enemies, or reap it, for the harvest of their sins and cruelties were fully ripe. And the press was full, that is, their bodies were so full of wickedness and cruelty, that they did overflow with wickedness, their wickedness was so great.

So will it be with this spiritual Babylon, when the harvest is ripe; for this spiritual Babylon is so full of idolatry, of idols, images, and worshiping false gods, and persecution of the saints, that the press is full; that is, their bodies are so full of spiritual' wickedness, or spiritual fornication, and persecution for conscience sake, as aforesaid, that their wickedness doth overflow, even as the aforesaid Babylon did. So that in the account of the spirit of faith, this spiritual Babylon is as really destroyed and reaped, their sins being ripe, as the other Babylon was. And as the sickle was thrust into them that they were destroyed, and reaped, so will it be with this, as in verse 19, of this chapter, And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great wine press of the wrath of God.

The earth signifies the people, and the vine of the earth signifies the wicked idolatrous worship of the people and the great wine press of the wrath of God, signifies that eternal death, and destruction upon all idolatrous people; who worship false gods.

This eternal or second death is the great wine press of the wrath of God, and in verse 20. of this chapter it is said, And the wine press was troden without the city, and blood came out of the wine

press, even

unta

unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs. The meaning is this, the wine press was troden without the city, that is, the destruction of the enemies of Judah and Israel it was without the city of Jerusalem, so will the eternal destruction of all idolaters at the end of the world be without the city, New Jerusalem. That is, none of the seed of faith who are the holy city, in the spiritual, shall see their destruction, for blood shall come out of the wine press, even to the horse bridles; the blood signifies the extream torment, it being for ever; the wine press signifies the great wrath of God, pressing their souls for their wickedness to eternity; unto the horse bridles signifies the extream fulness of wickedness, so that the wrath of God might walk in their souls, even as an horse may do through blood, even up to his bridle; for God's wrath will be as many horses to crush and trample his enemies under feet, so that their miseries may break forth as blood for God's horses; that is, his vengeance to walk through to eternity,

As for the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs, that signifies a great space and distance from the city of God; that is, from the spiritual city of God, to wit, the true believers. So that this spiritual mystery Babylon, who made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, as aforesaid, I say she must undergo the wrath of God, and be troden without the spiritual city; the seed of faith, both Jew and Gentile, being called that holy city, even as the other Babylon was troden and destroyed without the city of Jerusalem; which was Cc 2

many

.

many miles off Jerusalem. Thus in short I have given the interpretation of the most things of concernment in chap. xiv.

CHAP. XLV.

СНАР. xv. 1. John saw another sign in heaven;

great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them is filled up the wrath of

God.

This great and marvellous sign that John saw in heaven, it was those plagues or wrath of God, that was to be poured out upon this spiritual Babylon, and those beasts, and nations, and people, who did drink of the cup of her fornication of idolatry; which is more explained in the sixteenth chapter.

Also John saith, he saw another sign, great and marvellous. It is said to be another sign, because he spake in the chapter before much of that temporal Babylon, with the plagues and fall of it. But in this fifteenth chapter these plagues have relation only to this mystery Babylon, therefore said to be another sign in heaven, great and marvellous. It is great and marvellous indeed, for he saw the utter destruction and end of the world; therefore calls them the seven last plagues before upon the other Babylon. But these seven plagues, are the last plagues that are to be poured out upon the earth, therefore called by the spirit marvellous, because the whole wrath or final wrath of God is filled up

or

or finished upon the whore, beast, false prophets, and all idolatrous persons in the world. And this is to be executed by seven angels; that is, these seven holy angels have commission from God, to pour out those seven last plagues in a suitableness or likeness to those plagues that were poured out upon Egypt, as will appear in the next chapter.

In verse 2. John saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire, and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the numbers of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

The reader may remember that I have shewed before, when I treated upon the fourth chapter of the Revelation, that there is a chrystal sea, like unto glass or chrystal waters, in heaven above the stars, as really as there is a sea of waters here upon the earth; and as certain as ships and other vessels can, and do swim, or glide upon the sea and waters here below, so may spiritual bodies stand or walk upon the sea of glass in heaven above the stars.

And this sea of glass is mingled with fire; it is said to be mingled with fire, to signify the purity of it the more, because fire is that which purifies more than any thing but water; therefore the spirit of God is compared to fire and to water; as Christ shall baptize with the Holy Ghost, and with fire; and Christ will give every true believer water of life, so that as the spirit of God, the operation of it, is compared to fire and to water, those two being the purifying things upon earth.

So likewise this sea of glass mingled with fire, which

which John saw in heaven, it was that chrystal sea, or chrystal waters like unto clear glass, which was before the throne of God, as in Revel. iv. aforesaid. And John saw all them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. That is, the saints of God who by their patient suffering, they got the victory over the beast; for faith and patience will conquer the greatest enemies in the world, both within a man, and without a man.

And this faith and patience in the saints, in the second commission, was that which kept them from worshiping of idols, images, or submitting any ways to that false worship set up by the beast. And in this regard the saints may be said to get victory over the beast, his image, mark, and name; which things I have opened before; only this is to be minded by the way, that the saints that get this victory over all false worship, they shall have spiritual bodies, that shall be capable to stand upon the sea of glass in heaven, even upon that chrystal sea, which is round about the throne of God, even as men do stand upon ships upon the sea of this world, as aforesaid.

Observe, if there be such power in faith in bodies that are mortal, as to make them to walk upon the waters, as in Christ, and in Peter, who walked in those bodies of flesh upon the waters, how much more shall those whose faith is become a fiery glory which hath spiritualized the whole body? That is, it is a spiritual body capable to stand upon the sea of

glass