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they feem very great branches, yet they are but branches, as doubtlefs there were many differing opinions in the feven churches of Afia, yet all are comprised by the Revelation and vision of John, in the seven angels ministry of Asia.

So all fects and opinions are comprised in the feven anti-angels ministry of Europe. And the Quakers miniftry it being the feventh and laft anti-angel that will found the trumpet, in regard there will come, nor arife no higher, nor better things in matter of religion, to the eye of reafon. So that men and women who do not know truth, when they want fatisfaction in their minds, they must fall into the Quakers.

And as the plagues and judgments upon the earth, are greater at the founding of the trumpet of the feventh angel of Afia, it being no less plague than the end of the world; which plague is far greater than thofe fix plagues which were at the other angels founding; fo likewife there will be greater plagues upon the earth, at the founding of the trumpet of the feventh and laft anti-angel, than there hath been at the founding of the other fix angels; for no more will come to the end of the world; and the nearer it grows to the end, the greater plagues will be upon the earth; for is not almost all the world in an uproar, killing and destroying one another, ever fince the feventh anti-angel did begin to found? And yet greater plagues than have been, or is now, will enfue upon the founding of this angel.

But I fhall leave it to what providence and time will bring forth, only this to let the reader fee and know what a refemblance there is between the feven churches of Europe, and the seven churches of Afia. And how that the seven anti-angels were included in the vifion in the feven angels of Afia, and plagues on the earth in like manner.

And as the Revelation of John in his vifion did fee, that the end of the world would be at the founding the trumpet of the feventh angel, the anti-angel being included in the vifion, it will fo come to pafs; but what day, hour, or year, is not known to any man.

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Therefore I fhall leave it unto God, who hath appointed an end in his own feeret decree, and hath declared it by his fervants the prophets and apoftles; therefore ought to be believed by all that do expect eternal life, by God's putting an end to this world. Neither can there be any fatisfaction to the mind of man, except it be believed. It is that which fatisfies me, fo that I do not question the thing, though the time when is uncertain; an end there will be, as certain as there was a beginning.

So I fhall leave it unto God, that made a beginning of this world unto man, and according to his own appointment there will be an end. So that I need not fay any more concerning the feven churches of Europe, there being a likeness and refemblance of their miniftry, unto the miniftry of the feven churches of Afia; and fo may be called feven angels that founded their trumpets; and plages did, and doth fall upon the earth, at the founding of every one of the anti-angels, as aforefaid.

Now I have given the interpretation of the feven anti-angels, I fhall pafs by the tenth, eleventh and twelfth chapters, as I faid before, and proceed to interpret the chief things of concernment in the thirteenth chapter.

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CHA P. XXXII.

I up out beads, and zen borns, and faw, a N chap. xiii. 1. John faith, be ftood upon the fand of the fea, and faw a beaft rife up out of the fea, having feven heads, and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blafphemy.

I would not have the reader to understand, that John did stand upon the fand of the fea with the feet of his body, when he faw this beaft to arife out of the fea; but the meaning is, the revelation of his fpirit it was carried in the vision by the revelation of faith, as if he had stood upon the fand of the sea shore; for the revelation of the fpirit can stand upon the fand, or upon the fea, though the body of a man be many miles diftant from it. Likewife it is not to be understood, that this beast which he saw did arife out of the fea: but, as I faid before in another cafe, this beast with seven heads and ten horns, he did arife out of those islands which did border about the fea, or lands that are environed about with the fea and other great rivers of waters, as fome places of this earth is, as that of Jordan and other places; which thofe who have travelled the earth. and fea, can better relate than I.

But it may be faid that this beaft did arife out of the fea, in regard these borders, kingdoms, and people were environed or furrounded by the fea, as the land of Canaan was, fo that except the waters of Jordan had been dryed up by the power of God, there had been no entering into it by the people of the Jews.

And so these four angels that were bound on the river Euphrates, as I fhewed before, fo is it with this beaft that John faw to arife out of the fea. He may be faid to arife out of the fea, for thofe reafons aforefaid.

This beaft is faid to have feven heads and ten horns. Now it is faid Revel. xii. 2. That the great red dragon bad feven heads and ten horns alfo.

The difference between these two is this, the dragon's feven heads and ten horns, is fpoken with relation to feven kings that fhould proceed out of his loins, that should have ten horns. That is, they fhould exercise perfecution against the faints ten times, in the time of the apoftles commiffion. And this was the dragon's war that he made with the remnant of the woman's feed, as in Revel. xii. 17. And the ten horns that the dragon had, were the ten perfecutions of the faints, which are called by the Revelation of John ten horns, as is more opened in The Divine Looking Glass.

But the thing I would have the reader to mind is this, the difference why the dragon is faid to have feven heads and ten horns, and the beast that John faw to arife out of the fea, he had seven heads and ten horns alfo. The meaning is this, the dragon's feven heads did fignify feven kings befides himself, that fhould exercise the fame idolatry and perfecution of the faints as he did. For he gave his power unto this beaft, who had the feven heads and ten horns. But this beaft that did arife out of the fea, is faid to have feven heads and ten horns, in regard that he was one of the feven heads himself, and the first of the seven heads that the dragon had. So that the dragon is the eighth, and is gone into perdition, as I fhall open more when I come to it.

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Only this that the feed of faith may fee fome difference between the dragon's feven heads and ten horns, and the beaft's seven heads and ten horns; the one having seven heads befides himself, and the other having feven heads with himfelf. And as for the ten horns they were all one; for they were both blafphemers and idolaters, and did worship idols and images, and perfecuted the feed of the woman, and made war with the faints.

And all the victory the faints did obtain against the dragon, the beast, and their image, it was by faith and patience in the blood of the Lamb; enabling them to fuffer with patience those ten perfecutions which those ten horns did push the faints with thofe cruel deaths, which the Revelation of John calls ten days tribulation. But I fhall have occafion to speak more of that hereafter.

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CHA P. XXXIII.

UT in verse 2. of this chapter it is faid, And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion, and the dragon gave him his power, and his feat, and his authority. Now I would have the feed of faith to know, that thefe ten perfecutions, which were the ten horns, they were acted upon the faints, in the primitive time, fo called. That is, fo long as the commiffion of the apoftles did fucceffively laft, or as long as the true faith of Chrift was upon the earth, which did laft a matter of three hundred years, from the birth of Chrift; for after his birth there was true faith on the earth.

For when the the Son of Man, as he calls himself, did come in the flesh upon earth, was there any faith upon earth? Surely no. If there had been faith upon the earth, they would never have fought to have destroyed him when he was born, as Herod that red dragon did, and afterwards, his own people the Jews. So that this is to be minded, that always when God doth come with his commiffions, there is little or no faith upon the earth.

Was there any faith upon the earth, when God did fend Mofes to Pharaoh, and to Ifrael? Mofes being the first man which God chofe, and gave a commission to write fcripture. I fay, was there any faith upon the earth at the first appearing of God? Surely no.

But after Mofes had appeared, then there was faith upon the earth, but at his first appearing there was no faith on the earth. So likewife at the fecond appearing of God, that is to fay, when Chrift was born, was there any faith upon the earth at that time, but only in old Simcon and his wife, and Jofeph the fuppofed father of Chrift?

The earth was very barren of true faith at the appearing of God, in this way. But after his appearing, there was much true faith upon the earth, as may be read concerning Chrift himself, that many believed on him, and a greater number of people believed on his apostles, more than did on himself. So that there was great faith upon the earth, in the time of God's appearing in his commiffion of the blood; but before, or at the firft appearing, there was very little or no faith upon the earth.

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So likewife at God's third appearing in his commillion of the ipirit, was there any true faith upon the earth? Surely no. This I know by experience, that there was no true faith on the earth; but fince God hath appeared in the commiffion of the fpirit, there is true faith upon the earth, more than hath been these thirteen hundred and fifty years. So that at the appearing of God in his three commissions, there was very little or no true faith upon the earth, I mean at their first appearing. But after their appearing, there is true faith upon the earth, and that more abundant than at any other time.

For that faith which is between commiffions, it is but a traditional faith, and not a faving and justifying faith. I only give the feed of faith this hint, that they may diftinguish and know the better how, and when the fcriptures were fulfilled. So I fhall pass on to open the chief things of moft concernment in this chapter.

CHAP. XXXIV.

HE firft thing that I would have the feed of faith to mind is this, that these ten horns of perfecution of the faints, it did first begin at the birth of Chrift in that dragon Herod; and afterwards the fpirit and power of the dragon, it was invefted or feated upon this beaft, he being the firft head which the dragon did give all his power and authority, and his feat unto. That is, the fame fpirit of reason that was in Herod the dragon, it was in the feed of this beast. So that this beaft having the fame spirit of reason in him, as the dragon aforefaid had, he did exercise the idolatry, blafphemy, and perfecution of the faints, as the dragon did.

So that he being of the fame spirit and practice as the dragon was, it may be faid that he received the dragon's feat, power, and authority; he being the first head that fucceeded the dragon. For this I would have the feed of faith to know, that this fpirit of the dragon, it went through the feed of all those seven heads. And all that perfecution that was acted in that three hundred years in the time of the commiffion of the apoftles, it is reckoned all but into feven heads, or seven beafts, though more wicked kings than these feven might perfecute the faints in those ten perfecutions, in that three hundred years; yet they are all included in those seven, because the same spirit of reason that was in the dragon, the fame was in the feven. And fo in the feed of all wicked kings, fo that they all acted as the dragon did, in blafpheming the living God, and perfecuting his

faints.

For as all good kings are included but into four good beafts as I faid before, fo likewise all wicked perfecuting kings are included in thofe feven heads, or seven wicked beafts, they being of the fame feed and nature as the dragon is, and walk in the fame steps of idolatry, blafphemy, and perfecution, as he did. They may be faid all of them to receive the feat, power, and authority of the dragon, which is no other but the spirit of reafon, whofe original is from the fallen angel, though called a dragon, à serpent, a devil; the feed of reafon is all this, and

more.

But little doth man think that the fpirit of reafon in every man, poor and

rich, bound or free, high or low, king or people, is the devil, ferpent, and dragon. For many poor men have the spirit of the dragon in them, only they have not power to execute it upon the faints, nor their fellow creatures.

Therefore when the spirit doth call a man a dragon, or a beast, it is with relation to that power that is invested upon, or in a king, or head magiftrate. So that he being the head or chief above all others, he hath power and authority to do good or hurt. And according as his authority and power doth act itself forth on this earth in righteousness, justice, and worshiping the true God, he is called by the revelation of the fpirit, a good beaft, good king, or good angel.

So on the contrary, if the power and authority of the head magistrate doth ac itself forth in unrighteousness, and injuftice, and idolatry, and perfecution for confcience fake, he is called by the spirit an evil beast, a ferpent, a devil a dragon. So that when the fpirit or feed of reafon doth act in the head magiftrate like a dragon, that king or head magiftrate may be faid to be a dragon, as Herod. And when a head magiftrate doth act as a fubtle ferpent, he may be called a ferpent, as did thofe Jews in Chrift's and the apostles time. And when a head magiftrate doth act as a devil, he may be called a devil, as murdering Cain in point of worship, flew his brother Abel, and fo the Jews did by Chrift in point of worship. Therefore Chrift calls thofe Jews which were head magiftrates, as the high priests and levites, he calls them ferpents, devils, faying they were of their father the devil, for he was a murderer, and a liar from the beginning.

Now Cain was the first liar and murderer, and fo the first devil in the state of mortality. And those Jews that would have killed Christ, were the children of Cain, therefore called devils, because they did the fame works as Cain, their father had done, for they had perfecuted and killed prophets and righteous men, and fo they did Chrift himself, as Peter doth relate in the Acts of the Apoftles. So that they walked in the way of their father Cain, therefore called devils.

Only this I would have the reader to understand, that when the fpirit of reason doth act in the head magistrate, as a ferpent, or as a devil, or as a dragon, or any other way that the fcriptures doth brand for wickedness, it is all acted in this world, though John doth say he saw it in heaven.

But it is by way of vifion, but the wickedness is acted in this earth; for the spirit of reason, which is the devil, is become mortal, and so he exercises his cruelties and murders upon mortals like himself. But it is faid to be in heaven, because the first original of reafon came from heaven; the fallen angels nature being the fpirit of reafon fallen, it became mortal, and fo hath run through the feed of mortality, and fo acts in the state of mortality, as a ferpent, devil, or dragon. And is faid by the Revelation of John to be seen in heaven, because the fpirit of reafon, the devil, the original of it, came from heaven, but the things acted by it are acted in this earth, &c.

CHA P. XXXV.

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OW the fpirit of reason in this beast that did arife out of the fea, to whom the dragon gave his power, seat, and authority unto, he is faid to be like unto a leopard. Now

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