Which garment I faid I would open hereafter; fo that now being come to it again, I fhall open what is meant by this garment down to the foot, and by his vefture dipt in blood.

This Son of Man John faw in the midst of the feven golden candlesticks, it was no other but Jefus Chrift, and this Jefus Chrift is the only wife God, as I have fhewed before. And it is he that John faw cloathed with a garment down to the foot, and it is he that is cloathed with a vesture dipt in blood. Now the word vefture, and the word garment, figifies both one thing; only this is to be minded by the reader, what the fpirit doth mean by this garment down to his foot, and his vesture dipt in blood. The meaning of the fpirit is this; the eternal spirit it became flesh, so that the flesh of Chrift was a garment or a vesture that did cloath the Godhead fpirit with; fo that he being cloathed with flesh from the head to the foot, this flesh is called by the spirit a garment down to the foot. So that this garment of flesh, is that vefture dipt in blood, according to that faying of Ifaiah the prophet, Ifaiah lxiii. 1. Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments?

So in verfe 2. Wherefore art thou red in thy apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine-fat? This prophefy of Ifaiah is, that God would become flesh, and fo cloath himself with a garment of flesh, fo that this garment might be made red with blood; that is, the whole body of flesh which is called the garment of the God-head life, might be made red, even as one that treadeth the wine-fat; for if a man fhould tread the wine-fat of the grapes with no other apparel on but his flesh only, it would make him look red as if he had been treading in a pool of blood. Even fo doth the prophet's words fignify when he faith, Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine-fat? as if the prophet should fay, Wherefore doth thy flesh, which is thy apparel, or thy garment, look red? for thou hast been treading the wine-prefs of the wrath of Almighty God, like unto him that treadeth the wine-fat of the grape; fo that thy flesh, which is thy garment down to the foot, must needs look red with blood; for the garment of his flesh is that vesture dipt in blood. This the prophets did fee by the eye of faith, and fo they called the flesh of Chrift a garment, red like the wine of the ripe grape, in regard he had not yet fuffered death in the flesh, but was to fuffer.

But the Revelation of John faw that he had suffered death in that flesh, and therefore faith, And he was cloathed with a vesture dipt in blood; meaning his flesh was dipt in blood, in that he had troden the wine-prefs of the wrath of Almighty God; that is, he trod the wine-prefs of his own wrath against fin. For he is the Almighty God himself, though he cloathed himself with a garment of flesh that he might be capable to die, and that reason, the devil, might be the more capable to put him to death."

That the garment, or vefture of flesh he had on him, might be dipt in blood for the redemption of the feed of Adam to an eternal happiness, and that his blood might keep down the reprobate feed to endless mifery. So that the reader may see what the fpirit doth mean by Chrift being cloathed with a garment down to the foot, and his vefture dipt in blood; for I think none are fo igno

rant

rant, as to think that it was any woollen, or linen, or filk garment that was dipt in blood; that would have been little benefit to any man. But the ignorance of people is fo great, that they will think and believe any thing though never fo contrary to reason, and yet feem to be wife men in reason; but the greater is their darkness in spiritual and heavenly things; yet the feed of faith may fee what this vefture dipt in blood is, and who it was that was cloathed with this garmant down to the foot; it was no other but God himself, as is faid in the fame verfe. And his name is called the word of God; for there is none can truly be called the word of God, but God; for the word was with God, and the word was God, as I have fhewed before.

V!

ERSE 14. And the armies which were in heaven, followed him upon white horfes, cloathed in fine linen, white and clean.

These armies which were in heaven, they are the faints; and the prophets, apostles, and witneffes of the fpirit, are the captains over thefe armies; that is, all true believers in every commiffion are in these three armies, and there is one chief general in all the armies in heaven, and that is God himfelf; fo that all these armies in heaven follow him upon white horses. For as the general hath a white horse to fit upon, fo likewife have all the armies in heaven; that is to fay, all the faints, white horses to fit upon alfo.

The reader may remember that I fhewed before what is meant by a white horfe, and how that God himself had a white horse to fit upon; to wit, his own righteoufnefs of faith; by which power of faith God created all things, and by the power of faith he fulfilled the law, and by the power of faith he laid down his life unto death, and by the power of faith did rise again; so that this righteousness of faith is that white horse that Christ doth fit upon. Likewise the armies in heaven they follow him upon white horses alfo; that is, all the faints, as aforefaid, being true believers in Chrift's death, that his blood was the blood of God, fo that this blood hath wafhed their fouls in it, that their hearts are purified by faith in the blood of the Lamb, fo that they have the righteoufnefs of faith in them; and this righteoufnefs of faith is called by the fpirit, a white horse. So that all the armies in heaven, that is all true believers, they have white horses to fit upon to follow their God, their King, and their Redeemer. And as for their being cloathed in fine linen, white and clean, that fignifies their fouls being purified by faith, the guilt of all fin is cleanfed from them; fo that though their fouls were red as fcarlet with the guilt of fin, yet now being purified by faith, they are made as white as fnow; fo that their fouls are cloathed now with peace, joy, and glory which is as fine linen, white and clean, &c.

Verfe 15. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should finite the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; and he treadeth the wine-prefs of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. This fharp fword that goeth out of his mouth, it is out of the mouth of Chrift; that is, when he all command his angels to pour out their vials of wrath, or plagues, upon the

enemies

enemies of truth. It may be called a fharp fword that goeth out of his mouth,. fo that by the word of his mouth he fhall cause his angels to fmite the nations; and when they have fmiten them dead, he by a word of his mouth will raise them again, and rule them with a rod of iron, in that he will make them undergo a fecond death. So that the two-edged fword that goeth out of his mouth, fhall cut both ways, that is to fay, it fhall cut down this natural life, and cut down that spiritual life alfo, fo that after death they fhall have a living death, and a dying life; fo that he will rule them with a rod of iron in utter darkness, where is weeping and gnashing of teeth for evermore.

For as much as he hath trod the wine prefs of the fiercenefs and wrath of Almighty God, he hath purchased to himself a greater power than he had before; even a power, that after he hath killed this natural life, to kill both body and foul of his enemies in hell fire; that is, with a second and eternal death, and fo he will rule them with a rod of iron indeed.

I would not have the reader to ftumble, because it is faid in fcripture in divers places, and in this verse alfo, that he treadeth the wine-prefs of the wrath of Almighty God, as if there were a father above Christ, as men have vainly imagined, and have not stuck to say that Chrift trod the wine-prefs of his father's wrath.. But I would have the reader to know, that there is no fuch faying in all the Bible, as that he trod the wine-prefs of his father's wrath; but he treadeth the wine-prefs of the wrath of Almighty God, for he is the Almighty God himself, though in a two-fold condition, as I have fhewed before in this treatise; which methinks might fatisfy the mind of any fober moderate man; but if it doth not fatisfy the reason of man, I cannot help it, the thing is truth in itself, and it was a truth to the prophets and apostles, and to John the Evangelist, and it is a truth to me, and will be a truth to all the true believers to the world's end.

CHA P. LXXVI.

ERSE 16. And he hath on his vefture, and on his thigh, a name written,
King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

This vefture is the body of his flesh, as I faid before; and on his thigh, fignifies that part of his vefture that is fiteft to write his name upon, the thigh being the most fleshy part of a man, and fo fiteft to write upon; that is, it was the fiteft part of all the body to thrust the fpear into, so that there was written on his vesture, and on his thigh, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. That is, he was pierced with the devil's fpear in the body, and in his thigh, and by the blood that came out of his own vefture, there was this name written upon his own body, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. That is, that body was the body of God, and that blood was the blood of God; fo that he being the King of Heaven, he must needs be King of Kings, and Lord of Lords; for who is King of Kings, but God himself only?

So that as he was the Creator of all things, he had this name written on him as he was the Creator, Jehovah, God Almighty, I am that I am; this was the name of God as he was the Creator; and this name was written on his fpiritual body,

which

which was his vefture for his God-head fpirit to live in; but now God is become flesh, and hath cloathed the God-head life with a garment of flesh as a vesture, and shed his moft precious blood, he being in the condition of a fon, or a fervant, he made himself capable of the pains of death, and fo died unto fin; that is to fatisfy fin, for nothing could fatisfy fin, but the blood of God. And by his dying unto it, he deftroyed fin, in that death could not keep him under it. For if death could have kept that body of Chrift in the grave, fo that it might not have risen again, then fin and death would have lived for ever and ever, and this world would have had no end. So that by this death of God, he hath conquered fin, death and hell for the feed of Adam, that they fshall have no power over them, not as to keep them under eternal torments. But on the contrary, he hath by his death overcome fin, death, and hell, so as to make them ferve for the eternal torment of the feed of the ferpent who have acted fin. So that as he hath gone through the condition of a Redeemer and overcome fin, death, and hell, upon thofe two confideration, aforefaid. By the body of his flesh he hath purchased to himself, as he is the Redeemer, a name written on that body of flesh, which is called his vefture, King of Kings, and Lords of Lords.

But here is one thing more to be minded, that this death of Chrift was that which treadeth the wine-prefs of the wrath of Almighty God. For God was wrath with fin, and nothing culd punish fin, but an eternal death; fo that God having no way to destroy fin, and to be even with the ferpent, that brought fin and death into the world, not only to himself, and his own feed, but also to Adam and his feed. So that God being willing to avenge himfelf of the ferpent, and his feed, and to restore Adam and his feed again, he took upon him the feed of Abraham, which is the nature of Adam, and not the nature of angels, of whofe nature the ferpent was of, and fo cloathed the eternal fpirit with a body of flesh, and fo offered up the eternal spirit unto death, that he might destroy him that had the power of death, which is the devil, which devil is no other but the fpirit of reafon in man. So that as death was in the devil's

hands before Chrift's death, yet now by his death, he had gained the power of death himself into his own hands. So that now he will deliver his own feed from it, and will inflict the fame death eternal upon the devil, and his feed, as he would have done upon God and his feed.

So that the wrath of almighty God it was againft fin and death, which the ferpent brought into this world upon all the feed of Adam; and the body of God, by the affiftance of the eternal fpirit, muft tread the wine-prefs of it. That is, the eternal fpirit was the life of the blood, that was in that bleffed body, fo that he poured out his foul unto death, and was offered up through the eternal fpirit; and this was the treading the wine-prefs of the wrath of Almighty God, he being the Almighty God himfelf, and by this work of redemption, he hath a name written upon that body of flesh he fuffered death in, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

I confess these things are deep myfteries, hard for me to explain in words, and more hard to be understood by thofe who know not what revelation doth mean; for things of this nature cannot be explained with that cafe, as other matters may, which

is

is more eafy to understand; but the feed of faith may fee what is meant by the wine-prefs of God's wrath, and who it was that treadeth it in, that his foul was made an offering for fin, and fo hath a name by his fufferings, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, as aforefaid.

IN

CHA P. LXXVII.

N verfe 16 John hath concluded the marriage of the Lamb, with the joy and glory the faints fhall have in heaven, over the destruction of Babylon; that is, over the deftruction of all wicked perfecuting men from the begining of the world to the latter end thereof, and by what means these things have been accomplished; even by that sharp fword that goeth out of Chrift's mouth, in giving his angels command to pour out the vials of his wrath upon the earth, and by his own garment dip'd in blood, hath he accomplished glory, and eternal happiness to the faints; and fhame, and endless mifery to the reprobate. So that in the latter part of this chapter, the fpirit doth call to remembrance, the great deftruction of that great city Babylon, and doth incite the faints in heaven to increase their joy in heaven, by feeding upon the deftruction of that great whore, who caused all the nations of the earth to drink the wine of her fornication, as you may fee in verse 17.

Verfe 17. And I faw an angel ftanding in the fun, and he cryed with a loud voice, Jaying, to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, come and gather your felves together unto the fupper of the great God. Thefe fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, are the faints; they are called by the fpirit, the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, and these fowls are invited to fupper with the great God. Here the reader may see that Chrift is the great God, for they fup with him they were married unto ; that is, the Lamb they were married unto, and he the fowls of heaven must fup with. Alfo this is he that is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, even the great God, and that which the great God, and the fowls of heaven must have to fupper,

it is fet down in verfe 18.

Verfe 18. That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, aud the flesh of men, and the flesh of borfes, and of them that fit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both fmall and great. This verfe doth imply all, both great and fmall, that fought under the banner of the beast, and the false prophet; which falfe prophet fignifies the spiritual power of the whore, as aforefaid; and the beaft fignifies the civil power, or head magistrate, who commited fornication with the woman, and fo joined together to fight against God and his faints. And thefe kings, captains, and mighty men, and fmall and great, they were all authorized by these two powers aforefaid, to fight against God, and his faints, and fo they did perfecute and kill many of them, yea, they killed Chrift himself. So that now as these men did eat the flesh of the faints, and drink their blood, in that they were pleased in their minds that they had fhed the blood of faints, and the blood of prophets and apoftles; for that is called by the fpirit, eating and drinking.

So likewife now the great God hath by the fword that goeth out of his mouth destroyed,

T