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let it be in high, or low, but more especialy in higher powers, who have power to command people to worship his image, and in so doing, they do receive the mark of the beast in their foreheads, or right hand.

Now a man may be said to receive the mark of the beast in his forehead, when as a man doth worship in that form and manner, as is set up by the beast's authority willingly, then doth a man receive the mark in his forehead. And when a man receives the mark of the beast in his right hand, it is when men do worship, and bow down to that form of worship, or image set up by the beast against a man's own mind, or unwillingly, for fear he shall suffer if he do it not. This is to receive the mark of the beast in his right hand. For if the mark of the beast be not seen in the forehead, or in the right hand, they shall either be killed or not suffered to trade; that is, to buy and sell; one of these he must be sure to suffer if he hath not the mark in either of those two places, aforesaid. That is, if the people do not come to the public worship set up by the beast, either willingly or unwillingly, it was known that they had not received the mark of the beast, neither in the forehead, nor in the right hand.

It is called the right hand, because the right hand is that that subscribes or writes his name to any thing of concernment; so that no man should buy or sell, save him that hath the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Now observe, they who had the name of the beast, or the number of his name, were those men that were in offices and places in the beast's domi

nions,

nions, or that had a badge of the beast's arms upon them; for they knew the number of beasts which had succeeded, even to the day or time of that beast, so that they knew the number of his name, and how many beasts were past before him. So that those that had commissions for offices and places of trust, were those that had the name of the beast, because they had the beast's hand to those commissions for to authorize them in their places; and those that had the number of his name, were those that wore a badge of his arms, signifying what number of kings loins this beast did come through. So that none but those that had received the mark, as aforesaid, and those that had the beast's warrants for offices, and those that had the number of his name, as aforesaid, were to have the privilege to buy and sell, &c.

VER

CHAP. XL.

ERSE 18.Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is six hundred threescore and six.

I would have the reader to mind the interpretation of this verse. Observe in the first verse of this chapter, John saw in his vision a beast arise out of the sea, having seven heads; which seven heads did signify seven kings or seven beasts, that should have ten horns; which ten horns did signify the ten persecutions, in the primitive times so called; yet we find in this chapter but three of these beasts, which

acted

acted their parts in persecuting the saints; though all the seven heads did persecute the saints.

Also in the last verse of this chapter, John includes all these seven beasts into one beast, saying, Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. It must needs be the number of a man, because man is called a beast, either a good beast or an evil beast, as I have said before concerning the four good beasts, they signified all good kings and head magistrates were all included in those four good beasts. So likewise all evil kings and evil magistrates, are included in those seven heads, which the beast had that arose out of the sea. Farther, the spirit of revelation in John doth include all evil kings and evil magistrates into one evil beast, shewing that there is but one evil beast, in whom the evil spirit doth reign in persecuting men for conscience sake, because they will not worship the beast's image.

So that you that can discern between the spirit of reason, and the spirit of faith. For those two spirits lye both hid in their two seeds, to wit, the spirit of faith in the seed of God, and the spirit of reason in the seed of the serpent-angel, or devil. And according as these two spirits do work or operate in man, man comes to be a good beast, or an evil beast. So that whoever doth discern clearly between the two seeds, may read, or count the number of the good beast, and the number of the evil beast. For this I say, they are both but two men, that is to say, a good man, and an evil man; because the good spirit runeth through the line of the seed of faith, and causeth

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good kings and head magistrates, and all other of that seed to do well, and to worship God aright, as David did, and not to persecute men for conscience sake.

So on the contrary, the spirit of reason, the devil, it runneth through the line of the seed of reason, and causeth evil kings, and evil head magistrates, and others, to do injustice, and to worship a false god, and persecute for consience sake, as king Ahab did. So that all good kings and head magistrates who have been guided by the spirit of God, though many thousands of them, they may be counted by the spirit, but one good beast. Because that one good spirit of God did act in them, while they were here in this world.

So likewise, though there have been many thousand evil kings, and evil head magistrates, yet they may be counted by the spirit but one evil beast; because that one evil spirit of reason, the serpent-devil, did act in them little or much whilst they lived in this world; so that the one evil spirit acting in all the evil beasts, they are counted by the spirit of revelation, but the number of a man ; like unto that saying, Revel. xxi. 17. And he measured the wall thereof an hundred forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is of the angel.

So that the bigness of the angel was but as the bigness of a man ; and those hundred and forty and four cubits spoken of by John, it did amount in the conclusion but to the measure of a man. So likewise this beast, whose number is the number of a man, and his number is said to be six hundred threescore and

sir. That is, as I said before, the spirit of the serpent angel hath run through the seed of reason in so many kings and head magistrates, who came from the loins of Cain, he being the first devil in flesh, and the first man-devil; and his spirit running in that seed, it hath brought forth so many evil beasts, as six hundred sixty six

Now I would have the reader to understand, that John did not mean exactly so many, and no more; for doubtless there have been many thousands more; since Cain slew his brother Abel. But I believe the Revelation of John hath relation only to those evil beasts which were in power in the time of the two commissions, that is, in the time of the worship of the law of Moses.

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How many evil kings which are beasts, were there in that time while that worship stood, that persecuted the prophets, and caused the people to worship Baal and false gods? And so the rulers of Israel who were head magistrates, who persecuted the apostles and Christ, these were of those evil beasts. And when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, then their power and persecuting did cease.

And the Roman Gentiles, those emperors, and kings, and head magistrates, they persecuted the saints in the second commission; and these beasts aforementioned, were those John saw in his vision. So that the number of these persecuting evil beasts who were idolaters, in the time of those two commissions, or two testaments, I say they might amount to no more than six hundred threescore and six. These all coming through the loins of Cain, the first man-devil,

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