there is here on earth and there is a King of heaven to sit upon that Throne of Glory as there is many kings here in earth which doth sit upon Thrones of glory here Because this world is in many Kings hands therefore divided into many Kingdomes and that is the very cause that earthly Kings fight and kill one the other But the Kingdom above the Stars is but one kingdom and hath but one King over it and this King is no other but God himself which sitteth upon the Throne of Glory But I shall have occasion to speak something more of Thrones hereafter therefore I shall say no more of it here onely this will give you a little light into it CHAP. VI. ANd because men might be throughly convinced that Jesus Christ is the onely God I would have them to consider these places of Scriptures and the interpretation And see if they will bear any other sense and being well grounded upon that they will understand the whole matter the better Therefore I shall pass by some verses in this chapter I not conceiving them to be of so great concernment as this is The 8th verse of this chapter John meaning Christ where he saith I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the ending saith the Lord which is and which was and which is to come the Almighty Here you that have faith to believe may understand that Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end the Lord Almighty And as John being in the Isle of Patmos as he saith in the 9th verse for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ here John seemeth as if he did suffer persecution for two that is to say for God and for Jesus Christ yet in the 10. and 11. verses he concludes them both in one saying That he was in the spirit on the Lords day and heard behinde me as he saith a great voice as of a trumpet I would have the Reader to observe that the Seventh-day Sabbath which was given to the Jews was called the Lords day Because it was given by the Lord Almighty to Moses and by him given to the people of Israel and so called the Lords day So likewise the Resurrection of Christ it being the first day of the week is called the Lords day also Now here being two Lords-days and yet but one Lord of them both how shall this matter be reconciled Thus the Lords-day which was made by the power of his Creation is one thing and the Lords-day that is made by the power of his Redemption is another Because the Lord Almighty was in two several states as thus when he created the world and made man in his own image and likeness he himself was a spiritual substance a body in form like a man but no flesh blood and bone This God was when he created man and all things else but when God became flesh he was in another condition he now having flesh blood and bone that he might work a Redemption to the Seed of Adam to a more excellent condition then that was wherein he was created and a more miserable condition to the seed of the serpent then he was created in And this I would have the Seed of Faith to understand that the same God which created man I say the same God redeemed man which thing is two proper and distinct works for one and the same God to do Therefore distinguished by two several denominations of Father and Son Neither was it proper for God after he became flesh to create any thing Neither could God have redeemed mankind to an eternal happiness but by his becoming flesh Neither could any serpent or devil have put God to death if God had not took upon him the nature of man For the nature of man cloathes it self with flesh blood and bone and so is made capable to be put to death by the seed and nature of reason which is the serpent or devil But I shall speak more of Gods death hereafter onely this I would have the Seed of Faith to minde that twofold condition of God as aforesaid And then you will not stumble at Johns saying that he did suffer for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ As if they had been two distinct things and so he doth in some other places in this book of the Revelation as in the first chapter verse 5 he saying And from Jesus Christ who is the faithful witness c. Which doth intimate to the seed of reason as if there were two Gods But I declare it is spoken with relation to Gods twofold condition that is to say the proper power and work of God as he was the Father it was to create And the proper power and work of God as he is the Son it is to die and to redeem And yet all but one God but in two conditions or in two states therefore set forth by the revelations in the Scriptures under nomination of Father and Son Therefore I would willingly have the Seed of Faith to understand the twofold condition of God And then the Scriptures which doth seem to contradict one the other will be reconciled in one and so there will be a great deal of peace arise from the right understanding of the Scriptures And the cause why where is so much dissatisfaction in reading the Scriptures by the professors now adays it is because they understand them not this I know by experience But as I said before as there was a twofold state in one God So likewise there was two Lords-days as aforesaid yet but one God But the meaning of John when he saith he was in the spirit on the Lords day I declare his meaning was the day of Christs Resurrection And this he calls the Lords-day that is it was the day of Gods rising from death to Life in that death was not able to keep him under for death doth keep every creature under it neither could any creature nor Son of God overcome death but God himself Therefore Christ must needs be God the Father of all Life in that he gave life to all creatures in his creation And nothing could procure by his death a Resurrection of a new life and an eternal Redemption but the blood and death of God himself Therefore let the Seed of Faith lay as much trust upon the blood of Christ believing it to be the blood of God as they can The more weight they lay upon it the more peace and satisfaction they shall finde So on the contrary those that deny and call it blasphemy for a man to say that God did die I say there is no salvation for such a man neither will he finde any benefit by the blood of Christ because he looks upon it to be but the blood of the humane nature or the blood of a man notwithstanding the Scriptures is so full to prove that Christ is God and Christ he died therefore God did die And this
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
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
Revelation of John is more clear that God did die then any other Scripture as you may see in the 11. verse of this Chapter in the 10. verse he was in the Spirit on the Lords day what day that was I have shewed before And John heard behind him a great voice as of a Trumpet in the 11. verse saying I am Alpha and Omega the first and the last and what thou seest write in a book and send it unto the seven Churches c. And in the 12. verse John turned to see the voice that spake to him and being turned he saw seven Golden Candlesticks these seven Golden Candlesticks were the seven Churches of Asia as aforesaid And in the 13. verse and in the midst of the seven Golden Candlesticks one like unto the Son of Man cloathed with a garment down to the foot and girt about the waste with a Golden Girdle This great voice which John heard it being as the sound of a trumpet came from no other but from Jesus Christ the onely God he being that Alpha and Omega the first and the last Which bade John write in a book what he had seen And in the 12 verse John turned to see the voice and in stead of seeing the voice he saw him that spake the voice And he was like unto the Son of Man cloathed with a Garment down to the foot Now what this Garment is I shall unfold hereafter There is many other glorious expressions in this Chapter to set forth this Son of Man in his glory but I shall pass by them onely this I would have the Seed of Faith to minde that this Son of Man which John saw in the midst of the seven Golden Candlesticks who was cloathed with a Garment down to the foot I declare it was the same Alpha and Omega which spake that great voice and John turning to see this Alpha and Omega he saw him like unto the Son of Man Therefore I would have the Seed of Faith to observe that there is no seeing of God the Alpha and Omega neitheir by vision nor by faith but in the form of a man Therefore called the Son of Man so that though Christ be called the Son of Man yet he is nevertheless God For he is the Alpha and Omega the first and the last as you may plainly see in the 17. verse of this chapter Where he saith And when I saw him I fell at his feet as dead and he laid his right hand upon me saying unto me Fear not I am the first and the last I am he that liveth and was dead and behold I am alive for evermore Amen and have the Keys of hell and of death Here you that have faith in the true God may clearly understand that this Jesus Christ which is called the Son of Man iâ— the Alpha and Omega the first and the last Also it may be as clearly understood by the Seed of Faith that God did die For if God be Alpha and Omega the first and the last as I think all men will confess then I say the same Alpha and Omega and the same first and last is he which was dead and is alive for evermore And was there any God that suffered death and rose again but Christ Hath any God the keys of hell and of death in his hands but Christ onely And that you may see the truth of this that Christ is Alpha and Omega the first and the last though become a Son having flesh blood and bone that he might be capable to suffer the pains of death as aforesaid Yet he is looked upon by the eye of Faith to be the first and the last the Lord Almighty he being the same as the Prophets prophesied of as you may see Isaiah the 41. and 4. verse Who hath wrought and done it calling the generations from the beginning I the Lord the first and with the last I am he So likewise in the 44. of Isaiah and the 6 verse Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel and his Redeemer the Lord of hosts I am the first and I am the last and besides me there is no God I would have the Seed of Faith to understand that this Lord and this God which is the first and the last that Isaiah speaketh of is the same that John speaketh of in the Revelation onely the Prophet speaketh of him as he was in the condition of the Father and was to redeem his people from their sins but John speaks of him as he is a Son and that he hath suffered death and redeemed his people And so John calls him the first and the last as he was a Son and suffered death but is now alive for evermore Amen Yet all but one God even the the man Christ Jesus who is that Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end the first and the last he who was dead and is alive and behold he is alive for evermore And no other God hath the keys of hell and of death but Christ onely which he hath purchased by his own blood his blood being no less then the blood of God the Alpha and Omega the first and the last as aforesaid CHAP. VII IN the 19. verse of this chapter John is commanded to write the things which he had seen and the things which are and the things which shall be hereafter To whom he was to write it was to the seven Churches of Asia and in the 20 verse which is the last verse of this chapter he interprets what the seven Stars which he saw in Christs right right hand is and what the seven Golden Candlestciks are therefore I shall say no more of it here And as for what John did write to the seven Churches of Asia it is set down in the two chapters following those two chapters treating onely upon the seven Churches of Asia and the chief things in those two chapters I have interpreted already and the chief things which are of most concernment in the first Chapter I have also interpreted therefore I shall go to the 4th Chapter but I suppose it will be necessary to the Reader for me to shew what a resemblance and likeness there is between the seven Churches now in Europe in these our days and the seven Churches of Asia And how the Angels of the seven Churches which is the Ministers or Speakers do agree with the seven Angels of the seven Churches of Asia I have spoken something of them in the Interpretation of the 11th of the Revelation but I shall speak a little more of them here because it is something necessary to inform the Reader Therefore minde the distinction between the one and the other We read that the seven Churches of Asia had seven several names as may be read and according to their good practice and their bad they were either reproved or commended as I have shewed before So likewise the Ministers of the Seven Churches of Europe may be called seven Angels
2. of seven Angels of the Churches of Asia and of the seven Churches themselves Also he speaks of a Lamb with seven horns and seven eyes and a beast with seven heads and now of seven Angels and seven vials and seven plagues So that this Book of the Revelation doth speak much upon seven which sometimes them seven spoken of were but one as I have shewed before Yet they may be called seven in relation to those seven several operations or works they do Likewise I would have the Reader minde that these seven vials of the wrath of God that are to be poured out by these seven Angels they have relation unto those plagues of Egypt that was poured out by Moses the Angel of the Covenant of the Law Which Nation of the Jews was called the Temple of God for God had established his worship of the Law in and upon them And the voice of God to Moses the Angel of the Covenant of the Law commanded him to pour out the vials of his wrath upon Egypt which was done accordingly Also we read in Scriptures of several of the holy Angels that poured out vials of the wrath of God as well as Moses the Angel of the Law As those two Angels that came to Lot poured out the vial of Gods wrath upon Sodom and burnt it to ashes Likewise the Angel of the Lord destroyed threescore thousand people of the plague for Davids sin in numbring the people Likewise the Angel of the Lord slew fourscore thousand men in one night of the King of Assyria's host according to the words of the prophet Isaiah With many other examples in Scripture that Angels did pour out the vials of Gods wrath upon the earth in former times But these seven Angels and the seven plagues that are to be poured out upon the earth I say the meaning of John was that they should be poured out upon those wicked beasts and false preachers or false prophets who setup a false worship and all false worshippers ever since that day that Christ entered into the Ministery or since the time that the Apostles received their Commission as in Acts 2. My meaning is this that ever since the Apostles had those cloven tongues sate upon them as of fire for then began people to worship Christ according to the Apostles directions who had their Commission from Christ Now what worship hath been set up since by Kings or Head-Magistrates who had no Commission from God they are called by the Spirit evil beasts false prophets false preachers and false worship And those seven Angels poured out their seven plagues upon those superstitions and idolatrous people who have drunk of the wine of the fornication of idolatry in worshipping false gods or idols ever since the Worship of the Gospel was set up by the Apostles of Christ I declare that these seven last plagues are to be poured out upon the enemies of the Gospel of Jesus he being the Angel of the New Covenant of Faith and Christ dwelling in their hearts by faith so that the true Believers of the Gospel are called by the Spirit The Temple of God And this great voice which John heard out of the Temple was no other but the voice of Christ who gave charge unto his Angels to pour out the seven vials of his wrath which are seven plagues upon the earth That is upon wicked idolatrous people who worship idols images and false gods since the Apostles Commission Even such like plagues as Moses the Angel of the Law and other Angels did pour out upon Egypt and upon other wicked and ungodly men as aforesaid Let the Reader observe and he may see that these last plagues that are poured out upon the beast his image and those that receive the mark and the number of his name That is upon all idolatrous people they are much like unto those plagues of Egypt as aforesaid as you may perceive in the seven vials pouring out those seven plagues In the second verse The first went and poured out his vial upon the earth and there fell a noisom and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast and upon them which worshipped his image This Plague the first Angel poured out it was upon those people that received the mark of the beast and those which did worship his image Even the same Plague was poured out upon the servants and inhabitants of Egypt for their wicked oppression of Israel they had grievous sores upon them as you may see Exodus 9.10 and 11 verses The sores were so grievous upon the Egyptians and upon the Magicians that they could not stand before Moses for the boyls were upon the Magicians both upon man and beast So in like manner is the Plague poured out upon the enemies of the worship of the Gospel of Jesus Verse the third And the second Angel poured out his vial upon the sea and it became as the blood of a dead man and every living soul died in the sea This second Angel poured out his vial and the Plague this Angel poured out it was much like to the Plague Moses poured out upon Egypt As you may see Exodus the 7. and the 17. how the rod in Moses hand smote upon the waters that were in the rivers and they became blood or was turned into blood And in the 18. verse And the fish that is in the river shall die and the river shall stink and the Egyptians shall loath to drink of the water of the river So in like manner will God pour out this vial of wrath upon the sea that is upon all the rivers and fountains of water which is for the comfort satisfaction and quenching the thirst of man and all other creatures For the vial being poured out upon the Sea the Sea doth imploy all manner of waters whatsoever And as this plague was poured out upon Egypt at the first when Moses had his Commission from God to gather Israel out of Egypt So in the end of the world when Christ shall gather his elect together that is the wheat from the tares This vial of his wrath shall be poured out upon the Sea as really as it was poured out upon Egypt by Moses as aforesaid And every creature in the Sea both man and beast fish and fowl shall die even as they did in Egypt CHAP. XLVII ANd verse the fourth The third Angel poured out his Vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters and they became blood The meaning is this that as the Egyptians rivers and fountains of waters were turned to blood by Moses so that the Egyptians could not drink of the waters of the rivers for they did loath to drink of them So likewise this Vial the third Angel poured out it was the wrath of God upon the fountain and river of water that is in every man For every man hath motions of peace and refreshing of minde that doth arise in his heart from the seed of
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
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
our God The meaning is this after John had seen the utter overthrow of this great idolatrous City Babylon Immediately after he heard a great voice of much people in heaven that is he heard the voice of the twenty four Elders the four Beasts the Prophets and Apostles and the multitudes of Saints which cannot be numbered and the holy Angels saying or giving praise unto God in such like words as these Allelujah salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God All these sounding forth their praise unto God together must needs be a great voice indeed onely this is to be minded that none but the revelation of the Spirit could hear it in heaven and yet be here upon earth So that this great voice John heard in heaven it was by those aforesaid in praise unto God that he had avenged the blood of his servants at her hand as you may see in the second and third verse Again they said Allelujah and her smoak rose up for ever and ever So that all this joy and glory John heard in heaven it was even for this one thing that God had judged thus to give that whore who corrupted the earth with her spiritual fornication a perpetual torment that the smoak of it might ascend for ever and ever And in verse the 4th The four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sate on the throne saying Amen Allelujah so that you may see that all are concern'd in this matter to give praise unto God for this judgement upon her These four beasts the Reader may remember I have shewed what they are in this Treatise but for the four and twenty Elders I have said little of them here but I have spoken more largely of them in the Interpretation of the eleventh of the Revelation And in the fifth verse A voice came out of the Throne saying Praise our God all ye his servants and ye that serve him both small and great His servants signifies his Prophets and Messengers whom God did send Small and great doth signifie all true believers or Saints let them be ever so great in faith and knowledge or ever so small or weak in faith and knowledge Yet so it be true faith though but small they are all required by that voice from the Throne to praise God and for what must they praise God for even for his judgement upon the whore And not onely so but that God will raign now himself over you in eternal joy and glory and raign over the wicked persecutors in eternal pain and shame as you may see in the sixth verse CHAP. LXXII ANd I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude and as the voice of many waters and as the voice of a mighty thundering saying Allelujah for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth This voice of a great multitude and as the voice of many waters and as the voice of many thunderings they are the same as I said before to wit the four and twenty Elders the four Beasts the Prophets and Apostles and the multitude of Saints more then can be numbered and the holy Angels These in their praises unto God was the voice of many waters and the voice of thunderings I say these are they that doth sing Allelujah to the Lord God omnipotent who reigneth for ever and ever in joy and glory with his Saints and for ever and ever over the reprobates in eternal torments as aforesaid For these voices say in the seventh verse Let us be glad and rejoyce and give honor to him That is to God for the marriage of the Lamb is come and his wife hath made her self ready This Marriage is an eternal Marriage with God and the elect seed for all the elect seed are Saints from the beginning of the world to the end of it are called by the Spirit but one virgin And this Lamb the virgins Husband is no other but God himself as I have shewed before So that at the end of time all the Elect Seed shall be married unto God their King Redeemer not onely in true righteousness and holiness as they were in the state of grace here in this world But they shall be marryed unto the Lamb which is the onely wise God blessed for evermore to that eternal felicity joy and glory with him So that his wife shall have a propriety in those eternal joys even as a vertuous woman hath here in her husbands estate For in the eighth verse And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen clean and white For the fine linen is the righteousness of Saints that is the righteousness of Faith For faith purifies the the heart and Saints being clothed with this righteousness of Faith they become virgins They are called virgins in that they are not defiled in their souls with idols and false worship which is called by the Spirit fornication or whoredom So that this Bride the Lambs wife being clothed with the righteousness of Faith it is called by the Spirit fine linen clean and white and this is the righteousness of Saints who is the Bride to God her Husband Who putteth upon this white cloathing a Garment of eternal glory which will shine more brighter than the Sun More might be said in this thing but I suppose there is enough said to satisfie the Seed of Faith And as for the nineth and tenth verses I shall pass them by because I have spoken of them and given the meaning of them in the Interpretation of the eleventh of the Revelation CHAP. LXXIII VErse the eleventh And I saw heaven opened and he hold a white horse and he that sate upon him was called Faithful and true and in righteousness he doth judge and make war This white horse is the same white horse as I spake of before in the sixth chapter of Johns Revelation and he that sate upon this white horse is the same that sate upon that white horse to wit the righteousness of Saints And he that sate upon this white horse was no other but Christ Jesus the onely wise God as I have shewed before For this is to be minded by the Reader that though Christ hath a righteousness of his own which may be a white horse for himself to sit upon he being called Faithful and true and in righteousness he doth judge Yet nevertheless the righteousness of Saints is included all into one righetousness so make up but one white horse for the onely wise God to sit upon and to make war That is he made war with death hell and the devil as I said before and overcame them and so had many Crowns upon his head as you may see in the 12 verse These many Crowns upon his head they signifie but two Crowns all other Crowns of glory which he hath they are all included in these two That is he hath a Crown of glory upon his head as he is the Creator of all things