perpetual torment, that the smoke of it might ascend for ever and ever.

And verse 4. The four and twenty elders, and the four beasts fell down and worshiped 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 judgment 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 verse 5. 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 signify his prophets, and messengers whom God did send. Small and great doth signify 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 what must they praise God for? even for his judgment upon the whore. And not only so, but that God will reign now himself over you in eternal joy and glory, and reign over the wicked persecutors in eternal pain and shame, as you may see in verse 6.

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

Oo 2

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 than 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 do 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 rejoice, and give honour to him; that is, to God, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself 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 virgin's 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 and Redeemer, not only in true righteousness and holiness, as they were in the state of grace here in this world; but they shall be married unto the Lamb, which is the only 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

eternal joys, even as a virtuous woman hath here in her husband's estate.

For in verse 8. 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 heart, and saints being cloathed 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 Lamb's wife, being cloathed 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 bright than the sun. More might be said in this thing, but I suppose there is enough said to satisfy the seed of faith. And as for verses 9, 10. 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 11. And I saw heaven opened, and behold 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 chap. vi. of John's Revelation, and he

that

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 only 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 jndge.

Yet nevertheless the righteousness of saints is included all into one righteousness, so make up but one white horse for the only 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 verse 12. These These many crowns upon his head, they signify but two crowns; all other crowns of glory which he hath, they are included in these two; that is, he hath a crown of glory upon his head, as he is the creator of all things; that is, all creatures according to the instinct of nature, do shew forth honour and glory unto a divine being, who hath created all things for his own glory. So that there is an exceeding great crown of glory upon the head of Christ Jesus, as he is the Creator; and the other crown of glory upon his head, it is as he is the Redeemer. For redemption in all those that are concerned in it, is of more worth, and of higher esteem, than the work of creation is. So that this work of redemption it hath procured to himself a crown of glory of more weight, than the work of creation. So

that

that all crowns of glory he hath upon his head, they are all included in these two, and the white horse he doth sit upon, it is the righteousness of faith. For by this righteousness offaith he conquered death, hell, and devil; and by this faith he hath made war with these spiritual enemies, and by the same power of faith he will overcome, and destroy all temporal enemies with an eternal destruction, as John doth speak of, as if it were already done, as aforesaid.

Verse 12. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns, and he had a name written that no man knew but he himself. As for his eyes being as it were a flame of fire, that is only to signify the exceeding glory, and brightness of his eyes. They are so piercing, that he can see through angels and men, so that no mortal man can look upon him, no more than the eyes of man are able to look upon the sun in its brightness; and as for the many crowns upon his head, I have spoken of that in the verse before. But it is said, And he had a name written that no man knew but he himself. The meaning is this, there was no man knew his name that was written upon him but he himself, until he did reveal it to some man. For who knew him by the name of Jehovah, God Almighty, until he revealed it to Moses? Also who knew his name was the word of God, as in verse 13, had he not revealed it unto John?

As it is said in the gospel of John, In the begining was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. So that his name must needs be the word of God; and how should any man know this but he

himself,