wit the three Records in earth Water Blood and Spirit That is to say the Commission of Moses the Commission of Jesus and the Apostles and the Commission of the Spirit these are the three paths which God doth walk thorow which every Commissionated Prophet could finde out God in that path he walked in Thus when Gods Spirit walked thorow the Law of Moses that being the path for Gods Spirit to walk in the Prophets afterwards did finde him out in that worship of the Law So likewise when Gods Spirit did walk in the path of the Gospel the Apostles did finde him out in the Gospel and could trace his â—tep in the paths of the Law So that the Apostles found God out in those two paths aforesaid Thirdly The Witnesses of the Spirit have found God out in all his three paths as thus 1. The Prophets kept close to the worship of the Law of Moses and therein they found God 2. The Apostles kept close to the worship of the Gospel and therein they found God 3. The Witnesses of the Spirit keeps close to the worship of God in Spirit and truth These three Records on earth are the three paths for God to walk in and who ever doth walk in them shall finde him Onely I would have the Seed of Faith to minde what advantage one Commission hath over another the Commission of the Gospel had great advantage of those in the Law In that the Apostles knew the path of the Law and the path of the Gospel also so that they had proofs from Moses and the Prophets that they were chosen to bear witness unto Jesus and that worship set up by them when as Moses had no books to proof he was chosen of God but he had the power of miracles to prove he was sent of God and the Prophets after him had his writings to prove that God had appeared to Moses so that the Prophets could go no further then Moses and he that could trace the steps of God until he came to Moses he was sure to finde God there but if any man went any further he could never finde God at all So that the Apostles advantage was great in that they had two paths to walk in when as the Prophets had but one for the Prophets in their time did see that God would become flesh and the Apostles did see that God is become flesh so that their advantage was great Thirdly The Commission of the Spirit hath advantage above them both in this respect in that the worship of the Spirit is spiritual without any outward ordinances so that the Spirit of Faith or revelation can walk thorow the path of the Law and can finde that God was there but he is not there now Secondly This Commission of the Spirit can walk thorow the worship of the Apostles and do finde that God was there but he is not there now Thirdly So that God is walking now in the third path or third record on earth even the Commission of the Spirit and there is no 〈◊〉 for any man to finde God but there for there is the knowledge of the true God and the true Interpretation of the Scriptures so that this Commission of the Spirit it hath a great advantage of the other two aforesaid in that the knowledge of the Spirit is a higher knowledge then that of the Prophets and Apostles and the Interpretation of Scripture more abundant then either Prophet or Apostle and more especially the interpretation of heavenly visions For this the Seed of Faith may minde that heavenly visions are hard to utter by those men that see them but it is more hard for a man to interpret that which he never saw for any mans reason would tell him that it was more easie for Pharaoh and Beltesâ—azzar to tell their dreams and visions on their heads then it was for Joseph and Dauid to interpret their dreams Yet this gift was given them of God so to do So likewise God hath given us the chosen Witnesses of the Spirit more knowledge in the Scriptures then all the men in the world at this day and not onely so but God hath given me the gift of Râ—â—â—lation and Interpretation of many Visions and Revelations in the â—â—â—â—ptures of truth and more especially in this Book of the Revelation of Saint John Which book doth consist of little else but heavenly Revelation and spiritual will be which if the Seed of Faith doth but minde they will finde in this Treatise all the most considerable Revelations and Visions and mystical sayings in the Book of Johns Revelation opened and interpreted So that who ever doth truly understand the interpretation of them may receive much satisfaction as to discourse in the Scripture language with any learned man in the world that speaks the English tongue And not onely so but much satisfaction will arise from the true understanding of it to their eternal peace joy and glory hereafter And though I had thoughts as aforesaid to write no more Books after the 〈◊〉 â—â—tion of the eleventh of the Revelation yet I 〈◊〉 written two 〈◊〉 onâ— the Quakers did extort out of â—e by their writing unto me but this the Revelation in â—pâ—â—â—g many places of this Book of the Revelation of John it came so powerfully 〈◊〉 that I thought it was better to break covenant with my self theâ— to 〈◊〉 those 〈◊〉 â—â—ly mysteries and divine secrets with my self And being importuned by some to let it be publick I did apply my selfe the in â—â—â—rious unto it so that I am not glad I did perfect 〈◊〉 thing for noâ— others will have it as well as my self so that I make no question but many will receive benefit by it which shall last to the end of their liveâ—â— and not onely so but the knowledge and benefit of this Book of the Interpretation of all thâ— chief mysterious sayings and visions in the Book of Johns Revelation it shall remain in some to the end of the world and happy will those be in whom it doth remain and miserable will those â—e who despise and reject it though I be laid in the dust so I shall leave the issue to my God my King and my Redeemer the Lord Jesus Christ God and Man in one singular person who is distinct of himself from Angels and men and conclude this Epistle Written by Lodowick Muggleton one of the last Witnesses of the spirit unto the High and Mighty God the Man Christ Jesus in Gâ—â— To my Worthy Friend Mr. LODOWICK MVGGLETON UPON HIS Interpretation of the Book of the Revelations 〈◊〉 Honored It was my great good happiness to see Part of this your â—â—vailed Mystery â—re to the censure of thâ— world it â—s 〈◊〉 And in that part we thought I did descry 〈…〉 and discerning ey◠〈…〉 which hidden were Enjoy those sweet Râ—vâ—â—s 〈◊〉 For they to us are truly now mad◠〈◊〉 To 〈…〉 wiâ—â—â—n And when at first this 〈…〉 view Like a Prospective glass it
Sword of the Spirit which was in the Saints Even the faith of Jesus which enabled them to suffer with cheerfulness the spoyling of their goods and not loving their lives unto the death rather than to worship the beast or his image And this was that deadly wound that the beast had in his head and this was the first day and one of the ten days tribulation the Saints did undergo For when men suffer meerly for their faith of Jesus or in innocency of minde in matter of worship they do by their sufferings wound the persecutors soules more than if they should turn again and fight with a sword of steel So that it wa◠the Saints patient sufferings that did give this beast as John speaketh of that deadly wound in his head But after a season his deadly wound was healed That is after the plague of his heart was over that he saw he should not die He grew more worse much like Pharaoh when Moses had taken away the Plague from him and his people his heart was hardened and made more cruel and worse So was it with this Beast when his conscience had the fear of the present death taken off him so that he was healed as to that Then he grew worse then he was before For now his mouth uttered blasphemy and power was given unto him to continue forty two months as in verse the fifth These forty two months hath relation to the Ten Persecutions which did last a matter of three hundred years For the spirit and power of this beast did run thorow the loins of all them seven heads they all being partakers of the Dragons power seat and authority For it runs thorow the loins of al wicked Beasts or wicked Head-Magistrates For they have all the spirit of Reason even the spirit of the Dragon though not in such a measure as the Dragon hath So that the power of this beast should continue in himself and in others forty two months That was all the days of the Ten Persecutions which time was the same as the two Prophets did prophesie which is said to be forty two months Which time was as long as the Apostles Commission did last about three hundred years as aforesaid And as I have shewed in The Interpretation of the eleventh of the Revelation CHAP. XXXVI BUt in the sixth verse the 〈◊〉 that was healed of his deadly wound he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God to blaspheme his Name and his Tabernacle and them that dwelt in heaven So that you may see now this Beast was healed of his wound he was worse and blasphemed more against the living God and against his Tabernacle Which Tabernacle was the body of Christ And those that dwelt in heaven are the Saints who worshipped by faith in the Tabernacle of God which is in heaven Therefore said to dwell in heaven and in the seventh verse It was given him that is the Beast aforesaid to make war with the Saints and to overcome them and power was given him over all kindreds and tongues and nations Now the Beast being recovered of that wound the Saints did give him he comes on a fresh and makes war against them Not onely in blaspheming against the living God or living Jesus whom the Saints did worship and serve and would not worship and serve him Therefore he makes war with the Saints and overcomes them That is causeth all those he could light of to deny their Faith in Jesus and worship as he would have them or else they must be put to death So that he did overcome many of the Saints and put them to death For power was given him over all kindreds tongues and nations That is he had power over all other people but those that worshipped Jesus To command them to worship him and that worship he did set up and all people but the Saints did obey Some for fear and some for love but all did obey to worship the beast onely those that had faith in Jesus therefore they were overcome and killed by this beast But the others the kindreds tongues nations saved their lives for the world wandred after the beast his power was so great So that all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him whose names are not written in the book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world as in the eighth verse The meaning is this that the spirit of reason in this beast and in all other beasts or Head-Magistrates that are of the seed of the serpent should have such power over the dark reason of man to worship him and the image he doth set up And the whole world lying in ignorance and darkness they are thorow their ignorance ready and willing to worship any thing that the spirit of Reason in the Head-Magistrate shall command them And the ignorance and darkness of men in point of worship is so numerous that hardly any can be seen in the world but idolaters So that it may be said that all that dwell on the earth doth worship the beast none excepted but those whose names are written in the book of Life which are but few in comparison For the worshippers of the true God are but few in comparison of those that worship the devil For the spirit of reason is the devil and what image or form of worship is set up by the spirit of reason in the Head-Magistrate having no Commission from God it is but of the devils setting up And who ever doth bow down to worship in that manner and form they do but worship the Beast and his image and so worship devils And is not the whole world at this day as well as at that time as well those that profess themselves Christians as well as Heathen Turks and Pagans under that darkness of minde as to worship false gods idols and devils So that the whole world may be said to worship the beast and his image though not all one kinde of image For every Opinion of Religion in the world hath one image or other to worship in stead of God And it must needs be so because the world doth not know the true God in his form and nature therefore they worship devils in stead of God though in divers forms and manner But I would have the Seed of Faith to mind that when I say all the world the Elect Seed are excepted For the Seed of Faith are not counted the world though they be in the world As Christ said I pray not for the world but for them thou hast given me out of the world and that thou wouldest keep them from the evil of the world So that the Scriptures doth never count the Saints the world though they be in the world So that the Scriptures may say that all the world wandred after the beast for all the world doth wander after one false worship or other but those that have their names written in the book of Life Now
nothing else but shadows meerly produced by natural magick for when the thing was over the shadow was vanished also So that the people heard nor saw no more of the Magicians Frogs So likewise when the imagination of reason is exercised upon a religious account though it be in the way of idolatry many strange things may be atcheived and attained unto where the imagination of reason is religiously bent For these two horns like a Lamb did signifie zeal in Religion though in an idolatrous way So that this beast being studious of Religion did by the strength of his imagination and his diabolical holiness He exercising his minde more upon idolatry and worshipping of images then the other beast did before him So that this beast with two horns like a Lamb could go further in his religious imagination then the other beast did And deceive the people more by a way of lying signs and wonders so that the people took this beast to be more god-like then the other for this beast did seem to make fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men He did this upon a religious account to deceive the people as the Egyptians did upon a temporal account as I said before That is he went to imitate the Prophet Elijah to bring fire from heaven in the sight of men as Elijah did even as the Magicians of Egypt did imitate Moses But this fire the beast brought from heaven it was no real thing but onely a shadow or likeness of fire as the Egyptians was For this fire that he brought from heaven it did no body no hurt onely dazled the phantasies of them that saw it with a shadow of fire but no substance Even as the Egyptians did in the temporal But the fire Elijah brought from heaven it burnt up two Captains and their fifties because the fire that came from heaven it was a real substance and did execution But a shadow doth nothing but deceive the phantasie of man for the present As in the fourteenth verse And deceived them that dwelt on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast saying to them that dwelt on the earth that they should make an image to the beast which had a wound by a Sword and did live In this 14 verse he had power to command the people to make an image and to dedicate it to the beast that received the wound with a Sword and did live And in the fifteenth verse he would shew another sign or miracle that should deceive the people more then the former sign of bringing fire from heaven on the earth in the fight of men So that he would deceive their dark understandings for he had power to give life to the image of the beast that the image of the beast should both speak and cause that as many as would not worship the Image of the beast should be killed CHAP. XXXVIII THis I would have the Reader to observe that the Image that this beast with two horns like a Lamb did cause to be made and set up the Image was the same form and likeness though made of wood or stone as that beast was of that received a wound by a Sword and did live And that beast was a man and the Image of that man did this beast cause to be set up to be worshipped For that beast with two horns like a Lamb had power by his subtile and diabolical inchantments to make this Image of the first beast to speak And by the speech of the Image it should cause that as many as would not worship the Image of the beast that is the form of this Image of a man should be killed now this seemeth very strange to the minde of man and so it did to those people in that time that the wisdom of reason the devil should by his witchcraft-power in point of Religion and worship to make an Image which the work-man hath made with his own hands for to speak It cannot chuse but to cause ignorant and dark-minded people to be deceived and to fall down and worship it They supposing that the Spirit of the holy Gods doth come into it at or in its season and speak to the people so that they are fully perswaded that it is the spirit of the holy Gods that speaketh in it So that they fall down and worship it not thinking that the imagination power and authority of the beast hath out-witted them for the beast did make an Image of the other beast aforesaid and did set it apart or dedicated it of purpose for a God to be worshipped And made Priests overseers of it and consecrated the Image by the Priests in a holy manner And some boy or childe had a way to go into the Image and speak in it such words as the beast and the priests should order the childe to speak So that the childe must speak thorow the mouth of the Image as if the Image did speak it self Just like unto a wooden puppet in a play But as the Scriptures saith none of their Images doth nor can speak thorow the throat But secresie between the beast and the priests might keep the thing so close that the people might know nothing but that the Image did speak it self And so they being bewitched with ignorance and darkness and deceived by this policy they do worship the Image And so much the more because the Image did speak and the words that the Image did speak they must be such words as he that gave order to make it would have it speak That is to worship the Image in the spiritual and to command all people small and great bond and free rich and poor in the temporal to receive a mark in their right hand or in their foreheads as in the sixteenth verse So that no man might buy or sell save he that had the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name as in the 17. verse These were the things that the Image must and did speak and these were the miracles that this beast wrought in the eyes of the people whereby they were deceived For these seemed to be great miracles and so they were to that which knoweth not the true God for great things may be accomplished by the spirit of reason in man if backed with the authority and power of the nation But greater things then these have been acted in this nation upon a spiritual account and more spiritual wonders and miracles have been wrought by the spirit of reason in John Robins John Tancy and others For they have been able by that spiritual witchcraft-power to present half Moons Stars burning shining lights to the fancy of people Also John Robins hath presented by his spiritual witchcraft-power the form of a Dragon and the form of a serpent and thick darkness with divers other lying signs and wonders I call them lying signs because they
were but shadows and no real thing or substance Onely things produced out of the strength of his own imagination it being stronger then others it did subject the imaginations of others under it And so they were deceived by it their phantasies being dazled and over powered by his knowledge and wisdom in the dark power of reason the devil He could present to their dazled phantasies such like shapes and signs as aforementioned Likewise it was in John Tancy his heart to have offered up his son to a diabolical Diety that he might attain to a greater and higher spiritual power then he had yet attained unto With other strange things he did and would have done had not the Law of the Land been against such things to put them to death He would have done much like Manasses 2 Kings 21.6 who made his son pass thorow the fire So that wonderful strange things may be attained unto by the spirit of reason in man when it is religiously about But I shall speak no more of these things here onely these few lines are to let the Reader to see what strange things hath been acted here in England by men upon a religious account and many more which I will not mention now CHAP. XXXIX BUt I shall open a little what is meant by receiving the mark of the Beast in the right hand or in the forehead The mark of the beast is this when a Head Magistrate or Chief Council in a Nation or Kingdom shall set up by his or their power and authority a Set-form of Worship he or they having no Commission from God so to do And shall cause the people by their power and authority both small and great bond and free to worship after this maner of Worship that is set up by authority as this beast did else they shall be persecuted or killed This Form of Worship so set up without a Commission from God it may and is called by the Spirit An Image for all people to worship by vertue of that Power that did set it up For this I must say that all manner of Forms of Worship which are set up by men who have no Commission from God they are but Idols and Images And who ever doth worship God in those Forms of Worship set up by Non commissionated men they may be said to receive the mark of the beast in the right hand or in the forehead But there was alwayes in most parts of the earth one Supream Power in all Nations that had power to set up Form of Worship as an Image and to command and compel all those that were under their power to worship the Image set up by the Power or by the Beast For all Head-Magistrates are called Beasts as well as Kings else the people have not been suffered to buy nor sell but have been persecuted and killed even as they were at that time by the beast that had two horns like a Lamb. For whosoever would not receive his mark either in his forehead or his right hand that is if they would not worship the Image set up by the beast they should be killed or not suffered to buy nor sell That is not to trade which is as bad to some as death it self So hath it been ever since and will be to the end of the world little or much For let the Reader consider how many have lost their lives for not submitting to the Worship or as I may say Image that hath been set up by the Papists The multitude of people that Power hath slain and persecuted upon that account are hardly to be numbred by man So likewise the Episcopal Power of Worship hath for their Image persecuted and put to death many Also the Presbytery for their Worship or Image have persecuted and put to death many witness New-England Scotland and other places The Independent also for his Worship or Image hath been guilty of persecution The Baptist they also have been guilty of persecution for his Image or Worship witness that one particular of James Naylor For that little Parliament that punished him were most of them Independents and Baptists so that all men when they are in power fall to persecution for Religion if men differ from them in point of Worship And as for the Ranter and Quaker they never were in power so that their persecuting spirits for Religion cannot be seen yet all these seven Churches have an Image to worship That is they every one of them doth set up a several Form of Worship but all false for none of them knoweth the true God neither hath any of them a Commission from God to set up such a Form of Worship as they do So that all Forms of Worship in what manner soever that are set up by Non-commissionated men who are not authorized of God their Forms are but Images or Idols and the Worshippers are Idolaters and doth receive the mark of the beast either in the forehead or in the right hand For the spirit of reason in man is the Beast that sets up Worship as an Image let it be in high or low but more especially in higher Powers who have power to command people to worship his Image And in so doing they do receive the mark of the beast in their foreheads or right hand Now a man may be said to receive the mark of the beast in his forehead when as a man doth worship in that form and manner as is set up by the beasts authority willingly then doth a man receive the mark in his forehead And when a man receives the mark of the beast in his right hand it is when men doth worship and bow down to that form of worship or Image set up by the beast against a mans own mind or unwillingly for fear he shall suffer if he do it not This is to receive the mark of the Beast in his right hand For if the mark of the Beast be not seen in the forehead or in the right hand they shall either be killed or not suffered to trade That is to buy and sell one of these he must be sure to suffer if he hath not the mark in either of those two places aforesaid That is if the people doth not come to the publick worship set up by the Beast either willingly or unwillingly it was known that they had not received the mark of the Beast neither in the forehead nor in the right hand It is called the right hand because the right hand is that that subscribes or writes his name to any thing of concernment So that no man should buy or sell save him that had the mark or the name of the Beast or the number of his name Now observe he that had the name of the Beast or the number of his name were those men that were in offices and places in the Beasts dominions or that had a badge of the Beasts arms upon them For they knew the number of Beasts which
which Land there is the light of Faith whereby they may see the way to that eternal light of Glory where no sad or melancholly thought shall arise to darken the light of peace joy and everlasting glory So on the contrary the Land of Egypt it signifies that hell and darkness of the minde So that all those who know not the true God nor his true Worship they are in that spiritual darkness in their mindes as the Egyptians were who gnawed their tongues for pain Even so will it be with all those wicked beasts who have and do set up Images and Idols of gold wood and stone or any false worship whatsoever contrary to Moses the Apostles and the two Witnesses of the Spirit I say all those that worship contrary to these three Commissions they are in that spiritual Egyptian darkness in their mindes whilest they are here in this world And this darkness in their spirits it will lead them to that eternal dark night when as no light shall appear for ever That is no motion of peace or hope of deliverance shall arise in their mindes for ever and ever And then shall this Beast and all that received his mark name or number of his name gnaw their tongues for pain to eternity For this Vial or Plague is poured out upon the seat of the beast then of necessity it will follow that all that worship according to his command will have the Vial of darkness poured out upon them also So much for the interpretation of the fifth Vial and of the tenth Verse CHAP. LI. I Shall pass by the eleventh and come to the twelfth verse And the sixth Angel poured out his Vial upon the great river Euphrates and the waters thereof was dried up that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared This great river Euphrates was in the Land of Canaan where those four Angels was bound as I shewed before And as those four Angels were loosed at the sounding of the Trumpet of the sixth Angel so at the pouring out of the sixth Vial this great river Euphrates must be dryed up Now this great river Euphrates it signifies all the rivers and fountains of waters in the whole world in the natural That is to say at the end of the world God will pour out his vial of wrath upon all rivers and fountains of waters so that they shall be dryed up so that the thirst of man and beast shall not be quenched this will God do in the natural Also God will pour out his vial of wrath upon the spiritual estate of man even upon the great spiritual river Euphrates that is upon all the souls and consciences of wicked idolatrous persecuting men and women all the world over That is the waters of their souls shall be dryed up so that no motion of peace shall arise or spring from their souls to quench the thirst of sin then no more then there did to Dives the rich man who being in hell wanted one drop of cold water to cool his tongue But the river of his soul that did run with motions of peace in his natural life it was now dryed up so that no drop of cold water could be had That is not one motion of peace or hope could arise in his spirit it being dryed up by the wrath of God being poured out upon the river of his soul So that the souls or spirits of all wicked persecuting idolatrous people all the world over maybe called in the spiritual the great river Euphrates and the vial of Gods wrath being poured out upon the spirits of those people aforesaid it doth dry up all the waters of their souls That is all their peace so that no hope of eternal happiness can arise in them For all hope is dryed up so that there is no motion of peace can arise in their souls to quench the fire of hell in them for all the waters are dryed up in their souls and this is that great spiritual river Euphrates spoken of by John Whose waters thereof are dryed up for the peace of the minde of man is called in Scriptures Water as Christ saith He that believes in me out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water So likewise Christ said to the woman of Samaria if thou hadst asked me I would have given thee water of Life and it should be in thee a well springing up unto eternal life So that there is spiritual waters that doth spring out of the soul of man as there is natural waters that doth spring out of the earth or out of the rocks And these spiritual waters doth satisfie the spirit of man in its kinde as the natural waters doth in its kinde And as there is a spiritual water that doth proceed from the Seed of Faith so likewise there is a spiritual water that doth proceed from the seed of reason in man And this water that doth proceed or arise from the seed of reason it doth give great satisfaction to the minde of man Now these spiritual waters that doth arise from the seed of reason are called by the spirit the great river Euphrates And this is that river Euphrates that the sixth Angel poured out his vial upon and dryed up all the waters as aforesaid Not but that the natural river Euphrates which signifies all the rivers in the world will be dryed up also Onely this book of the Revelation of John it hath generally a two fold meaning that is to say a spiritual meaning and a temporal meaning So that both the great river Euphrates in the temporal and the great river Euphrates in the spiritual the waters of them both will be dryed up at the end of time which thing will be unexpressible sad to all those who have no water of Life in their souls to drink It is said by the spirit of John that this great river Euphrates was dryed up that the way of the Kings of the east might be prepared Now what these Kings of the east are is very necessary to know These Kings of the East I declare they are all good Kings further I declare that Christ the King of Heaven is said to come out of the East as you may read Math. 2.2 3 verses Where the wise men from the East came to Jerusalem saying where is he that is born King of the Jews for we have seen his Star in the East and are come to worship him So that this Jesus the King of the Jews he is called the King of the East because his Star in the East directed the wise men to finde him out that they might worship him Now this is to be minded by the Reader that Prophets Apostles and Saints they are called by the Spirit Kings and Priests unto God as the Scripture saith So that all Prophets Apostles and true Believers may be called Kings And seeing the King of Kings came out of the East these all following him in the same steps of faith and
patience they are called by the Spirit Kings of the east So that Christ his Prophets Apostles and Saints are those Kings of the East who have the aforesaid waters dryed up that the way for these Kings of the East might be prepared That is there is no natural rivers upon earth that shall hinder or keep from being dryed up neither temporal nor spiritual For the vial of Gods wrath it will dry up all the rivers of waters upon earth natural and all rivers of waters spiritual when Christ shall come in the clouds of heaven with all his Saints the Kings of the East to put an end to this bloody persecuting unbelieving world And to dry up all the waters of peace in mens souls And the Kings of the East by their faith and patience shall walk upon the waters of wicked persecuting mens souls as upon dry ground That is the Kings of the East shall rejoyce in the eternal destruction of their enemies even as their enemies did over them when they persecuted and put them to death So that the way that is the hearts of the Saints enemies may be as a way for the Kings of the East to tread and trample upon all that joy peace and comfort that the Dragon beast and false prophet had when they persecuted the Saints Which Saints are the Kings of the East and that faith and patience the Saints had it prepared themselves to suffer with chearfulness the persecution and death it self So that the waters of the great river Euphrates even the waters of their persecutors souls was dryed up that the Kings of the East that is the Saints might be prepared to fight that good fight of Faith as the Saints did in the time of the Ten Persecutions So much for the interpretation of the twelfth verse CHAP. LII VErse the thirteenth And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs came out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet These three unclean spirits like frogs they are said to come out of the mouthes of three several persons to wit the Dragon beast and false prophet yet these three proceed all from one spirit even the spirit of the fallen Angel or as I may say the spirit of Cain that Dragon-devil who was the first murderer And the spirit of Cain remaining in the seed it bringeth forth many Dragon-devils like himself So that all Dragon-devils make up but one Dragon and so all wicked beasts make up but one wicked beast so all false prophets and false priests or false speakers they make up but one false prophet Now they are called three unclean spirits like frogs in regard of the threefold operations and workings of them For they proceeded from that one spirit of reason the devil Onely this one spirit of reason it doth work three several ways and by three several persons yet all three of them were like frogs They were all alike for wicked idolatry and persecution of the Saints and to deceive the people For they are the spirits of devils working miracles which go forth unto the Kings of the earth and of the whole world to gather them to the battel of that great day of God Almighty as in the 14 verse of this chapter So that these three spirits like frogs that came out of the Dragons mouth and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet They were to go forth to all the Kings of the earth and not onely so but to all great men in the whole world to invite them to persecute and to fight against the Saints with a sword of steel and with other cruel deaths When as the Saints had no other weapons of war but those that were spiritual to wit the sword of the spirit the shield of faith the helmet of salvation these and such like weapons of war the Saints do fight withal But the Dragon beast and false prophet they by their councel power and authority did invite all the kings of the earth and of the whole world to fight against the Lord Jesus and the remnant of the Seed of Faith who are the Saints With persecution and death as aforesaid with carnal weapons and inventions of cruel deaths as the Scriptures and History doth make mention of But the Revelation of John gave him to see that the last battel that will be fought between God Almighty and the dragon beast and false prophet it will be at the end of the world That is Jesus Christ he is God Almighty he and his Saints and Angels shall fight with the dragon beast and false prophet and with all the Kings of the whole world And he and his Saints shall give them an utter overthrow that is an eternal overthrow so that the dragon beast and false prophet with all the adherents unto them shall be destroyed with a second death which shall burn as a lake of fire for even and ever CHAP. LIII IT will be necessary to open something more of the dragon beast and false prophet and of those three unclean spirits like frogs that came out of their mouths The Reader may remember that I shewed before that there was many dragons since Cain yet all counted by the spirit but one dragon and so of the beast and false prophet all are included into one Now this dragon spoken of he is meant the same great red dragon spoken of in the 12. of the Revelation who persecuted the woman namely Herod though there was many dragons after him yet it is called all but one dragon they being all partakers of the same spirit and acted in the same persecution of the Saints So likewise that beast that did arise out of the Sea with seven heads and ten horns as in the thirteenth chapter verse the first Is that beast spoken of here by the spirit though there was divers other beasts after him yet they acting by the same spirit of persecution of the Saints they are all called by the spirit but one beast So likewise the false prophet is meant that government of worship that was established upon the Chief or High-priests of the nations so that there was a spiritual government of worship which did belong to those Images and Idols that was set up by the Power and Authority of the Beast As all Forms of Worships let them be true or false there must be some particular Head as Aaron was High-priest of the Worship of the Law and Christ the Head of the Gospel Worship yet there was many more High-priests besides Aaron yet all called but Aaron the High-priest Even so it was with the false prophet the same spirit of idolatry and persecution for conscience sake for not submitting to worship the beast and his image it did run thorow the spirits of all the false priests as it did in him that was the chief who was set up by the power of the beast at the
of people that are deceived by them who were the first brothers of this idolatrous worship set up by non-commissionated men I say they are all counted by the spirit but a whore in that they and all people who doth joyn in worship with them they do commit fornication in their spirits with idols So that who ever doth worship false gods by the instigation of the false prophet or false priest he doth commit fornication or whoredom with idols So that this is to be minded that all opinions in worship that people are in who hath not a true Commission from God to be a Minister or Preacher he and they do all commit fornication with idols For every opinion in religion that doth not worship the true God they do commit fornication with idols Neither can they do otherways because their teachers are false like priest like people Also this is to be observed by the Reader that the Revelation of the Spirit it hath onely relation to those peoples that do profess and confess the Scriptures So that Johns Revelation hath relation to all those that confess the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Gospel of Jesus and the Apostles and not relating to the heathen who never heard of the Scriptures So that all those false worshippers under the Law of Moses and all those false worshippers under the Gospel of Jesus they are called by the spirit that great City Babylon or mystery Babylon or a scarlet whore It is called mystery Babylon in relation to the mystery of God as aforesaid Likewise it may be called mystery Babylon in relation to that Babel that men would have built that should have reached up to heaven after Noahs flood in respect of the confusion there was in the building of it so that it all came to utter confusion and destruction So likewise there is such a confusion in all false worship and worshippers that at the last that Babylon they have built with idols thinking to reach in that superstitious way up to heaven But they shall be confused in their understandings and in the true knowledge and worship of the true God So that they shall be utterly destroyed both them and their Babel that is their worship with an eternal destruction But this is to be minded that the first mention of this temporal Babel Genes 11.4 where the sons of Noah said Go to let us build us a City and a Tower whose top may reach unto heaven And in the seventh verse God consumed this tower by confounding their language So likewise the first rise of this mystery Babylon it was amongst the Jews That is when the Jews would worship other gods besides that God which Moses did declare unto them even the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob to wit the God of Israel yet nevertheless those Jews who were the seed of the serpent they would have other gods as the Amorites and the heathen had to go before them Therefore they would have a Calf to be their God to worship as Exodus chapter 32.1 this Calf was the first false god the people of the Jews did worship Though they murmured against God and Moses many times before yet they never fell to worship idols as Gods before So that this was the first beginning of the setting up or the building of a false worship in opposition to that worship that Moses set up which was but a little before So that as soon as ever God did set up his worship by the hand of Moses that the people might come to know the true God I say the spirit of reason which is the devil in man he doth set up his worship in like manner to worship gods of his own imagination even the works of his own hands even a Calf For this Calf doth signifie all idols or false worship whatsoever For though the idols of men are many and their forms of worship many yet they all being false not worshipping the true God they do but worship a calf in stead of God And as these Jews who made this calf for a God were the first that began to build up a Babel of false worship this spirit of idolatry it did run thorow the line of the seed of the serpent until it got great power For after Moses and Joshua were gone the seed of the serpent grew in great power and did punish those that would not bow down to Baal For Baal signifies all false worship or all false gods so that when the serpents seed got power to set up his worship as Moses had power to set up the worship of God And as Moses did plague and punish those serpents for making that calf and worshipping it or any other idols in that many of them were destroyed by death So hath the false worshippers served the Prophets and Saints ever since that would not bow down to their false worship witness Jeroboam the son of Nebat who made Israel to sin and Ahab Manasses with divers other wicked kings and rulers and head-magistrates in the time of the Law who persecuted the Prophets and put them to death For telling them of their forsaking of the worship of the Law of Moses and worshipping of idols And the same spirit of reason the devil it continued in that nation of the Jews until Christ came according to that prophesie of Jacob the scepter shall not depart from Judah until Shiloh come So that there was a Scepter of Government that did remain upon the people of the Jews though they had no Jews kings a long time before So that a matter of forty years after Christs death in the destruction of Jerusalem the Scepter did depart from Judah That is from that nation of the Jews so that they are ever since a scattered people in many parts of the earth So that the Scepter that is the Government is departed from them indeed and the same spirit of persecution and idolatry it doth run along in the seed of reason the devil in the Gentiles So that the Gentile Kings and Head magistrates have been given mightily to idolatry imitating the worship of the Gospel And hath persecuted and put to death many Saints for not bowing down to that worship set up by these Gentile-Kings or Head-magistrates ever since the destruction of Jerusalem even to this day So that this is to be minded by the Reader that this mystery Babylon or great city or whore who hath committed fornication with the Kings of the earth The meaning of the Spirit is this that all Kings and Head-magistrates in the time of the Law and in the time of the Gospel who profess the Scriptures even to the end of the world That have or shall set up a false worship or idols by their power and cause the people to do the same they may be said to commit fornication with idols So that whoever doth worship false gods let it be in what form or manner it will it is all counted by the spirit but
spiritual fornication or whoredom So that all false worshippers or all that do worship idols or false gods from the greatest to the least from the beginning of Moses Commission to the beginning of the Apostles Commission and to the end of them and not onely so but to the end of the world even to the end of the Commission of the Spirit even the seven Churches of Europe For all spiritual idolatrous worship is in them also though they differ in several forms of worship one from another Namely the Papist Episcopacy Presbyterian Independent Baptist Ranter and Quaker all other Sects and Opinions are involved in these seven and every one of these seven are idolatrous Because none of them knoweth the true God therefore cannot worship him aright So that by consequence it will follow that they all commit fornication with idols for whoever worships a false god he committeth spiritual fornication which I am sure they all do For neither the Ministery of them nor the people doth know the true God nor the right devil for if they did then would they know what worship doth belong unto the true God now in these latter dayes So that all the false worshippers from the beginning of Moses to the end of the world they make up but one great City Babylon or one Woman or one scarlet Whore who hath made all Nations drink of the wine of her fornication That is this spirit of Reason in Kings and Head-Magistrates hath made all Nations to worship idols and images for God So that they have become drunk with spiritual fornication that the people have thirsted after the blood of the Saints as well as those in authority So that they are all become one City Babylon which will be destroyed at the end of the world This is that great Mystery Babylon that great City that John did prophesie the downfal of in the sixteenth Chapter And in the seventeenth Chapter he saw by faith the total downfal of this spiritual Mystery Babylon that great City the Mother of harlots that is of spiritual idolatry which is spiritual whoredom So that there was many more harlots then one yet they are all counted by the Spirit but one whore or harlot For that great City Babylon doth consist of nothing else but spiritual harlots So that the Reader may see what is meant by this spiritual Babylon and this great City and what is meant by the woman the great Whore and what is meant by her fornication so that the Reader may the better understand the interpretation of the Chapter that followeth CHAP. LIX IN the first verse of this seventeenth Chapter there was one of the seven Angels which had the seven vials and talked with John by way of vision and revelation saying unto him Come hither and I will shew unto thee the judgement of the great Whore that fitteth upon many waters Here it is clear that John did see by way of vision and revelation the downfal or judgement of this great spiritual Whore which I have shewed what is meant by it before And as for her sitting upon many waters the many waters where the whore sitteth it signifies multitudes of people nations and tongues as you may see verse 15. That is the spirit of reason in the whore as aforesaid should have such a spiritual power over the spirits of whole nations and tongues and multitudes of people that she should cause them all to commit fornication with idols or else they should be persecuted or suffer death So that whosoever would not commit fornication with her or at her command they should drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication That is she would persecute and put them to death for death is the wine of her wrath For the blood of the Saints is that wine of her wrath which is put into her golden cup that is in her hand And she doth not onely drink the blood of the Saints that is in the golden cup her self but she doth make the Kings of the earth to drink it also For in the a verse With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk of the wine of her fornication That is the Kings of the earth hath committed fornication with her in that they have been perswaded by her and joyned with her to worship idols For except the Kings of the earth who are the temporal power doth joyn with her spiritual power she could do nothing So that the Kings of the earth committing fornication with her that is to worship idols with her So they came to commit fornication with her that is the Kings and Head-magistrates doth uphold that spiritual power the whore hath and doth help to make the people to drink of the wine of her fornication So that the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication That is the inhabitants of the earth what with command from the spiritual power of the whore and what with command from the temporal power of the Kings of the earth the inhabitants of the earth are forced to commit fornication with idols also So that they are made to drink the wine of fornication with her that is look what comfort or satisfaction can be found in worshipping of idols they shall drink it with her But the wrath of her fornication none shall drink that but the Saints because they will not commit fornication with her that is to say not worship idols at her command Verse the 3. So be carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness and I saw a Woman sit upon a Scarlet coloured beast full of names of blasphemy having seven heads and ten horns As for the wilderness I shall say nothing as to that because I have opened what it is in the Interpretation of the eleventh of the Revelation But this Woman who doth sit upon a Scarlet coloured beast the Woman is the same as I said before that great City Babylon And the Scarlet coloured beast it doth signifie all Kings and Head-magistrates who hath submitted unto the false suggestions of Learned men who have pretended to be Prophets and Priests and Ministers of God without a Commission from God And so by the advice of these false prophets priests and ministers kings and head-magistrates hath set up images or forms of worship And hath made Laws for all people to obey in point of worship as well as in point of civil or temporal affairs Also they have made these persons aforesaid to have the charge to see the people worship according to that Law And hath given them a spiritual power to punish all those that will not worship accordingly This hath been the practice of all Kings and Head-magistrates I mean all evil kings and head-magistrates ever since the first idolatrous practices was used under Moses Commission And so a successive idolatrous power did follow even amongst the professors of the God of
a scroll and where the place of the reprobates shall be Chap. 21. What is meant by the four angels who had power over the winds and what by the sealing of the servants of God in their foreheads Chap. 22. What is meant by the first and second Angels sounding and of the mountain burning with fire and what is meant by the third part of creatures that died in the sea Chap. 23. What is meant by the Star that fell from heaven and how it burned like a Lamp Chap. 24. What is meant by the rivers and fountains of waters being made bitter and how those that drunk of them died Chap. 25. What is meant by the sun being smitten that she could not shine but a third part of her only and what is meant by the Moon and Stars being smitten and how a third part of them did not shine nor give no light in the night Chap. 26. What is meant by the Star that fell from heaven unto this earth what is meant by the bottomless pit and the key that openeth it and of the smoke that did arise out of the bottomless pit Chap. 27. What is meant by the smoke of the pit and by the locusts that came out of it how the Saints are called green grass and trees Chap. 28. What the four Angels were and how mens heads may be said to be like Lyons heads and what is meant by fire smoak and brimstone that issued out of their mouthes Chap. 29. What the serpent is and how they may be said to be the â—ayle and how they may be said to have stings and how they do hurt Chap. 30. How the Papist Episcopal Presbytery and Independent Ministery doth resemble the angels of the Churches of Ephesus Smyrna Pergamos and Thyatira and what Judgements did follow Chap. 31. How the Baptist Ranter and Quaker their Ministery doth resemble the Angels of the Churches of Sardis Philadelphia and Laodicea and how plagues doth follow at and in the sounding of their Ministery Chap. 32. The Interpretation and difference between the dragons ten horns and the beasts ten horns and how they may both be said to have seven heads apiece Chap. 33. No true faith upon the earth but in the time of a Commission from God Chap. 34. The Interpretation and distinction why man may be called a dragon devil or serpent and how the seed of Reason may be said to be in heaven Chap. 35. How the beast may be said to be like a Leopard what is meant by his feet being like the feet of a Bear and his mouth like the mouth of a Lyon and what is meant by his deadly wound being healed Chap. 36. What is meant by the Tabernacle in heaven and by those that dwell in it how the Saints are not called the world and how they may know their names are written in the Book of Life Chap. 37. What is meant by the beast out of the earth with two horns like a Lamb and what the two horns doth signifie and how those miracles he wrought were counterfeit and meer shadows Chap. 38. What is meant by the Image and how the Image may be said to speak Chap. 39. What is meant by receiving the mark of the beast in the forehead and in the right hand and how they may be said to have the name of the beast and the number of his name Chap. 40. The Interpretation of the number of the beast and how he may be said to be six hundred threescore and six and yet but the number of a man Chap 41. What is meant by the Lamb that stood upon mount Sion and what those hundred forty and four thousand were who stood upon mount Sion with him and how the voices of the Saints are called the sound of waters and as the noise of thunder Chap. 42. The Interpretation how men and women may be said to be not defiled with women and in what sense they may be called Virgins And why the Jews are called the first-fruits unto God and who the Angel was that did flie in the middest of Heaven and how the everlasting Gospel was preached to every nation and kindred and tongue and people Chap. 43. The difference between the temporal Babylon and the spiritual Babylon expounded and how men may be said to drink the wine of the wrath of her fornication Chap. 44. How Christ is called by the Spirit The Son of Man and what is meant by the white cloud and the Crown of Gold upon his head and what is meant by the sharp sicle in his hand and what is meant by reaping the earth and how the wine-press of Gods wrath is â—roden without the gates or City of Jerusalem and what the City is Chap. 45. How the Saints of God are capable to stand upon the sea of glass in heaven as men may upon this earth they being spiritual bodies Chap. 46. What is meant by the seven vials of Gods wrath poured out upon the earth and what Angels they were that poured them out and why they are called seven Angels and how the Angel of the Gospel doth pour out his plagues as the Angel of the Law did Chap. 47. The Interpretation of the waters being turned into bloud and how the waters of the soul of man is turned into bloud in the spiritual as the natural waters of Egypt were Chap. 48. How the seâ—d of Reason did drink the Saints bloud and how they must drink their own bloud and what is meant by pouring out the vial upon the Sun and by scorching men with fire Chap. 49. An Interpretation of the kingdom of darkness in the temporal and what that darkness signifies Chap. 50. How the spirit of Cain doth run through all wicked Herods and how the Land of Goshen doth signifie true light and the Land of Egypt hell death and darkness Chap. 51. What is meant by the great River Euphrates in the natural and in the spiritual and how it may be said to be dryed up and who they are that are called kings of the earth Chap. 52. How these three unclean spirits like frogs proceeded from one spirit and yet by their several operations and workings they may be called three Chap. 53. A further Interpretation of the dragon beast and false prophet and how all the worship set up by them is false Chap. 54. An Interpretation of the operation of that wisdom that cometh out of the dragons mouth and why it is called by the Spirit an unclean spirit like a frog Chap. 55. What the unclean spirit is that came out of the beasts mouth and how they are clothed in scarlet Chap. 56. What is meant by the false prophet and how he cometh to be clothed in sheeps clothing and how these three unclean spirits like frogs deceive one another and all people else Chap. 57. What is meant by the great earthquake and by that great hail and how every stone may be said to weigh a talent and how mingled with fire and brimstone
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
2. of seven Angels of the Churches of Asia and of the seven Churches themselves Also he speaks of a Lamb with seven horns and seven eyes and a beast with seven heads and now of seven Angels and seven vials and seven plagues So that this Book of the Revelation doth speak much upon seven which sometimes them seven spoken of were but one as I have shewed before Yet they may be called seven in relation to those seven several operations or works they do Likewise I would have the Reader minde that these seven vials of the wrath of God that are to be poured out by these seven Angels they have relation unto those plagues of Egypt that was poured out by Moses the Angel of the Covenant of the Law Which Nation of the Jews was called the Temple of God for God had established his worship of the Law in and upon them And the voice of God to Moses the Angel of the Covenant of the Law commanded him to pour out the vials of his wrath upon Egypt which was done accordingly Also we read in Scriptures of several of the holy Angels that poured out vials of the wrath of God as well as Moses the Angel of the Law As those two Angels that came to Lot poured out the vial of Gods wrath upon Sodom and burnt it to ashes Likewise the Angel of the Lord destroyed threescore thousand people of the plague for Davids sin in numbring the people Likewise the Angel of the Lord slew fourscore thousand men in one night of the King of Assyria's host according to the words of the prophet Isaiah With many other examples in Scripture that Angels did pour out the vials of Gods wrath upon the earth in former times But these seven Angels and the seven plagues that are to be poured out upon the earth I say the meaning of John was that they should be poured out upon those wicked beasts and false preachers or false prophets who setup a false worship and all false worshippers ever since that day that Christ entered into the Ministery or since the time that the Apostles received their Commission as in Acts 2. My meaning is this that ever since the Apostles had those cloven tongues sate upon them as of fire for then began people to worship Christ according to the Apostles directions who had their Commission from Christ Now what worship hath been set up since by Kings or Head-Magistrates who had no Commission from God they are called by the Spirit evil beasts false prophets false preachers and false worship And those seven Angels poured out their seven plagues upon those superstitions and idolatrous people who have drunk of the wine of the fornication of idolatry in worshipping false gods or idols ever since the Worship of the Gospel was set up by the Apostles of Christ I declare that these seven last plagues are to be poured out upon the enemies of the Gospel of Jesus he being the Angel of the New Covenant of Faith and Christ dwelling in their hearts by faith so that the true Believers of the Gospel are called by the Spirit The Temple of God And this great voice which John heard out of the Temple was no other but the voice of Christ who gave charge unto his Angels to pour out the seven vials of his wrath which are seven plagues upon the earth That is upon wicked idolatrous people who worship idols images and false gods since the Apostles Commission Even such like plagues as Moses the Angel of the Law and other Angels did pour out upon Egypt and upon other wicked and ungodly men as aforesaid Let the Reader observe and he may see that these last plagues that are poured out upon the beast his image and those that receive the mark and the number of his name That is upon all idolatrous people they are much like unto those plagues of Egypt as aforesaid as you may perceive in the seven vials pouring out those seven plagues In the second verse The first went and poured out his vial upon the earth and there fell a noisom and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast and upon them which worshipped his image This Plague the first Angel poured out it was upon those people that received the mark of the beast and those which did worship his image Even the same Plague was poured out upon the servants and inhabitants of Egypt for their wicked oppression of Israel they had grievous sores upon them as you may see Exodus 9.10 and 11 verses The sores were so grievous upon the Egyptians and upon the Magicians that they could not stand before Moses for the boyls were upon the Magicians both upon man and beast So in like manner is the Plague poured out upon the enemies of the worship of the Gospel of Jesus Verse the third And the second Angel poured out his vial upon the sea and it became as the blood of a dead man and every living soul died in the sea This second Angel poured out his vial and the Plague this Angel poured out it was much like to the Plague Moses poured out upon Egypt As you may see Exodus the 7. and the 17. how the rod in Moses hand smote upon the waters that were in the rivers and they became blood or was turned into blood And in the 18. verse And the fish that is in the river shall die and the river shall stink and the Egyptians shall loath to drink of the water of the river So in like manner will God pour out this vial of wrath upon the sea that is upon all the rivers and fountains of water which is for the comfort satisfaction and quenching the thirst of man and all other creatures For the vial being poured out upon the Sea the Sea doth imploy all manner of waters whatsoever And as this plague was poured out upon Egypt at the first when Moses had his Commission from God to gather Israel out of Egypt So in the end of the world when Christ shall gather his elect together that is the wheat from the tares This vial of his wrath shall be poured out upon the Sea as really as it was poured out upon Egypt by Moses as aforesaid And every creature in the Sea both man and beast fish and fowl shall die even as they did in Egypt CHAP. XLVII ANd verse the fourth The third Angel poured out his Vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters and they became blood The meaning is this that as the Egyptians rivers and fountains of waters were turned to blood by Moses so that the Egyptians could not drink of the waters of the rivers for they did loath to drink of them So likewise this Vial the third Angel poured out it was the wrath of God upon the fountain and river of water that is in every man For every man hath motions of peace and refreshing of minde that doth arise in his heart from the seed of
reason the root which doth send forth refreshing thoughts motions and actions Many times the seed of reason doth this which is as a river of water to refresh the soul of man But when evil thoughts motions and actions do arise out of the heart it causeth fear wrath and torment of soul both of the punishment of the Law here in this life and the punishment of eternal damnation hereafter So that the rivers and fountains of waters that doth flow out of the hearts of men and women they are turned into blood That is as I said before the motions thoughts and actions which did arise out of the heart that yielded peace to the minde they were as water to refresh the heart of man even as water doth quench the thirst of nature both of man and beast But when these waters of the soul be turned to blood there is nothing but thoughts of fear motions of wrath and fear of eternal death So that the soul of man is loth or doth loath to drink of those thoughts motions and actions which are turned to blood that is to wrath and fear of eternal damnation But drink they must of the wine of the wrath of God for they have made the Saints to drink of the wine and wrath of their persecution for not worshipping the beast nor his image nor receiving his mark Though I speak of all men and women in general because all people have a river of water in their hearts but all rivers are not turned to blood But the meaning is all those people who worship the beast his image who receive the mark of his name or the number of his names these things includes both the beast and all false worships and false worshippers since Christ gave the Commission of the Gospel to his Apostles And as Moses poured out that Plague of turning the natural rivers and fountains of water of Egypt to blood at the first coming into his Commission of the Law So likewise will Christ pour out his vial of wrath upon the spirits of men and women and turn the waters of their souls to blood as aforesaid and this will be executed at the latter end of the world which end will be as certain as the beginning was by Moses Therefore John by the spirit of Revelation saw these vials poured out upon the beast and his seat and upon his image and upon those that had his mark name or number of his name as aforesaid For it is the nature of true faith to see things afar off or at a distance as near at hand or in present being So that this vial of Gods wrath which the third Angel poured out upon the rivers and fountains of waters I declare it is meant upon the souls that is upon the peace of the souls of those wicked beasts or Head-Magistrates who set up images idols and forms of false worship and cause the people so to do And all those people that do bow down to this worship they receive the mark of the beast or the name of the beast or the number of his name upon all these their souls is this vial poured out upon That is upon the peace of all their souls which peace is called by the Spirit rivers and fountains of waters And upon these rivers and fountains of waters the Angel doth pour out his vial and turn the waters of idolatrous men and womens souls to blood For this the Reader is to minde that there is motions that doth run in the minde of man as the waters doth in a river or spring And these motions doth cool or satisfie the soul of man as waters doth when men are athirst As the rich man Christ speaks of who being in hell desired one drop of cold water to cool his tongue that is one motion of peace or hope of deliverance out of this heat For if there could but one motion of peace arise out of the heart of one being in hell it would be that drop of cold water to cool the tongue of the soul But these waters being turned to blood by the vial of Gods wrath being poured upon it no waters can arise That is no peace can spring from the souls of men and women who have this vial poured out upon them that is who have the waters of their souls turned to blood that is to wrath torment and the fear of eternal damnation And because the Reader may know that the motions of peace in a mans minde may be called a river of water you may minde the words of Christ where he saith He that believeth in me out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water So likewise Christ said to the woman of Samaria If thou hadst asked me I would have given the Water of Life it should have been a Well springing up unto eternal life These waters flow from the Seed of Faith in the soul of men and women these are not those waters that are turned to blood But there are waters that proceed from the seed of Reason in the heart of men and women which are motions of natural peace that doth arise from the seed of Reason in man and these are those waters that are turned to blood by the pouring out of the vial of Gods wrath upon them as will appear by Scripture As first the waters of Cains soul was turned to blood for killing his brother Abel 2. The waters of cursed Cham his soul was turned to blood for uncovering his fathers nakedness in that he procured the curse of his father and Cain had more torment upon his soul than he could bear 3. The waters of Esau's soul was turned to blood for despising his Birth-right 4. The waters of King Saul's soul was turned into blood for disobeying the Commandment of the Lord in that it caused him to enquire of a Witch These being all of them the seed of Reason and the waters that is the motions of peace that did arise from that Seed as you may read that Saul had many or much peace for he was called Saul amongst the Prophets And further it is said that the good Spirit of the Lord departed from him and an evil spirit from the Lord was sent unto him That is the motions of peace departed from him and the motions of fear and horror was sent unto him That is the waters of his soul were turned to blood and so will it be not onely with these afore-mentioned but with all the seed of the serpent who rebel against God and that worship false gods as these beasts and all those that receive his mark So that to conclude this vial of Gods wrath of turning the rivers and fountains of waters to blood it hath relation to all wicked Kings and Head-Magistrates who are called by the Spirit Beasts and all those that receive the mark in the fore-head or right hand or his name or the number of his name For the mark name and number of his name doth include
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
Israel And it was practised by many wicked kings and head-magistrates and false priests and false prophets Which did cause many true Prophets and righteous men to be persecuted and put to death for not giving way to their false worship And so since the Apostles Commission the same thing hath been acted by Kings and Priests and so it will be to the end of the world So that all evil kings and evil head-magistrates are counted by the Spirit but one scarlet coloured beast for the spiritual Whore the woman to sit upon she may be said to sit upon the beast because she fits upon his power for Kings in all ages have been subject to the spiritual power though it hath been never so false for we see by experience that all those that goeth upon a spiritual account if he be but a Minister of the Gospel so called yet he sits upon the Magistrate For where is there a Magistrate in a Parish as a Deputy or such like but the Minister sits upon him So that one can do nothing as to matter of worship without the other So that the idolatrous woman who is the chief may well be said to sit upon a scarlet coloured beast which beast signifies all Kings and Head-magistrates who give themselves up to be guided in matter of worship by non-commissionated men who pretend a spiritual power to be Prophets Priests or Ministers of the Gospel or of the Law without a Commission from God But this beast here spoken of by John it doth chiefly relate to those beasts that did succeed after the destruction of Jerusalem which was a matter of four years after Christs death in relation to those Ten Persecutions which did last a matter of three hundred years So that all those beasts that persecuted the Saints in that time they are called by the Spirit a scarlet coloured beast He may be called a scarlet coloured beast in regard he had assisted the woman with his temporal power to persecute and shed the blood of Saints So that the sins of his soul they were as red as scarlet with the blood of the Saints and in this sense he is called a scarlet coloured beast and not onely so but full of names of blasphemy having seven heads and ten horns The meaning is this so many heads so many names of blasphemy that is there was seven Kings that came out of his loins as I shewed power and all these seven heads or beasts they persecuted and shed the blood of Saints and blasphemed God that had power over Plagues So that they all blasphemed God and shed the blood of the Saints for not worshipping their images and in this regard he may be called a scarlet coloured beast full of names of blasphemy For their souls were all made red as scarlet with the blood of Saints and they all blasphemed alike and the woman sate upon them all alike so that they are all called by the Spirit but one scarlet coloured beast CHAP. LX. VErse the fourth And the woman was arrayed in Purple and Scarlet-colour and decked with Gold and precious Stores and Pearls having a golden Cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication This woman is the same afore-mentioned and as for her being arrayed in Purple and scarlet-colour the purple signifies the civil outside appearance and rich array That is she was arrayed with such outside language and gestures and ornaments concerning the worshipping of Idols That it was as a garment of purple unto her which made the Kings and people all to bow down to her and glad they were that they might drink of that golden cup in her hand which cup was full of abomination And as for the scarlet-colour she was decked with that is within her That is her soul was made as red as scarlet with the blood of the Saints as the beast aforesaid And as for the precious Stones and Pearls she was decked with that signifies that good esteem the beast and the people had of her superstitious worship Thinking in themselves that she was precious in the eyes of the Lord or as a Pearl or Jewel in the sight of God and that she did God good service to kill his Saints that would not bow down and worship so holy a service as was required by her And as for the golden Cup in her hand the Cup signifies the form and manner of worship which she doth prescribe to the beast and the people to false gods And that which this golden Cup in her hand is full with it is the superstitious idolatrous worship that the beast and people must drink of That is they must do as she hath prescribed in matter of worship and so they come to drink out of the golden Cup in her hand and so they take a full draught of her spiritual abominations and filthiness of her fornications with idols and in the blood of the Saints Verse the fifth And upon her head was a name written Mystery Babylon the great the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth There need not be any interpretation upon this verse for I have shewed what is meant by Babylon before and what is meant by the mother of harlots so that I shall pass by this 5 verse and proceed to the 6 verse Verse the sixth And I saw the Woman drunken with the blood of the Saints and with the blood of the Martyrs of Jesus and when I saw her I wondered with great admiration Here John saw in his vision the Woman drunken with the blood of the Saints and Martyrs of Jesus That is mystery Babylon or City Babylon which is compared to a woman that is all persecuting Spirits in point of worship are compared to a woman For they have all drunk the blood of Saints and Martyrs so that John did see in his vision that they were all drunken with the blood of Saints even as men are drunken with wine So that John did wonder with great admiration to see that God should have so much patience as to stay so long before he did pour out his Judgements upon this Woman who had made her self drunken with the blood of the Saints and Martyrs of Jesus But in the seventh verse The Angel said unto John wherefore didst thou marvel I will tell thee the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carrieth her which hath the seven heads and ten horns As if he should say when thou seest the judgement of the woman and of the beast that I will bring upon them thou wilt then marvel no more at their being drunken with the blood of the Saints and Martyrs of Jesus CHAP. LXI IN verse the eighth the Angel doth explain unto Johns understanding what the beast is that doth carry the woman as he did the woman in the seventh verse But the explanation of the Angel it is as dark to the reason of man as the vision it self For who can understand what is meant by these
seven heads are called by the Spirit seven Mountains on which the woman fitteth These seven Mountains are those seven Beasts spoken of before though called here seven Mountains And as for the woman I have shewed what is meant by it before to wit all spiritual power in relation to the worshipping of false gods it being set up by non-commissionated men and all false worshippers they are called by the Spirit a woman or the great City Babylon So that those chief men that have set up forms of worship without a Commission from God they are called the woman that sitteth on seven Mountains She may be said to fit upon them because her spiritual idolatrous power is above their temporal power For as I said before the temporal Magistrate is commonly subject to the Priest especially in matters of religion so that in this regard the woman may be said to fit upon seven Mountains For she had power over all these seven Beasts to cause them to commit spiritual fornication and spiritual whoredom with her in worshipping of false gods and in sheding the blood of Saints Verse the tenth And there are seven Kings five are fallen and one is and the other is not yet come and when he cometh he must continue a short space The meaning is this that John saw in his vision that five of these seven persecuting beasts were fallen And he that one is in present being in the time of the Apostles Commission and that was the sixth And the other that was not yet come he was to come after the Commission of the Apostles was exterpated out of the world and when he is come he shall continue a short space That is he shall not continue to the end of the world for no man knoweth what the spirit doth mean by a short space but the spirit of the beast that was and is not he shall continue to the end of the world as in the eleventh verse And the beast that was and is not even he is the eighth and is of the seven and goeth into perdition The meaning is this that the spirit of the Dragon Herod the beast who is the eighth though of the seven wicked beasts because they all acted by his wicked spirit of reason the devil So that the spirit of the Dragon it shall run thorow the loins of all persecuting Kings and Head-magistrates even to the end of the world Hath not the spirit of persecution run thorow the loins of many Papist Kings by the power of the Popes spiritual fornication since the worship of the Gospel was set up by him all over Europe Hath not the spirit of spiritual fornication to worship false gods run thorow the loins of the Papists Protestant Presbytery Independent Baptist Ranter and Quaker all over Europe or as we call it Christendom So that this spiritual fornication all opinions doth commit with idols or in worshipping of false gods So that they all make up but one woman or one whore who commiteth sp ritual fornication or one great City Babylon So likewise there hath many Papist Kings since the Pope had this spiritual power that have been guilty of sheding the blood of Martyrs more then can well be numbered Neither can all Protestant Kings be excused in this point nor Presbytery neither Neither would the other four be excusable if they were in power So that the spirit of the Dragon it doth and hath run thorow the loins of all these beasts that have been since the Roman Catholick Religion was set up So that all the persecution that hath been for conscience sake all the blood that hath been shed for Religion sake it hath been acted from the spirit of the whore aforesaid in the Priests and from the spirit of the Dragon in the Head-magistrate who are called beasts And this spirit hath raigned and doth raign in the Head-magistrate ever since the Roman Catholick Religion was set up aâ— aforesaid and shall continue to the end of the world They all being counted by the spirit but one beast because they are all guided by one spirit of persecution and blood-shed for Religion sake So that I declare that this is the beast that was and is not even he is the eight and is of the seventh That is his spirit runs thorow the seed of the seventh and so it doth run thorow the bodies of these that are the eighth So that this spirit of the dragon which is reason the devil who hath persecuted and shed the blood of Saints Martyrs of Jesus for not worshipping false gods that they may all go into perdition together that is into eternal damnation CHAP. LXIII VErse the twelfth And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten Kings which have received no kingdom as yet but receive power as kings one hour with the beast These ten Kings were inferior to the Beast and were under his Dominions for the Beast was as it were an Emperor who had many Kings under him And these ten Kings lived in kingdoms but were not so established as that they could keep them against the Beasts will yet nevertheless if they would be obedient unto the Beast and execute his will he would give them power as Kings one hour with himself that was until they had extirpated the name of Jesus out of the world And that power they received of the beast it was to persecute and kill the Saints For these ten Kings were those ten horns upon the beast that had seven heads That is these ten Kings should receive power from the beast to execute those ten Persecutions upon the Saints Yet I would not have the Reader to think that there was but ten Kings and no more for ten Kings did not last 300 years But if there were ten score Kings the spirit doth call them but ten signifying those ten persecutions in the primitive times For the beast had seven heads and ten horns and these ten Kings were those ten horns and they received their power to persecute and shed the blood of Saints and Martyrs of Jesus from the seven heads which is called a beast So that the one hour that these ten Kings received power from the beast it was all the time of the Ten Persecutions for they were the ten horns as aforesaid This you may see in the thirteenth verse These have one mind and shall give their power and strengh unto the beast That is seing the beast had given them power as Kings to shed the blood of Saints they likewise proffer unto the beast their power and strength to serve him in what they can And the service these ten Kings must do the beast it is to shed the blood of the Saints as you may see in the fourteenth verse Verse the fourteenth These shall make war with the Lamb and the Lamb shall overcome them for he is Lord of lords and King of Kings and they that are with him are called and chosen and faithful These ten Kings aforesaid are to
power here upon this earth this was shewed him in a vision from the first verse to the nineth verse and from the nineth verse to the end of the chapter it is an interpretation to Johns understanding of the things he saw in his vision And though John did understand the interpretation thereof few or none else since that time that could interprete Johns vision or understand them either Nay none but he that hath a Commission from God can do it so that there is great need of the interpretation of these mystical sayings in this chapter and in the whole book of the Revelation of John unto the Seed of Faith But by the feed of reason wise and learned men perhaps it will be counted but as dreams and phancies of my own brain though they themselves doth not know how to interprete one verse in the whole book truly But I shall let them pass and advise the Seed of Faith especially those that understand the doctrine of the true God and the right devil to minde the interpretation of this chapter and all the rest and they will see how one thing depends upon another So that great satisfaction may be found as to their eternal Salvation CHAP. LXVI CHapter the eighteenth it doth contain a prophesie of the utter downfal and destruction of the spiritual Babylon who hath shed the blood of Prophets Apostles and Saints for worshipping the true God and not worshipping her idols Even as the temporal Babylon was utterly destroyed for her cruelties to Judah and Jerusalem as you may see Isaiah 47.6 so Jer. 25.12 So that there was a perpetual destruction upon the temporal City Babylon when the seventy years was expired for their cruelties to the Jews So likewise when the time appointed of God is expired there will be a perpetual downfal and destruction of this City spiritual Babylon for her cruelties to Prophets Apostles and Saints about worship In the first verse of this chapter John saw another Angel come down from heaven having great power so that the earth was lighted with his glory And in the second verse His message was to cry mightily with a strong voice saying Babylon the great is fallen is fallen She may well be called Babylon the great because this Babylon is a spiritual Babylon and of a longer standing then the other Babylon For this spiritual Babylon hath had a being ever since Moses and Joshua were taken out of this world ever since false worship hath been set up by man and learned men hath had power given them from the civil Magistrate to set up forms of worship So that it is become the greatest City in the world and will remain to the end of time before it be utterly destroyed Neither was there found in the destruction of the temporal Babylon any blood of Prophets Apostles or Martyrs of Jesus as there will in this spiritual Babylon For though the temporal Babylon was cruel it was upon a temporal account Neither was their cruelty to last but a matter of threescore and ten years but the cruelties of this spiritual Babylon it hath been upon a spiritual account And these cruelties hath been acted by her this many thousand years so that all the blood that hath been shed upon a spiritual account from the creation to the end of time may be brought upon this great City spiritual Babylon Because she is become an habitation of devils a hold of every foul spirit and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird It may well be said she is a habitation of devils for none but devils will execute her commands and such people that are of the worst sort of devils even unclean spirits or like hateful birds So that her power and authority it is as a cage to shelter these devils and unclean spirits and hateful birds For this is to be minded by the Reader that these devils are men the unclean spirits or men and the hateful birds are men and those wicked men who are imployed in the whores service to punish all those that will worship not her idols or false worship So that she is become a cage for all wicked spirited people to shroud themselves under As may be seen in the third verse For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication and the Kings of the earth have committed fornication with her That is by her spiritual power she hath sent forth these devils unclean spirits and hateful birds with commission from her to all nations to drink the wine of the wrath of her fornication That is if the nations would not commit fornication with idols willingly That is worship according to her command for her idolatrous worship the pleasure she receives in it is called the wine of her fornication But if people will not obey to worship as is required by these unclean spirits and hateful birds Then they must drink of the wrath of her fornication perhaps excommunication or death it self For though she hath a golden cup in her hand full of wine yet if people will not drink with her freely and willingly she will put poyson that is her wrath into the wine and make them drink whether they will or no. So that they must either drink her wine without wrath or the wine of her fornication and her wrath together Oh how many millions of people have drunk her wine alone and many thousands have drunk her wine and wrath together And that which is more then this the Kings of the earth have committed fornication with her That is the Kings of the earth have committed fornication with her in that they have worshipped false gods by the instigation of the whore she making them believe that this is the way to save their souls So that she hath deceived the Kings of the earth and all nations either by their committing spiritual fornication with her or else by drinking the wine of the wrath of her fornication So that the Kings of the earth are in a worse condition then the other because they committed fornication with her that is they were accessary to the setting up of all false worship and in the councel with her So that the nations that did drink the wine of the wrath of her fornication they did but obey her command and so committed fornication with idols from a Law and a command But it was otherways with the Kings of the earth but however she and all those that have committed fornication with her either by consulting with her or by obeying her commands when she is destroyed with an eternal destruction so will all these that have committed fornication with her be where she is to eternity CHAP. LXVII THerefore in the fourth verse John heard another voice from heaven saying Come out of her my people that you be not partakers of her sins and that you receive not of her Plagues How should Gods people come out of her The Spirit doth not mean that they should
our God The meaning is this after John had seen the utter overthrow of this great idolatrous City Babylon Immediately after he heard a great voice of much people in heaven that is he heard the voice of the twenty four Elders the four Beasts the Prophets and Apostles and the multitudes of Saints which cannot be numbered and the holy Angels saying or giving praise unto God in such like words as these Allelujah salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God All these sounding forth their praise unto God together must needs be a great voice indeed onely this is to be minded that none but the revelation of the Spirit could hear it in heaven and yet be here upon earth So that this great voice John heard in heaven it was by those aforesaid in praise unto God that he had avenged the blood of his servants at her hand as you may see in the second and third verse Again they said Allelujah and her smoak rose up for ever and ever So that all this joy and glory John heard in heaven it was even for this one thing that God had judged thus to give that whore who corrupted the earth with her spiritual fornication a perpetual torment that the smoak of it might ascend for ever and ever And in verse the 4th The four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sate on the throne saying Amen Allelujah so that you may see that all are concern'd in this matter to give praise unto God for this judgement upon her These four beasts the Reader may remember I have shewed what they are in this Treatise but for the four and twenty Elders I have said little of them here but I have spoken more largely of them in the Interpretation of the eleventh of the Revelation And in the fifth verse A voice came out of the Throne saying Praise our God all ye his servants and ye that serve him both small and great His servants signifies his Prophets and Messengers whom God did send Small and great doth signifie all true believers or Saints let them be ever so great in faith and knowledge or ever so small or weak in faith and knowledge Yet so it be true faith though but small they are all required by that voice from the Throne to praise God and for what must they praise God for even for his judgement upon the whore And not onely so but that God will raign now himself over you in eternal joy and glory and raign over the wicked persecutors in eternal pain and shame as you may see in the sixth verse CHAP. LXXII ANd I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude and as the voice of many waters and as the voice of a mighty thundering saying Allelujah for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth This voice of a great multitude and as the voice of many waters and as the voice of many thunderings they are the same as I said before to wit the four and twenty Elders the four Beasts the Prophets and Apostles and the multitude of Saints more then can be numbered and the holy Angels These in their praises unto God was the voice of many waters and the voice of thunderings I say these are they that doth sing Allelujah to the Lord God omnipotent who reigneth for ever and ever in joy and glory with his Saints and for ever and ever over the reprobates in eternal torments as aforesaid For these voices say in the seventh verse Let us be glad and rejoyce and give honor to him That is to God for the marriage of the Lamb is come and his wife hath made her self ready This Marriage is an eternal Marriage with God and the elect seed for all the elect seed are Saints from the beginning of the world to the end of it are called by the Spirit but one virgin And this Lamb the virgins Husband is no other but God himself as I have shewed before So that at the end of time all the Elect Seed shall be married unto God their King Redeemer not onely in true righteousness and holiness as they were in the state of grace here in this world But they shall be marryed unto the Lamb which is the onely wise God blessed for evermore to that eternal felicity joy and glory with him So that his wife shall have a propriety in those eternal joys even as a vertuous woman hath here in her husbands estate For in the eighth verse And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen clean and white For the fine linen is the righteousness of Saints that is the righteousness of Faith For faith purifies the the heart and Saints being clothed with this righteousness of Faith they become virgins They are called virgins in that they are not defiled in their souls with idols and false worship which is called by the Spirit fornication or whoredom So that this Bride the Lambs wife being clothed with the righteousness of Faith it is called by the Spirit fine linen clean and white and this is the righteousness of Saints who is the Bride to God her Husband Who putteth upon this white cloathing a Garment of eternal glory which will shine more brighter than the Sun More might be said in this thing but I suppose there is enough said to satisfie the Seed of Faith And as for the nineth and tenth verses I shall pass them by because I have spoken of them and given the meaning of them in the Interpretation of the eleventh of the Revelation CHAP. LXXIII VErse the eleventh And I saw heaven opened and he hold a white horse and he that sate upon him was called Faithful and true and in righteousness he doth judge and make war This white horse is the same white horse as I spake of before in the sixth chapter of Johns Revelation and he that sate upon this white horse is the same that sate upon that white horse to wit the righteousness of Saints And he that sate upon this white horse was no other but Christ Jesus the onely wise God as I have shewed before For this is to be minded by the Reader that though Christ hath a righteousness of his own which may be a white horse for himself to sit upon he being called Faithful and true and in righteousness he doth judge Yet nevertheless the righteousness of Saints is included all into one righetousness so make up but one white horse for the onely wise God to sit upon and to make war That is he made war with death hell and the devil as I said before and overcame them and so had many Crowns upon his head as you may see in the 12 verse These many Crowns upon his head they signifie but two Crowns all other Crowns of glory which he hath they are all included in these two That is he hath a Crown of glory upon his head as he is the Creator of all things
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
express these heavealy Secrets as well as I could rather than to bury them with my self alone So that who ever doth read this Treatise of the Interpretation of this Book of the Revelation of St. John I say they must take it as it is and let them remember that God seldom chose Learned men to declare the mysteries of his kingdom but let that pass When I had weighed and pondered in my minde this great mystery of God that God became flesh I was moved in my minde to express my self thus unto God Oh Lord God of truth thou that wert from eternity and hadst thy being of thy self a spiritual body in form like a man thou who knowst no beginning of thy self neither dost thou know any ending of thy self yet thou by thy own wisdom and power became very man clothing thy spiritual body with pure humane flesh onely the Life of that body was no other but the Godhead Life so that thou madest thy self a little lower then the Angels also thou madest thy self capable to suffer the pains of death by thy own creatures and so thy vesture was made red it being dipt in thy own blood for the Redemption of thy own seed the seed of Adam It is thee O Lord that wert the first revealer of heavenly secrets unto mankinde some thou hast revealed thy minde unto by voice of words some by secret inspiration of thy Spirit and others thou hast revealed the mysteries concerning thy self and thy kingdom by the Spirit of Faith that doth arise out of its seed so that the original of all true Revelation and understanding the mysteries of thy kingdom it doth come from thee Oh Lord God of truth so that I can truly say with Moses the Prophets Apostles and Saints Blessed be the Lord God of truth who hath revealed unto me the mystery of God and the mystery of the right devil with the interpretation of many other heavenly secrets spoken of by John in this Book never revealed before unto Prophet or Apostle therefore unto thee O Lord God of truth thou that art King of kings and Lord of lords who art that Alpha and Omega whose garment of flesh was made red and whose vesture of flesh was dipt in his own blood for the Redemption of mankinde thou who art the first and the last even he that was dead but is alive and behold he liveth for evermore to thee onely be ascribed all Allelujah of praises by me thy servant whom thou hast chosen when I thought not of it Also let Allelujah blessing glory and honor be given unto him by all those that doth truly understand and believe these things interpreted in this Treatise I say again let us give all praises honor and glory unto our God our King and our Redeemer even the Lord Jesus Christ both now and for evermore Amen Amen CHAP. LXXX AS for this twentieth Chapter it is onely a relation of things done before and as for the chief things in this Chapter concerning Satans being bound for a thousand years and after the thousand years was expired Satan was let loose with many other things depending thereupon they are opened already in the Interpretation of the eleventh of the Revelation Onely I shall give a word or two to shew what is meant by Gog and Magog This Gog and Magog is the Turk Pagan and all heathen men who never professed the worship of Moses nor the worship of the Gospel that is the same spirit that was in the heathen in former time who were called by the Spirit Gog and Magog as you may see Ezekiel 39.1 Thus saith the Lord God behold I am against thee O Gog. And in verse 6. God will send a fire on Magog So chapter 38.2 Son of Man set thy face against Gog the land of Magog and in the 3 verse and say Thus saith the Lord behold I am against thee O Gog the chief Princes of Meshech Now this Gog and Magog spoken of in Ezekiel it was no other but Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon he I say is called by the Spirit Gog as in 2 Chron. 36 6 and all his princes who had great armies who helped him to fight against Jerusalem and they are called by the Spirit Magog as you may see 2 Kings 24.1 2. Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon came up that is he came up to fight against Jerusalem and there came against Jerusalem bands of the Caldees and bands of the Syrians and bands of the Moabites and bands of the children of Ammon these all came against Judah to destroy it and so they did according to the word of the Lord. And these bands of men aforesaid are called by the Spirit Magog so that it may be clear to the Reader that this Gog and Magog spoken of by John it is meant all the Heathen power upon the face of the earth in that the heathen hath three parts of the world in his hands For this is to be minded by the Reader that this Gog and Magog spoken of by the Prophets they were Heathen powers and people who never did profess nor confess the Scriptures of truth And this Gog and Magog John speaketh of are Heathen men also for the same spirit that was in that Gog and Magog it doth run in the line of that seed even to the end of the world So that the Heathen that shall be destroyed at the end of time may be called Gog and Magog as the other Gog and Magog was destroyed after the seventy years were expired they were destroyed with a temporal destruction but this Gog and Magog John speaketh of they will be destroyed with an eternal destruction at the end of time For this spirit of reason the devil or Satan that was bound for a thousand years and when the thousand years was expired he was let loose which things I have opened in The Interpretation of the eleventh of the Revelation This spirit of reason the devil as aforesaid it being loosed out of prison which prison I have shewed what it is in that book aforesaid so that this Satan being loosed he goeth forth to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth as in the eighth verse of this chapter Gog and Magog to gather them together to battel the number of whom is as the sand of the Sea So that the Reader may see that Satan shall go out to deceive the nations that are in the four quarters of the earth which four quarters doth signifie all the world for the world is divided but into four parts and all these four parts of the earth they are deceived by this spirit of Satan which spirit of Satan I have shewed what it is in my other writings but this is to be minded that the Saints the Seed of Faith are excepted by the Spirit for though they live in the four parts of the earth yet they are not deceived by the spirit of Satan not as to their eternal perdition as the other
is so that this is to be understood that this Satan the devil shall deceive the nations in all the four quarters of the earth to their eternal perdition Also it is to be minded that there is a principle of persecution for religion worship even in Gog and Magog that is to say in all the heathen as there is in those that profess and confess the Scriptures For if Gog and Magog doth but hear of any man or people that doth worship any other God besides his God he will persecute him to death especially if he be a native under his dominions and so is it with all professors of Religion who know not the true God nor his true worship So that Satan the devil he hath gone forth unto all the four quarters of the earth and hath deceived the nations therein with false worships and imagining of false gods this many hundred years have they been deceived and not onely so but there is a spirit of persecution that doth run thorow the nations in all the four quarters of the earth even amongst professors of the Scriptures as there doth in the heathen So that all the four quarters of the earth they fight against God and compass the Camp of the Saints about and the beloved City The Saints are called by the Spirit the beloved City so that this beloved City must needs be compassed about because the Saints doth live in the four quarters of the earth and the nations of the four quarters of the earth being deceived by Satan they persecute the Saints every where So that they by their persecution they have and do and will to the end of the world compass the Camp of the Saints about who is the beloved City I say these aforesaid will compass the Camp of the Saints with persecution until fire come down from God out of heaven and devour them this fire that cometh down from heaven it is meant that eternal fire of Gods wrath upon his enemies as you may see in the 10 verse And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever The meaning is this that Gog and Magog with all the nations of the four quarters of the earth who were deceived by the spirit of reason the devil to worship false gods and to persecute the Saints in all parts of the earth They shall at the end of the world as aforesaid they shall be cast into the same lake of fire and brimstone as the beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormented for ever and ever as aforesaid So that at the end of the world that spirit of reason which men received from the lost Angel with all its wisdom whereby it hath deceived all the nations of the earth and hath always persecuted and killed the Saints the beloved City of God from the beginning of the world even from the righteous Abel to the end of the world I say this spirit of reason which is called by the Spirit Satan a devil this Spirit who hath caused Gog and Magog and all the nations of the earth to persecute the Saints This devil with all the seed who hath fought under his banner though in several forms and manner he and they with the beast and false prophet with all their adherents shal be cast into a lake of fire and brimstone where they shall be tormented for ever and ever and this fire and brimstone is that wrath of God that cometh down from heaven which is called by the Spirit fire that came down from God out of heaven and devoured them c. So that this chapter is but a rehearsal of what was said before in the 18 and 19 chapters both of the destruction of mystery Babylon and of the glory of the Saints Yet I thought it something necessary to open the meaning of Gog and Magog because I have not met with those words before neither have spoken of them in that book aforesaid But as for the rest of the matter in this 20 chapter I have said as much as need be said of it in one place or other in this Treatise and in The interpretation of the eleventh of the Revelation and to repeat one thing twice over would be needless and as for the chief heads contained in the 21 22 chapters I have opened them in the said Interpretation of the eleventh of the Revelation So that I shall interpret a little what is meant by those words of Johns Revelation the 22 chapter 18 19 verses and so conclude this Epistle CHAP. LXXXI THese words of John hath been an occasion of many persecuting and ignorant men and womens spirits to persecute and rail against the purest truth that ever was declared and against the true Messengers whom God hath chosen and sent Whom he hath endued with the spirit of Revelation and Interpretation of Scriptures more then all the men in the world besides in that when things have been declared and Scriptures interpreted beyond the common sense that learned men have declared and interpreted they have said with great anger and zeal that we have either added to the word of God or else we have diminished from it Therefore to satisfie the Reader I shall open how a man may be said to add unto the prophesie of this Book of Johns Revelation and how he may be said to diminish or take away the words of this prophesie of this Book The words of John are these verse 18. For I testifie unto every man that heareth the words of the prophesie of this book if any man shall adde unto these things God shall adde unto him the plagues that are written in this book Verse 19. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophesie God shall take away his part out of the book of Life and out of the holy City and from the things which are written in this book I would have the Reader to minde and he may know whether a man doth adde unto this Book or take from it for this is to be minded that who ever doth undertake to be a Minister of Christ without a Commission from him or shall undertake to give the interpretation of the Scriptures without having the gift of Interpretation which gift he cannot have except he have a Commission from God or from him that did receive it from God For how is it possible that any man should give true interpretations of the Scriptures and of that Book of the Revelation of Saint John and yet not know the true God nor the right devil Therefore it is for certain that all Non-commissionated Ministers and Speakers whatsoever in all the seven Churches in Europe I say it is they onely that do add unto this Book and they onely that do take from it They may be said to add to it because they give this and that