of people that are deceived by them who were the first brothers of this idolatrous worship set up by non-commissionated men I say they are all counted by the spirit but a whore in that they and all people who doth joyn in worship with them they do commit fornication in their spirits with idols So that who ever doth worship false gods by the instigation of the false prophet or false priest he doth commit fornication or whoredom with idols So that this is to be minded that all opinions in worship that people are in who hath not a true Commission from God to be a Minister or Preacher he and they do all commit fornication with idols For every opinion in religion that doth not worship the true God they do commit fornication with idols Neither can they do otherways because their teachers are false like priest like people Also this is to be observed by the Reader that the Revelation of the Spirit it hath onely relation to those peoples that do profess and confess the Scriptures So that Johns Revelation hath relation to all those that confess the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Gospel of Jesus and the Apostles and not relating to the heathen who never heard of the Scriptures So that all those false worshippers under the Law of Moses and all those false worshippers under the Gospel of Jesus they are called by the spirit that great City Babylon or mystery Babylon or a scarlet whore It is called mystery Babylon in relation to the mystery of God as aforesaid Likewise it may be called mystery Babylon in relation to that Babel that men would have built that should have reached up to heaven after Noahs flood in respect of the confusion there was in the building of it so that it all came to utter confusion and destruction So likewise there is such a confusion in all false worship and worshippers that at the last that Babylon they have built with idols thinking to reach in that superstitious way up to heaven But they shall be confused in their understandings and in the true knowledge and worship of the true God So that they shall be utterly destroyed both them and their Babel that is their worship with an eternal destruction But this is to be minded that the first mention of this temporal Babel Genes 11.4 where the sons of Noah said Go to let us build us a City and a Tower whose top may reach unto heaven And in the seventh verse God consumed this tower by confounding their language So likewise the first rise of this mystery Babylon it was amongst the Jews That is when the Jews would worship other gods besides that God which Moses did declare unto them even the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob to wit the God of Israel yet nevertheless those Jews who were the seed of the serpent they would have other gods as the Amorites and the heathen had to go before them Therefore they would have a Calf to be their God to worship as Exodus chapter 32.1 this Calf was the first false god the people of the Jews did worship Though they murmured against God and Moses many times before yet they never fell to worship idols as Gods before So that this was the first beginning of the setting up or the building of a false worship in opposition to that worship that Moses set up which was but a little before So that as soon as ever God did set up his worship by the hand of Moses that the people might come to know the true God I say the spirit of reason which is the devil in man he doth set up his worship in like manner to worship gods of his own imagination even the works of his own hands even a Calf For this Calf doth signifie all idols or false worship whatsoever For though the idols of men are many and their forms of worship many yet they all being false not worshipping the true God they do but worship a calf in stead of God And as these Jews who made this calf for a God were the first that began to build up a Babel of false worship this spirit of idolatry it did run thorow the line of the seed of the serpent until it got great power For after Moses and Joshua were gone the seed of the serpent grew in great power and did punish those that would not bow down to Baal For Baal signifies all false worship or all false gods so that when the serpents seed got power to set up his worship as Moses had power to set up the worship of God And as Moses did plague and punish those serpents for making that calf and worshipping it or any other idols in that many of them were destroyed by death So hath the false worshippers served the Prophets and Saints ever since that would not bow down to their false worship witness Jeroboam the son of Nebat who made Israel to sin and Ahab Manasses with divers other wicked kings and rulers and head-magistrates in the time of the Law who persecuted the Prophets and put them to death For telling them of their forsaking of the worship of the Law of Moses and worshipping of idols And the same spirit of reason the devil it continued in that nation of the Jews until Christ came according to that prophesie of Jacob the scepter shall not depart from Judah until Shiloh come So that there was a Scepter of Government that did remain upon the people of the Jews though they had no Jews kings a long time before So that a matter of forty years after Christs death in the destruction of Jerusalem the Scepter did depart from Judah That is from that nation of the Jews so that they are ever since a scattered people in many parts of the earth So that the Scepter that is the Government is departed from them indeed and the same spirit of persecution and idolatry it doth run along in the seed of reason the devil in the Gentiles So that the Gentile Kings and Head magistrates have been given mightily to idolatry imitating the worship of the Gospel And hath persecuted and put to death many Saints for not bowing down to that worship set up by these Gentile-Kings or Head-magistrates ever since the destruction of Jerusalem even to this day So that this is to be minded by the Reader that this mystery Babylon or great city or whore who hath committed fornication with the Kings of the earth The meaning of the Spirit is this that all Kings and Head-magistrates in the time of the Law and in the time of the Gospel who profess the Scriptures even to the end of the world That have or shall set up a false worship or idols by their power and cause the people to do the same they may be said to commit fornication with idols So that whoever doth worship false gods let it be in what form or manner it will it is all counted by the spirit but
Sword of the Spirit which was in the Saints Even the faith of Jesus which enabled them to suffer with cheerfulness the spoyling of their goods and not loving their lives unto the death rather than to worship the beast or his image And this was that deadly wound that the beast had in his head and this was the first day and one of the ten days tribulation the Saints did undergo For when men suffer meerly for their faith of Jesus or in innocency of minde in matter of worship they do by their sufferings wound the persecutors soules more than if they should turn again and fight with a sword of steel So that it wa◠the Saints patient sufferings that did give this beast as John speaketh of that deadly wound in his head But after a season his deadly wound was healed That is after the plague of his heart was over that he saw he should not die He grew more worse much like Pharaoh when Moses had taken away the Plague from him and his people his heart was hardened and made more cruel and worse So was it with this Beast when his conscience had the fear of the present death taken off him so that he was healed as to that Then he grew worse then he was before For now his mouth uttered blasphemy and power was given unto him to continue forty two months as in verse the fifth These forty two months hath relation to the Ten Persecutions which did last a matter of three hundred years For the spirit and power of this beast did run thorow the loins of all them seven heads they all being partakers of the Dragons power seat and authority For it runs thorow the loins of al wicked Beasts or wicked Head-Magistrates For they have all the spirit of Reason even the spirit of the Dragon though not in such a measure as the Dragon hath So that the power of this beast should continue in himself and in others forty two months That was all the days of the Ten Persecutions which time was the same as the two Prophets did prophesie which is said to be forty two months Which time was as long as the Apostles Commission did last about three hundred years as aforesaid And as I have shewed in The Interpretation of the eleventh of the Revelation CHAP. XXXVI BUt in the sixth verse the 〈◊〉 that was healed of his deadly wound he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God to blaspheme his Name and his Tabernacle and them that dwelt in heaven So that you may see now this Beast was healed of his wound he was worse and blasphemed more against the living God and against his Tabernacle Which Tabernacle was the body of Christ And those that dwelt in heaven are the Saints who worshipped by faith in the Tabernacle of God which is in heaven Therefore said to dwell in heaven and in the seventh verse It was given him that is the Beast aforesaid to make war with the Saints and to overcome them and power was given him over all kindreds and tongues and nations Now the Beast being recovered of that wound the Saints did give him he comes on a fresh and makes war against them Not onely in blaspheming against the living God or living Jesus whom the Saints did worship and serve and would not worship and serve him Therefore he makes war with the Saints and overcomes them That is causeth all those he could light of to deny their Faith in Jesus and worship as he would have them or else they must be put to death So that he did overcome many of the Saints and put them to death For power was given him over all kindreds tongues and nations That is he had power over all other people but those that worshipped Jesus To command them to worship him and that worship he did set up and all people but the Saints did obey Some for fear and some for love but all did obey to worship the beast onely those that had faith in Jesus therefore they were overcome and killed by this beast But the others the kindreds tongues nations saved their lives for the world wandred after the beast his power was so great So that all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him whose names are not written in the book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world as in the eighth verse The meaning is this that the spirit of reason in this beast and in all other beasts or Head-Magistrates that are of the seed of the serpent should have such power over the dark reason of man to worship him and the image he doth set up And the whole world lying in ignorance and darkness they are thorow their ignorance ready and willing to worship any thing that the spirit of Reason in the Head-Magistrate shall command them And the ignorance and darkness of men in point of worship is so numerous that hardly any can be seen in the world but idolaters So that it may be said that all that dwell on the earth doth worship the beast none excepted but those whose names are written in the book of Life which are but few in comparison For the worshippers of the true God are but few in comparison of those that worship the devil For the spirit of reason is the devil and what image or form of worship is set up by the spirit of reason in the Head-Magistrate having no Commission from God it is but of the devils setting up And who ever doth bow down to worship in that manner and form they do but worship the Beast and his image and so worship devils And is not the whole world at this day as well as at that time as well those that profess themselves Christians as well as Heathen Turks and Pagans under that darkness of minde as to worship false gods idols and devils So that the whole world may be said to worship the beast and his image though not all one kinde of image For every Opinion of Religion in the world hath one image or other to worship in stead of God And it must needs be so because the world doth not know the true God in his form and nature therefore they worship devils in stead of God though in divers forms and manner But I would have the Seed of Faith to mind that when I say all the world the Elect Seed are excepted For the Seed of Faith are not counted the world though they be in the world As Christ said I pray not for the world but for them thou hast given me out of the world and that thou wouldest keep them from the evil of the world So that the Scriptures doth never count the Saints the world though they be in the world So that the Scriptures may say that all the world wandred after the beast for all the world doth wander after one false worship or other but those that have their names written in the book of Life Now
is so that this is to be understood that this Satan the devil shall deceive the nations in all the four quarters of the earth to their eternal perdition Also it is to be minded that there is a principle of persecution for religion worship even in Gog and Magog that is to say in all the heathen as there is in those that profess and confess the Scriptures For if Gog and Magog doth but hear of any man or people that doth worship any other God besides his God he will persecute him to death especially if he be a native under his dominions and so is it with all professors of Religion who know not the true God nor his true worship So that Satan the devil he hath gone forth unto all the four quarters of the earth and hath deceived the nations therein with false worships and imagining of false gods this many hundred years have they been deceived and not onely so but there is a spirit of persecution that doth run thorow the nations in all the four quarters of the earth even amongst professors of the Scriptures as there doth in the heathen So that all the four quarters of the earth they fight against God and compass the Camp of the Saints about and the beloved City The Saints are called by the Spirit the beloved City so that this beloved City must needs be compassed about because the Saints doth live in the four quarters of the earth and the nations of the four quarters of the earth being deceived by Satan they persecute the Saints every where So that they by their persecution they have and do and will to the end of the world compass the Camp of the Saints about who is the beloved City I say these aforesaid will compass the Camp of the Saints with persecution until fire come down from God out of heaven and devour them this fire that cometh down from heaven it is meant that eternal fire of Gods wrath upon his enemies as you may see in the 10 verse And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever The meaning is this that Gog and Magog with all the nations of the four quarters of the earth who were deceived by the spirit of reason the devil to worship false gods and to persecute the Saints in all parts of the earth They shall at the end of the world as aforesaid they shall be cast into the same lake of fire and brimstone as the beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormented for ever and ever as aforesaid So that at the end of the world that spirit of reason which men received from the lost Angel with all its wisdom whereby it hath deceived all the nations of the earth and hath always persecuted and killed the Saints the beloved City of God from the beginning of the world even from the righteous Abel to the end of the world I say this spirit of reason which is called by the Spirit Satan a devil this Spirit who hath caused Gog and Magog and all the nations of the earth to persecute the Saints This devil with all the seed who hath fought under his banner though in several forms and manner he and they with the beast and false prophet with all their adherents shal be cast into a lake of fire and brimstone where they shall be tormented for ever and ever and this fire and brimstone is that wrath of God that cometh down from heaven which is called by the Spirit fire that came down from God out of heaven and devoured them c. So that this chapter is but a rehearsal of what was said before in the 18 and 19 chapters both of the destruction of mystery Babylon and of the glory of the Saints Yet I thought it something necessary to open the meaning of Gog and Magog because I have not met with those words before neither have spoken of them in that book aforesaid But as for the rest of the matter in this 20 chapter I have said as much as need be said of it in one place or other in this Treatise and in The interpretation of the eleventh of the Revelation and to repeat one thing twice over would be needless and as for the chief heads contained in the 21 22 chapters I have opened them in the said Interpretation of the eleventh of the Revelation So that I shall interpret a little what is meant by those words of Johns Revelation the 22 chapter 18 19 verses and so conclude this Epistle CHAP. LXXXI THese words of John hath been an occasion of many persecuting and ignorant men and womens spirits to persecute and rail against the purest truth that ever was declared and against the true Messengers whom God hath chosen and sent Whom he hath endued with the spirit of Revelation and Interpretation of Scriptures more then all the men in the world besides in that when things have been declared and Scriptures interpreted beyond the common sense that learned men have declared and interpreted they have said with great anger and zeal that we have either added to the word of God or else we have diminished from it Therefore to satisfie the Reader I shall open how a man may be said to add unto the prophesie of this Book of Johns Revelation and how he may be said to diminish or take away the words of this prophesie of this Book The words of John are these verse 18. For I testifie unto every man that heareth the words of the prophesie of this book if any man shall adde unto these things God shall adde unto him the plagues that are written in this book Verse 19. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophesie God shall take away his part out of the book of Life and out of the holy City and from the things which are written in this book I would have the Reader to minde and he may know whether a man doth adde unto this Book or take from it for this is to be minded that who ever doth undertake to be a Minister of Christ without a Commission from him or shall undertake to give the interpretation of the Scriptures without having the gift of Interpretation which gift he cannot have except he have a Commission from God or from him that did receive it from God For how is it possible that any man should give true interpretations of the Scriptures and of that Book of the Revelation of Saint John and yet not know the true God nor the right devil Therefore it is for certain that all Non-commissionated Ministers and Speakers whatsoever in all the seven Churches in Europe I say it is they onely that do add unto this Book and they onely that do take from it They may be said to add to it because they give this and that
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
how shall a man know that his name is written in the book of Life but in that he knoweth the true God and how to worship the true God without any idolatry Can he know things of this nature but by a Commission from God surely no. And here lieth the comfort that the Seed of Faith have in this life by a Commission from God By faith they know their names were written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world That is they are to look no further than the beginning of the world that is to the first Adam they being of his seed are not counted by the revelation of Faith to be the world It is the seed of the serpent that is called by the Spirit the world and not the seed of Adam So that the Seed of Faith are those that died in the first Adam yet their names were written in his Seed and Christ the second Adam he being the quickening Spirit of that Seed And as the Seed of Faith was dead in the first Adam so likewise the same Seed is quickened again by the second Adam And so made alive again and may be said to be written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world It is said from the foundation of the world with relation to righteous Abel being slain So that who ever is of Adams seed is of Abels seed and who ever is of Abels seed he may be said to have his name written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world For the Seed of Faith doth go no further to finde his name written in the Book of Life than to righteous Abel For who ever goeth further to finde his eternal Life he will come short of it and never finde it I give this hint to the Seed of Faith onely to let them see where the Book of Life is and where they may finde their names written and not to go at rovers beyond the foundation of the world But go to the first Adam as Moses speaketh of and not as the imagination of Reason doth For who ever goeth beyond Adam to finde his name written in the Book of Life he will never finde it So much for the interpretation of the eighth verse CHAP. XXXVII I Shall pass by the two following verses there being nothing in them but what is commonly known therefore in the next place I shall come to the eleventh verse where it is said And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth and he had two horns like a Lamb and he spake as a Dragon This beast is said to come out of the earth because his power and dominion was most upon dry land Therefore said to come up out of the earth as the other beast did arise out of the sea But this beast had the same spirit of reason in a high nature as the other beast bad and as the dragon had and walked in the same steps or worse than the other beast did and exercised the same authority or worse than the dragon did Yet he had two horns like a Lamb. That is he did appear at his first coming into his Seat more Lamb-like than the other beast whose deadly wound was healed did That is he made a shew at his first appearance as if he would have been more meek and merciful to the Saints that worshipped Jesus than the other beast was So that the Saints had some little hopes that he would have let them exercise their Worship buy and sell and trade without taking the mark of the beast in their foreheads or in their hands And it is very like they had some little space of time at his first coming in to worship buy and sell and trade For it is not to be understood that the Saints were always persecuted and put to death if they had they would have been all extirpated out of the world before three hundred years were expired So that there was sometimes more liberty than at others as there hath been in all Ages So that the two horns of his power did seem to be like a Lamb as if they would do but little hurt for no man doth so much fear the horns of a Lamb as they do the horns of a Bull for the horns signifie Power Now these two horns like a Lamb they did signifie quietness in Religion and peace in the Civil State So that this beast appearing with two horns like a Lamb it gave great hopes to the Saints that they should have liberty of Conscience to worship Jesus And peace in the natural or temporal State to buy and sell and trade freely one with the other As these two Powers did signifie the spiritual power and the temporal power they being the two horns like a Lamb. But this beast he spake as a Dragon And in the twelfth verse He exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him and causeth the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast whose deadly wound was healed Now what the power of the first beast was I have shewed before But in the thirteenth verse And he doth great wonders so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men Now these wonders that was done by this beast who had two horns like a Lamb they were but counterfeit Wonders and no real thing For the imagination of man may do seemingly great things to the sight of the dark minde of man There may be wonderful strange things produced by the imagination of reason When the minde is exercised upon a Religious score they may do seeming Wonders and Miracles as they do by their imagination upon a natural account Did not the Magicians and Southsayers in Egypt by their imagination do many seeming miracles as Moses did Did not they cause Frogs seemingly to appear before Pharaoh as Moses did and many other things as Moses did But this the Reader may understand that the Frogs that Moses brought upon Pharaoh they were real substances alive But the Magicians Frogs which they brought up in the sight of Pharaoh they were but shadows like Frogs without substance But the minde of Pharaoh and his people being ignorant and dark took the shadow for substance But if mens mindes be not as dark as pitch they may know that the Egyptians miracles were nothing else but shadows presented to the dark phantasie of man by the imagination of natural art and figure For if the things the Magicians did before Pharoah and the people had been any thing but shadows The people of the land and the King would have been as much troubled to get away the Frogs and other things that the Magicians brought upon Egypt as they were with those Frogs and other things that Moses brought upon Egypt But it may be clear to those that are not as dark as pitch that all those things which the Magicians of Egypt did were
were but shadows and no real thing or substance Onely things produced out of the strength of his own imagination it being stronger then others it did subject the imaginations of others under it And so they were deceived by it their phantasies being dazled and over powered by his knowledge and wisdom in the dark power of reason the devil He could present to their dazled phantasies such like shapes and signs as aforementioned Likewise it was in John Tancy his heart to have offered up his son to a diabolical Diety that he might attain to a greater and higher spiritual power then he had yet attained unto With other strange things he did and would have done had not the Law of the Land been against such things to put them to death He would have done much like Manasses 2 Kings 21.6 who made his son pass thorow the fire So that wonderful strange things may be attained unto by the spirit of reason in man when it is religiously about But I shall speak no more of these things here onely these few lines are to let the Reader to see what strange things hath been acted here in England by men upon a religious account and many more which I will not mention now CHAP. XXXIX BUt I shall open a little what is meant by receiving the mark of the Beast in the right hand or in the forehead The mark of the beast is this when a Head Magistrate or Chief Council in a Nation or Kingdom shall set up by his or their power and authority a Set-form of Worship he or they having no Commission from God so to do And shall cause the people by their power and authority both small and great bond and free to worship after this maner of Worship that is set up by authority as this beast did else they shall be persecuted or killed This Form of Worship so set up without a Commission from God it may and is called by the Spirit An Image for all people to worship by vertue of that Power that did set it up For this I must say that all manner of Forms of Worship which are set up by men who have no Commission from God they are but Idols and Images And who ever doth worship God in those Forms of Worship set up by Non commissionated men they may be said to receive the mark of the beast in the right hand or in the forehead But there was alwayes in most parts of the earth one Supream Power in all Nations that had power to set up Form of Worship as an Image and to command and compel all those that were under their power to worship the Image set up by the Power or by the Beast For all Head-Magistrates are called Beasts as well as Kings else the people have not been suffered to buy nor sell but have been persecuted and killed even as they were at that time by the beast that had two horns like a Lamb. For whosoever would not receive his mark either in his forehead or his right hand that is if they would not worship the Image set up by the beast they should be killed or not suffered to buy nor sell That is not to trade which is as bad to some as death it self So hath it been ever since and will be to the end of the world little or much For let the Reader consider how many have lost their lives for not submitting to the Worship or as I may say Image that hath been set up by the Papists The multitude of people that Power hath slain and persecuted upon that account are hardly to be numbred by man So likewise the Episcopal Power of Worship hath for their Image persecuted and put to death many Also the Presbytery for their Worship or Image have persecuted and put to death many witness New-England Scotland and other places The Independent also for his Worship or Image hath been guilty of persecution The Baptist they also have been guilty of persecution for his Image or Worship witness that one particular of James Naylor For that little Parliament that punished him were most of them Independents and Baptists so that all men when they are in power fall to persecution for Religion if men differ from them in point of Worship And as for the Ranter and Quaker they never were in power so that their persecuting spirits for Religion cannot be seen yet all these seven Churches have an Image to worship That is they every one of them doth set up a several Form of Worship but all false for none of them knoweth the true God neither hath any of them a Commission from God to set up such a Form of Worship as they do So that all Forms of Worship in what manner soever that are set up by Non-commissionated men who are not authorized of God their Forms are but Images or Idols and the Worshippers are Idolaters and doth receive the mark of the beast either in the forehead or in the right hand For the spirit of reason in man is the Beast that sets up Worship as an Image let it be in high or low but more especially in higher Powers who have power to command people to worship his Image And in so doing they do receive the mark of the beast in their foreheads or right hand Now a man may be said to receive the mark of the beast in his forehead when as a man doth worship in that form and manner as is set up by the beasts authority willingly then doth a man receive the mark in his forehead And when a man receives the mark of the beast in his right hand it is when men doth worship and bow down to that form of worship or Image set up by the beast against a mans own mind or unwillingly for fear he shall suffer if he do it not This is to receive the mark of the Beast in his right hand For if the mark of the Beast be not seen in the forehead or in the right hand they shall either be killed or not suffered to trade That is to buy and sell one of these he must be sure to suffer if he hath not the mark in either of those two places aforesaid That is if the people doth not come to the publick worship set up by the Beast either willingly or unwillingly it was known that they had not received the mark of the Beast neither in the forehead nor in the right hand It is called the right hand because the right hand is that that subscribes or writes his name to any thing of concernment So that no man should buy or sell save him that had the mark or the name of the Beast or the number of his name Now observe he that had the name of the Beast or the number of his name were those men that were in offices and places in the Beasts dominions or that had a badge of the Beasts arms upon them For they knew the number of Beasts which
that cloud the Son of Man sate upon they all expecting by faith Gods coming in flesh they being afar off That is their faith in them was satisfied that he would come though it was many hundred years after they were dead the apostles and saints afterwards were witnesses that the Son of Man was risen from the dead So that their faith was a cloud of witnesses also and the faith of Abraham Isaac and Jacob the Prophets Apostles and Saints it was that cloud the Son of Man did sit upon It is called a white cloud by the Spirit because they were never defiled with the fornication of Idols But worshipped the true God according to the Law of Moses and according to the faith of Jesus or the Gospel they not receiving the mark of the beast neither in the forehead nor in the hand That is they were not defiled with worshipping of any Images Idols or false gods whatsoever and in this regard they may be called A white cloud and this is that white cloud the Son of Man even Jesus the onely God doth sit upon As the whore in another case is said to sit upon many waters which I shall have an occasion to speak of when I come to it And as for that golden Crown that was upon his head I declare it was that honor and glory which the Prophets Apostles and Saints do attribute unto him as he is a Redeemer The work of redemption being wrought by him as he was a man he being in the form of a servant so that all the redeemed ones who are sensible of their redemption they do praise and magnifie the man Jesus the only God for his great love towards them in that they had faith to receive the benefit of his death And this honor glory and praise which is attributed unto the man Jesus by his Prophets Apostles and Saints is that golden Crown upon his head and in his hand a sharp sicle Now this sharp sicle in his hand it signfies his great power that when the end of the world shall be that he will send his Angels to reap the world even as Reapers doth corn when the harvest is ripe So when the worlds sins are ripe the harvest will be and much like unto a master of the harvest of Corn he will thrust in his sicle first then all his servants until the harvest is reaped So is it with him that sate under the white cloud when the time is accomplished and the harvest ripe he will thrust in hiâ— sicle first and then all his servants the Angels shall fall to reaping the harvest of this world And shall thrust in their sicles and reap until all be cut down that is Christ shall come in the clouds of heaven with all his holy Angels to destroy this world for ever Then will he thrust in his sicle indeed and this is the meaning of the sicle in his hand And those Angels that cryed to him that sate upon the cloud to thrust in the sicle are the holy Angels aforesaid that must help to reap the world for they have sicles also That is the Angels have power from Christ to destroy and cut down this wicked world when their sins are at the full then are they ripe fit to be destroyed even as the temporal Babylon was when their sins was ripe as in Joel the 3.13 verse Put you in the sicle for the harvest is ripe come get you down for the press is full the fats overflow for the wickedness is great The Prophet Joel spake this in relation to the reaping of Babylon the enemies of the Jews that after the seventy years captivity of Israel their enemies sins of cruel usage was at the full or ripe So that now the sicle that is the power of the sword temporal must utterly destroy Babylon the Jews enemies or reap it for the harvest of their sins and cruelties were fully ripe And the press was full that is their bodies were so full of wickedness and cruelty that they did overflow with wickedness their wickedness was so great So will it be with this spiritual Babylon when the harvest is ripe for this spiritual Babylon is so full of idolatry of idols images and worshipping false gods and persecution of the Saints That the press is full that is their bodies are so full of spiritual wickedness or spiritual fornication and persecution for conscience sake as aforesaid that their wickedness doth overflow even as the aforesaid Babylon did So that in the account of the spirit of faith this spiritual Babylon is as really destroyed and reaped their sins being ripe as the other Babylon was And as the sicle was thrust into them that they were destroyed and reaped so will it be with this as in the nineteenth verse of this chapter And the Angel thrust in his sicle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth and cast it into the great wine-press of the wrath of God The earth signifies the people and the vine of the earth signifies the wicked idolatrous worship of the people and the great wine-press of the wrath of God signifies that eternal death and destruction upon all idolatrous people who worship false gods This eternal or second death is the great wine-press of the wrath of God and in the twentieth verse of this Chapter it is said And the wine-press was troden without the City and blood came out of the wine-press even unto the horse bridles by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs The meaning is this the wine-press was troden without the City that is the destruction of the enemies of Judah and Israel it was without the City of Jerusalem so will the eternal destruction of all idolaters at the end of the world be without the City New-Jerusalem That is none of the Seed of Faith who are the holy City in the spiritual shall see their destruction For blood shall come out of the wine-press even to the horse bridles the blood signifies the extream torment it being for ever The wine-press signifies the great wrath of God pressing their souls for their wickedness to eternity Unto the horse bridles signifies the extream fulness of wickedness so that the wrath of God might walk in their souls even as an horse may do thorow blood even up to his bridle For Gods wrath will he as many horses to crush and trample his enemies under feet so that their miseries may break forth as blood for Gods horses that is his vengeance to walk thorow to eternity As for the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs that signifies a great space and distance from the City of God that is from the spiritual City of God to wit the true believers So that this spiritual mystery Babylon who made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication as aforesaid I say she must undergo the wrath of God and be troden without the spiritual City the Seed of Faith
power here upon this earth this was shewed him in a vision from the first verse to the nineth verse and from the nineth verse to the end of the chapter it is an interpretation to Johns understanding of the things he saw in his vision And though John did understand the interpretation thereof few or none else since that time that could interprete Johns vision or understand them either Nay none but he that hath a Commission from God can do it so that there is great need of the interpretation of these mystical sayings in this chapter and in the whole book of the Revelation of John unto the Seed of Faith But by the feed of reason wise and learned men perhaps it will be counted but as dreams and phancies of my own brain though they themselves doth not know how to interprete one verse in the whole book truly But I shall let them pass and advise the Seed of Faith especially those that understand the doctrine of the true God and the right devil to minde the interpretation of this chapter and all the rest and they will see how one thing depends upon another So that great satisfaction may be found as to their eternal Salvation CHAP. LXVI CHapter the eighteenth it doth contain a prophesie of the utter downfal and destruction of the spiritual Babylon who hath shed the blood of Prophets Apostles and Saints for worshipping the true God and not worshipping her idols Even as the temporal Babylon was utterly destroyed for her cruelties to Judah and Jerusalem as you may see Isaiah 47.6 so Jer. 25.12 So that there was a perpetual destruction upon the temporal City Babylon when the seventy years was expired for their cruelties to the Jews So likewise when the time appointed of God is expired there will be a perpetual downfal and destruction of this City spiritual Babylon for her cruelties to Prophets Apostles and Saints about worship In the first verse of this chapter John saw another Angel come down from heaven having great power so that the earth was lighted with his glory And in the second verse His message was to cry mightily with a strong voice saying Babylon the great is fallen is fallen She may well be called Babylon the great because this Babylon is a spiritual Babylon and of a longer standing then the other Babylon For this spiritual Babylon hath had a being ever since Moses and Joshua were taken out of this world ever since false worship hath been set up by man and learned men hath had power given them from the civil Magistrate to set up forms of worship So that it is become the greatest City in the world and will remain to the end of time before it be utterly destroyed Neither was there found in the destruction of the temporal Babylon any blood of Prophets Apostles or Martyrs of Jesus as there will in this spiritual Babylon For though the temporal Babylon was cruel it was upon a temporal account Neither was their cruelty to last but a matter of threescore and ten years but the cruelties of this spiritual Babylon it hath been upon a spiritual account And these cruelties hath been acted by her this many thousand years so that all the blood that hath been shed upon a spiritual account from the creation to the end of time may be brought upon this great City spiritual Babylon Because she is become an habitation of devils a hold of every foul spirit and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird It may well be said she is a habitation of devils for none but devils will execute her commands and such people that are of the worst sort of devils even unclean spirits or like hateful birds So that her power and authority it is as a cage to shelter these devils and unclean spirits and hateful birds For this is to be minded by the Reader that these devils are men the unclean spirits or men and the hateful birds are men and those wicked men who are imployed in the whores service to punish all those that will worship not her idols or false worship So that she is become a cage for all wicked spirited people to shroud themselves under As may be seen in the third verse For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication and the Kings of the earth have committed fornication with her That is by her spiritual power she hath sent forth these devils unclean spirits and hateful birds with commission from her to all nations to drink the wine of the wrath of her fornication That is if the nations would not commit fornication with idols willingly That is worship according to her command for her idolatrous worship the pleasure she receives in it is called the wine of her fornication But if people will not obey to worship as is required by these unclean spirits and hateful birds Then they must drink of the wrath of her fornication perhaps excommunication or death it self For though she hath a golden cup in her hand full of wine yet if people will not drink with her freely and willingly she will put poyson that is her wrath into the wine and make them drink whether they will or no. So that they must either drink her wine without wrath or the wine of her fornication and her wrath together Oh how many millions of people have drunk her wine alone and many thousands have drunk her wine and wrath together And that which is more then this the Kings of the earth have committed fornication with her That is the Kings of the earth have committed fornication with her in that they have worshipped false gods by the instigation of the whore she making them believe that this is the way to save their souls So that she hath deceived the Kings of the earth and all nations either by their committing spiritual fornication with her or else by drinking the wine of the wrath of her fornication So that the Kings of the earth are in a worse condition then the other because they committed fornication with her that is they were accessary to the setting up of all false worship and in the councel with her So that the nations that did drink the wine of the wrath of her fornication they did but obey her command and so committed fornication with idols from a Law and a command But it was otherways with the Kings of the earth but however she and all those that have committed fornication with her either by consulting with her or by obeying her commands when she is destroyed with an eternal destruction so will all these that have committed fornication with her be where she is to eternity CHAP. LXVII THerefore in the fourth verse John heard another voice from heaven saying Come out of her my people that you be not partakers of her sins and that you receive not of her Plagues How should Gods people come out of her The Spirit doth not mean that they should