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Here the reader may see, that the lamentation of the kings and merchants, and the rejoicing of the heaven, and the holy apostles and prophets, are set before the downfal of this city Babylon; so that which must be first is last, and that which must be last first. This is that which puzzles all the wise men in reason, but the spirit of faith can trace the steps. of God and find him out where ever he goeth. For the scriptures, the law, and the prophets, and the gospel have been the paths for God's spirit to walk in; but there hath been many turnings and windings in these two beaten paths. I may say beaten by the seed of reason; the seed of reason, non-commissionated men, have traveled through these two paths these many hundred years, but never could find out those narrow paths where God's spirits use to go.

Neither could they find him; for if they could have found him, they would have known him, and many other heavenly mysteries, which is of absolute necessity for man to know, but it is hid from their eyes, and revealed to mean and inferior men in the sight of the world; so that all commissionated prophets, and apostles, and true witnesses of the spirit, can trace the narrow paths where God goeth; nay, though God seem to hide himself, yet the spirit of revelation will find him out.

Did not the prophets find out the meaning of Moses, and so came to know the God of Israel? Did not the apostles find out the spirit of God in the. prophet's writings? Hath not God given us, the witnesses of the spirit, to find out the meaning of the prophets, and of the apostles! and so we have

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found the true God in all those narrow paths he hath walked in by his spirit, in the law, and in the gospel.

Nay, and in this book of the Revelatation of John, God hath as it were hid himself more obscure than in most places of the Bible, yet the Revelation of faith hath found him out, as will be seen by the eye of faith in this treatise. But the reader may know. that the latter part of this chapter, from verse 20 to the end, is only the spirits rehearsing of the destruction of this spiritual Babylon, and of the ransacking of that great city by the angels, who poured out the vials of God's wrath upon her, even as an army doth ransack a city when they are overcome by their enemies. As in verse 22, 23, 24. And the voice of harpers, musicians, pipers and trumpeters shall be heard no more at all in her. That is, all pleasant musick whatsoever shall be ransacked, and taken from her, so that no pleasure or delight shall be found.

Neither shall there be any craftsman, or millstone to grind any more in thee. That is, no man shall use any trade, or grind any corn any more in thee. And the light of a candle shall shine no more in thee, and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee. That is, all lights whatsoever shall be taken from her, and that joy of marrying, and giving in marriage, shall be taken away. These things afore-mentioned do include all the glory and comfort that can be had, or that men have had in this world.

The wrath of God hath ransacked this city of all, and in the ransacking of this city, there God doth find the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all

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that were slain upon the earth, as you may see in the last verse of this chapter. So that God will ransack this city Babylon, even as the king of Babylon did Jerusalem, as Jer. xxv. 10. So Jer. vii. 34. Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah. and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, for the land shall be desolate, &c. That destruction of Jerusalem was much like unto this, only that was but for a time, and that a short time too, but this is for eternity. So much for the interpretation of the chief things in the eighteenth chapter.

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CHAP, LXXI.

N chap. xviii. John's revelation and vision did treat only upon the utter downfal and destruction of the spiritual Babylon, and this nineteenth chapter doth set forth the joy, and glory, and triumph the saints and angels have in the destruction of this great city; for now doth begin their eternal glory, and not before; neither is the one, nor the other not as yet. But as John saw in the vision the downfal of the whore, so in his vision he saw the rejoicing of the saints and angels in heaven after her destruction, which things will be as certain, as if at present; therefore it is that John doth say he saw these things as if they were performed and done already; for it is a usual course of the spirit to speak of things to come, as if they were in present being, because the seed of faith can patiently stay God's

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time for the accomplishment of his promise, and are contented only with the assurance of faith in themselves, that they shall rejoice in heaven, that God hath avenged their blood upon this wicked city Babylon, who killed the prophets, apostles, saints, and martyrs of Jesus,

Chap, xix. And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Allelujah, salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God. The meaning is this, after John had seen the utter overthrow of this great idolatrous city Babylon, immediately after he heard a great voice of much people in heaven; that is, he heard the voice of the twenty four elders, the four beasts, the prophets, and apostles, and the multitude of saints which cannot be numbered; and the holy angels, saying, or giving praise unto God in such like words as these Allelujah, salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God.

All these sounding forth their praise unto God together, must needs be a great voice indeed; only this is to be minded, that none but the revelation of the spirit could hear it in heaven, and yet be here upon earth. So that this great voice John heard in heaven, it was by those aforesaid, in praise unto God that he had avenged the blood of his servants at her hand, as you may see in verses 2, 3.

Again they said, Allelujah, and her smoke rose up for ever and ever. So that all this joy and glory John heard in heaven, it was even for this one thing, that God had judged thus, to give that whore who corrupted the earth with her spiritual fornication, a perpetual

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 O o 2 a mighty

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