ページの画像
PDF
ePub

And as for the oyl and the wine, which he that fate upon the black horfe, must not hurt; the oyl and the wine fignifies that little small remnant of the feed of faith, which did not worship God in that idolatry no way as the generality of people did, their appearance being fo fmall, that they were not worth the perfecuting or compelling to worship as the generelity of people did, much like unto those seven thousand that did not bowe their knee to Baal.

Those feven thousand were never mifs'd by Ifrael, nor by the prophet Elijah. For the worshipers of Baal were fo numerous, that Elijah thought there were none but himself that did worship the God of Jacob.

But there were feven thousand that had not bowed their knee to Baal. And these were the oyl, and the wine that should not be hurt, by compelling of them to hurt their confciences by worshiping a falfe God, as the generality of the people did through the darkness of their minds. They being the black horfe, for the ignorant dark power of the head magiftrate to ride or fit upon. For as the horse is black, fo is the rider, with ignorance and darkness in fpiritual worship. Only he that fits upon the black horfe, is the dark power of reafon. Therefore the apoftles call it the power of darkness, for it is the dark reason of man that doth act deeds of darkness, therefore called the power of darkness: And the deeds of fpiritual darkness in point of worship, is called by the Revelation of John, he that fits upon the black horse; because he commandeth all people to worship his imaginary God; and the people through the darkness of their understandings, they do obey, and fo they become in point of spiritual worship, a black horse, for the dark power of reason to fit, or ride upon, &c.

A

CHA P. XVIII.

ND in verfe 7. it is faid, And when he had opened the fourth feal, I heard the fourth beast fay, Come and fee. And in verfe 8. John looked, and behold a pale borse, and his name that fat on him was death, and hell followed with bim; and power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with fword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

I would have the reader to mind the interpretation of this pale horse, because every one of us must be a pale horse, for death to fit upon, except we be swallowed up of life, as Mofes and Elijah were; which I, nor no man elfe at this day doth know he fhall; fo that death must ride upon all finful flesh.

Now to give you the meaning what this pale horfe is, it is no other but the finful foul of man and woman. Therefore as the fcriptures faith, When fin entred into the world, then death entred in upon it.

So that as foon as ever the fouls of Adam and Eve had let fin enter into their fouls, then death entered; for death did ride upon fin, and fin did ride upon the foul of our first parents; according to that faying of God, in the day that thou eateft thereof, meaning the forbidden fruit, thou shalt die the death. So that as foon as fin entred into their fouls, death entred alfo. So that the fouls of Adam and Eve became as a pale horse, for death to ride upon. For there was not only the fear of this first death, but the fear of eternal death also, which made the foul

F

[ocr errors]

foul of Adam to fear, therefore he went to hide himself. For the fear of death will make the foul to look pale, fo that it will become a pale horse for death to ride upon. For by fin entering into the world, death got power over all life; so that death fits upon all life, both upon man and beasts. For the beafts are made fubject to death, by reafon of the fall of man; only I would have the reader to`underftand this fecret, that the creatures, the beafts, were created of God, on purpofe to be killed for the nourishment of man.

But if fin had never been committed by man, death would never have entered upon the life of man or beaft. That is, no beaft would have died naturally, as they do now; but what were killed on purpose for fome ufe, fo that no man would have had fuch loffes as fome men now have. Some are undone by the dying of horfes, others by cows, and others by fheep, and this is death that hath entered into the world upon the beafts. For the fin of Adam brought death upon all his pofterity, and upon the beafts alfo, as aforefaid. So that the life of man and beasts is become a pale horse for death to fit upon, and the fear of death in Adam, did make his foul to look pale, and fo it doth in all mankind; the fear of death it makes the ftouteft heart to look pale; especially when the fear of eternal death is not taken away, as very few men in the world have the fear of the fecond death taken from them; fo that their fouls look pale indeed; fo that the generality of men and women have the fear of eternal death, that fits upon their fouls, fo that they are that pale horse that death rideth upon; and hell follows immediately after the first death; the second death and hell go both together hand in hand. These things I fay, will make any foul to look pale. This I can experience both by myself and others, before I came to know the true way of redemption. And because you the feed of faith may know, that the foul of man is that pale horfe that death fits upon, which fin did caufe to enter upon all life.

I fay, this death it entered upon the life of God himself; fo that God died unto fin, that is to fatisfy fin, that fin, which brought death with it, might enter upon the life of God, and kill that life in God for a moment. But the life of God being more ftrong than death, it pierced through the body of death, and quickened a new life again. So that he overcame death, in that death could not keep him under it, as it doth the firft Adam, and his pofterity. It is much like unto a valiant foldier, who by his valour and strength, paffeth through a body of men well armed; and by his geting through that body of men, he comes to rout and scatter them, and gets the victory over them.

So was it with Chrift the only God, he laying down his God-head life, it being in the manhood unto death, he paffed through death, and killed that which did kill him, to wit, fin, death, and hell.

These being mighty ftrong enemies, too ftrong for any created foul, or life to encounter with, none could do it but the life of the eternal God himself; for fin lyeth heavy upon the foul of man, and death is the king of fears, it maketh kings to fear and tremble at the fight of it. And hell is worse than death itself; yet these strong enemies are overcome by the blood of the Lamb; and in all those that have faith in it, and do truly understand it.

So that you that have faith may fee, what this pale horse is John fpeaketh of,

4

and

and what death is that fits upon the pale horse, and what power they have given unto them, over the four parts of the earth; even to kill with the fword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

The pale horfe and death have power given them over all life, in the four parts of the earth; fo that fome being fo affrighted at death, they fhall kill with the the fword; and others again fhall be fo fearful of death, that thay shall starve themselves for hunger; others again shall come under death by natural defeafes, even as the beafts of the earth dieth.

So that death that rideth upon the pale horse, hath power given as long as this world doth last, over all flesh that hath life. For it is life that must die, and death must take it into his cuftody, and fwallow up life into the belly of death; else he cannot be called death; except death doth utterly annihilate life, it cannot properly be called death; for while life is in being, death is utterly annihilated in life. So that there is no being for death at all, not in that man's body. But when death entereth into that man's blood, who was fo full of life before, then death groweth more and more in the blood, and eateth up the life quite into death; fo that there is nothing to be seen in all that life, but a dead body; for death hath got the life of that body in the body; for the body was life before, as well as the foul; but death having overcome them both, they are both swallowed up of death, fo that you may fee death as he is; as you did fee life as he was before. And not that the life goes out of the body, as men do vainly imagine; fo that death is he that rideth upon the pale horse, as I fhewed before.

And these four horfes as John fpeaketh of in his vision, are the same horses as Zechariah fpeaketh of in his vision, Zechariah vi. 23. the prophet faw in his vision, four chariots, and horfes, the first chariot had red horfes, and the fecond bad black borfes, and the third had white horses, and the fourth had grizled and bay borfes.

Now the prophet expreffeth in his vifion the horses in the plural number, to be more horfes than one of a fort. But John declares them in his vifion in the fingular number; therefore tho' there be more expreft by the prophet, yet the matter and substance is all one; for all horfes are comprized under those four; so that there needeth no further opening of the horses, than there hath been; for there is enough faid concerning those four horses, and their riders, to fatisfy the feed of faith; but if one fhould fpeak ever fo much, the feed of reason will not be fatisfied. Only this I would have the reader not to fcruple, because the prophet calls the fourth horfe grizled and bay, when as John calls it a pale horse. For grizled doth fignify death fitting upon the life, as palenefs doth; fo that the thing is all one, though differing fomething in words.

So that there needeth be no further interpretation upon those four horses, therefore I fhall pafs by them, and come to the next thing of concernment.

CHA P. XIX.

I viven the fouls of them that were flain under the altar for the ran face in the

N verfe 9. of this chapter. At the opening of the fifth feal, John faw in the

for the teftimony which they held.

F 2

Now

Now I would have the reader to confider, that vifions doth many times prefent, to him that feeth it, things that are at a distance and far off, as at prefent, or near at hand, as if the thing were in present being; this hath been the ufual custom of those that write thofe vifions in the scriptures, they being presented to the chosen prophets and meffengers of the moft high God.

Thofe vifions fo prefented, were to fignify either fome extraordinary happiness and deliverance to a particular perfon, or people, or nation; or else fome great judgment, and deftruction to a perfon, people, or nation, in the temporal, as aforefaid; or elfe vifions are prefented to the understanding of man, to fignify spiritual and eternal bleffings to a number of people; or elfe to fignify fpiritual and eternal miferies unto a number of people.

So that what vifions be declared by chofen men of God, though the thing be not immediately at hand, whether the vifion doth fignify temporal or fpiritual things; yet the feed of faith doth look upon it, as if it were in present being, because they believe the truth of the thing; as thofe prophets of old did prophefye of Chrift's coming in the flesh, as Isaiah faith in chap. ix. To us a child is born, and to us a fon is given, meaning Chrift, &c.

Now the prophet faith, he is born, when as he was not born many hundred years after that; and fo others of the prophets looked upon the birth of Chrift the Redeemer, as in prefent being. For, as I have faid in my other writings, that faith doth look at things afar off, and at a distance, as near at hand, and in prefent being, But because the feed of reafon cannot do fo, therefore they do not prevent neither the temporal nor the eternal judgment that will come upon them. But you the feed of faith may know, that John did fee in the vifion, by the eye of faith, the fouls of them that were flain under the altar ;" and he heard the cry of them, when the fifth feal was opened, that God their Redeemer would avenge their blood on them that dwell on the earth, that is, upon the persecutors that dwell on the earth.

Now I would have you the feed of faith to understand, how these that were flain under the altar could cry for vengeance, feeing they were dead under the altar, and yet is faid, to cry aloud for vengeance, on them that perfecuted and put them to death.

The meaning is this, that the blood of those that were flain for the teftimony of Jefus, it did cry virtually and efficaciously unto God, that he would avenge it according to his will and promife.

And fo God doth hear the cry of their blood, that were flain under the altar. I fay, God doth hear their cry, as he did the cry of the blood of Abel, it came up unto God, as in Gen. iv. 1o. And God faid unto Cain, What haft thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood cryeth unto me from the ground.

So that the blood of Abel did cry from the ground, unto the Lord for vengeance and who must the righteous judge be avenged of, but he that shed his brother's blood?

And in this manner did the fouls of them that were flain under the altar for the word of God, and the teftimony they held, cry for vengeance upon those that perfecuted, and put them to death.

So

[ocr errors]

So that you the feed of reafon may fee, that there is power in blood that is fhed for confcience fake in point of worship, to cry unto the Lord for vengeance upon thofe that do murder, and kill upon that account.

And no perfecutor of that nature will efcape vengeance to come, no more than Cain did escape that flew his brother; for the blood of thofe that are flain in such a cafe, as aforefaid, will speak no better things than the blood of Abel; but the very fame thing will cry aloud for vengeance, as the blood of Abel, and as their blood did that were flain under the altar, as John faw in his vifion.

Therefore the blood of Chrift is faid to speak better things than the blood of Abel: But this I muft tell you, it fpeaketh better things to thofe that have faith in his death, and fo are washed by faith in his blood. To those it speaketh peace, joy, life, and falvation to the foul, and these are better things than the blood of Abel, or the blood of the faints; which speaketh to the soul, fear, horror, death, and eternal damnation. These be the things that the blood of Abel, and all innocent blood doth fpeak, and the blood of Chrift will speak the fame things, as Abel's blood doth, to those that perfecuted and put him to death at that time.

So that according to the Serpent's defire, his blood will be upon them and their children; for the Serpent's children are thofe that walk in the steps of their fathers, and as they that put him to death, were the feed of Cain their father, as Christ said, to thofe Jews that fought his life, he faid unto them, You are of your father the devil, and his works you do, for he was a murderer, and a liar from the beginning.

per

And who was he that did the first murder? Was it not Cain? and they were his children, and all perfecuting men fince have been their children. And in perfecuting the innocent faints, they justifye the deeds of their fathers that fecuted Chrift, and their perfecuting of Chrift, in fo doing they juftified the deeds of the devil their father, that flew the prophets, and Cain that flew Abel, the grandfather of all perfecuting devils, for worshipping of God contrary to the tradition of their fathers.

So that the blood of righteous Abel, the blood of Chrift, and the blood of the faints, will be upon the confciences of the perfecuting feed of the Serpent, and upon their children, who walk in the steps of their grandfather Cain. And this hath, and will be fulfilled upon all the children of thofe perfecuting Jews, who put Chrift to death.

So that his blood will be upon them and their children; for these are their children, and may be called fo who are the feed of the ferpent, who walk in the way of their fathers, who did kill the Lord of Life. And fo his blood will be upon them and their children, as they did defire. So that his blood doth cry, as the blood of Abel did, for eternal vengeance. For none will fhed blood upon that account, but the ferpent or devil, and those that are his children.

So that you whofe understandings are enlightned, may fee that there is a virtue and power in the blood of prophets, apoftles, and righteous men who are faints, who fuffer for the true declaration and worship of God, to cry unto the Lord for vengeance, upon those that shed their blood, and the Lord will

hear

« 前へ次へ »