hundred years, as aforefaid, yet they are all called by the revelation in John, but one angel, because they were all under one commiffion. And Peter being the chief and head apoftle of the commiffion of the gofpel, I declare by revelation, that he is called by John that angel that he faw fly in the midft of heaven, having the everlasting gofpel to preach. And this everlasting gofpel which was preached, it was Chrift crucified unto death, and Chrift risen again, and afcended up into glory in that fame body he fuffered death in. And this was that gospel the angel did preach unto them that dwell on the earth.

This is alfo the everlasting gospel which is preached to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.

And according to the words of Chrift, when he was upon earth, to his apoftles, the gofpel was preached to every nation on the earth by Peter and Paul, and the reft of the apoftles and minifters ordained by them, and Christ was with them to the end of the world. That was to the end of their commiffion, which did laft as aforefaid, a matter of three hundred years. So that you whofe understandings are enlightned in the knowledge of revelation and interpretation of fcripture, you may fee what is meant by the angel who had the everlasting gofpel to preach, and what the gospel is, and when it was preached; and to whom, and how Chrift was with the preachers of it to the end of the world, &c.

I

CAH P. XLIII.

Shall pass by the seventh verfe, there being no matter of concernment in it, but what is commonly known by all, who will confefs they ought to fear God, and praise him that created or made the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, &c. In verfe 8. it is faid, And there followed another angel, faying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

You that have the true light of life in you, obferve what this Babylon is that John prophefies of, or that he faw in his vifion is fallen, is fallen, that great city. Now what the angel was that faid fo, or fhewed it to John, I fhall not speak of here, being of no great concernment to know. But the great matter to know is, what is meant by this Babylon that is fallen, and what is meant by the great city, and the drinking the wine of the wrath of fornication. I would have the reader observe, that there is a two-fold Babylon; the one in the history, and the other in the mystery; that is, one is a temporal, and the other a fpiritual Babylon. That is, with relation to the nation of the Jews, who were carried captive unto Babylon, and there to remain the space of threefcore and ten years captive in Babylon, before the fall of it, according to the prophefy of Jeremiah, and others of the prophets; as you may fee Jeremiah xxv. 11. concerning the nations of Judah and Ifrael ferving the king of Babylon seventy years.

So likewife Jeremiah and the reft of the prophets, did prophefy of the downfall of that temporal Babylon, in Jeremiah xxv. 12. 13. concerning God's punishing Babylon when those seventy years were accomplished, and the Caldeans, and will make it a perpetual defolation.

Tat babylon which the prophets faw would fall, and fo it did when the time was accomplished. But this Babylon John fpeaks of that is fallen, it is that fpiritual mystery. Babylon that is fallen; he fpeaking with relation to the end of the world; for John did fee by faith the end of the world to be as certain, as the prophets did fee by faith the downfall of that temporal Babylon. Alfo it is to be minded, that this mystery Babylon spoken of Revel. xvii. 5. where is faid, and upon her bead was a name written, mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots. &c. This Babylon in chap. xiv. which John faith is fallen, is that mystery Babylon that is fallen in faith's account, as the temporal Babylon is.

Now this hiftory, or temporal Babylon, it was appointed of God to punish the nation of the Jews for their idolatry. That is, they being fo fubject to it, when as they had a law of worship given them of God by Mofes. So that God gave them into the hands of the king of Babylon for a time, that they might see the extream abominations of the Heathen, and how far they did exceed in idols in worshiping of falfe gods beyond the Ifraelites; fo that the Ifraelites might drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. That is, that the nation of the Jews might be drunken with the worshiping of idols; even as men are drunken with wine, and commit fornication in their fpirits with the idols, and worship of Babylon, even as men commit fornication with women with their bodies, till they have hardly any ftrength of nature left in them.

So that this fpirtual idolatry and fornication in the mind with idols and falfe worship, it becomes the wine of the wrath of her fornication. That is, when wine, the ftrength of it, hath the upper hand in man's brain, so that he hath loft his fenfes, that man may be faid to have the wrath of the wine in him. And if the wrath of the wine fhould always continue, that man would be fit for no business in this world at all, neither is he all the while the wrath or strength of the wine doth remain upon him. So is it in the fpiritual, whoever doth worfhip idols and false gods, let it be in what form or manner foever, they may be faid to drink the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

Neither are thofe idolatrous people who are are drunk with idols and falfe worship, fit for any fervice in the worship of the true God, until the ftrength of that false worship be wrought out of the people; for they be as drunk with fpiritual fornication and falfe worship, as men are with wine and fornication in the natural, as aforefaid.

Obferve, you may remember that I have faid before, that there are two Babylons fpoken of in fcriptures, a hiftory, or temporal Babylon; and a mystery, or fpiritual Babylon; and both thefe Babylons in faith's account are fallen. Therefore John speaks it twice over, because there are two Babylons, yet both included into one, because the fpiritual Babylon, is the laft that is to fall, yet by the eye of faith he faw it was fallen; therefore faith he, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city.

Now that Babylon where the Jews were carried captive, it was a great city, and many nations were drunk with the wine of her idolatrous fornication and worship, as aforefaid; only this is to be minded, that this Babylon in the tem

poral

the chofen people of God to worship him, according to the law of Mofes. So that this temporal Babylon it did belong only to those people that were under the commiffion of Mofes and the prophets, to be a punishment to them for their difobedience unto the worship of Mofes, and the prophets; for the prophets all complain of Ifrael's declining and difobedience to the worship of Mofes.

But this Babylon John speaks of here in the Revelation, it is that fpiritual and mystery Babylon that is fallen. This fpiritual mystery Babylon it doth belong to the commiffion of the gospel, and what worship was fet up by Christ and his apoftles, was to be obeyed at the time of their commiffion.

But there was another form of worship fet up by those beafts aforesaid, who were kings in great power, who commanded all nations to worship those idols and images that were fet up by them. So that all nations were made to drink the wine of this fpiritual Babylon's fornication, as they were of the other, aforefaid. Mind, it is called fpiritual Babylon, because the worship fet up by the aforefaid beasts, it was in opofition to the worship of the gofpel, the gospelworship being more fpiritual, than the worship of the law. And as the kings of Babylon did defy the God of Ifrael, and their worship of the law, fo did thefe beafts, in the commiffion of the gospel, defy the living Jefus, and the worship fet up by his apoftles. And in this regard, this Babylon John fpeaketh of, may be faid to be a spiritual Babylon, who made all the nations of the earth to drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

And as certain as the other Babylon was deftroyed with a perpetual deftruction, when the feventy years were accomplished, fo will this Babylon aforefaid, be destroyed with an eternal destruction, when the time appointed of God is accomplifhed. And as the Jews nation were under Babylon's yoke, fo were the faints in the primitive time, or in the commiffion of the gofpel, under the yoke of perfecution of this fpiritual Babylon.

And this fpiritual Babylon who made all nations drunk with fpiritual fornication, in worshiping of idols, and images as aforefaid, is that great city Babylon; is called a great city, because she made all nations to become idolatrous. For when a man doth bow down and fubmit to worship any idol, image, or form of worship that is falfe, it not being fet up by command from God, he may be faid to drink of the cup of fpiritual fornication.

More might be faid of this thing, but I fhall have occafion to speak of it hereafter; only this is to be minded here, that the faints in all this time of the commiffion of the apoftles, did not drink of the cup of fornication. That is, they were not polluted with worshiping of idols and images, or any false worship, but did cleave close to the faith and worship of Jefus.

I mean those that did truly believe the apoftles doctrine, and thofe that were converted by it in the time of their commiffion, their worship differing in every thing from the worship of the Whore of Babylon; even as the worship of the Jews did differ from that great city, the Whore of that Babylon, as aforefaid. This is the true interpretation of the great city, the fpiritual Babylon, who made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornications; as you may

fee

fee in verie 9. And the third angel followed them, Jaying with a loud voice, If any man worship his image, and receive the mark in his forehead, or in his band, in verfe 10. the fame shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, &c.

So that none of the faints after they truly believed, did worship the beast, nor his image, nor practice that manner of worship that was fet up by the power of the beast; neither did they receive his mark, neither in their foreheads, nor right hands. That is, they did not fubmit to his worship, neither willingly nor unwillingly, fo that the faints did not drink of the wine of her fornication at all; in that they did not worship any idols, images, or forms of falfe worship which were fet up by this great city, the fpititual Whore of Babylon, whofe torment is expreffed in the verses following, both fhe, and all those that drank of her cup of fornication, and received the mark. But I fhall pass by those verses which fpeaketh of that, there being more fayings hereafter that fpeak much of the torments of the Whore of Babylon, and thofe fhe committed whoredom with. Therefore I fhall pass by that, and two verfes more, there being little matter in them, but what is commonly known by all, fo I fhall proceed to the fourteenth verfe.

A

CHA P. XLIV.

ND I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one fate like unto the Son of Man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a fharp ficle. This Son of Man John faw fit upon the white cloud, I declare it was no other but Christ the only God, though faid by John to be like unto the Son of Man. He may well be faid to be like unto the Son of Man, because he is the Son of Man, for he called himself fo. For faith he, when he was on earth, the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of finners, meaning himself. And other places in fcripture, where he calls himself the Son of Man.

Now to know why Christ called himself the Son of Man, he being the Son of God, nay God himself, it will be worth the unfolding of this mystery. To this I fay, he calls himself the Son of Man, because he took upon him the nature of man, in the womb of Mary the Virgin. That is, he gained the Godhead nature, and manhood together, in the womb of Mary the Virgin, and there cloathed the Godhead nature with pure humane flesh. So that he, when he was born into this world, was perfect God and man; according to that faying Isaiah, ix. To us a child is born, to us a fon is given, he shall be called the mighty God, the everlasting Father, with other titles of the divine Godhead, yet a child, a perfect man child, born of a virgin.

And she conceived in her womb by the holy Ghoft, that is, by the holy God, fo the virgin fhe being the mother that bore Jefus, and brought him forth into this world as other children are brought forth into this world.

In this regard he did call himself, and is called by the fpirit, the Son of Man. For he taking the nature of man upon him, and being born of a virgin, he may call himself the Son of Man. That is, he is the Son of man, but by the mother's fide, but not by the father's fide. For by the father's fide, he called himself the Son of God, and fo he was, yea, he was God himself.

the

The parrallel is much like unto Cain and Abel, they were both brothers by the mother's fide, but not by the father; for they had two feveral fathers; Adam was the father of righteous Abel, and the ferpent-angel was the father of curfed Cain, as the Scripture doth plainly prove, if understood by the reader; for it is not written any where in fcripture, that Adam begot Cain, Yet notwithstanding Eve was the mother of them both, and fo Cain and Abel where brothers by the mother's fide, but not by the father's fide.

So likewife Chrift was the Son of God, nay God himself by the father's fide, but by the mother's fide he was the Son of Man. And in this sense he called himself the Son of Man. And this Son of Man is that Son of Man John looked and faw fit upon a white cloud, having on his head a golden crown, and in his band a fharp ficle. This cloud he fate upon, it was that cloud the apoftles fpeak of, Heb. xii. Wherefore feeing we also are encompaffed about with fo great a cloud of witneffes. Now what this cloud is, it is expreffed in the eleventh chapter, concerning the faith of the patriarchs, prophets, and faints, who had the righteousness of faith in them, beginning at righteous Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Ifaac, Jofeph, Mofes David, Samuel, and the prophets; with other faints who fuffered wonderful ftrange deaths for their faith. Thefe, and many more were that cloud the Son of Man fate upon, they all expecting, by faith God's, coming in flesh, they being afar off. That is, their faith in them was fatisfied that he would come, though it was many hundred years after they were dead; the apostles and faints afterwards were witneffes that the Son of Man was rifen from the dead. So that their faith was a cloud of witneffes alfo; and the faith of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, the prophets, apoftles and faints, it was that cloud the Son of Man did fit upon.

It is called a white cloud by the spirit, because they were never defiled with the fornication of idols, but worshiped the true God according to the law of Mofes, and according to the faith of Jefus, or the gofpel, they not receiving the mark of the beast, neither in the forehead, nor in the hand. That is, they were not defiled with worshiping of any images, idols or falfe gods whatsoever, and in this regard they may be called a white cloud; and this is that white cloud the Son of Man, even Jefus the only God, doth fit upon; as the Whore in another cafe is faid to fit upon many waters, which I fhall have an occafion to speak of when I come to it.

And as for that crown that was upon his head, I declare it was that honour and golden glory which the prophets, apostles and faints do attribute unto him, as he is a redeemer; the work of redemption being wrought by him as he was a man, he being in the form of a fervant, fo that all the redeemed ones who are fenfible of their redemption, they do praise and magnify the man Jefus, the only God, for his great love towards them, in that they had faith to receive the benefit of his death. And this honour, glory, and praise which is attributed unto the man Jefus, by his prophets, apoftles, and faints, is that golden crown upon his head, and in his hand a sharp ficle.

Now this sharp ficle in his hand, it fignfies his great power, that when the end of the world fhall be, that he will fend his angels to reap the world, even as

reapers