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 soul of Adam to fear, therefore he went to hide himself. For the fear of death will make the soul to look pale, so that it will become a pale horse for death to ride upon. For by sin entering into the world, death got power over all life; so that death sits upon all life, both upon man and beasts. For the beasts are made subject to death, by reason of the fall of man ; only I would have the reader to understand this secret, that the creatures, the beasts, were created of God, on purpose to be killed for the nourishment of man.

But if sin had never been committed by man, death would never have entered upon the life of man or beast. That is, no beast would have died naturally, as they do now; but what were killed on purpose for some use, so that no man would have had such losses as some men now have. Some are undone by the dying of horses, others by cows, and others by sheep, and this is death that hath entered into the world upon the beasts.

For the sin of Adam brought death upon all his posterity, and upon the beasts also, as aforesaid. So that the life of man and beasts is become a pale horse for death to sit upon, and the fear of death in Adam, did make his soul to look pale, and so it doth in all mankind; this fear of death it makes the stoutest 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 second death taken

from

from them; so that their souls look pale indeed; so that the generality of men and women have the fear of eternal death, that sits upon their souls, so 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 say, will make any soul 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 seed of faith may know, that the soul of man is that pale horse that death sits upon, which sin did cause to enter upon all life.

I say, this death it entered upon the life of God himself; so that God died unto sin, that is to satisfy sin, that sin, 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 strong 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 first Adam, and his posterity. It is much like unto a valiant soldier, who by his valour and strength, passeth through a body of men well armed; and by his getting through that body of men, he comes to rout and scatter them, and gets the victory over them.

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

These being mighty strong enemies, too strong for any created soul, or life to encounter with, none could

do

do it but the life of the eternal God himself; for sin lyeth heavy upon the soul of man, and death is the king of fears, it maketh kings to fear and tremble at the sight 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 see, what this pale horse is John speaketh of, and what death is that sits upon the pale horse, and what power they have given unto them, over the four parts of the earth; even to kill with the sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

The pale horse and death have power given them over all life, in the four parts of the earth; so that some being so affrighted at death, they shall kill with the sword; and others again shall be so fearful of death, that they shall starve themselves for hunger; others again shall come under death by natural deseases, even as the beasts of the carth 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 custody, and swallow 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 so full of life before, then

death

death groweth more and more in the blood, and eateth up the life quite into death; so 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 soul; but death having overcome them both, they are both swallowed up of death, so that you may see death as he is; as you did see life as he was before. And not that the life goes out of the body, as men do vainly imagine; so that death is he that rideth upon the pale horse, as I shewed before.

And these four horses, as John speaketh of in his vision, are the same horses as Zechariah speaketh of in his vision, Zechariah vi. 23, the prophet saw in his vision, four chariots, and horses, the first chariot had red horses, and the second had black horses, and the third had white horses, and the fourth had grizled and bay horses.

Now the prophet expresseth in his vision the horses in the plural number, to be more horses than one of a sort. But John declares them in his vision in the singular number; therefore tho' there be more exprest by the prophet, yet the matter and substance is all one; for all horses are comprized under those four; so that there needeth no further opening of the horses, than there hath been; for there is enough said concerning those four horses, and their riders, to satisfy the seed of faith; but if one should speak ever so much, the seed of reason will not be satisfied. Only this I would have the reader not to scruple, because the prophet calls the fourth horse grizled and hay, when as John calls it a pale horse. M

For

For grizled doth signify death sitting upon the life, as paleness doth; so that the thing is all one, though differing something in words..

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

CHAP. XIX.

IN N verse 9. of this chapter. At the opening of the fifth seal, John saw in the vision the souls of them that were slain under the altar for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held.

Now I would have the reader to consider, that visions doth many times present, to him that seeth it, things that are at a distance and far off, as at present, or near at hand, as if the thing were in present being; this hath been the usual custom of those that write those visions in the scriptures, they being presented to the chosen prophets and messengers of the most high God.

Those visions so presented, were to signify either some extraordinary happiness and deliverance to a particular person, or people, or nation; or else some great judgment, and destruction to a person, people, or nation, in the temporal as aforesaid; or else visions are presented to the understanding of man, to signify spiritual and eternal blessings to a number of people; or else to signify spiritual and eternal miseries unto a number of people.

So that what visions be declared by chosen men

of