revelation of the spirit, it hath only relation to those people that do profess and confess the scriptures. So that John's Revelation hath relation to all those that confess the law of Moses, and the prophets, and the gospel of Jesus, and the apostles, and not relating to the heathen, who never heard of the scriptures. So that all those false worshipers under the law of Moses, and all those false worshipers under the gospel of Jesus, they are called by the spirit that great city Babylon, or mystery Babylon, or a scarlet whore.

So

It is called mystery Babylon, in relation to the mystery of God, as aforesaid. Likewise it may be called mystery Babylon, in relation to that Babel that men would have built, that should have reached up to heaven after Noah's flood, in respect of the confusion there was in the building of it, so that it all came to utter confusion and destruction. likewise there is such a confusion in all false worship and worshipers, that at the last that Babylon they have built with idols, thinking to reach in that superstitious way up to heaven, but they shall be confused in their understandings, and in the true knowledge and worship of the true God; so that they shall be utterly destroyed, both them and their Babel, that is their worship, with an eternal destruction. But this is to be minded, that the first mention of this temporal Babel, Gen. xi. 4. where the sons of Noah said, Go to, let us build us a city, and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven. And in verse 7. God consumed this tower by confounding their language.

So likewise the first rise of this mystery Babylon,

it was amongst the Jews. That is, when the Jews would worship other gods, besides that God which Moses did declare unto them, even the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to wit, the God of Israel; yet nevertheless those Jews who were the seed of the serpent, they would have other gods, as the Amorites and the heathen had, to go before them.

Therefore they would have a calf to be their God to worship, as Exod. chap. xxxii. 1. This calf was the first false god the people of the Jews did worship; though they murmured against God, and Moses many times before, yet they never fell to worship idols, as gods, before. So that this was the first beginning of the setting up, or the building of a false worship. in opposition to that worship that Moses set up, which was but a little before. So that as soon as ever God did set up his worship by the hand of Moses, that the people might come to know the true God.

I say the spirit of reason, which is the devil in man, he doth set up his worship in like manner to worship gods of his own imagination, even the works of his own hands, even a calf; for this calf doth signify all idols, or false worship whatsoever. For though the idols of men are many, and their forms of worship many, yet they all being false, not worshiping the true God, they do but worship a calf instead of God.

And as these Jews who made this calf for a God, were the first that began to build up a Babel of false worship, this spirit of idolatry did run through the line of the seed of the serpent, until it got great power; for after Moses and Joshua were gone, the

seed

seed of the serpent grew in great power, and did. punish those that would not bow down to Baal. For Baal signifies all false worship, or all false gods; so that when the serpent's seed got power to set up his worship, as Moses had power to set up the worship of God; and as Moses did plague and punish those serpents for making that calf and worshiping it, or any other idols, in that many of them were destroyed by death, so hath the false worshipers served the prophets, and saints ever since, that would not bow down to thir false worship; witness Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin; and Ahab, Manasses, with divers other wicked kings, and rulers, and head magistrates in the time of the law, who persecuted the prophets, and put them to death, for telling them of their forsaking of the worship of the law of Moses, and worshiping of idols.

So

And the same spirit of reason, the devil, it continued in that nation of the Jews until Christ came, according to that prophesy of Jacob, the scepter shall not depart from Judah until Shiloh come. that there was a scepter of government that did remain upon the people of the Jews though they had no Jews kings a long time before. So that a matter of forty years after Christ's death, in the destruction of Jerusalem, the scepter did depart from Judah. That is, from that nation of the Jews so that they are ever since a scattered people in many parts of the earth. So that the scepter, that is, the government is departed from them indeed, and the same spirit of persecution, and idolatry it doth run along in the seed of reason, the devil, in the Gentiles.

So

So that the Gentile kings and head magistrates have been given mightily to idolatry, imitating the worship of the gospel. And have persecuted and put to death many saints, for not bowing down to that worship set up by these Gentile kings, or head magistrates ever since the destruction of Jerusalem, even to this day.

So that this is to be minded by the reader, that this mystery Babylon, or great city, or whore, who hath commited fornication with the kings of the earth. The meaning of the spirit is this, that all kings and head magistrates in the time of the law, and in the time of the gospel, who profess the scriptures even to the end of the world, that have, or shall set up a false worship, or idols, by their power, and cause the people to do the same, they may be said to commit fornication with idols. So that whoever doth worship false gods, let it be in what form or manner it will, it is all counted by the spirit but spiritual fornication or whoredom.

So that all false worshipers, or all that do worship idols, or false gods, from the greatest to the least, from the beginning of Moses's commision, to the beginning of the apostles commission, and to the end of them; and not only so, but to the end of the world, even to the end of the commission of the spirit, even the seven churches of Europe. For all spiritual idolatrous worship is in them also, though they differ in several forms of worship one from another. Namely the Papist, Episcopacy, Presbyterian, Independent, Baptist, Ranter, and Quaker; and other sects and opinions are involved in these seven, and every one

of

of these seven are idolatrous, because none of them know the true God, therefore cannot worship him aright.

So that by consequence it will follow, that they all commit fornication with idols; for whoever worships a false god, he committeth spiritual fornication, which I am sure they all do.

For neither the ministry of them, nor the people, do know the true God, nor the right devil, for if they did, then would they know what worship doth belong unto the true God now in these latter days. So that all the false worshippers from the beginning of Moses, to the end of the world, they make up but one great city Babylon, or one woman, or one scarlet whore, who hath made all nations drink of the wine of her fornication.

That is, this spirit of reason in kings and head magistrates hath made all nations to worship idols and images for God; so that they have become drunk with spiritual fornication, that the people have thirsted after the blood of the saints, as well as those in authority. So that they are all become one city Babylon, which will be destroyed at the end of the world. This is that great mystery Babylon, that great city that John did prophesy the downfall of in the sixteenth chapter.

And in the seventeenth chapter he saw by faith the total downfall of this spiritual mystery Babylon, that great city the mother of harlots; that is, of spiritual idolatry, which is spiritual whoredom. So that there were many more harlots than one, yet they are all counted by the spirit, but one whore, or

harlot;