted by the Spirit for though they live in the four parts of the earth yet they are not deceived by the spirit of Satan not as to their eternal perdition as the other
sense upon the words of this Prophecy even what their imaginations doth dictate unto them they being uncertain in themselves that what they say to be true So that who ever doth take upon him to be a Minister of the Gospel to interprete the Scriptures without a Commission from God or that knowledge aforesaid I say such men as those may be said to add unto the words of the Prophecy of this Book of the Revelation and not only so but to the whole Book of the Scriptures For all men that do undertake to be Ministers and Preachers of Christ without a Commission from him they not being sent by him these men onely are those that do add unto the Prophecy of this Book that is they add their own vain thoughts and conceivings of their own imaginations unto the truths of God So that in stead of the true meaning of the Scriptures the people have nothing else but the Preachers thoughts and conceivings of the Scriptures and so are altogether unsatisfied in their spirits and these are those men that do add unto the Prophecy of this Book of the Revelation and to the Book of the Scriptures So in like manner will God add unto him or them the plagues that are written in this Book Now what these plagues are they are spoken of in this Book The plagues that shall be added unto them are spiritual that is to say spiritual darkness upon the minde here and the fear of the second death so that the soul of man shall possess the second death which shall burn as a lake of fire and brimstone in utter darkness where is weeping and gnashing of teeth to eternity These are those spiritual plagues that God will add to all those men that go to be Preachers of his Gospel and were not sent by him for they onely do add unto the Prophecy of this Book So that the Reader may see what a dangerous thing it is for a man to take upon him to prophesie preach or teach as a Messenger of Christ without a Commission from him For who ever doth so he doth add his own vain thoughts and imaginations in the Scriptures of those Heavenly Secrets Mysteries and Visions declared by holy men who were inspired by the holy Ghost or the revelation of Faith to write those things aforesaid yet men by their own imaginations by the gift of Learning and by the natural wisdom of Reason will undertake to interprete Scriptures and to be Preachers to others without a Commission from God and without any true knowledge of God And so these men do come to add other Interpretations of their own conceivings unto the Scriptures which is contrary to the mind of that Spirit that writ them and so they become capable to receive of those plagues that are written in this Book as aforesaid CHAP. LXXXII ALso I would have the Reader to know that the same men that do add their conceivings unto this book the same sort of men do take away from the words of this Book of this Prophecy They may be said to take away from it in that they will not suffer any true Interpreter to expound the meaning of the words of the Prophecy of that Book of the Revelation or any other Scriptures onely this some mens mindes are acted out one way and some another some men so they may be suffered to speak their own phantasies upon the Scriptures so as to please themselves and their Hearers that is they care not how much they add to this Book not minding to take any thing from it It is not their principles to take any thing from the Scriptures but their delight is altogether to add their vain conceptions conceiving the meaning thus and thus But he that taketh away from this Book is such a one that will not suffer the true Interpretation of the Scriptures nor of this Book of the Revelation because the true Interpretation of the Scriptures overthroweth all the Principles of Religion in the world So that if truth should be suffered to have freedom in the world then all the old Principles of Religion that have been received in the world so many hundred years by the Pope and others they would quite fall to the ground So that there is a necessity that there should be a number of men to add unto this Book and a number of men to take away from it For true revelation always had some to add to it and some to take from it so that he that taketh from it God will take his part out of the Book of Life and out of the holy City and from the things which are written in this Book The meaning is this that as they would not suffer no true Interpretation of the Scriptures to abide in the world but would take it quite away both the Interpretation and the Interpreter also So in like manner God will take his part out of the Book of Life and out of the holy City so that he shall have no part in that glory and everlasting life which is written of in this Book of the Revelation That is he thought by taking away from the words of this book that is by his persecuting the true Interpretation of it that he did God good service even as he did that added to it for he that adds unto it as aforesaid doth think he doth God good service So in like manner he that taketh from it as aforesaid that persecutes true Revelation and true Interpretation he doth think he doth God good service in so doing and so he thinks to have a part in the Book of Life and to be one of the members of the holy City and to have a right to that glory and happiness that is written in this Book when as alas alas he is one of them that hath taken away from the Prophecy of this Book by persecuting the true Interpretation of it so that God hath taken away that part he thought he had in the Book of Life and that confidence he had in being a member of the holy City and of the glory hereafter I say all these things will God take away from those men that doth take away from the words of the Prophecy of this book of the Scriptures and more especially this book of the Revelation of Saint John This is the true meaning of the Spirit in adding and taking away from this Book of Johns Revelation Oh where is there a man hardly to be found but he is guilty of one of these two either to add or to take away from this mysterious book of the Revelation of John So that the Reader may see what the Spirit doth mean by adding and taking away and who they are that doth this for this is to be considered that no man can interpret the Scriptures truly but he that is chosen and sent of God as Moses and Aaron Peter and Paul and us the Witnesses of the Spirit Also none can interpret the Scriptures truly but those that have the same Spirit as those had that spake the Scriptures that spirit can trace the steps of God Almighty in those three paths which God hath walked in Those three parths are Gods three Commissions or three Records on earth to wit the Water Blood and Spirit so that no Commissionated man of God can be said either to add to or diminish from the word of God for he is chosen of God to reveal the mysteries of the kingdom unto his chosen ones which mysteries are hidden in that letter So that the messengers of God they shall be punished of God if they will not go forth to declare the mysteries of his kingdom but on the contrary if men go are not sent of God they are punished of God for going before they were sent and in going before they are sent they do add and take away from the Scriptures and from this book of the Revelation for they being not chosen nor sent of God they do not know the true meaning of the Scriptures so they not knowing the truth of them they add their own conceits and senses upon them and diminish and take away the true Interpreter by persecution and will not suffer it to abide in the world lâ—st their own principles should fall by it and this is the true meaning of the Spirit and what is meant by adding and taking away from the words of the prophecy of this book of the Revelation of St. John I thought it something necessary to open these two verses because it hath been a thing common in most peoples mouths when they have heard the interpretation of Scriptures with many deep Secrets opened and many heavenly Mysteries revealed which never was revealed before or that hath not been commonly known amongst Religious people they have seemed hard sayings So that men have cryed out O Blasphemy or else say I have added to the word of God or if the interpretation doth differ from the common received opinion or interpretation Then they will say I take away from the word of God yet they know not what it is to add or to take away from it therefore I have opened these two verses in the last chapter and the last verses but one of the Revelation of St. John that the Seed of Faith may know what it is and who they are that add and diminish the words of the prophecy of this book aforesaid and who it is that doth not add nor diminish but doth give the true interpretation of all the deep secrets and hidden mysteries of the whole book of the Revelation And now last of all what it is to add and take away with the joy and glory of them that doth not add nor diminish thereunto with the plagues shame and misery of all those that doth add thereunto or diminish there from So much for the Interpretation of all the chief Head and hard sayings in the whole book of the Revelation of St. John and the conclusion of this Epistle Lodowick Muggleton FINIS