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But to say that the univerfal fociety of all the wicked reigneth over the kings of the earth, is abfurd and ridiculous. Therefore to fay that Babylon is the univerfal fociety of the wicked, is abfurd and ridiculous. The diftinction of the Jesuits here is also as frivolous as the expofitions; for they fay, if Babylon be Rome, then it must be underítood of Rome under the heathen emperors: but not under the Popes. But the angel faith, The woman,' that is, the whore of Babylon, or antichrift, fitteth

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upon feven mountains:' Ergo, the fitteth at Rome, and Rome is the feat of antichrift, and confequently, Rome under the Popes is Babylon. Moreover, we may reafon thus against the Popish diftinction; that which was Babylon under the heathen emperors, is the fame which is here prophefied to be the chief city and feat of antichrift: but Rome was then Babylon: Ergo Rome is now Babylon; for Rome is that city which the angel faith should be the feat of antichrift: and this book doth fhew, that the great antichrift fhould reign in the fame city where the heathen emperors had reigned: and therefore it ftandeth firm, that Rome under the Popes is Baby

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This being then granted, that Babylon here is Rome; it followeth, that Rome

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fhall fall: for the Holy Ghost faith, Babylon is fallen,' fpeaking in the prefent tenfe, as the manner of the fcripture is in prophefying of things to come. For whatfoever God hath determined to come to pafs, is, as it were already done, because of the certainty of it: and for this caufe alfo the word is doubled: 'It is fallen, it is fallen." We see then moft clearly, that almost fifteen hundred years before Rome began to fall, the certain fall thereof was fore-told. This place itself is clear enough to prove my fecond point, which is, that Rome fhall fall. But my purpofe is to reduce and gather all the five chapters following to certain heads, to prove the main points which I have propounded: firft then I rea fon thus to prove the fecond point, that Room fhall fall: that city and kingdom which hath the feven vials of God's wrath emptied and poured down upon it, cannot ftand, but must needs fall: but Rome is that city, which hath the feven vials of God's wrath poured down upon it: therefore Rome cannot and long, but muft needs fall. The prepofition is manifeft, and not to be denied. The affumption is proved throughout all the fixteenth chapter, and especially in the tenth and second verses; in the tenth verfe the vials of God's wrath are exprefly faid to be poured down

upon the throne of the beaft:' and in the fecond verse of that chapter it is avouched, that the fecond vial was poured down upon the men which had the mark of the beaft, and upon them which worshipped 'her image.' How then can the throne of the beaft hold out? or how can they which have received the beafts mark ftand up long? For there is a great emphasis or vehemency in the manner of fpeech. For he doth not fimply fay, the wrath of God; but the fulnefs of God's wrath: he doth not fay, fhould be a little fprinkled; but. poured down, as it were by pail-fulls upon the kingdom of the beaft. How then can the kingdom of the beast stand, which hath fo many great, ordinance, and fo many double cannons difcharged and fhot off against it? Surely it muft needs fall.

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My fecond reafon is this: The beaft that was, and is not, and yet is, fhall go into perdition:' Rev. xvii. 8. But Rome is the beaft that was, and is not, and yet is: therefore Rome fhall go into perdition. The affumption is fet down chap. xvii. ver. 8. For the Roman monarchy was great in the days of Julius Cæfar, Auguftus, Claudius, Tiberius; and therefore it is faid, that it was. But in the reign of Nero, Otho, Galba, and Vitellius, it was greatly decayed, and therefore it is faid, 'It is not;

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meaning, fo great as it had been: and yet in fome fort it was; and therefore it is said, And yet is.' Now this beast shall go into perdition.' Therefore the Roman monarchy fhall be deftroyed, and confequently, the papacy: for the Roman empire holdeth up the papacy, as it is written, that the woman or whore of Babylon fitteth upon the fcarlet coloured beaft, which had feven heads and ten horns,' that is, the Roman monarchy which beareth up the whore, and beareth up the papacy: but the Holy Ghost faith, this beast, that is, the Roman empire, fhall go into perdition." Then it followeth, that the papacy fhall follow after: for if the beaft that fhe fitteth upon, and which beareth her, fall under her, then she muft needs fall together with him. But we fee, God be thanked, that the Roman monarchy is in a manner quite fallen; therefore the papacy cannot ftand long.

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My third argument is this: The beast that was, and is not, being even the eight, ' and is one of the feven, fhall go into de'ftruction,' verfe 11. But Rome is the beast that was, and is not, being the eight, and one of the feven: therefore Rome fhall go into deftruction. The affumption is fet down chap. xvii. ver. 11. For the papacy or dominion of the Popes is the feventh head of the beaft in refpect of their civil

power, and yet a beast by themselves, that is, an eight in refpect of their ecclefiaftical power. Now the angel faith flatly, they

fhall both go together into deftruction," that is, both the empire and the papacy. For as the dominion of the Popes goeth down, fo alfo their worship and religion goeth down with it: and for this caufe it is exprefly fet down in the nineteenth chapter, phet,' that is the beaft and the falfe

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Roman empire and the papacy were both deftroyed together." Since then the Holy Ghoft hath spoken it twice for failing, that Rome fhall go into perdition, and fhall go into deftruction; I take it to be a very found confequence, that Rome fhall fall, and fhall be destroyed. But how fhall it fall, may fome man fay? Or wherein fhall it fall? I anfwer, that it fhall fall in the credit and estimation of her doctrine, it shall fall in wealth and riches, it fhall fall in power and authority. And in all these it fhall fall by degrees as it did rife up by degrees: it fhall not fall at once, as it did not rife up at once.

This is fet down in the fixteenth chapter, where the fall of Rome is compared to the drying up of the river Euphrates, which was dried up by degrees: thus it is, Euphrates was a great river which did run very near unto the old Babylon in Chaldea,

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