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
first So that though there were many priests that succeeded him and many that did officiate the priests Office besides yet they being all of one and the same spirit they are called by the Spirit in John but one false prophet For priests are called by the Spirit many times prophets as Baal had four hundred false prophets did belong to him that is they were four hundred false priests Now this I would have the Reader to minde that these three spirits like frogs that came out of the dragons mouth and the beasts mouth and the false prophets mouth I would not have the Reader to think that these three spirits like frogs did cease in the time of the ten Persecutions neither would I have him to think that there is no dragon nor beast nor false prophet now though there was then Although I confess the main drift of Johns Revelation had relation chiefly to those wonderful strange actions that was acted by the dragon beast and false prophet unto the Saints in the time of that Commission of the Gospel But this is for certain that the spirit of the dragon and the spirit of the beast and the spirit of the false prophet remains in its seed to this day and will do to the end of the world So that the spirit of the dragon beast and false prophet these three unclean spirits do send forth their spirits like frogs to the Kings of the earth to encourage them all to fight against Truth and against true Worship and to make the Saints to submit to their idolatrous worship For as I said before all Forms of Worship that are set up by men who have no Commission from God is a false worship and who ever is the chief Minister in that worship so set up he may be said to be a false prophet And by this rule all Opinions in Religion and Forms of Religion or Worship that is set up in the world at this day by several sorts of people they are all false because the Ministers are false and so they may be all called but one false prophet even from the first Pope to the last Quaker their Ministery being all false even one as well as the other CHAP. LIV. AGain I shall give the Reader a little distinction of the several operations of these three spirits and yet they all joyn together to fight against God Almighty And yet cozen and cheat one another and cheat the people of the world also So that very few in the whole world doth escape being deceived by one or more of these three unclean spirits like frogs that cometh out of the dragon beast and false prophets mouthes First the unclean spirit of the Dragon it seeketh after natural wisdom as Natural Philosophy Astrology Magick and so becomes a Physician or a Doctor of Physick to cure diseases The wisdom of the Dragon it doth pry into the knowledge of the Stars and the influence of them as the Magicians of Egypt did that they may be counted wise men Likewise this spirit of the Dragon it doth pry into the nature of Herbs Plants with the spirits of all Vegetable and all things of curious Arts so that the spirit of the Dragon comes to be wiser in things of nature than all other men So that all other men that are not skill'd in this wisdom of Nature they are subverted and deceived by this spirit and do honor him as a God thinking that God hath given him more wisdom in this kinde than to all other men So that this knowledge of Natural Philosophy Astrology and by sick makes men become honorable in the sight of all people Also it makes the people to part with their silver freely also it clothes the Physician in rich Velvet so that people may know what he is by his Vesture All this honor and much more than I can relate doth the spirit of the Dragon procure by that unclean spirit that cometh out of his mouth For all those wise Magicians Astrologers Natural Philosophers Doctors of Physick are those Frogs that came out of the Dragons mouth For these afore-mentioned they are a great multitude and do swarm as the Frogs in a warm day and do deceive multitudes both of their health and of their silver under pretence of doing them good This is the proper work and operation of the spirit or wisdom of Reason that cometh out of the Dragons mouth CHAP. LV. SEcondly The unclean spirit that cometh out of the Beasts mouth it is those persons that studies the Laws of the Land In as much as the Beast is the Head of the Law it is he that doth authorize men to be Expounders and Interpreters of the Law he doth authorize some to be Judges some Councellers some Attorneys with many other Titles that Lawyers have So that this unclean spirit that cometh out of the Beasts mouth it is the multitude of Lawyers that are authorized by him and these Lawyers they may be said to come out of his mouth because without his power and authority they can do nothing That is they cannot cheat and deceive the people as they do so that the Lawyers who practice Cases of Law they are so numerous that they can hardly be numbred Also they are clothed with fine scarlet with deceiving the people yet the Lawyers are but the sproutings forth of the unclean spirit that cometh out of the Beasts mouth And it is the proper work of the spirit of the Beast to clothe these Lawyers in scarlet even as the spirit of the Dragon did the Doctors of Physick clothe them in Velvet yet notwithstanding they are in their natures no other but Frogs sent forth by these two spirits aforesaid to deceive them that dwell upon the earth CHAP. LVI THirdly The other unclean spirit it came out of the mouth of the false prophet This false prophet signifies the Chief and Head-Governor of Spiritual Worship as the Pope or any Head-Minister of any Religion whatsoever but more especially of that Head-Minister or Head-Priest that is upheld by the Beast or the Civil Power For there is a spiritual Power invested upon the false prophet by the Beast or Civil Power so that none shall exercise or officiate the Office of a Minister but such as the false prophet shall send forth So that those men this false prophet or chief priest doth send forth to preach these are sent forth from that unclean spirit that cometh out of the false prophets mouth For the false prophet hath full power to ordain and send forth men to preach to deceive the people in a way of false worship as the Dragon had to the Physician and as the Beast had to the Lawyer And as the Doctor of Physick by his deceit came to be clothed in Velvet and the Lawyer by his deceit came to be clothed in Scarlet so likewise the Preachers ordained by the false prophet they come by their deceit to be clothed in sheeps clothing made of the finest wooll
seven heads are called by the Spirit seven Mountains on which the woman fitteth These seven Mountains are those seven Beasts spoken of before though called here seven Mountains And as for the woman I have shewed what is meant by it before to wit all spiritual power in relation to the worshipping of false gods it being set up by non-commissionated men and all false worshippers they are called by the Spirit a woman or the great City Babylon So that those chief men that have set up forms of worship without a Commission from God they are called the woman that sitteth on seven Mountains She may be said to fit upon them because her spiritual idolatrous power is above their temporal power For as I said before the temporal Magistrate is commonly subject to the Priest especially in matters of religion so that in this regard the woman may be said to fit upon seven Mountains For she had power over all these seven Beasts to cause them to commit spiritual fornication and spiritual whoredom with her in worshipping of false gods and in sheding the blood of Saints Verse the tenth And there are seven Kings five are fallen and one is and the other is not yet come and when he cometh he must continue a short space The meaning is this that John saw in his vision that five of these seven persecuting beasts were fallen And he that one is in present being in the time of the Apostles Commission and that was the sixth And the other that was not yet come he was to come after the Commission of the Apostles was exterpated out of the world and when he is come he shall continue a short space That is he shall not continue to the end of the world for no man knoweth what the spirit doth mean by a short space but the spirit of the beast that was and is not he shall continue to the end of the world as in the eleventh verse And the beast that was and is not even he is the eighth and is of the seven and goeth into perdition The meaning is this that the spirit of the Dragon Herod the beast who is the eighth though of the seven wicked beasts because they all acted by his wicked spirit of reason the devil So that the spirit of the Dragon it shall run thorow the loins of all persecuting Kings and Head-magistrates even to the end of the world Hath not the spirit of persecution run thorow the loins of many Papist Kings by the power of the Popes spiritual fornication since the worship of the Gospel was set up by him all over Europe Hath not the spirit of spiritual fornication to worship false gods run thorow the loins of the Papists Protestant Presbytery Independent Baptist Ranter and Quaker all over Europe or as we call it Christendom So that this spiritual fornication all opinions doth commit with idols or in worshipping of false gods So that they all make up but one woman or one whore who commiteth sp ritual fornication or one great City Babylon So likewise there hath many Papist Kings since the Pope had this spiritual power that have been guilty of sheding the blood of Martyrs more then can well be numbered Neither can all Protestant Kings be excused in this point nor Presbytery neither Neither would the other four be excusable if they were in power So that the spirit of the Dragon it doth and hath run thorow the loins of all these beasts that have been since the Roman Catholick Religion was set up So that all the persecution that hath been for conscience sake all the blood that hath been shed for Religion sake it hath been acted from the spirit of the whore aforesaid in the Priests and from the spirit of the Dragon in the Head-magistrate who are called beasts And this spirit hath raigned and doth raign in the Head-magistrate ever since the Roman Catholick Religion was set up aâ— aforesaid and shall continue to the end of the world They all being counted by the spirit but one beast because they are all guided by one spirit of persecution and blood-shed for Religion sake So that I declare that this is the beast that was and is not even he is the eight and is of the seventh That is his spirit runs thorow the seed of the seventh and so it doth run thorow the bodies of these that are the eighth So that this spirit of the dragon which is reason the devil who hath persecuted and shed the blood of Saints Martyrs of Jesus for not worshipping false gods that they may all go into perdition together that is into eternal damnation CHAP. LXIII VErse the twelfth And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten Kings which have received no kingdom as yet but receive power as kings one hour with the beast These ten Kings were inferior to the Beast and were under his Dominions for the Beast was as it were an Emperor who had many Kings under him And these ten Kings lived in kingdoms but were not so established as that they could keep them against the Beasts will yet nevertheless if they would be obedient unto the Beast and execute his will he would give them power as Kings one hour with himself that was until they had extirpated the name of Jesus out of the world And that power they received of the beast it was to persecute and kill the Saints For these ten Kings were those ten horns upon the beast that had seven heads That is these ten Kings should receive power from the beast to execute those ten Persecutions upon the Saints Yet I would not have the Reader to think that there was but ten Kings and no more for ten Kings did not last 300 years But if there were ten score Kings the spirit doth call them but ten signifying those ten persecutions in the primitive times For the beast had seven heads and ten horns and these ten Kings were those ten horns and they received their power to persecute and shed the blood of Saints and Martyrs of Jesus from the seven heads which is called a beast So that the one hour that these ten Kings received power from the beast it was all the time of the Ten Persecutions for they were the ten horns as aforesaid This you may see in the thirteenth verse These have one mind and shall give their power and strengh unto the beast That is seing the beast had given them power as Kings to shed the blood of Saints they likewise proffer unto the beast their power and strength to serve him in what they can And the service these ten Kings must do the beast it is to shed the blood of the Saints as you may see in the fourteenth verse Verse the fourteenth These shall make war with the Lamb and the Lamb shall overcome them for he is Lord of lords and King of Kings and they that are with him are called and chosen and faithful These ten Kings aforesaid are to
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
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
wit the three Records in earth Water Blood and Spirit That is to say the Commission of Moses the Commission of Jesus and the Apostles and the Commission of the Spirit these are the three paths which God doth walk thorow which every Commissionated Prophet could finde out God in that path he walked in Thus when Gods Spirit walked thorow the Law of Moses that being the path for Gods Spirit to walk in the Prophets afterwards did finde him out in that worship of the Law So likewise when Gods Spirit did walk in the path of the Gospel the Apostles did finde him out in the Gospel and could trace his â—tep in the paths of the Law So that the Apostles found God out in those two paths aforesaid Thirdly The Witnesses of the Spirit have found God out in all his three paths as thus 1. The Prophets kept close to the worship of the Law of Moses and therein they found God 2. The Apostles kept close to the worship of the Gospel and therein they found God 3. The Witnesses of the Spirit keeps close to the worship of God in Spirit and truth These three Records on earth are the three paths for God to walk in and who ever doth walk in them shall finde him Onely I would have the Seed of Faith to minde what advantage one Commission hath over another the Commission of the Gospel had great advantage of those in the Law In that the Apostles knew the path of the Law and the path of the Gospel also so that they had proofs from Moses and the Prophets that they were chosen to bear witness unto Jesus and that worship set up by them when as Moses had no books to proof he was chosen of God but he had the power of miracles to prove he was sent of God and the Prophets after him had his writings to prove that God had appeared to Moses so that the Prophets could go no further then Moses and he that could trace the steps of God until he came to Moses he was sure to finde God there but if any man went any further he could never finde God at all So that the Apostles advantage was great in that they had two paths to walk in when as the Prophets had but one for the Prophets in their time did see that God would become flesh and the Apostles did see that God is become flesh so that their advantage was great Thirdly The Commission of the Spirit hath advantage above them both in this respect in that the worship of the Spirit is spiritual without any outward ordinances so that the Spirit of Faith or revelation can walk thorow the path of the Law and can finde that God was there but he is not there now Secondly This Commission of the Spirit can walk thorow the worship of the Apostles and do finde that God was there but he is not there now Thirdly So that God is walking now in the third path or third record on earth even the Commission of the Spirit and there is no 〈◊〉 for any man to finde God but there for there is the knowledge of the true God and the true Interpretation of the Scriptures so that this Commission of the Spirit it hath a great advantage of the other two aforesaid in that the knowledge of the Spirit is a higher knowledge then that of the Prophets and Apostles and the Interpretation of Scripture more abundant then either Prophet or Apostle and more especially the interpretation of heavenly visions For this the Seed of Faith may minde that heavenly visions are hard to utter by those men that see them but it is more hard for a man to interpret that which he never saw for any mans reason would tell him that it was more easie for Pharaoh and Beltesâ—azzar to tell their dreams and visions on their heads then it was for Joseph and Dauid to interpret their dreams Yet this gift was given them of God so to do So likewise God hath given us the chosen Witnesses of the Spirit more knowledge in the Scriptures then all the men in the world at this day and not onely so but God hath given me the gift of Râ—â—â—lation and Interpretation of many Visions and Revelations in the â—â—â—â—ptures of truth and more especially in this Book of the Revelation of Saint John Which book doth consist of little else but heavenly Revelation and spiritual will be which if the Seed of Faith doth but minde they will finde in this Treatise all the most considerable Revelations and Visions and mystical sayings in the Book of Johns Revelation opened and interpreted So that who ever doth truly understand the interpretation of them may receive much satisfaction as to discourse in the Scripture language with any learned man in the world that speaks the English tongue And not onely so but much satisfaction will arise from the true understanding of it to their eternal peace joy and glory hereafter And though I had thoughts as aforesaid to write no more Books after the 〈◊〉 â—â—tion of the eleventh of the Revelation yet I 〈◊〉 written two 〈◊〉 onâ— the Quakers did extort out of â—e by their writing unto me but this the Revelation in â—pâ—â—â—g many places of this Book of the Revelation of John it came so powerfully 〈◊〉 that I thought it was better to break covenant with my self theâ— to 〈◊〉 those 〈◊〉 â—â—ly mysteries and divine secrets with my self And being importuned by some to let it be publick I did apply my selfe the in â—â—â—rious unto it so that I am not glad I did perfect 〈◊〉 thing for noâ— others will have it as well as my self so that I make no question but many will receive benefit by it which shall last to the end of their liveâ—â— and not onely so but the knowledge and benefit of this Book of the Interpretation of all thâ— chief mysterious sayings and visions in the Book of Johns Revelation it shall remain in some to the end of the world and happy will those be in whom it doth remain and miserable will those â—e who despise and reject it though I be laid in the dust so I shall leave the issue to my God my King and my Redeemer the Lord Jesus Christ God and Man in one singular person who is distinct of himself from Angels and men and conclude this Epistle Written by Lodowick Muggleton one of the last Witnesses of the spirit unto the High and Mighty God the Man Christ Jesus in Gâ—â— To my Worthy Friend Mr. LODOWICK MVGGLETON UPON HIS Interpretation of the Book of the Revelations 〈◊〉 Honored It was my great good happiness to see Part of this your â—â—vailed Mystery â—re to the censure of thâ— world it â—s 〈◊〉 And in that part we thought I did descry 〈…〉 and discerning ey◠〈…〉 which hidden were Enjoy those sweet Râ—vâ—â—s 〈◊〉 For they to us are truly now mad◠〈◊〉 To 〈…〉 wiâ—â—â—n And when at first this 〈…〉 view Like a Prospective glass it
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
the Presbyterian did persecute upon the account of Religion as many can witness at this day Likewise was not the King driven from Whitehall by the Presbyterians and Independents Was not great Armies raised against him was there not many men slain by both Armies Were there not many thousands of people undone and destroyed by these plagues and troubles at the sounding of these two Anti-Angels namely Presbytery and Independency When I say Presbytery the Scots are included So that plagues doth follow upon the sounding of the trumpets of these Anti-angels as there did at the sounding of the trumpets of the Angels of Asia And the Angel of the Presbyterian signifies and resembles the Angel of the Church of Pergamos And the Angel of the Independent doth signifie and resemble the Angel of the Church of Thyatira 5. Fifthly Was there not great plagues at the founding of the Baptists and the Angel of the Ranters these two sounded together also That is their Ministery sounded forth together as the Presbytery and Independent did And they held together in War as the other two Did not great plagues follow upon the sounding of these two Anti-angels Was not Oliver Cromwel upon the Baptists score at the first was not he made General was not many Baptists and Ranters made great Officers of the Army for the Levellers were of the Ranters and the Fifth-monarchy men were of the Baptists So that the Levellers were a Branch that sprouted forth of the Ranters And the Fifth-Monarchy men were a Branch that sprouted forth of the Baptists And were not these the men that overthrew the Kings Army and the Scotch Army Did not these beat down all those that stood against them Did not these cause Judgement to be given upon the King when they had overcome him Did not these make France Spain and Holland to bow and fear before them Was not Olivers name dreadful to Neighbor Nations was not he a Terror to the Cavaliers was there not great destruction in England and else where at the sounding of these two Anti-angels These things many that are now living can witness So that there is plagues upon the earth at the sounding of every Angel for the Angel of the Baptist being the fifth in resembling the Angel of the Church in Sardis And the Ministery of the Ranters being the sixth Angel in relation to the Angel of the Church of Philadelphia So that great plagues hath been upon the earth at the sounding of every one of these six Anti-angels far more than I can relate Onely this may give the Seed of Faith a hint whereby they may see what a suitableness there is in the sounding of the trumpets of the Anti-angels of the Churches of Europe to the Angels of the Churches of Asia and what plagues did follow CHAP. XXXI NOw when the seventh Angel of Asia did sound it is said That there should be time no longer as in Revel 10.6 And in Revel 11.15 it is said And the seventh Angel sounded and there were great voices in heaven saying The Kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reign for ever and ever Intimating the end of all time at the sounding of the seventh Angel And as the Revelation of John hath involved the three Records in earth to agree in one That is to say the Water Blood and Spirit or the Commission of the Law and Commission of the Gospel and Commission of the Spirit These three being several and a great distance of time between every one of them as they were acted upon this earth Yet all but one record so is it with the Revelation of John in his vision he hath joyned the sounding of the seven trumpets of the seven Angels as if they did relate to no other but to the seven Churches of Asia When as the same spirit did sound in the time of the Law and so it doth now in these last days in the Commission of the Spirit For some of those Plagues that were upon the earth at the sounding of those four Angels they were acted in the time of the record of the Law which signifies the water yet seen in the vision by John as if they were all acted and performed by the seven Churches of Asia So likewise the seven Churches of Europe were included in the vision also For there is a remnant of the seed of the woman in all the seven Churches of Europe that will be saved though the Ministery of them be Anti. They being non-commissionated Angels yet called Angels who sound their trumpets And at the sounding of these Anti-angels great Plagues hath followed as I have shewed before Now the Quakers being the seventh and last Anti-angel that will sound in resemblance of the Angel of Laodicea There will fall great Plagues upon the earth at the sounding and in the sounding of this seventh and last Anti-angel For there is no more Angels to sound after the Quakers Ministery for this Ministery will last to the end of the world For there will never come no better nor higher Ministery while the world â—oth last For the Quakers Ministery is the seventh and last Anti-angel that will sound and as the mystery of God was finished in the days of the voice of the seventh Angel when it did begin to sound as in Revel the 10. and as I have declared in The Interpretation of the eleventh of the Revelation So likewise when this Angel hath sounded out-right the world will be at an end and the Kingdoms of this world will become our Lord Christs and he shall raign for ever and ever Revel 11.15 And this Plague will be the greatest Plague of all the other six Plagues unto the seed of reason who have persecuted the innocent and killed the just But how long time it will be when these things shall come it is not revealed to me nor no man else Onely this by revelation I know that the last or third Commission of the Spirit is now extant upon the earth And that the Quakers Ministery is the seventh and last Angel that will sound But how long time it will sound is not yet revealed to me But this I know that they are the last and being the last they may last a pretty while Neither would I have the Reader to think that the Ministery of the other six Angels will be extinguished for they will last to the end of the world also Onely this I would have the Reader to understand that all Sects and Opinions in matter of Religion are comprised in these seven Churches of Europe So that these seven Churches are the root and body and the other Opinions in religion though seemingly they differ from them yet I say they are but branches that are sprouted forth from some of these seven Churches of Europe Though they seem very great branches yet they are but branches as doubtless there was many differing opinions in the seven Churches of Asia
seven heads with himself And as for the ten horns they were all one for they were both blasphemers and idolaters and did worship idols and images and persecuted the seed of the woman and make war with the Saints And all the victory the Saints did obtain against the Dragon the Beast and their Image it was by faith and patience in the blood of the Lamb enabling them to suffer with patience those Ten Persecutions which those ten horns did push the saints with those cruel deaths which the Revelation of John calls ten days tribulation But I shall have occasion to speak more of that hereafter CHAP. XXXIII BUt in the second verse of this chapter it is said And the beast which I saw was like unto a Leopard and his feet were as the feet of a â—ear and his mouth as the mouth of a Lion and the Dragon gave him his power and his seat and his authority Now I would have the Seed of Faith to know that these ten Persecutions which were the ten horns they were acted upon the Saints in the primitive time so called That is so long as the Commission of the Apostles did successively last or as long as the true Faith of Christ was upon the earth which did last a matter of three hundred years from the birth of Christ For after his birth there was true Faith on the earth For when the Son of Man as he calls himself did come in the flesh upon earth was there any faith upon earth surely no. If there had been faith upon the earth they would never have sought to have destroyed him when he was born as Herod that red Dragon did And afterwards his own people the Jews So that this is to be minded that always when God doth come with his Commissions there is little or no faith upon the earth Was there any faith upon the earth when God did send Moses to Pharaoh and to Israel Moses being the first man which God chose and gave a Commission to write Scripture I say was there any faith upon the earth at the first appearing of God Surely no. But after Moses had appeared then there was faith upon the earth but at his first appearing there was no faith on the earth So likewise at the second appearing of God that is to say when Christ was born was there any faith upon the earth at that time but onely in old Simeon and his wife and Joseph the supposed father of Christ The earth was very barren of true faith at the appearing of God in this way But after his appearing there was much true Faith upon the earth as may be read concerning Christ himself that many believed on him and a greater number of people believed on his Apostles more then did on himself So that there was great faith upon the earth in the time of Gods appearing in his Commission of the Blood But before or at the first appearing there was very little or no faith upon the earth So likewise at Gods third appearing in his Commission of the Spirit was there any true faith upon the earth surely no. This I know by experience that there was no true faith on the earth but since God hath appeared in the Commission of the Spirit there is true faith upon the earth more then hath been this thirteen hundred and fifty years So that at the appearing of God in his three Commissions there was very little or no true faith upon the earth I mean at their first appearing But after their appearing there is true faith upon the earth and that more abundant then at any other time For that faith which is between Commissions it is but a traditional faith and not a saving and justifying faith I onely give the Seed of Faith this birâ— that they may distinguish and know the better how and when the Scriptures were fulfilled So I shall pass on to open the chief things of most concernment in this Chapter CHAP. XXXIV THe first thing that I would have the Seed of Faith to mind is this that these ten horns of Persecution of the Saints it did first begin at the birth of Christ in that Dragon Herod And afterwards the spirit and power of the Dragon it was invested or seated upon this Beast he being the first head which the Dragon did give all his power and authority and his seat unto That it the same spirit of reason that was in Herod the Dragon it was in the seed of this Beast So that this B ast having the same spirit of Reason in him as the Dragon aforesaid had he did exercise the idolatry blasphemy and persecution of the Saints as the Dragon did So that he being of the same spirit and practice as the Dragon was it may be said that he received the Dragons seat power and authority He being the first head that succeeded the Dragon For this I would have the Seed of Faith to know that this spirit of the Dragon it went thorow the seed of all those seven heads And all that persecution that was acted in that three hundred years in the time of the Commission of the Apostles it is reckoned all but unto seven heads or seven beasts though more wicked kings then these seven might persecute the Saints in those Ten Persecutions in that three hundred years Yet they are all included in those seven because the same spirit of reason that was in the Dragon the same was in the seven And so in the seed of all wicked kings so that they all acted as the Dragon did in blaspheming the living God and persecuting his Saints For as all good Kings are included but into four good Beasts as I said before So likewise all wicked persecuting Kings are included in those seven heads or seven wicked beasts they being of the same seed and nature as the Dragon is and walk in the same steps of idolatry blasphemy and persecution as he did They may be said all of them to receive the seat power and authority of the Dragon which is no other but the spirit of reason whose original is from the fallen Angel though called a Dragon a Serpent a Devil the seed of Reason is all this and more But little doth man think that the spirit of reason in every man poor and rich bond or free high or low King or people is the devil serpent and dragon For many poor men have the spirit of the Dragon in them onely they have not power to execute it upon the Saints nor his fellow-creatures Therefore when the Spirit doth call a man a Dragon or a beast it is with relation to that power that is invested upon or in a King or Head-Magistrate So that he being the head or chief above all others he hath power and authority to do good or hurt And according as his authority and power doth act it self forth on this earth in righteousness justice and worshipping the true God He is called by the Revelation
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
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
is the Song of the Lamb that is the Song of the Gospel of Jesus And the other hundred forty and four thousand in the seventh Chapter they sung the Song of Moses that is the Song of the Law Now there is no man that could learn or sing this new Song of Praise unto the Lamb nor the Song of Moses but those that were redeemed from the earth Now the Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb what they are I have opened before Also what the Harps are I have shewed before so that I need say no more of it here CHAP. XLII IN the fourth Verse These are they which were not defiled with women for they are virgins Also they are said to be the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in the fifth Verse there is said In their mouth was found no guile for they are without fault before the Throne of God Observe that those hundred forty four thousand Saints they are said not to be defiled with women for they are virgins The meaning is this they were not defiled in their souls with idolatry in worshipping of idols and false gods For idolatrous men are called Whores and who ever worshippeth images or false gods may be said to go a whoring after strange gods and so comes to be guilty of spiritual whoredom and spiritual fornication and so may be said to be defiled with women as the Scriptures doth in many places prove the truth of this Interpretation And as for their being Virgins the meaning is this they were not tainted with the idolatrous worship of the Nations set up by those Beasts aforesaid that they were as pure in their souls from idolatry as a virgin is from knowing of man For as a virgin is not defiled with man so were these Saints not defiled with idols and images Which idols and images are called in the spiritual Women for they follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth that is they followed him in the Worship of the Gospel notwithstanding that great idolatry and persecution there was in the time while the Apostles Commission did last which was a matter of three hundred years And they are called The first fruits unto God Observe They are called the first fruits unto God because they were of the Jews Seed whom God made a Covenant with that they should worship him as Moses should direct them And these hundred forty and four thousand who were redeemed by their faith and obedience to the Gospel in the Apostles Commission I say these were of the Jews as I said before therefore called the first fruits unto God For the believing Gentiles are not called the first fruits unto God because God chose the Jews Church first Therefore the believing Jews are called by the Spirit in John the first fruits unto God And these being preserved in their spirits from defiling themselves with idols they are said in their mouth was found no guile for they are without fault before the Throne of God That is they were not guilty of worshipping of false gods and so not defiled with women but worshipped Christ in the way as he gave his Apostles to establish as aforesaid And in the sixth verse John saw in his vision another Angel flie in the midst of heaven having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth and to every nation and kindred and tongue and people This Angel John saw flie in the midst of heaven having the everlasting Gospel to preach I declare it was Peter he being the Head-Apostle to whom Christ committed the preaching of the Gospel unto and to whom Christ committed the keyes of heaven and of hell and upon Peters Faith Christ called A Rock upon which he would build his Church Also I would have the Reader to minde that Christ gave this power to all the twelve Apostles as well as to Peter For they all had their Commission from Christ after he was ascended to preach the everlasting Gospel to all Nations that dwell upon the earth according to that saying of Christ to his Apostles before he suffered death Who said unto his Apostles whom he had chose Go preach the Gospel to every creature or to all nations and lo I will be with you to the end of the world c. Now this Gospel was preached to all nations according to the words of Christ in the time of the Apostles Commission As may be read Acts 2.5 And there dwelling at Jerusalem Jews devout men out of every nation under heaven Unto these Jews did Peter and the rest of the Apostles preach the Gospel of Jesus they speaking though unlearned men to every man in his own tongue the wonderful things of God So that this Gospel which the Apostles preached it was carried to all Nations on the earth as you may read Acts 2. beginning at the seventh verse And as for the everlasting Gospel being preached to every nation and kinred and tongue and people it was preached at that time aforesaid and at other times For Jew and Gentile doth include all nations kinred tongues and people And Paul being chosen of Christ to preach the everlasting Gospel unto the Gentiles he was made one with the rest of the Apostles in the Commission of the Gospel So that Peter he being the Apostle of the Jews and Paul being the Apostle of the Gentiles they both preaching one everlasting Gospel so counted by the Spirit in John but one Angel flying in the midst of heaven having the everlasting Gospel to preach Therefore minde though there were Apostles besides Paul and divers other Preachers of the Gospel in the time of that Commission which did last a matter of three hundred years as aforesaid yet they are all called by the revelation in John but one Angel because they were all under one Commission And Peter being the chief and head Apostle of the Commission of the Gospel I declare by revelation that he is called by John that Angel that he saw flie in the midst of heaven having the everlasting Gospel to preach And this everlasting Gospel which was preached it was Christ crucified unto death and Christ risen again and ascended up into glory in that same body he suffered death in And this was that Gospel the Angel did preach unto them that dwell on the earth This is also the everlasting Gospel which is preached to every nation kinred tongue and people And according to the words of Christ when he was upon earth to his Apostles the Gospel was preached to every nation on the earth by Peter and Paul and the rest of the Apostles and Ministers ordained by them and Christ was with them to the end of the world That was to the end of their Commission which did last as aforesaid a matter of three hundred years So that you whose understandings are enlightned in the knowledge of revelation and interpretation of Scripture you may see what is meant by the Angel who had the everlasting
both Jew and Gentile being called that holy City even as the other Babylon was troden and destroyed without the City of Jerusalem Which was many miles off Jerusalem thus in short I have given the interpretation of the most things of concernment in the fourteenth Chapter CHAP. XLV CHapter the fifteenth in the first verse John saw another sign in heaven great and marvellous seven Angels having the seven last Plagues for in them is filled up the wrath of God This great and marvellous sign that John saw in heaven it was those Plagues or wrath of God that was to be poured out upon this spiritual Babylon and those beasts and nations and people who did drink of the cup of her fornication of idolatry which is more explained in the sixteenth Chapter Also John saith he saw another sign great and marvellous It is said to be another sign because he spake in the chapter before much of that temporal Babylon with the Plagues and fall of it But in this fifteenth chapter these Plagues hath relation onely to this mystery Babylon therefore said to be another sign in heaven great and marvellous It is great and marvellous indeed for he saw the utter destruction and end of the world therefore calls them the seven last Plagues before upon the other Babylon But these seven Plagues are the last Plagues that are to be poured out upon the earth therefore called by the Spirit marvellous because the whole wrath or final wrath of God is filled up or finished upon the whore beast false prophets and all idolatrous persons in the world And this is to be executed by seven Angels that is these seven holy Angels have Commission from God to pour out those seven last Plagues in a suitableness or likeness to those Plagues that was poured out upon Egypt as will appear in the next chapter In the second verse John saw as it were a Sea of glass mingled with fire and them that had gotten the victory over the beast and over his image and over his mark and over the numbers of his name stand on the Sea of glass having the harps of God The Reader may remember that I have shewed before when I treated upon the fourth Chapter of the Revelation that there is a Chrystal Sea like unto glass or Chrystal waters in heaven above the Stars as really as there is Sea of waters here upon the earth and as certain as ships and other vessels can and do swim or glide upon the Sea and waters here below So may spiritual bodies stand or walk upon the Sea of glass in heaven above the Stars And this Sea of glass is mingled with fire it is said to be mingled with fire to signifie the purity of it the more because fire is that which purifies more then any thing but water Therefore the spirit of God is compared to fire and to water as Christ shall baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire and Christ will give every true believer water of Life so that as the Spirit of God the operation of it is compared to fire and to water those two being the purifying things upon earth So likewise this Sea of glass mingled with fire which John saw in heaven it was that Chrystal Sea or Chrystal waters like unto clear glass Which was before the Throne of God as in the 4th of the Revelation aforesaid And John saw all them that had gotten the victory over the beast and over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name stand on the Sea of Glass having the harps of God That is the Saints of God who by their patient suffering they got the victory over the beast for faith and patience will conquer the greatest enemies in the world both within a man and without a man And this faith and patience in the Saints in the second Commission Was that which kept them from worshipping of idols images or submitting any ways to that false worship set up by the beast And in this regard the Saints may be said to get victory over the beast his image mark and name Which things I have opened before onely this is to be minded by the way that the Saints that getteth this victory over all false worship they shall have spiritual bodies that shall be capable to stand upon the Sea of glass in heaven even upon that Chrystal Sea which is round about the throne of God Even as men do stand upon ships upon the Sea of this world as aforesaid Observe if there be such power in saith in bodies that are mortal as to make them to walk upon the waters as in Christ and in Peter who walked in those bodies of flesh upon the waters how much more shall those whose faith is become a fiery glory which hath spiritualized the whole body That is it is a spiritual body capable to stand upon the Sea of glass in heaven as our earthly bodies are upon the firmest earth here below And those Saints that stand upon this chrystal Sea of glass these have the harps of God Now what is meant by the harps I have shewed before And in the third verse these that stood upon the Sea of glass having the harps of God they sing the Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb which two Songs I have opened before Now what the words of the Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb are some of them are set down in the third and fourth verses And those that stood upon the Sea of glass with the harps of God did sing these two Songs in those words aforesaid Their tongues being the harps of God to sound forth his praise and glory for his great mercies towards them There is nothing else of any great concernment to know in this Chapter but what I shall have occasion to speak of in the chapters following therefore I shall say no more nor interpret no more of this fifteenth Chapter CHAP. XLVI IN the sixteenth Chapter and the first verse John heard a great voice out of the Temple saying to the seven Angels Go your ways and pour out the Vials of the wrath of God upon the earth These seven Angels are to pour out the seven last Plagues upon the earth they are called seven Angels because of those seven several Plagues that are to be poured out upon the earth in the last dayes These Angels who had the seven last Plagues to pour out upon the earth they were of the holy Angels but whether they were just seven more or less is not much material But because the Plagues are counted but into seven therefore called seven Angels who poured out their Vials of the wrath of God which wrath of God are those seven Plagues when as one or two Angels might at the command of God pour out all those seven vials But this Book of the Revelation of John doth speak much of seven And 1. of the seven Spirits of God before the Throne
spiritual the Son of God whose eyes are like a flame of fire and his feet like unto fiue brass This is he that treadeth the wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God as in Revel 19.15 Now as the vial of Gods wrath was poured out upon the natural Sun in that the Sun had power to burn up Sodom and Gomorrah as aforesaid So likewise the Son of righteousness had the vial of Gods wrath poured out upon him also In that he treaded the fierceness of Gods wrath that is his own wrath as he was the Creator So that he suffered death at the hands of his creatures which death is called by the spirit the wine-press of Gods wrath And this wrath being poured out upon the Son of Righteousness he hath power given him to scorch men with fire That is he hath power to scorch the consciences of wicked men with the fire of hell This power also doth he give to every true Prophet and Apostle and Minister whom he doth chuse And as the death of Christ is called the fierce wrath of God so likewise it may be called a fire for the wrath of God may be called a fire though executed in several other ways So that this death of the Son it being charged upon the consciences of all wicked persecuting idolatrous men and women by the Apostles Prophets and Ministers chosen by them It doth scorch their consciences with the fear of eternal death which is the fire of hell as in the nineth verse And men were scorched with great heat and blasphemed the Name of God which hath power over these Plagues So that every true Messenger of Christ hath power to scorch the consciences of men and to kindle the fire of hell in all persecuting spirits and false worshippers who worship false gods And this fire and heat was very much poured out by the Apostles and those Ministers ordained by them in the primitive times so called For none knows what those persecuting beasts and false worshippers who received the beasts mark did suffer nor how their consciences were scorched with the fire of hell even whilest they were in this world which was but a taste of what shall be hereafter But this taste it made them blaspheme against him that had power over these Plagues For the minde of man is so desperately wicked that if he could destroy that God that hath power over these Plagues even as they did those his messengers and the Saints that believed them But the Saints may see that there is a secret spiritual power in every true Messenger of God to scorch the souls of persecuting and despising men and women with the heat of hell fire this I know to be true by experience as well as by faith For the doctrine of the true God and his true Worship it doth torment the souls of the seed of the serpent inwardly as the heat of the Sun doth outwardly to a mans body and men are more subject to blaspheme for the torment within then they are for torments without Because the one is but for a time but the other is for eternity So that the spiritual scorching with great heat is that John chiefly intends in this chapter in relation to the torment of mind that was upon those beasts that persecuted the Saints and all those that received his mark as aforesaid In the time of the Apostles Commission and with relation to the end of the world Thus in some measure I have given the litteral and spiritual meaning of the fourth Angel pouring out his vial upon the Sun and of the 8. and 9. verses CHAP. XLIX VErse the tenth And the fifth Angel poured our his vial upon the seat of the beast and his kingdom was full of darkness and they gnawed their tongues for pain This fifth vial it hath a twofold meaning that is a litteral and spiritual meaning The litteral meaning is in relation to the vial or plague that Moses poured out upon Egypt as you may see Exodus the 10.22 23 And Moses streched forth his hand towards heaven and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days and in the 23. verse They saw not one another neither rose any from his place for three days c. Here the Reader may see that this vial was poured out in the natural upon Egypt and upon the seat of the King of Egypt Pharâ—ah being king Therefore called the beast and the seat of the beast signifies the power and authority that Pharaoh had over all the land of Egypt And this Vial being poured out upon the seat of the beast it signifies upon all those that were under his government That is that were of his own people so that there was thick darkness in the Kings palace and upon his servants no place free as there was upon the inhabitants of Egypt so that darkness was all over the land of Egypt no place free For if any place had been free from darkness in the land of Egypt then I say the vial had not been poured out upon the seat of the beast So that this vial Moses poured out of thick darkness it was upon the seat of the beast that is upon King Pharaoh in whom the power and authority of Egypt did stand So that when darkness was poured out upon the King in whom the light of all the Laws of Egypt did shine forth upon the people if the Seat in whom the Law is placed be darkned then the people which must obey must needs be darkned also For where a King or Head Magistrate hath power given him either from God or from man to make Laws for people to obey that power and authority is called by the Spirit the Seat of the beast And when God doth pour out the vial of his wrath upon this Authority then I say the vial may be said to be poured out upon the Seat of the Beast so that the Reader may see what is meant by the Seat of the Beast Now I have opened a little what is the litteral or natural meaning of the fifth Angel pouring out his vial or plague upon Egypt and what the Plague was and what the Seat of the Beast is I shall now also give you to understand the spiritual meaning of these things aforesaid Observe there was many Pharaohs that were Kings of Egypt in those four hundred years that Israel was in bondage in Egypt yet all these King Pharaohs are included in that one King Pharaoh unto whom Moses was sent So that all the Kings of Egypt are counted by the Spirit but one King Pharaoh And all those Plagues which Moses poured out upon Egypt it was upon this King Pharaoh even until God had utterly consumed him and he did in the Red-sea these things were fulfilled in the history and in the natural at the beginning of Moses Commission And that beast Pharaoh king of Egypt his actions of oppression to the Israelites they were upon the temporal
which Land there is the light of Faith whereby they may see the way to that eternal light of Glory where no sad or melancholly thought shall arise to darken the light of peace joy and everlasting glory So on the contrary the Land of Egypt it signifies that hell and darkness of the minde So that all those who know not the true God nor his true Worship they are in that spiritual darkness in their mindes as the Egyptians were who gnawed their tongues for pain Even so will it be with all those wicked beasts who have and do set up Images and Idols of gold wood and stone or any false worship whatsoever contrary to Moses the Apostles and the two Witnesses of the Spirit I say all those that worship contrary to these three Commissions they are in that spiritual Egyptian darkness in their mindes whilest they are here in this world And this darkness in their spirits it will lead them to that eternal dark night when as no light shall appear for ever That is no motion of peace or hope of deliverance shall arise in their mindes for ever and ever And then shall this Beast and all that received his mark name or number of his name gnaw their tongues for pain to eternity For this Vial or Plague is poured out upon the seat of the beast then of necessity it will follow that all that worship according to his command will have the Vial of darkness poured out upon them also So much for the interpretation of the fifth Vial and of the tenth Verse CHAP. LI. I Shall pass by the eleventh and come to the twelfth verse And the sixth Angel poured out his Vial upon the great river Euphrates and the waters thereof was dried up that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared This great river Euphrates was in the Land of Canaan where those four Angels was bound as I shewed before And as those four Angels were loosed at the sounding of the Trumpet of the sixth Angel so at the pouring out of the sixth Vial this great river Euphrates must be dryed up Now this great river Euphrates it signifies all the rivers and fountains of waters in the whole world in the natural That is to say at the end of the world God will pour out his vial of wrath upon all rivers and fountains of waters so that they shall be dryed up so that the thirst of man and beast shall not be quenched this will God do in the natural Also God will pour out his vial of wrath upon the spiritual estate of man even upon the great spiritual river Euphrates that is upon all the souls and consciences of wicked idolatrous persecuting men and women all the world over That is the waters of their souls shall be dryed up so that no motion of peace shall arise or spring from their souls to quench the thirst of sin then no more then there did to Dives the rich man who being in hell wanted one drop of cold water to cool his tongue But the river of his soul that did run with motions of peace in his natural life it was now dryed up so that no drop of cold water could be had That is not one motion of peace or hope could arise in his spirit it being dryed up by the wrath of God being poured out upon the river of his soul So that the souls or spirits of all wicked persecuting idolatrous people all the world over maybe called in the spiritual the great river Euphrates and the vial of Gods wrath being poured out upon the spirits of those people aforesaid it doth dry up all the waters of their souls That is all their peace so that no hope of eternal happiness can arise in them For all hope is dryed up so that there is no motion of peace can arise in their souls to quench the fire of hell in them for all the waters are dryed up in their souls and this is that great spiritual river Euphrates spoken of by John Whose waters thereof are dryed up for the peace of the minde of man is called in Scriptures Water as Christ saith He that believes in me out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water So likewise Christ said to the woman of Samaria if thou hadst asked me I would have given thee water of Life and it should be in thee a well springing up unto eternal life So that there is spiritual waters that doth spring out of the soul of man as there is natural waters that doth spring out of the earth or out of the rocks And these spiritual waters doth satisfie the spirit of man in its kinde as the natural waters doth in its kinde And as there is a spiritual water that doth proceed from the Seed of Faith so likewise there is a spiritual water that doth proceed from the seed of reason in man And this water that doth proceed or arise from the seed of reason it doth give great satisfaction to the minde of man Now these spiritual waters that doth arise from the seed of reason are called by the spirit the great river Euphrates And this is that river Euphrates that the sixth Angel poured out his vial upon and dryed up all the waters as aforesaid Not but that the natural river Euphrates which signifies all the rivers in the world will be dryed up also Onely this book of the Revelation of John it hath generally a two fold meaning that is to say a spiritual meaning and a temporal meaning So that both the great river Euphrates in the temporal and the great river Euphrates in the spiritual the waters of them both will be dryed up at the end of time which thing will be unexpressible sad to all those who have no water of Life in their souls to drink It is said by the spirit of John that this great river Euphrates was dryed up that the way of the Kings of the east might be prepared Now what these Kings of the east are is very necessary to know These Kings of the East I declare they are all good Kings further I declare that Christ the King of Heaven is said to come out of the East as you may read Math. 2.2 3 verses Where the wise men from the East came to Jerusalem saying where is he that is born King of the Jews for we have seen his Star in the East and are come to worship him So that this Jesus the King of the Jews he is called the King of the East because his Star in the East directed the wise men to finde him out that they might worship him Now this is to be minded by the Reader that Prophets Apostles and Saints they are called by the Spirit Kings and Priests unto God as the Scripture saith So that all Prophets Apostles and true Believers may be called Kings And seeing the King of Kings came out of the East these all following him in the same steps of faith and
upon men any more to eternity For that voice John heard out of the temple in heaven from the throne it was from no other but from God himself saying It is done And immediately upon that voice there were other voices and thunders and lightnings and there was a great earthquake such as was not since men were upon the earth so mighty an earthquake and so great as you may see verse 18. This 18 19 20 21. verses have all of them relation to the end of the world which thing will be done in the pouring out of the vial of the seventh Angel which seventh Angel is now pouring out his vial of wrath upon the men of this world For as the seventh and last Anti-Angel namely the Quakers ministery doth sound and hath sounded neer upon twenty years so likewise the seventh vial hath been poured out this twenty years also And it will last pouring out to the end of time even as the seventh Anti-angels ministery will last to the end of the world as aforesaid And as I said before much like unto those Plagues that Moses brought unto Egypt God will bring upon the earth upon the sea upon the sun and upon the air at the end of the world And as there was a great hail in Egypt so that the Egyptians blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail Even so will it be in the end of the world when those great voices of the four and twenty Elders the four beasts the holy Angels and Saints shall utter their voice in Allelujahs unto God their King and Redeemer it will be as the voice of thunders and lightnings and will cause a mighty great hail every stone the weight of a talent That is God will rain down fire and brimstone upon the earth and sea sun and air so that none of these four which is the life of all creatures shall yield refreshment to the mind of man but it shall rain stones of fire mingled with brimstone which cannot be dissolved So that men shall blaspheme God eternally because of the hail it being exceeding great It must needs be exceeding great because it is eternal it being the last plague or last vial of Gods wrath it being the end of all time there being now nothing but eternal misery to remain For there will fall upon every wicked mans soul whose names are not written in the book of Life such an hail-stone of fire and brimstone that shall weigh a talent That is it shall weigh so heavy upon his heart that it shall press his soul down into the second death which is eternal So much for the interpretation of the chief matters in the sixteenth chapter of Johns Revelation CHAP. LVIII IN the sixteenth chapter of Johns Revelation it doth prophesie of the seven last plagues that God will pour out upon this wicked unbelieving idolatrous world Much like unto those plagues Moses poured out upon Egypt at the beginning of his Commission So likewise will God pour out the vials of his wrath upon the earth at the end of the world Which will be at the end of the Commission of the Spirit Now what these seven vials are I have opened in the 16 chapter Now this 17th chapter it doth contain a prophesie of the downfall of the spiritual Babylon or mystery Babylon It is compared by the spirit in John to a woman arrayed in scarlet to an adulterous woman to a whore to a great city Now this is to be minded by the Reader that there is two Babylons spoken of in Scripture two sorts of whores two sorts of fornication two sorts of Cities two sorts of Vials of Gods wrath to be poured out upon the earth That is there is a temporal Babylon and a spiritual Babylon or Babylon in the History and Babylon in the Mystery or a natural fornication of the flesh with woman and a spiritual fornication in the soul and minde of man with idols And so the one is called a whore or an adulterous woman in the temporal and the other is called a whore in the spiritual So that there is two sorts of whores and two sorts of fornications likewise there is two sorts of Cities that is a temporal City and a spiritual City The temporal City is that which the reason of man hath built for its own glory of wood and stone guilded with Silver and Gold the spiritual City is that which God hath built which is the body of man Therefore it is said in Scripture Your bodies are the Temple of the Holy Ghost so likewise the believing Jews and Gentiles they are called by the Spirit the holy City so that there is a spiritual holy City and there is a spiritual unholy City That is there is true worshippers of God and false worshippers of God a mystery Babylon a mystery of Gods temporal Plagues and spiritual Plagues To sum up all the meaning of Johns Revelation is this that all the true Believers both Jews and Gentiles that doth worship God according to the tennor of that Commission they are under whether it be the worship of the Law of Moses or the worship of the Gospel of Jesus set up by his Apostles or the worship of the Spirit set up by the Witnesses of the Spirit These three being all Commissionated of God so that who ever doth truly believe in these three Commissions in their time and place when they were in being upon the earth I say they are all counted by the Spirit but one City or one woman as Revel 12.1 A woman clothed with the sun c. So on the contrary all false worship that is set up by non-commissionated men who doth resemble or imitate the true worship set up by true commissionated men I say those men having no Commission from God so to do their worship is meer idolatry and all those people who joyn in that worship so set up they are all idolatrous people And so counted by the Spirit in John that great City Babylon in opposition to the holy City of God as aforesaid So that this is to be minded by the Reader that there is but two Cities that is to say the City of Saints and the great city of devils That is all true worshippers are called the holy City and all false worshippers are called by the Spirit the great City Babylon as aforesaid So likewise they are all called but one woman or one whore So that you that have any true light in your understandings you may see that all the messengers of idolatry and all idolatrous people they are called by the Spirit but one whore or one fornication So that look what worship hath been set up by a non-commissionated man at the first In that they did imitate Moses in his worship and so afterwards did imitate the Apostles worship without a Commission from God I say that the first brothers or imitators of Moses and the Apostles worship with all the adherents thereunto and the multitudes
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
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
A TRUE INTERPRETATION OF All the Chief TEXTS and Mysteriouâ— SAYINGS and VISIONS opened of the whole Book of the REVELATION of St. JOHN Whereby is unfolded and plainly declared those wonderful deep Mysteries and Visions interpreted concerning the true God the Alpha and Omega With variety of other Heavenly Secrets which hath never been opened nor revealed to any man since the Creation of the World to this day until now By Lodowick Muggleton one of the 〈◊〉 last Commissionated Witnesses Prophetâ— of the onely high immortal glorious God CHRIST JESUS Printed in the Year of our Lord 1665. for the Author 〈◊〉 Muggleton in Great Trinity-Lane London near the Sigâ— of the Lyon and Lamb. The Epistle to the Reader I Had thoughts when I writ The Interpretation of the eleventh of the Revelation to have written no more Books thinking in my self that there was sufficient mysteries written to have satisfied the spirit of any man as well as my self who came to understand the mysteries of the true God and the right devil as I my self did And because those heavenly things there treated upon were so strange neither did I ever finde or read such a kinde of language not in all the ancient Fathers writings and all who have undertaken to interpret the Scriptures and especially this book of the Barâ—â—â—tion of Saint John In all my zeal in religion which was very great I found no satisfaction neither in their writings nor in their preaching which 〈◊〉 an evident sign to me that those Preachers and Writers were not sent of God For certainly if they had I should have found rest there and so would many more but I see all our preachers and teachers of all opinions in religion they did and do come short of the glory of God in that none of them hath or can declare unto the people neither by writing nor speaking what the true God is in his form and nature nor the right devil his form and nature not with all their wisdom of reason and great learning and study of the Scriptures When as to know God is life eternal so that I know now by experience that there is a great deal of difference between knowledge and thinking I know For true knowledge it gives satisfaction to the spirit of man and who ever knoweth the true God must needs know the right devilâ— And can a man be more satisfied in his minde then he that knâ—â—â— the true God and the right devil for by this knowledge the spirit of man hath peace with God Also he knowing the devil where he is and what he is he i◠〈◊〉 afraid of him for the great trouble that lieth almost upon all 〈◊〉 and womens spirits is they know not God therefore they do not love God but fear his anger they do not know And as for the devil they fear him to be some spirit flying in the air even a fiction of their own brain The imagination of reason thorow its ignorance hath created such a devil to it self that the fear of it hath caused many men and women to looseÌ„ their wits When as indeed and in truth there is no devil but men and women neither doth any devil commit fornication neither temporal nor spiritual with idols but men and women neither doth any devil persecute and kill the Saints or others but men and women so that there is no other devil to be damned to eternity but men women So that this is to be minded that all the Scriptures as they were spoken by the holy Prophets and Apostles they were spoken to men and women that is to Saint and devil for the Scriptures were spoken to none but to these two And these two are men both Saint and devil and yet all the Interpreters of Scriptures cannot find what the devil is nor where he is And if they were well examined they would hardly find where and who are Saints And all this ignorance that lieth upon the spirits of men and women that produceth the trouble of mind or that non-satisfaction it is because the teachers of the people are ignorant and blind themselves in the knowedge of the true God and the right devil and of the true interpretation of the Scriptures So the mysteries of the Kingdom of eternal Glory is hid from their eyes so that they have not satisfaction in themselves nor the people that hear them so that whilst they preach to others they themselves are cast-aways or as Christ saith The blind leads the blind and both fall into the ditch of eternal perdition Yet I confess they cannot help it for it is the instinct of nature for the spirit of reason in man to go to preach before he be sent And it is the instinct and nature of the Spirit of Faith not to be willing to go on Gods Messages when he is sent of God This I can experience to be truth in my self for I was the unwillingest man in the world to be publick either in temporal things or in spiritual matters so that I was forced by a curse from the Lord if I would not go But now I see the same curse did God lay upon all Prophets and Messengers whom he had chose if they should not obey to go where God would send them witness Moses Jeremiah and divers other Prophets and as the Witnesses of the Spirit So that I would have the Reader to understand thus much thaâ— where a true Minister is he is sent of God and the doctrine he doth bring it giveth satisfaction unto himself and to all those that doth truly receive it So on the contrary that Minister that is not sent of God his Doctrine doth neither satisfie himself nor him that receives him tâ—â—â— most peoples experience can witness unto Else as Samuel said to Saul What meaneth the lowing of the â—â—en and the bleating of the sheep in mine ears So in like manner if men were true Messengers of Christ what meaneth the horror and torment of Conscience and the fear of eternal damnation in the souls both of Minister and people This many a Minister and hearer of them can witness unto And all is because they were not sent of God for it is counted as great a sin to run before a man is sent of God as it is not to go when he is sent which sin is called rebellion which is as bad as the sin of witchcraft I speak this onely that the Reader the Seed of Faith may see the difference between those Messengers that are not sent of God and their Doctrine from those that are sent of God and their Doctrine and see which will satisfie the spirit best for I know some hath tasted of both therefore they can tell best For this is to be minded that every true Prophet or Messenger of Christ can trace the footsteps of God in the Scriptures for the Scriptures are the paths for Gods Spirit to walk in and the paths of God are but three paths to
spiritual fornication or whoredom So that all false worshippers or all that do worship idols or false gods from the greatest to the least from the beginning of Moses Commission to the beginning of the Apostles Commission and to the end of them and not onely so but to the end of the world even to the end of the Commission of the Spirit even the seven Churches of Europe For all spiritual idolatrous worship is in them also though they differ in several forms of worship one from another Namely the Papist Episcopacy Presbyterian Independent Baptist Ranter and Quaker all other Sects and Opinions are involved in these seven and every one of these seven are idolatrous Because none of them knoweth the true God therefore cannot worship him aright So that by consequence it will follow that they all commit fornication with idols for whoever worships a false god he committeth spiritual fornication which I am sure they all do For neither the Ministery of them nor the people doth know the true God nor the right devil for if they did then would they know what worship doth belong unto the true God now in these latter dayes So that all the false worshippers from the beginning of Moses to the end of the world they make up but one great City Babylon or one Woman or one scarlet Whore who hath made all Nations drink of the wine of her fornication That is this spirit of Reason in Kings and Head-Magistrates hath made all Nations to worship idols and images for God So that they have become drunk with spiritual fornication that the people have thirsted after the blood of the Saints as well as those in authority So that they are all become one City Babylon which will be destroyed at the end of the world This is that great Mystery Babylon that great City that John did prophesie the downfal of in the sixteenth Chapter And in the seventeenth Chapter he saw by faith the total downfal of this spiritual Mystery Babylon that great City the Mother of harlots that is of spiritual idolatry which is spiritual whoredom So that there was many more harlots then one yet they are all counted by the Spirit but one whore or harlot For that great City Babylon doth consist of nothing else but spiritual harlots So that the Reader may see what is meant by this spiritual Babylon and this great City and what is meant by the woman the great Whore and what is meant by her fornication so that the Reader may the better understand the interpretation of the Chapter that followeth CHAP. LIX IN the first verse of this seventeenth Chapter there was one of the seven Angels which had the seven vials and talked with John by way of vision and revelation saying unto him Come hither and I will shew unto thee the judgement of the great Whore that fitteth upon many waters Here it is clear that John did see by way of vision and revelation the downfal or judgement of this great spiritual Whore which I have shewed what is meant by it before And as for her sitting upon many waters the many waters where the whore sitteth it signifies multitudes of people nations and tongues as you may see verse 15. That is the spirit of reason in the whore as aforesaid should have such a spiritual power over the spirits of whole nations and tongues and multitudes of people that she should cause them all to commit fornication with idols or else they should be persecuted or suffer death So that whosoever would not commit fornication with her or at her command they should drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication That is she would persecute and put them to death for death is the wine of her wrath For the blood of the Saints is that wine of her wrath which is put into her golden cup that is in her hand And she doth not onely drink the blood of the Saints that is in the golden cup her self but she doth make the Kings of the earth to drink it also For in the a verse With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk of the wine of her fornication That is the Kings of the earth hath committed fornication with her in that they have been perswaded by her and joyned with her to worship idols For except the Kings of the earth who are the temporal power doth joyn with her spiritual power she could do nothing So that the Kings of the earth committing fornication with her that is to worship idols with her So they came to commit fornication with her that is the Kings and Head-magistrates doth uphold that spiritual power the whore hath and doth help to make the people to drink of the wine of her fornication So that the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication That is the inhabitants of the earth what with command from the spiritual power of the whore and what with command from the temporal power of the Kings of the earth the inhabitants of the earth are forced to commit fornication with idols also So that they are made to drink the wine of fornication with her that is look what comfort or satisfaction can be found in worshipping of idols they shall drink it with her But the wrath of her fornication none shall drink that but the Saints because they will not commit fornication with her that is to say not worship idols at her command Verse the 3. So be carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness and I saw a Woman sit upon a Scarlet coloured beast full of names of blasphemy having seven heads and ten horns As for the wilderness I shall say nothing as to that because I have opened what it is in the Interpretation of the eleventh of the Revelation But this Woman who doth sit upon a Scarlet coloured beast the Woman is the same as I said before that great City Babylon And the Scarlet coloured beast it doth signifie all Kings and Head-magistrates who hath submitted unto the false suggestions of Learned men who have pretended to be Prophets and Priests and Ministers of God without a Commission from God And so by the advice of these false prophets priests and ministers kings and head-magistrates hath set up images or forms of worship And hath made Laws for all people to obey in point of worship as well as in point of civil or temporal affairs Also they have made these persons aforesaid to have the charge to see the people worship according to that Law And hath given them a spiritual power to punish all those that will not worship accordingly This hath been the practice of all Kings and Head-magistrates I mean all evil kings and head-magistrates ever since the first idolatrous practices was used under Moses Commission And so a successive idolatrous power did follow even amongst the professors of the God of