of the Son-ship he is exceeding glorious seemingly more glorious and terrible then under the title of God the Father For here his eyes are like unto a flame of fire and his feet like fine brass yet all this while it is he the same he which is the first and the last that is cloathed with flesh and bone yet a glorified body in the heavens above the Stars Fifthly Unto the Angel of the Church in Sardis write These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God and the seven Stars This he is Christ the first and the last he that was dead and is alive this is he that hath the seven Spirits of God and the seven Stars Who can have the seven spirits of God but he that is God And who can rule and govern the seven Stars which are the seven Churches but God onely Sixthly To the Angel of the Church in Philadelphia write These things saith he that is holy he that is true he that hath the Key of David he that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openeth I suppose that all men which profess the Scriptures will acknowledge that this must needs be God he which is Holy he that is true he that hath the key of David who can shut up the minde of man in ignorance and darkness as he doth the wise and prudent men of this world and no man can open their understandings Also he can open the understandings of the Seed of Faith and let the light of life shine into their hearts and no man can shut up their hearts And he that can do this it God I suppose it will be confest by all but not believed but by few yet it is plain in Johns Revelation that this God is no other but Jesus Christ Seventhly To the Angel of the Church of the Loadiceans write These things saith the Amen the faithful and true Witness the beginning of the Creation of God Jesus Christ is the Amen the true and faithful witness he is also the beginning of the Creation of God because he is and was that God that created the world and all things therein in the beginning According to that saying in Scripture speaking of Christ By him the world was made and without him was nothing made which was made Intimating that there was nor is any thing created or made by any other God or infinite Spirit whatsoever but by the Lord Jesus Christ onely Here the Seed of Faith may see that the Revelation of John hath set forth Jesus Christ to be he that is and which was and which is to come and that these seven Spirits before his Throne proceeded from Jesus Christ the onely wise God blessed for ever yet I declare that it was all but one Spirit of God going forth into the seven Churches of Asia in giving them seven several reproofs and seven several blessings as aforesaid as I have here set down Also the Revelation of John hath given answerable to the seven Blessings seven several Titles to this God according to their several operations and Blessings in the seven Churches of Asia Therefore called the seven Spirits which are before his Throne Therefore I have set them down in order as before written And because the Seed of Faith may understand and know that these seven Spirits spoken of by John are no other but that one Spirit of Jesus Christ the onely wise God he that is and he that was and he which is to come I say from this Jesus proceeded those seven Spirits and those seven Titles are attributed to him which is which was and which is to come That is this Jesus is he that by his Spirit or Grace holdeth 1. The seven Stars in his right hand who walketh in the midst of the seven Golden Candlesticks The seven Stars in his right hand is the the Ministry of the seven Churches and the Golden Candlesticks are the Churches themselves as aforesaid 2. This Jesus is he that is the first and the last which was dead and is alive 3. Christ is he that hath the sharp Sword with two edges in that he is the Judge of the quick and the dead 4. This Christ Jesus is he whose eyes are like unto a flame of fire and his feet are like fine brass 5. This Jesus is he that hath the seven Spirits of God because he is God and hath the seven Stars 6. This Jesus is he that is holy he that is true he that hath the Key of David he that openeth and no man shuteth and shuteth and no man openeth 7. This Jesus is the Amen the faithful and true Witness the beginning of the Creation of God CHAP. V. THus in some measure I have opened what is meant by him which is which was and which is to come and what is meant by the seven Spirits before his Throne It will be necessary to open something what is meant by his Throne The Throne of Christ I declare is where he is as it is with an earthly King where the King is there is his Throne especially where the King doth sit in Judgement upon any matters of life and death But if he be not there in his own person yet his Arms is set over every place of Judicatory and the Judge of that place doth sit under the Kings Arms representing the person of the King And so the Judge fits in the Kings Throne Yet it may be said that the Kings Throne is there also for the Kings Throne is all over his Dominions and Kingdoms though he himself be but in one particular place where his honor and glory and greatness may be most manifest And that place where his glory is most seen and where he doth usually sit in Judgement I say that place may properly be called the Kings Throne For if the king were not a person and had a kingdom how could he set up a Throne in it And if there be a Throne set up in a kingdome there must of necessity be a King to sit upon it And this King must be the person of a man else why should we call him a King So likewise the Lord Jesus Christ he being God and Man in one single person he hath a kingdom above and beyond the Stars and he being King of heaven he hath a Throne to sit upon himself And many other Thrones in his kingdom above the Stars for all his Prophets Apostles and Messengers which he hath sent in this world Even as a King hath many Judges and Messengers in his earthly kingdom and the King hath given them many Thrones to sit upon which are visibly seen by the eye of sence and reason So likewise the eye of Faith doth as perfectly see God their King sitting upon his Throne in the kingdom of glory above the Stars and all those Prophets and Apostles Messengers and Ambassadors which he hath sent to sit upon Thrones of glory also So that there is Thrones of Glory in Heaven as
God himself onely So that as he was the Creator of all things he had this Name written on him as he was the Creator Jehovah God Almighty I am that I am this was the Name of God as he was the Creator and this name was written on his Spiritual body which was his vesture for his God-head Spirit to live in but now God is become flesh and hath cloathed the Godhead Life with a garment of flesh as a vesture and shed his most precious blood he being in the condition of a Son or a Servant he made himself capable of the pains of death and so died unto Sin that is to satisfie sin for nothing could satisfie sin but the blood of God And by his dying unto it he destroyed sin in that death could not keep him under it For if death could have kept that body of Christ in the grave so that it might not have risen again then sin and death would have lived for ever and ever and this world would have had no end So that by this death of God he hath conquered sin death and hell for the Seed of Adam that they shall have no power over them not as to keep them under eternal torments But on the contrary he hath by his death overcome sin death and hell so as to make them serve for the eternal torment of the seed of the serpent who have acted sin So that as he hath gone thorow the condition of a Redeemer and overcome sin death and hell upon those two considerations aforesaid By the body of his flesh he hath purchased to himself as he is the Redeemer a name written on that body of flesh which is called his vesture King of kings and Lords of lords But here is one thing more to be minded that this death of Christ was that which treadeth the wine-press of the wrath of Almighty God For God was wrath with sin and nothing could punish sin but an eternal death so that God having no way to destroy sin and to be even with the serpent that brought sin and death into the world not onely to himself and his own seed but also to Adam and his seed So that God being willing to avenge himself of the serpent and his seed and to restore Adam and his Seed again he took upon him the Seed of Abraham which is the nature of Adam and not the nature of Angels of whose nature the serpent was of And so clothed the eternal spirit with a body of flesh and so offered up the eternal spirit unto death that he might destroy him that had the power of death which is the devil which devil is no other but the spirit of reason in man So that as death was in the devils hands before Christs death yet now by his death he hath gained the power of death himself â—nto his own hands So that now he will deliver his own seed from it and will inflict the same death eternal upon the devil and his seed as he would have done upon God and his seed So that the wrath of Almighty God it was against sin and death which the serpent brought into this world upon all the seed of Adam and the body of God by the assistance of the eternal spirit must tread the wine-press of it That is the eternal spirit was the life of the blood that was in that blessed body so that he poured out his soul unto death and was offered up throw the eternal spirit and this was the treading the wine-press of the wrath of Almighty God he being the Almighty God himself and by this work of Redemption he hath a Name written upon that body of flesh he suffered death in King of kings and Lord of lords I confess these things are deep mysteries hard for me to explain in words and more hard to be understood by those who know not what revelation doth mean For things of this nature cannot be explained with that ease as other matters may which is more easie to understand but the Seed of Faith may see what is meant by the wine-press of Gods wrath and who it was that treadeth it in that his soul was made an offering forsin and so hath a Name by his sufferings King of kings and Lord of lords as aforesaid CHAP. LXXVII IN this sixteenth verse John hath concluded the marriage of the Lamb with the joy and glory the Saints shall have in heaven over the destruction of Babylon that is over the destruction of all wicked persecuting men from the beginning of the world to the latter end thereof and by what means these things hath been accomplished Even by that sharp Sword that goeth out of Christs mouth in giving his Angels command to pour out the vials of his wrath upon the earth and by his own garment dipt in blood hath he accomplished glory and eternal happiness to the Saints and shame and endless misery to the reprobate So that in the latter part of this chapter the Spirit doth call to rememberance the great destruction of that great City Babylon and doth incite the Saints in heaven to increase their joy in heaven by feeding upon the destruction of that great whore who caused all the nations of the earth to drink the wine of her fornication as you may see in the seventeenth verse Verse the seventeenth And I saw an Angel standing in the Sun and he cryed with a loud voice saying to all the fowls that she in the midest of heaven Come and gather your selves together unto the Supper of the great God These fowls that fly in the midst of heaven are the Saints they are called by the Spirit the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven and these fowls are invited to Supper with the great God Hâ—â—â— the Reader may see that Christ is the great God for they sup with him they were married unto that is the Lamb they were married unto and he the fowls of heaven must sup with Also this is he that is King of kings and Lord of lords even the great God and that which the great God and the fowls of heaven must have to supper it is set down in the 18 verse Verse the eighteenth That ye may ear the flesh of Kings and the flesh of Captains and the flesh of men and the flesh of horses and of them that fit on them and the flesh of all men both free and bond both small and great This verse doth imply all both great and small that fought under the banner of the beast and the false prophet which false prophet signifies the spiritual Power of the whore as aforesaid and the beast signifies the Civil Power or Head-magistrate who committed fornication with the woman and so joyned together to fight against God and his Saints And these Kings Captains and mighty men and small and great they were all authorized by these two Powers aforesaid to fight against God and his Saints and so they did persecute and kill
revelation which doth arise from the Seed of Faith is neither can they distinguish between revelation and vision many other reasons might be given why but I shall let that pass now But to the matter in hand It is said that the knowledge of theâ—â— great Mysteries should be signified by his Angel unto his servant John Now what this Angel was I shall speak some thing of it hereafter But John was to beat record of the word of God and of the testimony of Jesus Christ and of all things that he saw and this record which John bear it was to the seven Churches in Asia Therefore he directed his Revelation to them and his Revelation was this Grace be unto you and peace from him which is and which was and which is to come and from the seven Spirits which are before his Throne First what is meant by him which is and which was and which is to come This he I declare was no other but the Lord Jesus Christ this is he that is because he is now become flesh therefore he is called the Word of God that is the Word became flesh according to Johns saying In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God And this Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us and this was Christ which is that word of God which is God and is in heaven in that very same flesh which the eternal spiritual body became and suffered death in And in this regard John did say Grace and peace unto the seven Churches from him that is because he is now become flesh and is now in heaven in that same body as aforesaid Secondly it is said and which was this Jesus Christ is he that was also as you may see Exodus 3.14 A little before in that chapter God doth send Moses to Pharoah Moses desiring in whose name he must go God giveth him this answer God said unto Moses I am that I am and thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel I am hath sent me unto you This I am I declare by Revelation is no other but Jesus Christ and this is he which was that is he was without a body of flesh at that time when he spake to Moses and the Prophets yet he had a body when he spake to Moses in the form and likeness of a man 〈◊〉 man could not have been the Image and likeness of God 〈◊〉 Gods body though it was like a man yet it was a spiritual subâ—tance clear as chrystal and as I may say swifter then thought brighter than the Sun Therefore Moses could not see his face and live for a mortal eye-sight cannot see an heavenly and spiritual glory therefore there is no seeing nor knowing of God before he became flesh nor how he is ascended up into the same glory where he was before but by faith onely For no man can see the face of Jesus now he is in glory and live no more then Moses could see his face and live before he became flesh And this Jesus was that I am that spake to Moses and that Jehovah and that God which was that is he was from eternity and revealed to mankinde from the beginning Thirdly This Jesus is he which is to come that is he is to come to put an end to all time that there might nothing but eternity remain for as there was a beginning of time so likewise there shall be an end of time and as eternity had no beginning so shall it have no ending But here lyeth the great mystery that eternity became time and time became eternity again The meaning is this God became flesh and flesh was in time and Christ he being that flesh of God therefore called by the Revelation of John he which was before he became flesh he was God then under the title of God the Father And after he did become flesh the Revelation of John doth say He is that he is God now under the Title of God the Son and as he is to come he is God under the Title of God the Holy Spirit yet these three are but one personal glory They are all called by the Revelation of John but he that is which was and which is to come And as Moses and the Prophets did see by the eye of faith that God was a spiritual body in the form of a man and that this God would become flesh this I say they did see by the eye of faith and so were very well satisfied the truth of this may be understood by the eye of Faith from that saying of Moses unto the children of Israel where he sayeth God will raise you up a Prophet like unto me him shall you hear That is God will become flesh himself so that he may be capable to be a Prophet that you may be the more capable to hear him so likewise that place the 9. of Isaiah he prophesieth of God becoming flesh in that he saith To us a childe is born unto us a son is given and the govenrment shall be upon his shoulder and he shall be called the Mighty God The everlasting Father The Prince of Peace This Isaiah did see by the eye of Faith that God should become a little childe Great is this mystery of God but few that understand it For this Jesus is the onely wise God which is which was and which is to come which hath washed every true believers soul in his own blood neither can any thing cleanse and purge the conscience of man from the guilt of sin and fear of eternal death but the blood of a God But I shall speak more of that hereafter what should be the meaning of those Seven Spirits which are before his Throne I declare by Revelation that those Seven Spirits which were before the Throne of God they were those gifts and blessings of grace which Christ gave unto the Ministery of the Seven Churches after his ascension as may plainly be read in the second chapter of Johns Revelation Where he beginneth to write to the Seven Churches and the Angel of every several Church which Angel was the Minister I say they had every one of them a several reproof and a several gift and blessing therefore I shall let the reproof alone because it would be too large to interpret Onely I shall name the several Blessings because the seed of Faith may the better understand the interpretation of them therefore I shall set them down in order I. The first Gift and Blessing is sent unto the Angel of the Church of Ephesus which is as followeth To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the Tree of Life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God II. The Blessing of the Church of Smirna is Him that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death III. The Blessing of the Church of Pergamos To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden Manna and will give him a
as the vessels of a Potter shall they be broken to shivers even as I received of my Father and I will give him the Morning Star Here those that are strong in faith who holdeth out to the end in keeping Christs works that is who ever holdeth out to the end of his life in suffering for the faith of Jesus He will give him that doth so power over the Nations and he shall rule them with a rod of iron That is he by his faith and sufferings shall have power over the Nations although he loose his life yet he shall have power over the Nations because his sufferings for truth shall lye so heavy upon the consciences of those Nations that persecute upon that account that shall be ruled as it were with a rod of iron for there is rods of iron upon the spirits of men as there is upon the bodies of men For this rod of iron which breaketh mens spirits to pieces even like a Potters vessel by wounding their consciences with the guilt of innocent blood so that the iron rod of Gods wrath will make them afraid of hell and torment will seize upon them and the fear of Gods eternal vengeance upon them for this sin of innocent blood So that all their peace joy and comfort they had in this world is broken in pieces by this iron rod of suffering for truth For was not that Nation of the Jews who put the Lord of Life to death broken to pieces in the comfort of their souls by that iron rod of Christs suffering death And not onely so but the temporal iron rod did break that Nation to pieces a so in a few years after Did not many of those Nations that persecuted the Apostles and Saints in the primitive times had not they a rod of iron upon their hearts And not onely so but a temporal rod of iron which broke them to pieces as to the peace of their mindes and to their temporal peace also as Histories doth mention so that suffering for truth it is as strong an iron rod to break persecuting spirits to pieces even as a rod of iron doth break a Potters vessel For this is to be minded that he that had the greatest faith never made use of any sword of steel nor any temporal rod of iron but as the Sword of the Spirit doth cut mens souls both ways So this rod of iron it is used in a spiritual sense for as words of truth doth cut men to the heart as the Jews were at Peters words so suffering for truth it doth bang the hearts of persecuting men even as a rod of iron and breaketh all their peace and hope to pieces even as a Potters vessel So that he that hath power to suffer for his faith he shall break his enemies to shivers both spiritual and temporal even as Christ did by his sufferings And as Christ did conquer by his sufferings over death sin and hell and not onely but over those persecuting spirits which caused him to be put to death I say he brake all his spiritual and temporal enemies to pieces even as a potters vessel is broken to pieces with an iron rod. Even so it will be with every true believer whose faith doth hold out to the end he shall conquer both sin death and hell in himself and not onely so but he shall rule his enemies without him as with a rod of iron by keeping them under the fear of eternal death who persecute for truths sake So that the peace and hopes of their mindes by the patient sufferings of the Saints will be broken in shivers even as a Potters vessel And Christ will give him the Morning Star This Morning Star is that Day-star that doth arise in the heart as the Apostle speaks This Morning or Day-star is that light of truth or light of the true God that doth arise in the heart of every true Believer and doth guide him in the right way so that the soul is guided by the light of this Star in the way of truth here even to the assurance of eternal life And so the light of this Morning Star doth lead every true Believer into that eternal glory which God hath promised to all those that do overcome those spiritual enemies within and all perâ—ecuting spirits without by his faith and patience c. CHAP. III. 5. He that overcometh the same shall be clothed in white raiment and I will not blot out his name out of the Book of Life c. AS for this white raiment I shall shew what is meant by it in several places of this Treatise and as for Christs not blotting his name out of the Book of Life And as for the Book of Life and how mens names are written therein the Reader shall finde in the following Discourse And as for his name not blotted out of the Book of Life the meaning is this That he that overcometh as aforesaid shall not loose the sensibleness of his name being written in the Book of Life but shall have a certain assurance of it in himself For when a man doth not know by faith that his name is written in the Book of Life that is he having no assurance that he is of that Seed that shall be saved he cannot truly say any otherwise but that his name is blotted out of the Book of Life For though a mans name as he is an elect Vessel is written in the Book of Life yet he not knowing it is to him as if it were blotted out of the Book of Life So on the contrary if any man shall vainly imagine that his name is written in the Book of Life as most people in the world do and he being of the contrary seed his name is not written in the Book of Life neither is he certain that it is not so So that neither of these two they being both uncertain of the thing in themselves their names may be said to be blotted out of the Book of Life For the Seed of Faith his name is written in the Book of Life but he knows it not and the seed of Reason his name is not written in the Book of Life yet he thinks it is but doth not certainly know that it is not So that to the apprehension of them both their names are blotted out of the Book of Life For this I say that except a man hath some witness in himself by voice from God or some secret revelation or by a stedfast faith in those Messengers whom God doth send he cannot know that his name is written in the Book of Life but rather fear that his name is blotted out of it So that the assurance that a mans name is not blotted out of the Book of Life is when a man hath the witness in himself that he knoweth the true God and doth suffer persecution for the truth and not for a lye as all the world doth And so he that overcometh by faith and patient
do at this day or shall hereafter to the worlds end Therefore if the Reader doth but understand the spiritual substance and meaning of Johns visions though not every particular circumstance I say it will give full satisfaction to the minde of man as to the Scriptures and to their eternal salvation The first thing that John saw in his Vision it was a door opened in heaven Now I would have the Seed of Faith to understand that there is a door belonging to heaven and a door belonging to hell Therefore called in Scripture the gates of heaven and of hell as Christ said unto Peter I have given thee the Keyes of heaven and of hell So likewise when the five foolish virgins came to the door where the Bridegroom was but the door was shut upon them so that they could not come in to that Eternal Marriage So that there is a door belongs to Heaven also there must be some body to open this door It is much like unto a Kings Palace where no inferior person can see into it except the Door-keeper do open the door There is no earthly Kings Palace but hath a door to it neither can any man see into it except the door be openâ—â— Now as there is a door of earthly substance which may be seen and felt belonging to every earthly Kings Palace the Palace being earthly also though decked and set forth very gloriously to the eye of Sense and Reason because it belongeth to Reasons kingdom So likewise there is as real an Heavenly Palace above and beyond the stars where Christ the King of Heaven doth sit upon his Throne Also there is a door belonging to it of a spiritual and heavenly substance which may be seen felt and understood by the eye of Faith as the other is by the eye of Reason Therefore it is said in Scripture by the Apostles We speak the things which we have seen which we have heard which we have tasted which we have handled of the word of life So that there is as real a spiritual substance to be seen tasted and handled by the Seed of Faith in the minde as there is temporal things by the seed of Reason Likewise Christ is called a Door himself and he hath the Key of Davia who openeth and no man shutteth And this is he that opened the door of Johns understanding and let him see in a vision the glory of heaven and him that sate on the Throne as you may see in the second verse For as soon as ever John had heard the voice that is as soon as ever the door of his understanding was opened the door of heaven was opened also And the door of heaven being opened there was presented in a vision to his sight few things that must be hereafter Now what those things which must be hereafter are they are signified in the vision in the chapters following For the voice which talked with John in the vision bade him come up hither and I will shew the things which must be hereafter And immediately John was in the spirit that is he was so ravished and wrapt up in his spirit w th the sight of heaven and the glory thereof in the vision the door of heaven being opened that he was as Paul was whether in the body or out of the body he could not tell For John did see things unutterable for indeed the things of Gods becoming flesh and suffering death and the glorious effects thereof they are unutterable that is the tongue of man cannot explain it not as it is in it self But men that have written the Scriptures and have had visions and revelations of these heavenly things they have expressed them to the capacity of man as they could by words So that men might believe the things of God which are spiritual and eternal by words of mortal men like themselves As men do understand one another in the things of this world And the gift of interpretation of Scriptures which was written by Revelation and Vision I say it is more profitable to man then the Scriptures themselves For what profit is it to a man to read another mans revelation or vision and know nothing of it himself Therefore interpretation of Scriptures is the best and most profitable gift unto the Seed of Faith now adays to lead them unto their eternal rest Therefore to unfold something more of Johns vision in the second verse And immediately he was in the spirit and behold a Throne was set in heaven and one sate on the Throne And in the 3 verse he tells what he was like that sate on the Throne and in the 4 verse he saith And round about the Throne were four and twenty Seats and upon the Seats John saw four and twenty Elders sitting cloathed in white Raiment and they had on their heads Crowns of Gold And in the 5 verse There were seven Lamps of fire burning before the Throne which are the seven Spirits of God And in the 6 verse And before the Throne there was a Sea of Glass like unto Chrystal and in the midst of the Throne and round about the Throne were four Beasts full of eyes before and behind And in the 7 verse And the first Beast was like a Lion and the second beast like a Calf and the third beast had a face like a Man and the fourth beast was like a flying Eagle The 8 verse And the four beasts had each of them six Wings about him and they were full of eyes within and they rest not day and night saying Holy holy holy Lord God Almighty which was and is and is to come The 9 verse And when those beasts gave glory and honor and thanks to him that sate on the Throne who liveth for ever and ever I shall give a short interpretation of these things afore mentioned In the second verse John saw a Throne in heaven and him that sate thereon You may remember how I have shewed before that there is Thrones in heaven as there is here in earth and there is a Throne in special for the King of Heaven as there is for a King here on earth And he which John saw to sit upon the Throne in Heaven it was no other but the Lord Jesus Christ as aforesaid Though John doth set him forth in the 3 verse that he was to look upon like a Jasper and a Sardine stone with other glorious expressions which is onely to set forth the glory of him that sate upon the Throne And in the 4 verse Round about the Throne were four and twenty Seats and upon the Seats were four and twenty Elders sitting cloathed in white Raiment and they had on their heads Crowns of Gold It is much like unto the Throne of an earthly King for an earthly King hath many Seats for his Nobility to sit on round about the Throne where he seats himself And the Nobility doth fit in those Seats according to their degree and place Likewise the
case as aforesaid will speak no better things then the blood of Abel But the very same thing will cry aloud for vengeance as the blood of Abel and as their blood did that was slain under the altar as John saw in his vision Therefore the blood of Christ is said to speak better things then the blood of Abel But this I must tell you it speaketh better things to those that have faith in his death and so are washed by faith in his blood To those it speaketh peace joy life and salvation to the soul and these are better things then the blood of Abel or the blood of the Saints which speaketh to the soul fear horror death and eternal damnation These be the things that the blood of Abel and all innocent blood doth speak and the blood of Christ will speak the same things as Abels blood doth to those that persecuted and put him to death at that time So that according to the serpents desire his blood will be upon them and their children for the serpents children are those that walk in the steps of their fathers and as they that put him to death were the seed of Cain their father as Christ said To those Jews that sought his life he said unto them You are of your father the devil and his works you do for he was a murderer and a liar from the beginning And who was he that did the first murder was it not Cain and they were his children and all persecuting men since have been their children And in persecuting the innocent Saints they justifie the deeds of their fathers that persecuted Christ and their persecuting of Christ in so doing they justified the deeds of the devil their father that slew the Prophets and Cain that slew Abel The grandfather of all persecuting devils for worshipping of God contrary to the tradition of their fathers So that the blood of righteous Abel the blood of Christ and the blood of the Saints will be upon the consciences of the persecuting seed of the serpent and upon their children who walk in the steps of their grandfather Cain And this hath and will be fulfilled upon all the children of those persecuting Jews which put Christ to death So that his blood will be upon them and their children for these are their children and may be called so who are the seed of the serpent who walk in the way of their fathers who did kill the Lord of Life And so his blood will be upon them and their children as they did desire So that his blood doth cry as the blood of Abel did for eternal vengeance For none will shed blood upon that account but the serpent or devil and those that are his children So that you whose understandings are enlightned may see that there is a vertue and power in the blood of Prophets Apostles and righteous men which are Saints who suffer for the true declaration and worship of God To cry unto the Lord for vengeance upon those that shed their blood And the Lord will hear the cry of blood more then he will the cry of the Saint before his blood was shed For the very deed of murther for Religion sake hath the reward of vengeance in it So that God the rightous Judge must needs do right to reward every one according to his works So that the suffering of persecution and death for Truths sake as these Saints did as John speaketh of shall have a blessed reward as is said in the 11 verse Those that were slain under the altar for the word of God and the testimony they held they had white robes given unto every one of them And it was said to them Rest yet for a little season until their fellow servants also and their brethren that should be killed as they were should be fulfilled So that you the Seed of Faith may know that these souls that were slain under the altar were not yet in heaven neither is those white robes yet put upon them notwithstanding it is said there were white robes given them For surely if those souls had been in the heaven of glory with their white robes of the rightousness of faith upon them God would never have bid them rest a little season untill their fellow servants and brethren were killed as they were So that it may be clear to you that have faith in the death of the soul and of a resurrection that there is no souls go to heaven without bodies So that souls cannot go to heaven and put on white robes to stand in the presence of God without bodies So that these souls which cried for vengeance mustly still in the earth and rest a season untill the rest of the Seed of Faith hath passed from death as you have So that God may raise you all together and cloth you all with white robes of rightousness and immortality and glory at the resurrection at the end of the world So that you may all be rewarded and clothed with white robes together and not some served this year and other some the next but you shall all be happy together So that you must rest yet a little season untill all things is accomplished and then I will bless you with an everlasting crown of life Because you suffered death for my name in witnessing to me and I will avenge your blood upon mine and your enemies that persecuted and put me and you to death They shall have their reward also which reward of their deeds will amount to no less than to eternal damnation where the black and dark fire of hell shall burn in their souls to eternity Which shall cause them to cry Oh the eternity the eternity with sorrow pain and shame And when you Saints shall receive your eternal joys then shall your enemies receive their eternal sorrows Which is not yet neither will it be until all things be fulfilled which the Scriptures hath foretold of which cannot be long as men do vainly imagine Because the true Witness of the Spirit is now extant in the world who hath declared and made manifest the mystery of the true God becoming flesh and what the right Devil is with many other heavenly mysteries So that you that have faith in this Commission of the Spirit shall at the end of the world receive with the rest of the Saints white robes with them and you will not think it long for Faith doth look upon eternity as real as if it were in present being So that John might say by h s revelation in his vision that he saw under the Altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God c. and the white robes that were given unto them Because he by faith knew that God will give those that are clothed with the white robes of the righteousness of Faith a Crown of everlasting joy and glory at the end of the world which is as sure as if it were in present being Therefore by
outward trouble Or else they must worship against the light of their conscience and so sting their souls and have the torment of his mind which is as the torment of a scorpion when he striketh a man So that when men are tormented and stung in this manner both in soul and body they will chuse rather to die than to live and shall seek for death but it shall flee from them These things hath been experienced in all Ages by some and will be to the end of the world Verse the seventh And the shapes of the Locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battel And the latter part of the verse The faces of these locusts were like men Verse the eighth They had hair like unto the hair of women and their teeth were as the teeth of a Lion And in the nineth verse They had breast-plates of iron And in the tenth verse And they had tails like unto scorpions and there were stings in their tails and their power was to hurt men five months These locusts that came forth of the smoak of the pit may be said to be in shape like horses prepared unto battel in regard of their strength and preparedness of minde they had to hurt and to destroy for the faces of the locusts were like the faces of men They must needs be like men for they were men onely they were wicked men therefore called Locusts Their hair is said to be like the hair of women in regard they did wear their hair long and their teeth may be said to be like Lions teeth in respect of the readiness they had to tear in pieces with their teeth And they may be said to have breast-plates of iron in that they were exceedingly well armed Also they may be said to have tails like Scorpions because of that poisonous nature that lay in their tailes for there was a sting in it which did hurt men five months Which men are called Scorpions as that of Ezekiel chap. 2. v. 6. he speaking to the rebellious house of Israel whom he calls bryers and thorns as they were fit for nothing else but for the fire Yet they like Scorpions did endeavor to sting Ezekiel but he was incouraged of God not to be afraid of them So that wicked men are Locusts and Scorpions and do sting men about worship with persecution and death it self And this sting may be said to be in their tails when they persecute men meerly for conscience or religion sake Then is the sting in their tails and they do hurt men as the Scorpion of the earth doth hurt when he striketh a man So that great Plagues were upon the earth at the sounding of the fifth Angel Which Plagues did proceed from the smoak of the bottomless pit it being opened by that king who is the the Angel of the bottomless pit whose name is called Appollion That is the Angel of Reason that was first thrown down from heaven unto this earth even he that deceived our first parents as aforesaid which is the destroyer And this Reason that is the fallen Angels nature is that which rules in all wicked Kings and Magistrates therefore called by the Revelation of the Spirit Serpents Dragons Devils Stars Angels the devil and his angels yet all from one Angel of reason fallen And this angel of reason fallen from heaven unto this earth is the Angel of the bottomless pit of the imagination of mans heart which doth send forth that smoak locusts and Scorpions which doth sting and hurt their fellow-creatures Which doth bring such Plagues and woe upon the inhabitants of the earth which is far more then I can relate at the sounding of the fifth Angel But I shall leave the Reader to consider of it therefore I shall say no more of it here CHAP. XXVIII ANd in the thirteenth verse The sixth Angel sounded and John heard a voice from the four horns of the golden Altar which is before God As for the Altar I shall not speak of that for that hath been opened in my other Writings neither shall I speak of the voice which John heard nor of the horns he speaketh of for the thing is of no great concernment to know But I shall proceed to the fourteenth verse The voice that came from the four horns of the golden Altar which is before God saying to the sixth Angel that had the Trumpet Loose the four Angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates Now I would have the Reader to understand that these four Angels that were bound in the great river Euphrates were not good Angels but evil angels That is they were the Dragons angels that is they were four kings that were of the same seed and nature as he was For they came from the old serpent the devil which beguiled Eve He may be called the old serpent because he was the first Angel that was thrown down from heaven unto this earth And where the spirit of this Serpent-angel is in King or Magistrate they being of his seed they may be called Angels also For the devil and his angels are reserved in chains of darkness until the Judgement of the great day The meaning is this the devil was that old serpent-angel that deceived Eve as aforesaid And he being an Angel of light before he was cast down from heaven but now he being upon this earth and dissolving into seed he is become an angel of darkness Why because he hath lost the knowledge of himself what he was himself and what the other Angels were that were of the same nature of reason as he himself is I say he hath lost the knowledge both of the form of Angels and their natures and what he was himself So that he is now in chains of darkness wondering in his imagination what the devil should be Not thinking himself to be the devil and this is spiritual chains of darkness not to know what the devil is in his form and nature And those great men that came of his seed that is to say the seed of the serpent As Cain the first-born of the devil cursed Cham scoffing Ishmael prophane Esau that Dragon Herod with thousands of other kings and great men that are of his seed therefore called angels So that these angels are reserved in chains of darkness until the Judgement of the great day as well as the devil their father For they are as ignorant what the devil is and that they are angels as the serpent is what he was before he was thrown down from heaven So that I would have the Seed of Faith to know that there is no such thing as the seed of reason doth vainly imagine as to think that there is any such thing as a devil and his angels in chains of darkness out of the body of man distinct from man For there is no devil but man and what is in the body of man And this spirit of reason in man is the devil and when the spirit of
yet all are comprised by the Revelation and vision of John in the seven Angels Ministery of Asia So all Sects and Opinions are comprised in the seven Anti-angels Ministery of Europe And the Quakers Ministery it being the seventh and last Anti-angel that will sound the trumpet in regard there will come nor arise no higher nor better things in matter of Religion to the eye of reason So that men and women which doth not know truth when they want satisfaction in their mindes they must fall into the Quakers And as the Plagues and Judgements upon the earth are greater at the sounding of the Trumpet of the seventh Angel of Asia it being no less Plague then the end of the world Which Plague is far more greater then those six Plagues which was at the other Angels sounding So likewise there will be greater Plagues upon the earth at the sounding of the Trumpet of the seventh and last Anti-angel then there hath been at the sounding of the other six Angels for no more will come to the end of the world And the nearer it grows to the end the greater Plagues will be upon the earth For is not almost all the world in an uproar killing and destroying one another ever since the seventh Anti-angel did begin to sound And yet greater Plagues then hath been or is now will ensue upon the sounding of this Angel But I shall leave it to what providence and time will bring forth onely this to let the Reader see and know what a resemblance there is between the seven Churches of Europe and the seven Churches of Asia And how that the seven Anti-angels were included in the vision in the seven Angels of Asia and Plagues on the earth in like manner And as the Revelation of John in his vision did see that the end of the world would be at the sounding the trumpet of the seventh Angel the Anti-angel being included in the vision it will so come to pass But what day hour or year is not known to any man Therefore I shall leave it unto God who hath appointed an end in his own secret decree and hath declared it by his servants the Prophets and Apostles therefore ought to be believed by all that do expect eternal life by Gods putting an end to this world Neither can there be any satisfaction to the mind of man except it be believed It is that that satisfies me so that I do not question the thing though the time when is uncertain an end there will be as certain as there was a beginning So I shall leave it unto God that made a beginning of this world unto man and according to his own appointment there will be an end So that I need not say any more concerning the seven Churches of Europe there being a likeness and resemblance of their Ministery unto the Ministery the seven Churches of Asia And so may be called Seven Angels that sounded their trumpets and Plagues did and doth fall upon the earth at the sounding of every one of the Anti-angels as aforesaid Now I have given the interpretation of the seven Anti-angels I shall pass by the 10 11 and 12 chapters as I said before and proceed to interpret the chief things of concernment in the thirteenth chapter CHAP. XXXII IN the first verse of the thirteenth chapter John saith he stood upon the sand of the Sea and saw a Beast rise up out of the Sea having seven heads and ten horns and upon his horns ten Crowns and upon his heads the name of Blasphemy I would not have the Reader to understand that John did stand upon the sand of the Sea with the feet of his body when he saw this beast to arise out of the Sea But the meaning is the revelation of his spirit it was carried in the vision by the revelation of Faith as if he had stood upon the sand of the Sea-shore For the revelation of the spirit can stand upon the sand or upon the Sea though the body of a man be many miles distant from it Likewise it is not to be understood that this beast which he saw did arise out of the Sea but as I said before in another case this beast with seven heads and ten horns he did arise out of those Islands which did border about the Sea or lands that are environed about with the Sea and other great rivers of waters as some places of this earth is as that of Jordan and other places Which those that have travelled the earth and sea can better relate then I. But it may be said that this beast did arise out of the Sea in regard this borders kingdomes and people were environed or surrounded by the Sea as the land of Canaan was So that except the waters of Jordan had been dryed up by the power of God there had been no entring into it by the people of the Jews And so those four Angels that were bound on the river Euphrates as I shewed before so is it with this beast that John saw to arise out of the Sea He may be said to arise out of the Sea for those reasons aforesaid This beast is said to have seven heads and ten horns Now it is said Revel 12.2 That the great red Dragon had seven heads and ten horns also The difference between these two is this the Dragons seven heads and ten horns is spoken with relation to seven Kings that should proceed out of his loins that should have ten horns That is they should exercise persecution against the Saints ten times in the time of the Apostles Commission And this was the Dragons war that he made with the remnant of the womans seed as in Revelation the 12 and the last verse And the ten horns that the Dragon had were the Ten Persecutions of the Saints which are called by the revelation of John ten horns as is more opened in The Divine Looking-Glass But the thing I would have the Reader to minde is this the difference why the Dragon is said to have seven heads and ten horns and the beast that John saw to arise out of the Sea he had seven heads and ten horns also The meaning is this the Dragons seven heads did signifie seven Kings besides himself that should exercise the same idolatry and persecution of the Saints as he did For he gave his power unto this beast who had the seven heads and ten horns But this beast that did arise out of the Sea is said to have seven heads and ten horns in regard that he was one of the seven heads himself And the first of the seven heads that the Dragon had So that the Dragon is the eighth and is gone into perdition as I shall open more when I come to it Onely this that the Seed of Faith may see some difference between the Dragons seven heads and ten horns and the Beasts seven heads and ten horns The one having seven heads besides himself and the other having
had succeeded even to the day or time of that beast so that they knew the number of his name and how many Beasts were past before him So that those that had Commissions for offices and places of trust were those that had the name of the Beast because they had the Beasts hand to those Commissions for to authorize them in their places and those that had the number of his name were those that wore a badge of his arms signifying what number of Kings loins this Beast did come thorow So that none but those that had received the mark as aforesaid and those that had the Beasts warrants for Offices And those that had the number of his name as aforesaid were to have the priviledge to buy and sell c. CHAP. XL. VErse the eighteenth Here is wisdom Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast for it is the number of a man and his number is six hundred threescore and six I would have the Reader to minde the interpretation of this verse Observe in the first verse of this chapter John saw in his vision a beast arise out of the sea having seven heads Which seven heads did signifie seven Kings or seven Beasts that should have ten horns Which ten horns did signifie the Ten Persecutions in the primitive times so called Yet we finde in this chapter but three of these Beasts which acted their parts in persecuting the Saints though all the seven heads did persecute the Saints Also in the last verse of this chapter John includes all these seven beasts into one beast saying Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast for it is the number of a man It must needs be the number of a man because man is called a beast either a good beast or an evil beast as I have said before concerning the four good beasts they signified all good Kings and Head-Magistrates were all included in those four good Beasts So likewise all evil Kings and evil Magistrates are included in those seven heads which the beast had that arose out of the Sea Further the Spirit of Revelation in John doth include all evil Kings and evil Magistrates into one evil beast Shewing that there is but one evil beast in whom the evil spirit doth raign in persecuting men for conscience sake because they wil not worship the beasts Image So that you that can discern between the spirit of reason and the Spirit of Faith For these two Spirits lye both hid in their two Seeds to wit the Spirit of Faith in the Seed of God and the spirit of reason in the seed of the serpent-angel or devil And according as these two Spirits doth work or operate in man man comes to be a good beast or an evil beast So that who ever doth discern clearly between the two Seeds may read or count the number of the good Beast and the number of the evil beast For this I say they are both but two men that is to say a good man and an evil man Because the good Spirit runneth thorow the line of the Seed of Faith and causeth good Kings and Head-Magistrates and all others of that Seed to do well and to worship God aright as David did and not to persecute men for Conscience sake So on the contrary the spirit of Reason the devil it runneth thorow the line of the seed of Reason and causeth evil Kings and evil Head-Magistrates and others to do injustice and to worship a false God and persecute for Conscience sake as king Ahab did So that all good Kings and Head-Magistrates who have been guided by the Spirit of God though many thousands of them they may be counted by the Spirit but one good beast Because that one good Spirit of God did act in them while they were here in this world So likewise though there have been many thousand evil kings and evil Head-Magistrates yet they may be counted by the Spirit but one evil beast Because that one evil spirit of Reason the serpent devil did act in them little or much whilest they lived in this world So that the one evil spirit acting in all the evil beasts they are counted by the Spirit of revelation but the number of a man Like unto that saying Revel 21.17 And he measured the wall thereof an hundred forty and four cubits according to the measure of a man that is of the Angel So that the bigness of the Angel was but as the bigness of a man and those hundred and forty and four cubits spoken of by John it did amount in the conclusion but to the measure of a man So likewise this beast whose number is the number of a man and his number is said to be six hundred threesc re and six That is as I said before the spirit of the Serpent-Angel hath run thorow the seed of Reason in so many Kings and Head-Magistrates who came from the loins of Cain he being the first devil in flesh and the first man-devil And his spirit running in that seed it hath brought forth so many evil beasts as six hundred sixty six Now I would have the Reader to understand that John did not mean exactly so many and no more for doubtless there hath been many thousands more since Cain slew his brother Abel But I believe the revelation of John hath relation onely to those evil beasts which were in power in the time of the two Commissions that is in the time of the worship of the Law of Moses How many evil Kings which are beasts were there in that time while that Worship stood that persecuted the Prophets and caused the people to worship Baal and false gods And so the Rulers of Israel who were Head-Magistrates who persecuted the Apostles and Christ these were of those evil beasts And when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romanes then their power and persecution did cease And the Romane Gentiles those Emperors and Kings and Head-Magistrates they persecuted the Saints in the second Commission and these beast afore-mentioned were those John saw in his vision So that the number of these persecuting evil beasts who were idolaters in the time of those two Commissions or two Testaments I say they might amount to no more than six hundred threescore and six These all coming through the loins of Cain the first man devil they may be called by the Spirit but one man therefore said to be the number of a man So that in the conclusion all wicked idolatrous persecuting Kings and Head Magistrates who proceeded from the loines of Cain he being the first murtherer and liar from the beginning they are counted by the Spirit in John but the number of a man That is as much as to say they are but one man though six hundred sixty and six men acted in persecuting the Prophets Apostles and Saints yet all but the number of a man To conclude this Chapter and this Verse in a few words that
that cloud the Son of Man sate upon they all expecting by faith Gods coming in flesh they being afar off That is their faith in them was satisfied that he would come though it was many hundred years after they were dead the apostles and saints afterwards were witnesses that the Son of Man was risen from the dead So that their faith was a cloud of witnesses also and the faith of Abraham Isaac and Jacob the Prophets Apostles and Saints it was that cloud the Son of Man did sit upon It is called a white cloud by the Spirit because they were never defiled with the fornication of Idols But worshipped the true God according to the Law of Moses and according to the faith of Jesus or the Gospel they not receiving the mark of the beast neither in the forehead nor in the hand That is they were not defiled with worshipping of any Images Idols or false gods whatsoever and in this regard they may be called A white cloud and this is that white cloud the Son of Man even Jesus the onely God doth sit upon As the whore in another case is said to sit upon many waters which I shall have an occasion to speak of when I come to it And as for that golden Crown that was upon his head I declare it was that honor and glory which the Prophets Apostles and Saints do attribute unto him as he is a Redeemer The work of redemption being wrought by him as he was a man he being in the form of a servant so that all the redeemed ones who are sensible of their redemption they do praise and magnifie the man Jesus the only God for his great love towards them in that they had faith to receive the benefit of his death And this honor glory and praise which is attributed unto the man Jesus by his Prophets Apostles and Saints is that golden Crown upon his head and in his hand a sharp sicle Now this sharp sicle in his hand it signfies his great power that when the end of the world shall be that he will send his Angels to reap the world even as Reapers doth corn when the harvest is ripe So when the worlds sins are ripe the harvest will be and much like unto a master of the harvest of Corn he will thrust in his sicle first then all his servants until the harvest is reaped So is it with him that sate under the white cloud when the time is accomplished and the harvest ripe he will thrust in hiâ— sicle first and then all his servants the Angels shall fall to reaping the harvest of this world And shall thrust in their sicles and reap until all be cut down that is Christ shall come in the clouds of heaven with all his holy Angels to destroy this world for ever Then will he thrust in his sicle indeed and this is the meaning of the sicle in his hand And those Angels that cryed to him that sate upon the cloud to thrust in the sicle are the holy Angels aforesaid that must help to reap the world for they have sicles also That is the Angels have power from Christ to destroy and cut down this wicked world when their sins are at the full then are they ripe fit to be destroyed even as the temporal Babylon was when their sins was ripe as in Joel the 3.13 verse Put you in the sicle for the harvest is ripe come get you down for the press is full the fats overflow for the wickedness is great The Prophet Joel spake this in relation to the reaping of Babylon the enemies of the Jews that after the seventy years captivity of Israel their enemies sins of cruel usage was at the full or ripe So that now the sicle that is the power of the sword temporal must utterly destroy Babylon the Jews enemies or reap it for the harvest of their sins and cruelties were fully ripe And the press was full that is their bodies were so full of wickedness and cruelty that they did overflow with wickedness their wickedness was so great So will it be with this spiritual Babylon when the harvest is ripe for this spiritual Babylon is so full of idolatry of idols images and worshipping false gods and persecution of the Saints That the press is full that is their bodies are so full of spiritual wickedness or spiritual fornication and persecution for conscience sake as aforesaid that their wickedness doth overflow even as the aforesaid Babylon did So that in the account of the spirit of faith this spiritual Babylon is as really destroyed and reaped their sins being ripe as the other Babylon was And as the sicle was thrust into them that they were destroyed and reaped so will it be with this as in the nineteenth verse of this chapter And the Angel thrust in his sicle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth and cast it into the great wine-press of the wrath of God The earth signifies the people and the vine of the earth signifies the wicked idolatrous worship of the people and the great wine-press of the wrath of God signifies that eternal death and destruction upon all idolatrous people who worship false gods This eternal or second death is the great wine-press of the wrath of God and in the twentieth verse of this Chapter it is said And the wine-press was troden without the City and blood came out of the wine-press even unto the horse bridles by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs The meaning is this the wine-press was troden without the City that is the destruction of the enemies of Judah and Israel it was without the City of Jerusalem so will the eternal destruction of all idolaters at the end of the world be without the City New-Jerusalem That is none of the Seed of Faith who are the holy City in the spiritual shall see their destruction For blood shall come out of the wine-press even to the horse bridles the blood signifies the extream torment it being for ever The wine-press signifies the great wrath of God pressing their souls for their wickedness to eternity Unto the horse bridles signifies the extream fulness of wickedness so that the wrath of God might walk in their souls even as an horse may do thorow blood even up to his bridle For Gods wrath will he as many horses to crush and trample his enemies under feet so that their miseries may break forth as blood for Gods horses that is his vengeance to walk thorow to eternity As for the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs that signifies a great space and distance from the City of God that is from the spiritual City of God to wit the true believers So that this spiritual mystery Babylon who made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication as aforesaid I say she must undergo the wrath of God and be troden without the spiritual City the Seed of Faith
state of Israel And so the vials and Plagues that was poured out upon him they were temporal Plagues also And there was a temporal darkness for three days all over Egypt which darkness was but a shadow or type of that spiritual darkness upon the mind of man now and the eternal darkness at the end of the world CHAP. L. NOw I would have the Reader to observe that this beast here spoken of by John it was that beast that did rise out of the Sea having seven heads as in Chapter the thirteenth verse the first to whom the Dragon gave his Power Seat and Authority this was the first beast that persecuted the saints after the Apostles Commission came to be published upon the earth That is this was the first beast that made war with the saints about worship And so the same Spirit Power and Authority that was in this beast it did run thorow the loins of all other beasts that succeeded him all the time of the ten Persecutions And the same spirit hath and doth run in the line of all wicked persecuting Idolaters Kings and Head-magistrates they are called by the Spirit but one beast And look what beast or beasts are alive at the end of the world they shall be all counted but one beast and shall all be overthrown with one overthrow even as Pharaoh King of Egypt was For though there was many Pharaohs Kings of Egypt as aforesaid yet in the destruction of that one King Pharaoh all wicked Pharaohs are destroyed in him So likewise Herod that did seek to kill Christ when he was born in that he slew all the male children in Bethlehem who were two years old or under I declare this Herod was that Dragon John speaks of in divers places in the book of the Revelation who gave his power seat and authority unto this beast And so successively the spirit of the Dragon it runs thorow the line of all wicked beasts to the worlds end even as the spirit of the Dragon did run thorow the lines of many Herods since Cains birth Yet this Herod that persecuted Christ as soon as he was born is called by the spirit in John that great red Dragon And his spirit of persecution it was given to all those wicked beasts that did succeed immediately after him and that shall succeed to the end of the world For this is to be minded by the Reader that the Herod that would have killed Christ he died before this beast had any power but Herod the Dragons spirit remained in other Herods as that Herod that beheaded John Baptist who was eaten up with lice So that there was more Herods than one yet the same spirit of Cain the devil was in them all So that they may be called by the Spirit but one Herod dragon or devil they being all guided by one evil spirit even the spirit of murdering Cain the first man-devil or the devil become flesh So that this spirit of Cain who ruled in all those Pharaohs and Herods before God was manifest in the flesh is that Dragon-devil who gave his power seat and authority unto the beast That is the spirit of the Dragon did persecute oppress and kill before Christ came upon an natural account for fear of loosing his kingdom as Pharaoh king of Egypt did And Herod the Dragon he slew the young children for fear Christ should take his kingdom out of his hands So that most of their cruel murthers they acted it was upon a temporal account But the cruelties that was acted by those beasts it was upon a spiritual account I call it a spiritual account because the persecuting and putting to death of the Saints it was for worshipping of Christ according to the doctrine of the Apostles who set up a worship contrary to that which was set up by those beasts For there was a liberty granted of God unto the Worship of the Law of Moses for the Jews to fight with the Sword of steel and to destroy those Kings or Beasts that did molest them But the Worship of the Gospel did not teach men so to do but altogether to the contrary So that the sufferings of the Saints under the Gospel and ever since it is upon a spiritual account for who ever doth suffer meerly for his Faith or his Religion or his Worship he may be said to suffer upon a spiritual account And those Beasts that do persecute upon that account they persecute upon a spiritual account Even as this Beast did spoken of by John for this Beast did persecute the Saints in the time of the Gospel for worshipping of Christ and not worshipping his Image as Pharaoh did to the people of Israel in the temporal And look what Plagues were poured out upon Pharaoh and all the land of Egypt in the temporal so likewise will spiritual Plagues be poured out upon the beast and upon all that worship him or his image And as there was a natural darkness in all the land of Egypt upon the King as upon the people so likewise this spiritual darkness is poured out upon the seat of the Beast That is there is a darkness poured out upon the mindes of all evil Kings and Head-Magistrates who undertake to set up Forms of Worship as idols and images for the people to worship And there being a darkness poured out upon the minde of the Beast so that he doth worship false gods and not onely so but this vial of darkness is poured out upon the mindes of all those people who worship false gods That is there is a spiritual darkness upon the minde and spirit of the Beast and all that worship a false god I say a spiritual darkness is poured upon them all even whilest they are here in this world Even as that natural darkness was poured out upon Pharaoh and all the land of the Egyptians I say there is as gross a thick darkness poured out upon the spirits of the greatest part of men and women at this day concerning the true knowledge of God and the true worship that God requireth as there was upon Egypt And this spiritual darkness of the minde it is but a preparation or fore-runner of that eternal darkness which will as certainly be when time shall be no more as the darkness of the minde is at present in all the seed of the serpent who worship false gods But as there was light in all the places of the children of Israels dwellings as you may see Exod. 10.23 which dwellings of theirs it was in the Land of Goshen where the children of Israel were as in Exod. 9.26 Now this Land of Goshen it signifies the light of grace or spiritual and heavenly light in the mindes of the Seed of Faith and the children of Israel signifies the true Saints or true Worshippers of God in spirit and truth So that every true Believer in the true God he may be said to dwell in the Land of Goshen in his own minde in
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
words verse the eighth the beast that thou sawest was and is not and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit and go into perdition and they that dwell upon the earth shall wonder whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world when they behold the beast that was and is not and yet is Yet by the Revelation of the Spirit of Faith I shall open the meaning of Johns words The Reader may remember that I gave a touch of it in the interpretation of the thirteenth chapter where I have shewed the difference between the dragons seven heads and ten horns and the Beasts seven heads and ten horns The meaning is this the Dragons seven heads did signifie seven Kings besides himself And the beast that the Dragon did give his seat power and authority unto who had seven heads and ten horns I declare his own head was one of the seven and the first head of the seven that did exercise the power of the Dragon So that this Dragon Herod that persecuted the woman he is that beast that was and is not That is he was alive in his own person when he would have slain Christ with the young children But seeing he was prevented in that and could not devour the young childe Jesus he persecuted the woman and the remnant of her seed That is all true believers in that childe Jesus they were the remnant of her seed But the earth help the woman and swallowed up the flood That is the young children that were slain by the Dragons command are called by the spirit the earth and their deaths did swallow up the flood of persecutiâ—n that came out of the Dragons mouth And this is the beast that was and is not that is he is dead and the other beast that had seven heads and ten horns he is that scarlet-coloured beast that the woman doth sit upon That is all the seven heads that this beast had his own being one they did exercise the power of the Dragon in persecuting the Saints which was the remnant of the seed of the woman whom the Dragon did persecute Now this is to be minded by the Reader that the spirit of the Dragon it did remain in the seed of reason that was in those seven heads or seven beasts though the Dragon which is the eight was dead as to his outward appearance Neither did that visible body of the Dragon appear any more but that spirit of his seed it was in his sons seed so that the same spirit of the Dragon it did run thorow the seed of reason thorow the line of those seven beasts And did cause them to persecute and shed the blood of the Saints as he did and would have done This was chiefly with relation to those Ten Persecutions in the time of the Apostles Commission And as for the Beast that was and is not and shall ascend out of the bottomless-pit and go into perdition The meaning is this that the same spirit of reason that was in the Dragon who was that beast that was and is not I say the same spirit of persecution shall ascend out of the bottom-pit of the imagination of reason that is in the other beasts that succeeded the dragon For all wicked beasts were and are guided by one spirit even the spirit of the devil which devil is no other but the spirit of reason in man And the imagination that floweth from this spirit of reason it is that bottomless pit So that this beast that did ascend out of the bottomless-pit it was no other but the spirit of reason that did ascend out of the hearts of those seven beasts aforesaid Which caused them to exercise the power of the Dragon in persecuting and sheding the blood of the Saints and so at the end of the world they go into perdition For this is to be minded that when a wicked man doth go into perdition he doth never return again because it is an eternal perdition This is to be minded also that the bottomless-pit is one thing and perditon is another For almost all men are in the bottomless-pit of their own imaginations onely those that know truth Yet mens spirits of reason may ascend out of the bottomless-pit of their vain imaginations and come to know truth but after the spirit of a man goeth into perdition there is no possibility ever to ascend out of that because it is eternal Again it is said And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder whose names were not written in the book of Life from the foundation of the world when they behold the beast that was and is not and yet is That is the ignorant and idolatrous people on the earth shall wonder when they behold the spirit of the Dragon acting it self forth in idolatry and persecution for not worshipping his image as the Dragon did So that it did seem to ignorant people to be the same beast and that the Dragon beast was risen again which made them to wonder to behold that beast that was and is not and yet is When as it was no other but the Dragons spirit in the seed which acted it self forth in the person of another beast much like unto the Dâ—â—gon or beast that was not So that â—â—â—e ignorant people that dwell on the earth they look upon 〈◊〉 going out of the body and a assuming other bodies but there is no such thing But most people on the earth then and at this day doth believe such things which doth cause their vain imaginations to wonder taking one thing for another But the elect seed whose names are written in the book of life from the foundation of the world these I say never do wonder at any such thing For they know that spirits cannot slip out of the bodies and assume other bodies but that spirit must die with the body Onely there is a spirit remaineth in the seed that is in another that may act cruelties like his or more worse but not in the same person so was it with this beast that was and is not and yet is and fo forth CHAP. LXII VErse the nineth And here is the mind which hath wisdom the the seven heads are seven Mountains on which the woman sitteth This verse is a beginning of the interpretation of Johns vision and of the beast and of the woman and so the interpretation goeth to the end of the chapter For this must be minded that John saw these things by vision and revelation when he was in the Isle of Patmots a banished man before these things were acted upon this earth which maketh his writings the more hard to understand and much more hard to interprete So that it must needs be true wisdom to know the minde of the Spirit in these mystical sayings of his Yet the revelation of Faith hath understood and given the interpretation of most of the chief things of concernment in the book of Johns Revelation These
seven heads are called by the Spirit seven Mountains on which the woman fitteth These seven Mountains are those seven Beasts spoken of before though called here seven Mountains And as for the woman I have shewed what is meant by it before to wit all spiritual power in relation to the worshipping of false gods it being set up by non-commissionated men and all false worshippers they are called by the Spirit a woman or the great City Babylon So that those chief men that have set up forms of worship without a Commission from God they are called the woman that sitteth on seven Mountains She may be said to fit upon them because her spiritual idolatrous power is above their temporal power For as I said before the temporal Magistrate is commonly subject to the Priest especially in matters of religion so that in this regard the woman may be said to fit upon seven Mountains For she had power over all these seven Beasts to cause them to commit spiritual fornication and spiritual whoredom with her in worshipping of false gods and in sheding the blood of Saints Verse the tenth And there are seven Kings five are fallen and one is and the other is not yet come and when he cometh he must continue a short space The meaning is this that John saw in his vision that five of these seven persecuting beasts were fallen And he that one is in present being in the time of the Apostles Commission and that was the sixth And the other that was not yet come he was to come after the Commission of the Apostles was exterpated out of the world and when he is come he shall continue a short space That is he shall not continue to the end of the world for no man knoweth what the spirit doth mean by a short space but the spirit of the beast that was and is not he shall continue to the end of the world as in the eleventh verse And the beast that was and is not even he is the eighth and is of the seven and goeth into perdition The meaning is this that the spirit of the Dragon Herod the beast who is the eighth though of the seven wicked beasts because they all acted by his wicked spirit of reason the devil So that the spirit of the Dragon it shall run thorow the loins of all persecuting Kings and Head-magistrates even to the end of the world Hath not the spirit of persecution run thorow the loins of many Papist Kings by the power of the Popes spiritual fornication since the worship of the Gospel was set up by him all over Europe Hath not the spirit of spiritual fornication to worship false gods run thorow the loins of the Papists Protestant Presbytery Independent Baptist Ranter and Quaker all over Europe or as we call it Christendom So that this spiritual fornication all opinions doth commit with idols or in worshipping of false gods So that they all make up but one woman or one whore who commiteth sp ritual fornication or one great City Babylon So likewise there hath many Papist Kings since the Pope had this spiritual power that have been guilty of sheding the blood of Martyrs more then can well be numbered Neither can all Protestant Kings be excused in this point nor Presbytery neither Neither would the other four be excusable if they were in power So that the spirit of the Dragon it doth and hath run thorow the loins of all these beasts that have been since the Roman Catholick Religion was set up So that all the persecution that hath been for conscience sake all the blood that hath been shed for Religion sake it hath been acted from the spirit of the whore aforesaid in the Priests and from the spirit of the Dragon in the Head-magistrate who are called beasts And this spirit hath raigned and doth raign in the Head-magistrate ever since the Roman Catholick Religion was set up aâ— aforesaid and shall continue to the end of the world They all being counted by the spirit but one beast because they are all guided by one spirit of persecution and blood-shed for Religion sake So that I declare that this is the beast that was and is not even he is the eight and is of the seventh That is his spirit runs thorow the seed of the seventh and so it doth run thorow the bodies of these that are the eighth So that this spirit of the dragon which is reason the devil who hath persecuted and shed the blood of Saints Martyrs of Jesus for not worshipping false gods that they may all go into perdition together that is into eternal damnation CHAP. LXIII VErse the twelfth And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten Kings which have received no kingdom as yet but receive power as kings one hour with the beast These ten Kings were inferior to the Beast and were under his Dominions for the Beast was as it were an Emperor who had many Kings under him And these ten Kings lived in kingdoms but were not so established as that they could keep them against the Beasts will yet nevertheless if they would be obedient unto the Beast and execute his will he would give them power as Kings one hour with himself that was until they had extirpated the name of Jesus out of the world And that power they received of the beast it was to persecute and kill the Saints For these ten Kings were those ten horns upon the beast that had seven heads That is these ten Kings should receive power from the beast to execute those ten Persecutions upon the Saints Yet I would not have the Reader to think that there was but ten Kings and no more for ten Kings did not last 300 years But if there were ten score Kings the spirit doth call them but ten signifying those ten persecutions in the primitive times For the beast had seven heads and ten horns and these ten Kings were those ten horns and they received their power to persecute and shed the blood of Saints and Martyrs of Jesus from the seven heads which is called a beast So that the one hour that these ten Kings received power from the beast it was all the time of the Ten Persecutions for they were the ten horns as aforesaid This you may see in the thirteenth verse These have one mind and shall give their power and strengh unto the beast That is seing the beast had given them power as Kings to shed the blood of Saints they likewise proffer unto the beast their power and strength to serve him in what they can And the service these ten Kings must do the beast it is to shed the blood of the Saints as you may see in the fourteenth verse Verse the fourteenth These shall make war with the Lamb and the Lamb shall overcome them for he is Lord of lords and King of Kings and they that are with him are called and chosen and faithful These ten Kings aforesaid are to
â—hat is all creatures according to the instinct of nature do shew forth honor and glory unto a Divine Being who hath created all things for his own glory So that there is an exceeding great Crown of glory upon the head of Christ Jesus as he is the Creator and the other Crown of glory upon his head it is as he is the Redeemer For Redemption in all those that are concerned in it is of more worth and of higher esteem than the work of Creation is So that this work of Redemption it hath procured to himself a a Crown of glory of more weight then the work of Creation So that all Crowns of glory he hath upon his head they are all included in these two and the white horse he doth fit upon it is the righteousness of Faith For by this righteousness of Faith he conquered death hell and devil and by this Faith he hath made war with these spiritual enemies and by the same power of Faith he will overcome and destroy all temporal enemies with an eternal destruction as John doth speak of as if it were already done as aforesaid Verse the twelfth His eyes were as a flame of fire and on his head were many Crowns and he had a Name written that no man know but he himself As for his eyes being as it were a flame of fire that is onely to signifie the exceeding glory and brightness of his eyes They are so piercing that he can see thorow Angels and men so that no mortal man can look upon him no more then the eyes of a man are able to look upon the Sun in its brightness and as for the many Crowns upon his head I have spoken of that in the verse before But it is said And he had a Name written that no man knew but he himself The meaning is this there was no man knew his Name that was written upon him but he himself until he did reveal it to some man For who knew him by the Name of Jehovah God Almighty until he revealed it to Moses Also who knew his name was the Word of God as in the thirteenth verse had he not revealed it unto John As it is said in the Gospel of John In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God So that his name must needs be the Word of God and how should any man know this but he himself until he did reveal it unto some man so that when the Name of God was known to no man but to he himse f The thing was then a secret thing but now it is revealed unto man it doth belong unto us and to our children For secret things belong unto God and revealed things to us and our children So that when God hath revealed any secret or heavenly mystery unto man it may not then be called no more secret but man may know it in a measure even as God doth himself So that the Name of God is known by his servants the Prophets Apostles and Witnesses of the Spirit and by his Saints to their exceeding great joy and glory so that his name is known to others now besides himself CHAP. LXXIV VErse the thirteenth And he was clothed with a vesture dipt in blood and his Name is called The word of God The Reader may remember that when I came to the thirteenth verse of the first Chapter of Johns Revelation I found such a like saying as this that is John saw in the midst of the seven golden Candlesticks one like unto the Son of Man clothed with a garment down to the foot Which garment I said I would open hereafter so that now being come to it again I shall open what is meant by this garment down to the foot and by his vesture dipt in blood This Son of Man John saw in the middest of the seven golden Candlesticks it was no other but Jesus Christ and this Jesus Christ is the onely wise God as I have shewed before And it is he that John saw clothed with a garment down to the foot and it is he that is clothed with a vesture dipt in blood Now the word Vesture and the word Garment signifie both one thing onely this is to be minded by the Reader what the Spirit doth mean by this garment down to his foot and his vesture dipt in blood The meaning of the Spirit is this The eternal Spirit it became flesh so that the flesh of Christ was a garment or a vesture that did clothe the God-head Spirit with So that he being clothed with flesh from the head to the foot this flesh is called by the Spirit a garment down to the foot So that this garment of flesh is that vesture dipt in blood according to that saing of Isaiah the Prophet Isaiah 63.1 Who is this that cometh from Edom with dyed garments So in the second verse Wherefore art thou red in thy apparrel and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine-fat This prophesie of Isaiah is that God would become flesh and so clothe himself with a garment of flesh so that this garment might be made red with blood That is the whole body of flesh which is called the garment of the God-head-life might be made red even as one that treadeth the wine-fat For if a man should tread the wine fat of the grapes with no other apparel on but his flesh onely it would make him look red as if he had been treading in a pool of blood Even so doth the Prophets words signifie when he saith Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine-fat As if the Prophet should say Wherefore doth thy flesh which is thy apparel or thy garment look red for thou hast been treading the wine-press of the wrath of Almighty God like unto him that treadeth the wine fat of the grape So that thy flesh which is thy garment down to the foot must needs look red with blood for the garment of his flesh is that vesture dipt in blood This the Prophets did see by the eye of Faith and so they called the flesh of Christ a Garment red like the wine of the ripe grape in regard he had not yet suffered death in the flesh but was to suffer But the revelation of John saw that he had suffered death in that flesh and therefore saith And he was clothed with a vesture dipt in blood meaning his flesh was dipt in blood in that he had trodden the wine-press of the wrath of Almighty God that is he trod the wine-press of his own wrath against sin For he is the Almighty God himself though he clothed himself with a garment of flesh that he might be capable to die and that ason the devil might be the more capable to put him to death r That the garment or vesture of flesh he had on him might be dipt in blood for the redemption of the Seed of Adam to an
many of them yea they killed Christ himself So that now as these men did eat the flesh of the Saints and drink their blood in that they were pleased in their mindes that they had shed the blood of Saints and the blood of Prophets and Apostles for that is called by the Spirit eating and drinking So likewise now the great God hath by the sword that goeth out of his mouth destroyed with a final and eternal destruction those Kings Captains and great Men aforesaid Now the great God and all his Army of Saints who are the fowls of heaven shall sup with the flesh of these men aforesaid That is they shall eat their flesh not with their teeth but their spirits shall feed upon their eternal damnation with joy delight so that their souls shall be satisfied or filled with their flesh For the fowls of heaven shall feed upon their eternal damnation in their mindes even as men do upon the tendrest flesh that is with their teeth and their spirits will be as well satisfied with their destruction as mens hungry stomachs are with sweet flesh So that there is a spiritual eating of the flesh of Kings and Captains and the flesh of mighty men in their destruction as there is a spiritual eating of the flesh of Christ and drinking his blood to their eternal joy and happiness And this kinde of Supper are the Saints invited unto that they may sup with the great God for they shall have the same flesh to eat as he hath as he is satisfied in eating their flesh so shall they CHAP. LXXVIII VErse 19. And I saw the Beast and the Kings of the earth and their Armies gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse and against his Army This nineteenth verse signifies the same things as the eighteenth verse doth onely John saw the Beast and those Kings muster up their Army together to fight with him upon the horse and against his Army But he that sate upon the horse was Christ and his Army that followed him were the Saints and his horse was a white horse and all his Army sate upon white horses also as I shewed before But he that sate upon the horse was too hard for the Beast and the Kings of the earth so that the Beast was taken as in verse 20. And the Beast was taken and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the Beast and them that worshipped his image These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone This Beast and false prophet signifie the Civil Power and the Ecclesiastical or Spiritual Power for the beast signifies the temporal Power and the false prophet signifies the Spiritual Power For these two always committed fornication together and in all Ages they joyned together to persecute the Prophets Apostles Saints and Christ himself and so they will do to the end of time And John seeing by the eye of Faith and Revelation the end of the world he saw also the Beast and the false prophet taken That is he saw the whole temporal Power of this world and the whole spiritual Power of this world who joyned together in false worship and in persecuting the Saints John saw them both taken they were both cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone So that this spirit of the Beast shall remain in its seed to the end of the world and the spirit of the false prophet shall remain in its seed to the end of the world so that they may both be cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone with all those that received the mark of the Beast and that did worship his image Verse 21. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse which sword proceeded out of his mouth and all the fowls were filled with their flesh The remnant that were slain signifies all those that were of the Beasts and false prophets minde yet did not gather themselves together to the Beasts Army but they were as it were a remnant left behinde as a Reserve as it is a custom for Generals of Armies to leave a remnant behinde as a Reserve but if the Generals Army be beaten and he taken the remnant will quickly be destroyed by him that overcometh So it is with Christ when he hath taken the Beast and false prophet and cast them alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone and when he had spoiled the Kings of the earth and the Captains and the mighty men of war and all the common soldiers who had received the mark of the Beast in the fore-head or in the right hand it was an easie matter for him that sat upon upon the horse to slay the remnant with the sword that goeth out of his mouth In fine the slaying of the remnant with the sword it was to cast the remnant and the Kings and Captains and mighty men and all both great and small into a lake of fire burning with brimstone with the Beast and the false prophet So that all the Saints which are called by the Spirit the fowls of heaven they were all filled with their flesh so that the Saints shall nâ—ver hunger or thirst more but shal be fully satisfied in their damnation who alwayes made the Saints to hunger and thirst after peace and quietness And to reign with God their King and Redeemer in that eternal felicâ—ty joy and glory where is all satisfaction that can be had where there will be no hunger nor thirst but a continual increase of new joys for evermore So much for the interpretation of this Nineteenth Chapter CHAP. LXXIX WHen I had gone thorow this Book of the Revelation of St. John I found many things in it exceeding mysterious even as a sealed Book as it were impossible for any one to interprete yet through the assistance of the revelation of the Spirit of Faith I having the knowledge of those two Foundations the Scritures standeth upon before to wit the knowledge of the true God and the right devil so that from these two Foundations all the chief and great mysteries and hard sayings in that Book hath bin opened unto me and I have given the interpretation of all the chief matters of concernment in that Book first and last yet but very short considering the variety of mystical sayings in that Book of Johns Revelation But when I had seriously considered and understood the height and depth of these heavenly sayings of John concerning the true God the Alpha and Omega the first and the last that was dead and a alive and behold he liveth forevermore With many other heavenly mysteries which was in my heart which I understood but I had not words in my self to set it forth and to declare it to others that they might understand these mysteries also yet nevertheless I thought it was better to