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which go forth unto the kings of the earth, and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty, as in verse 14, of this chapter.

So that these three spirits like frogs, that came out of the dragon's mouth, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of false prophet, they were to go forth to all the kings of the earth, and not only so, but to all great men in the whole world, to invite them to persecute, and to fight against the saints with a sword of steel, and with other cruel deaths; when as the saints had no other weapons of war, but those that were spiritual, to wit, the sword of the spirit, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation; these and such like weapons of war the saints do fight withal.

But the dragon, beast, and false prophet, they by their council, power, and authority, did invite all the kings of the earth, and of the whole world to fight against the Lord Jesus, and the remnant of the seed of faith, who are the saints, with persecution and death as aforesaid, with carnal weapons, and inventions of cruel deaths, as the scriptures, and history doth make mention of.

But the Revelation of John gave him to see, that the last battle that will be fought between God Almighty, and the dragon, beast, and false prophet, it will be at the end of the world; that is, Jesus Christ he is God Almighty, he, and his saints, and angels, shall fight with the dragon, beast, and false prophet, and with all the kings of the whole world; and he, and his saints shall give them an utter overthrow; that is, an eternal overthrow, so

that

that the dragon, beast, and false prophet, with all the adherents unto them, shall be destroyed with a second death, which shall burn as a lake of fire, for ever and ever.

CHAP. LIII.

IT T will be necessary to open something more of the dragon, beast, and false prophet, and of those three unclean spirits like frogs that came out of their mouths.

The reader may remember that I shewed before, that there were many dragons since Cain, yet all counted by the spirit but one dragon; and so of the beast, and false prophet, are all included into one. Now this dragon spoken of, he is meant the same great red dragon spoken of in Revel. xii. who persecuted the woman, namely, Herod; though there were many dragons after him, yet it is called all but one dragon, they being all partakers of the same spirit, and acted in the same persecution of the saints,

So likewise that beast that did arise out of the sea, with seven heads, and ten horns, as in chap. xiii. 1, is that beast spoken of here by the spirit, though there were divers other beasts after him, yet they acting by the same spirit of persecution of the saints, they are all called by the spirit but one beast.

So likewise the false prophet is meant that go-. vernment of worship that was established upon the chief or high priests of the nations, so that there was a spiritual government of worship which did belong

to

to those images and idols that were set up by the power and authority of the beast; as all forms of worships, let them be true or false, there must be some particular head; as Aaron was high priest of the worship of the law, and Christ the head of the gospel worship; yet there were many more high priests besides Aaron; yet all called but Aaron the high priest.

Even so it was with the false prophet, the same spirit of idolatry and persecution for conscience sake, for not submiting to worship the beast and his image, it did run through the spirits of all the false priests, as it did in him that was the chief, who was set up by the power of the beast at the first.

So that though there were many priests that succeeded him, and many that did officiate the priests office besides, yet they being all of one and the same spirit, they are called by the spirit in John but one false prophet. For priests are called by the spirit many times prophets, as Baal had four hundred false prophets did belong to him; that is, they were four hundred false priests.

Now this I would have the reader to mind, that these three spirits like frogs that came out of the dragon's mouth, and the beast's mouth, and the false prophet's mouth, I would not have the reader to think that these three spirits like frogs, did cease in the time of the ten persecutions, neither would I have him to think that there is no dragon, nor beast, nor false prophet now, though there was then. Although I confess the main drift of John's Revelation had relation chiefly to those wonderful strange

actions

actions that were acted by the dragon, beast, and false prophet, unto the saints, in the time of that commission of the gospel. But this is for certain, that the spirit of the dragon, and the spirit of the beast, and the spirit of the false prophet, remains in its seed to this day, and will do to the end of the world. So that the spirit of the dragon, beast, and false prophet, these three unclean spirits, do send forth their spirits like frogs, to the kings of the earth, to encourage them all to fight against truth, and against true worship, and to make the saints to submit to their idolatrous worship; for as I said before, all forms of worship that are set up by men who have no commission from God, are all false worships; and whoever is the chief minister in that worship so set up, he may be said to be a false prophet. And by this rule, all opinions in religion, and forms of religion, or worship, that are set up in the world at this day by several sorts of people, they are all false, because the ministers are false; and so they may be called but one false prophet, even from the first Pope to the last Quaker,their ministry being all false, even one as well as the other.

CHAP. LIV.

AGAIN, I shall give the reader a little distinction

of the several operations of these three spirits, and yet they all join together to fight against God Almighty; and yet cozen and cheat one another, and cheat the people of the world also. So that very few in the whole world do escape being de

ceived by one, or more of these three unclean spirits like frogs that come out of the dragon, beast, and false prophet's mouths.

First, the unclean spirit of the dragon it seeketh after natural wisdom, as natural philosophy, astrology, magick, and so becomes a physician, or a docter of physic to cure diseases.

The wisdom of the dragon it doth pry into the knowledge of the stars, and the influence of them, as the magicians of Egypt did that they may be counted wise men.

Likewise this spirit of the dragon it doth pry into the nature of herbs, plants, with the spirits of all vegetables, and all things of curious arts, so that the spirit of the dragon comes to be wiser in things of nature, than all other men.

So, that all other men that are not skill'd in this wisdom of nature, they are subverted and deceived by this spirit, and do honour him as a god, thinking that God hath given him more wisdom in this kind, than to all other men. So that this knowledge of natural philosophy, astrology, and phytic, makes men become honourable in the sight of all people. Also it makes the people to part with their silver freely; also it cloathes the physician in rich velvet, to that people may know what he is by his vesture.

All this honour, and much more than I can relate, doth the spirit of the dragon procure by that unclean spirit that cometh out of his mouth, for all those wise magicians, astrologers, natural philosophers, doctors of physic, are those frogs that came out of the dragon's mouth; for these afore-men

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