the hearts and souls of the four Beasts and four and twenty Elders And the odours is that grace and supplications which was offered up unto the Lamb thorow those golden Vials Which Vials are the hearts and souls as aforesaid And those Harps are the tongues of the Beasts and Elders and Saints which are as Harps to sound forth the praise of the Lamb. For this I must tell you that the tongue of every Saint shall be as a Harp to praise the Lamb for his great and unspeakable work of Redemption which is more to be magnified by the Seed of Faith then the work of Creation So that the Beasts and the Elders and Saints may very well sing that new Song in the 9 verse saying Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred tongue and people and nation That is thou hast redeemed us to thy self by thy own blood for though thou art called a Lamb thou art no other but God And thy blood is no other but the blood of God though called the blood of the Lamb. Because of that twofold state and condition thou wert in And as the work of Redemption is of greater value to the redeemed ones than their Creation was therefore it is that those who are washed in the blood of the Lamb have Harps given them to sound or sing this new Song of Praise and Thanksgiving unto him that hath washed them in his own blood And the new song which the Beasts and Elders and Saints doth sing is set down in the 12 verse Saying with a loud voice Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing And so to the end of the Chapter giving praise unto the Lamb for their Redemption And this is that new Song which the Beasts and Elders and Saints shall sing to eternity It is called a new Song because it is the Song of the Lamb. For there is but two Songs in all to wit the Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb and blessed and happy are all those that can truly sing the song of the Lamb to know they are redeemed and washed in his blood CHAP. XV. NOw I have given the interpretation of the things that are of most concernment in the 5th Chapter I shall proceed to open the chief things contained in the 6th Chapter In the first verse of this chapter John saw in his vision the Lamb opening the Seals and at the Lambs opening of the first Seal John heard as it were the noise of thunder And in the vision one of the four Beasts said unto John Come and see As for the four Beasts you may remember I have shewed what they are before and now these four Beasts doth present to Johns understanding in the vision four other Beasts as in a figure to be four Horses Namely a white Horse a red Horse a black Horse and a pale Horse I would have the Reader to minde the interpretation of these four Horses and their Riders For there is one called he that sate on every one of these four horses Also there was some great and wonderful work done by every one of these that sate on these Horses Therefore called the opening of the Seals And at the opening of the first Seal John heard as it were in the vision the noise of thunder and after that there was presented unto his view in the vision a white horse And he that sat on him had a bowe and a Crown was given unto him and he went forth conquering and to conquer Now this white Horse which John saw in the vision it is the righteousness of the Saints And the righteousness of Saints is the righteousness of Faith For it is Paith that makes the soul pure and white in the blood of the Lamb. According to that saying Revel 7. and 13 and 14 verses One of the Elders answered saying unto me What are these which are arayed in white Robes and in the 14 verse And he said to me these are they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. So in the 6 chapter and 11 verse where it is said And white robes were given to every one of them meaning those which were slain under the altar that is they were slain for the testimony of Jesus Therefore said to be under the altar because Christ is the altar it self Many more places of Scriptures might be named for this purpose to prove that the righteousness of Faith is those white robes which the Saints souls are cloathed with Their hearts being purified by faith in the blood of the Lamb. For faith doth dip its soul in his blood so that all original and actal sin is washed away as clean as if there had never been any sin at all So that the Saints or Seed of Faith are cloathed with the white robes of righteousness of faith it being the righteousness of Christ He being the author of it by washing their souls in his own blood So that they become as white as snow and this righteousness of the Saints is that white Horse and the first horse that John saw in the vision For I would have the Reader to understand that the righteousness of faith is a real spiritual substance as the righteousness of the Law is yet none of them both can be seen by the visible eye of sense Not as they be in their essence or seed but by the effects or fruits they are known For effects or fruits doth proceed from an invisible spiritual root or substance which roots and substances is faith and reason And there is a righteousness that doth arise from each of these which hath their several effects or several fruits So that the tree may be known by the fruit that is the righteousness of the Law may be known and distinguished from the righteousness of faith Yet the life and spirit of these two trees are so secret and invisible that they cannot be seen by the eye of sense as I said before Yet they be two real spiritual substances that doth bring forth a righteousness according to their natures That is the righteousness of the Law and the righteousness of faith But it is those souls that are cloathed with the white Robe of Christs righteousness of faith that have been washed in his blood and this is that white horse John speaketh of For this I would have the Seed of Faith to minde that the spirit of Revelation in John doth compare the righteousness of the Saints to a white horse Also this I would have you to minde though the Saints that are cloathed in white be thousands and millions and innumerable Yet they are called by the revelation of the spirit but one white horse Now whether John did see in the vision the
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
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
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
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
Israel And it was practised by many wicked kings and head-magistrates and false priests and false prophets Which did cause many true Prophets and righteous men to be persecuted and put to death for not giving way to their false worship And so since the Apostles Commission the same thing hath been acted by Kings and Priests and so it will be to the end of the world So that all evil kings and evil head-magistrates are counted by the Spirit but one scarlet coloured beast for the spiritual Whore the woman to sit upon she may be said to sit upon the beast because she fits upon his power for Kings in all ages have been subject to the spiritual power though it hath been never so false for we see by experience that all those that goeth upon a spiritual account if he be but a Minister of the Gospel so called yet he sits upon the Magistrate For where is there a Magistrate in a Parish as a Deputy or such like but the Minister sits upon him So that one can do nothing as to matter of worship without the other So that the idolatrous woman who is the chief may well be said to sit upon a scarlet coloured beast which beast signifies all Kings and Head-magistrates who give themselves up to be guided in matter of worship by non-commissionated men who pretend a spiritual power to be Prophets Priests or Ministers of the Gospel or of the Law without a Commission from God But this beast here spoken of by John it doth chiefly relate to those beasts that did succeed after the destruction of Jerusalem which was a matter of four years after Christs death in relation to those Ten Persecutions which did last a matter of three hundred years So that all those beasts that persecuted the Saints in that time they are called by the Spirit a scarlet coloured beast He may be called a scarlet coloured beast in regard he had assisted the woman with his temporal power to persecute and shed the blood of Saints So that the sins of his soul they were as red as scarlet with the blood of the Saints and in this sense he is called a scarlet coloured beast and not onely so but full of names of blasphemy having seven heads and ten horns The meaning is this so many heads so many names of blasphemy that is there was seven Kings that came out of his loins as I shewed power and all these seven heads or beasts they persecuted and shed the blood of Saints and blasphemed God that had power over Plagues So that they all blasphemed God and shed the blood of the Saints for not worshipping their images and in this regard he may be called a scarlet coloured beast full of names of blasphemy For their souls were all made red as scarlet with the blood of Saints and they all blasphemed alike and the woman sate upon them all alike so that they are all called by the Spirit but one scarlet coloured beast CHAP. LX. VErse the fourth And the woman was arrayed in Purple and Scarlet-colour and decked with Gold and precious Stores and Pearls having a golden Cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication This woman is the same afore-mentioned and as for her being arrayed in Purple and scarlet-colour the purple signifies the civil outside appearance and rich array That is she was arrayed with such outside language and gestures and ornaments concerning the worshipping of Idols That it was as a garment of purple unto her which made the Kings and people all to bow down to her and glad they were that they might drink of that golden cup in her hand which cup was full of abomination And as for the scarlet-colour she was decked with that is within her That is her soul was made as red as scarlet with the blood of the Saints as the beast aforesaid And as for the precious Stones and Pearls she was decked with that signifies that good esteem the beast and the people had of her superstitious worship Thinking in themselves that she was precious in the eyes of the Lord or as a Pearl or Jewel in the sight of God and that she did God good service to kill his Saints that would not bow down and worship so holy a service as was required by her And as for the golden Cup in her hand the Cup signifies the form and manner of worship which she doth prescribe to the beast and the people to false gods And that which this golden Cup in her hand is full with it is the superstitious idolatrous worship that the beast and people must drink of That is they must do as she hath prescribed in matter of worship and so they come to drink out of the golden Cup in her hand and so they take a full draught of her spiritual abominations and filthiness of her fornications with idols and in the blood of the Saints Verse the fifth And upon her head was a name written Mystery Babylon the great the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth There need not be any interpretation upon this verse for I have shewed what is meant by Babylon before and what is meant by the mother of harlots so that I shall pass by this 5 verse and proceed to the 6 verse Verse the sixth And I saw the Woman drunken with the blood of the Saints and with the blood of the Martyrs of Jesus and when I saw her I wondered with great admiration Here John saw in his vision the Woman drunken with the blood of the Saints and Martyrs of Jesus That is mystery Babylon or City Babylon which is compared to a woman that is all persecuting Spirits in point of worship are compared to a woman For they have all drunk the blood of Saints and Martyrs so that John did see in his vision that they were all drunken with the blood of Saints even as men are drunken with wine So that John did wonder with great admiration to see that God should have so much patience as to stay so long before he did pour out his Judgements upon this Woman who had made her self drunken with the blood of the Saints and Martyrs of Jesus But in the seventh verse The Angel said unto John wherefore didst thou marvel I will tell thee the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carrieth her which hath the seven heads and ten horns As if he should say when thou seest the judgement of the woman and of the beast that I will bring upon them thou wilt then marvel no more at their being drunken with the blood of the Saints and Martyrs of Jesus CHAP. LXI IN verse the eighth the Angel doth explain unto Johns understanding what the beast is that doth carry the woman as he did the woman in the seventh verse But the explanation of the Angel it is as dark to the reason of man as the vision it self For who can understand what is meant by these
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
a scroll and where the place of the reprobates shall be Chap. 21. What is meant by the four angels who had power over the winds and what by the sealing of the servants of God in their foreheads Chap. 22. What is meant by the first and second Angels sounding and of the mountain burning with fire and what is meant by the third part of creatures that died in the sea Chap. 23. What is meant by the Star that fell from heaven and how it burned like a Lamp Chap. 24. What is meant by the rivers and fountains of waters being made bitter and how those that drunk of them died Chap. 25. What is meant by the sun being smitten that she could not shine but a third part of her only and what is meant by the Moon and Stars being smitten and how a third part of them did not shine nor give no light in the night Chap. 26. What is meant by the Star that fell from heaven unto this earth what is meant by the bottomless pit and the key that openeth it and of the smoke that did arise out of the bottomless pit Chap. 27. What is meant by the smoke of the pit and by the locusts that came out of it how the Saints are called green grass and trees Chap. 28. What the four Angels were and how mens heads may be said to be like Lyons heads and what is meant by fire smoak and brimstone that issued out of their mouthes Chap. 29. What the serpent is and how they may be said to be the â—ayle and how they may be said to have stings and how they do hurt Chap. 30. How the Papist Episcopal Presbytery and Independent Ministery doth resemble the angels of the Churches of Ephesus Smyrna Pergamos and Thyatira and what Judgements did follow Chap. 31. How the Baptist Ranter and Quaker their Ministery doth resemble the Angels of the Churches of Sardis Philadelphia and Laodicea and how plagues doth follow at and in the sounding of their Ministery Chap. 32. The Interpretation and difference between the dragons ten horns and the beasts ten horns and how they may both be said to have seven heads apiece Chap. 33. No true faith upon the earth but in the time of a Commission from God Chap. 34. The Interpretation and distinction why man may be called a dragon devil or serpent and how the seed of Reason may be said to be in heaven Chap. 35. How the beast may be said to be like a Leopard what is meant by his feet being like the feet of a Bear and his mouth like the mouth of a Lyon and what is meant by his deadly wound being healed Chap. 36. What is meant by the Tabernacle in heaven and by those that dwell in it how the Saints are not called the world and how they may know their names are written in the Book of Life Chap. 37. What is meant by the beast out of the earth with two horns like a Lamb and what the two horns doth signifie and how those miracles he wrought were counterfeit and meer shadows Chap. 38. What is meant by the Image and how the Image may be said to speak Chap. 39. What is meant by receiving the mark of the beast in the forehead and in the right hand and how they may be said to have the name of the beast and the number of his name Chap. 40. The Interpretation of the number of the beast and how he may be said to be six hundred threescore and six and yet but the number of a man Chap 41. What is meant by the Lamb that stood upon mount Sion and what those hundred forty and four thousand were who stood upon mount Sion with him and how the voices of the Saints are called the sound of waters and as the noise of thunder Chap. 42. The Interpretation how men and women may be said to be not defiled with women and in what sense they may be called Virgins And why the Jews are called the first-fruits unto God and who the Angel was that did flie in the middest of Heaven and how the everlasting Gospel was preached to every nation and kindred and tongue and people Chap. 43. The difference between the temporal Babylon and the spiritual Babylon expounded and how men may be said to drink the wine of the wrath of her fornication Chap. 44. How Christ is called by the Spirit The Son of Man and what is meant by the white cloud and the Crown of Gold upon his head and what is meant by the sharp sicle in his hand and what is meant by reaping the earth and how the wine-press of Gods wrath is â—roden without the gates or City of Jerusalem and what the City is Chap. 45. How the Saints of God are capable to stand upon the sea of glass in heaven as men may upon this earth they being spiritual bodies Chap. 46. What is meant by the seven vials of Gods wrath poured out upon the earth and what Angels they were that poured them out and why they are called seven Angels and how the Angel of the Gospel doth pour out his plagues as the Angel of the Law did Chap. 47. The Interpretation of the waters being turned into bloud and how the waters of the soul of man is turned into bloud in the spiritual as the natural waters of Egypt were Chap. 48. How the seâ—d of Reason did drink the Saints bloud and how they must drink their own bloud and what is meant by pouring out the vial upon the Sun and by scorching men with fire Chap. 49. An Interpretation of the kingdom of darkness in the temporal and what that darkness signifies Chap. 50. How the spirit of Cain doth run through all wicked Herods and how the Land of Goshen doth signifie true light and the Land of Egypt hell death and darkness Chap. 51. What is meant by the great River Euphrates in the natural and in the spiritual and how it may be said to be dryed up and who they are that are called kings of the earth Chap. 52. How these three unclean spirits like frogs proceeded from one spirit and yet by their several operations and workings they may be called three Chap. 53. A further Interpretation of the dragon beast and false prophet and how all the worship set up by them is false Chap. 54. An Interpretation of the operation of that wisdom that cometh out of the dragons mouth and why it is called by the Spirit an unclean spirit like a frog Chap. 55. What the unclean spirit is that came out of the beasts mouth and how they are clothed in scarlet Chap. 56. What is meant by the false prophet and how he cometh to be clothed in sheeps clothing and how these three unclean spirits like frogs deceive one another and all people else Chap. 57. What is meant by the great earthquake and by that great hail and how every stone may be said to weigh a talent and how mingled with fire and brimstone
Chap. 58. How the spiritual Babylon is compared unto the temporal and how false worship may be and is called Mystery Babylon in opposition to the mystery of God with many other things opened And how and when the Scepter departed from the Jews and how the Gentiles worship is idolatrous and so becomes or makes up that great City Mystery Babylon the Mother of harlots and what is meant by her fornication Chap 59. How the Kings of the earth may be said to commit fornication and how the Saints do drink the wine of the wrath of her fornication how the scarlet coloured beast doth carry the whore and how she fits upon the beast and what is meant by the beast and why called a scarlet coloured beast Chap. 60. The Interpretation of the woman how she is arrayed in scarlet colour and purple and precious stones with a golden Cup in her hand and what these things do signifie and how the woman may be said to be drunken with the blood of the Saints Chap. 61. The Interpretation of the beast that was and is not and yet is and how he may be called the eighth and is of the seven with other deep secrets Chap. 62. How the woman may be said to sit upon seven mountains and what the mountains are Chap. 63. The Interpretation of the ten horns and what is meant by their having power one hour with the beast and how they make war with the Lamb and what weapons they fight with and with what weapons the Lamb doth overcome them Chap. 64. How the ten horns received power from the beast to persecute the Saints and how the same ten kings received power from God to make the whore desolate to fulfil Gods will yet all but wicked kings yet they did his will Chap. 65. How all this 17th Chapter was shewed unto John by vision and none could interpret it but he that hath a Commission from God Chap. 66. The difference between the temporal Babylon and the spiritual Babylon and how this spiritual Babylon is called an habitation of devils and a cage of every hateful bird and a hold of every unclean spirit and how the kings of the earth and all nations committed fornication with her Chap. 67. How the Saints may be said to come out of her and how she must drink her own blood and what is meant by filling her cup and giving it her double to drink and what maner of famine and fire she shall be destroyed with Chap. 68. What is meant by the Merchants standing afar off for fear of her torment Chap. 69. How the Prophets and Apostles are bid to rejoyce over the destruction of the great City in that God hath avenged himself on her Chap. 70. How the seed of Reason doth walk in the paths of the Scriptures yet cannot finde out the true God but the Seed of Faith can finde out God in all those narrow paths where he doth walk and how the voice of mirth did cease when Babylon is destroyed and the blood of Prophets and Saints is found in her Chap. 71. How the four beasts and four and twenty Elders and Saints do sing praise unto God for the perpetual downfall of spiritual Babylon Chap. 72. What is meant by the voice of many waters and the voice of mighty thunderings and how the Saints are married unto God Chap. 73. What is meant by the white horse and by the many Crowns that he had on his head and of the difference of glory between the work of Creation and the work of Redemption and how it may be said that no man knew his name but himself Chap. 74. The Interpretation of the garment of Christ down to the foot and his vesture dipt in blood what is meant by treading the wine-fat Chap. 75. What is meant by the Armies in heaven that followed Christ and how they al sat upon white horses and how Christ trode the fierceness of the wiâ—â—-press of Almighty God and yet not his Fathers wrath Chap. 76. The Interpretation of the Name of Christ written upon his thigh and how he may be called King of kings and Lord of lords in respect of the power of his Creation and the power of his Redemption and how his death got power over sin death and hell so that he can dispose of death now as he pleases for his own glory Chap. 77. What is meant by the fowls of heaven and what the Supper is they are invited unto and what it is they must have to Supper and how the Saints may be said to eat the flesh of Kings and of Captains and of mighty men Chap. 78. How the temporal Power signifies the Beast and the spiritual Power signifies the false Prophet and how they are both cast alive into a lake of fire and brimstone and what is meant by the remnant that were slain with the sword that came out of his mouth with the end of the nineteenth Chapter Chap. 79. The Prophets prayer and thanksgiving unto Jesus Christ the onely God who became very man and yet was very God at the same time Chap. 80. What is meant by Gog and Magog and how the Camp of the Saint may be said to be compassed about in all the four quarters of the earth and what that fire is that came down from heaven Chap. 81. How Non-commissionated men are those that do add unto the Prophecy of this Book of the Revelation and to all the Scriptures and 〈◊〉 the plagues written in that Book will be added unto them for going before they were sent of God Chap. 82. How men are said to diminish or take away from this Book and how he hath his part taken out of the Book of Life All the Chief HEADS of the most Divine MYSTERIES plainly opened in the several Chapters of this Book CHAP. I. THe first Chapter of the Revelation of John doth speak of things which must shortly come to pass John calls it The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto him to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass John might well say that God did give it unto him because Jesus Christ is God as he doth make it appear in his following Discourse in this Chapter Also those servants which he was to declare this Revelation of Jesus Christ unto I declare it was unto the Ministers of those Seven Churches in Asia and from them to the Churches themselves Also John doth speak much of this Book of the Revelation by way of vision as well as revelation and that doth make this Book of the Revelation to be the more difficult and hard to be understood or to be interpreted Therefore many wise and learned men have gone about to interpret some places of it but have left the greatest part of it as a sealed Book which cannot be opened and have left that which they have writ upon as dark to the Reader as it was at first And the cause is they do not know what