being a type thereof Rom. 11.24 When the Lord had thus called them Loammi his people were to hold Communion with them as a Church no more God having cast them off and wrath being come upon them to the uttermost So though Rome were sometimes a true Church of Christ and afterward corrupted by degrees yet when the Lord divorced her as an Harlot as the Mother of Harlots calls her Babylon and not Sion then it is the duty of his people not only to separate from their corruption as before but from their communion also I come now to give the reasons of such a separation from Mystical Babylon which are these First Because God hath put her away hath said of them they are not my people but spiritually Sodom and Egypt Antichristian Gentiles ver 11.2 when the Lord thus forsakes any people we should forsake them when the glory of the Lord departs from a people the Angels withdraw their Protection and by the same degrees Ezek. 10.4,5.18.19 and Chap. 11.22.23 whensoever the glory of the Lord removed the Cherubims also did lift up their wings And as the departure of God is the ground of their withdrawing Protection so it should be of our withholding Communion Secondly Such a separation is to be made because in Babylon no Salvation can be had A Reprobate may in truth be made partaker of all that is contained in the Religion of the Church of Rome Ecclesia propriè dicta non probat quicquid probant mali Doctores admixti ecclesiae nec quicquid boni Doctores haud bene docuerunt Melan. Daven adhort cap. 4. It was Mr. Perkins his Observation long since That a Papist by the Rules of his own Religion cannot go beyond a Reprobate where Foundations are destroyed Principles denyed or corrupted and this not the Doctrine of some particular men only for such there may be in the purest Churches of Christ upon Earth as in the Church of Corinth there were those that denyed the Resurrection of the dead but when it becomes the Doctrine of the Church which they as a Church do profess to maintain and refuse to be reclaimed then there is no more Salvation to be expected there which is conceived to be the pouring out of the second Vial upon Mystical Babylon Rev. 16.3 The Sea then became as the blood of a dead man and every living Soul died in the Sea By the Sea is meant their Doctrine and the Comprehension or Collection thereof as by the Rivers are meant those that carry abroad this Doctrine in all places and all parts of the World This Doctrine is become the blood of a dead man ex corrupta fit corruptissima it was corrupt before yet some lived in it but now every living thing dyed That is there was no more Salvation to be had by the Doctrine of their Religion therefore with them no more Communion is to be held Thirdly We are to separate from her because she is become a persecutor of all the people of God through the world She rides upon a Scarlet coloured Beast an Embleme both of Majesty and Cruelty she is drunk with the blood of the Martyrs of Jesus and in her will be found the blood of the Prophets of the Saints and of all that are slain upon the Earth Rev. 18.24 A separation therefore is a duty that we hold not Communion with her whose trade is Persecution Fourthly Gods people are to separate from Babylon because God hath set himself against her to destroy her with a great and eminent destruction For when she comes up into remembrance before God she that made all Nations drunk with the cup of the wine of her Fornication shall be made to drink of the cup of the wine of the fierceness of Gods wrath Rev. 16.19 and shall with violence as a Milstone be cast into the Sea and be found no more at all Rev. 18.19 It was proclaimed long ago That if any man worshipped the Beast or his Image or received his Mark he should drink of the wine of the wrath of God without mixture and be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy Angels and in the presence of the Lamb Rev. 14.10 Cujus vastitatis confusionis haec erit causa quod Romanum nomen quo nunc regitur Orbis tolletur è terrâ in Asiam Imperiâ—…â—…eveitetur ac rursus Oriens dominabitur atque Occidens serviet de praem divin sect 7. cap. 15. And this Judgement the Antients did foresee and do expect Horret animus dicere dicam tamen quia futurum est Romanum nomen de terra tolletur Lactan. I am affraid to speak it yet I will speak because it shall come to pass that the name of Rome shall be blotted out or taken away out of the Earth Fifthly All Gods people are to separate from her that they partake not with her in her sins it hath been Antichrists business from her very beginning to infect and corrupt others and that she doth after the manner of Harlots in a way of Love and in the most enticing manner for she gives the wine of her Fornication in a golden cup. This hath even been the manner of those men whose spirits Satan hath touched from that impression of devillishness left upon their spirits to desire and endeavor to draw others into fellowship with them in the same sin and the same condemnation and as he that doth not reprove his brother doth bear sin for him Lev. 19.17 So he that doth not give Testimony against sin in that way which the Lord requires brings upon himself the guilt thereof It is not always enough to speak against sin or to mourn for it but a man is to separate from them that walk in it there is a time for Lot in Sodom to vex his righteous soul from day to day but there is a time when he must come out of Sodom unless he will perish with it Sixthly A separation must be made because they that partake in their sins shall surely receive of her plagues and God is no respecter of persons though such as are justified can never come under an eternal guilt yet they may contract a temporal which may involve them in the same temporal Judgements with the wicked and so Sampson like they may die with the Uncircumcised The good Figs shall go into Captivity with the bad though not to the same end Jer. 24. If therefore Gods people desire to be delivered from their plagues they must not partake in their sins which they will alwayes do until they forsake their Communion Use Let this be unto all the people of God as a voice from Heaven to perswade them to come out of Mystical Babylon And the rather because the work of this day should be as to exalt God in this mercy and deliverance so to make Popery odious ever after therefore this day should always revive our detestation that being in our eye which Luther professed to be
acknowledge all this to be meant of Rome and can be understood of nothing else only he refers it to Rome in the latter dayes of the world his Observation upon Chap. 18. is this Nota Romam meretricem esse mercatricem cauponam quae vine suo omnes inebriat dementat And this is called mystically Babylon upon a double account First because of their resemblance in sin First in pride and Self exaltation Babylon the glory of Kingdoms the Beauty of the caldeans excellency Isa 13.19 So Rome she saith in her heart I sit as a Queen and am no widow and shall see no sorrow Revel 18.7 Secondly In Tyranny and cruelty Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lords hand that made all the Earth drunken the Nations have drunk of her wine therefore are the Nations mad Jer. 51.7 So mystical Babylon is a woman that sits upon many waters rides upon the Scarlet coloured Beast and hath a golden cup in her hand and she was found drunk with the blood of the Saints and the Martyrs of Jesus Rev. 17.6 Thirdly In their Witchcraft and Sorcery therefore Caldeans and Southsayers are commonly put one for another most of them being Magicians and addicted unto those unlawfull Arts So Mystical Babylon by her Sorceries are all Nations deceived Rev. 18.23 Which sometimes makes me fear Popery in England much the more because it cannot but be apparent unto every judicious man that Sorcerie grows common amongst us and we have many instances that as Heresie and Cruelty so Heresie and Sorcery have gone together Secondly It is called Babylon because of the likness in the punishment First The Vengeance upon Babylon was the Vengeance of the Temple Jer. 50.28 the Violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon shall the inhabitants of Sion say and my blood upon the inhabitants of Caldea shall Jerusalem say Jer. 51.35 So it shall be with Mystical Babylon in her was found the blood of of the Prophets and of the Saints and of all that were slain upon the Earth and the Lord will avenge this blood of his servants at her hand and will give them blood to drink for they are worthy Rev. 16.18 19.2 Secondly The destruction of Babylon did come suddenly these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day the loss of children and widdowhood they shall come upon thee in their perfection in the multitude of thy Sorceries and the great abundance of thy Inchantments Isa 47.9 So will the Lord deal with mystical Babylon she shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is poured out without mixture into the Cup of his indignation her plagues shall come in one day Death and mourning and famine and she shall be utterly burnt with fire For strong is the Lord God who judgeth her Rev. 11.10 18.8 Thirdly The destruction of Babylon shall be perpetual it shall never be built never be inhabited nor dwelt in from Generation to Generation but the wild Beasts of the Desart shall lie there Owls shall dwell there and Satyrs dance there Isa 13.20,21 The same is said of mystical Babylon also No crafts-man shall be found any more in thee the sound of the Milstone shall be heard no more in thee the light of the candle shall shine no more in thee but thou shalt become the habitation of Devils and the cage of every unclean and hateful Bird Rev. 18.2.22,23 Secondly what is the destruction threatned to Mystical Babylon in this Book Duplex Babylonis interitus in hisce vaticiniis primo pro urbe Bestiae regia puta urbe Romana deinde pro Civibus aut Civitate Romana quam constituit Papa c. Mede clavis Apoc. Cap. 11. there is a double ruin overthrow denounced against her First as Babylon is taken for the City called the Throne of the Beast Rev. 13.2 sc that which was unto the Heathen Emperours the Metropolis or Imperial City this was given to this new Beast and becomes his Throne also Rev. 13.2 Thus Babylon is to be destroyed under the fifth vial Rev. 16.10 and unto this destruction the words of the Text refer Secondly Babylon is not only taken for the City but the Citizens the inhabitants thereof the chief part of which are the Pope Cardinals Bishops with their several Religious Orders who after the burning of the City by the ten Kings shall escape by flight and shall send forth their Emissaries unto the Kings of the Earth not subdued by the Lamb and shall prevail with them to joyn in the same interest and stir them up to unite in that great Battail Armageddon where Antichrist with all his scattered troups and his confederates even all the wicked of the Earth shall be destroyed at once for the Lord loves to see them perish together to bind them in bundles to burn This destruction of Babylon is reserved to the last Vial that upon the Ayr and then shall great Babylon come up into remembrance before God to her utter ruin that her name shall either be blotted out or become a Curse in the Earth Having thus opened the words the Observation which I have pitcht upon is this Doctr. That it is a special duty which the Lord requires of his people living in such times that they make a separation from Mystical Babylon and that especially when her ruin draws near For the opening of it there are two things to be considered First What separation is required Secondly What are the grounds and the reasons of it First What kind of separation doth the Lord require of his people this we are the more narrowly to look into because it is a controversie between us and them and the question as Cardinal Perron proposeth it is Liceatne à communione visibilis Ecclesiae discedere Cameron opusc miscel pag. 522. therefore I must give you this distinction First There is a separation that is a sin Secondly There is a separation that is a duty First There is a separation that is a sin These are they that separate themselves sensual not having the Spirit Jude 19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Decompound may seem to note thus much that they separate and separate till they have forsaken all the true Churches of Christ upon Earth many there are for this kind of Separation who say there are no true Churches Ordinances Ministery and with the foot of pride and contempt not only depart from them all but kick at them Unto these I would only say three things First this Doctrine doth at once destroy the whole plot of this Book of the Revelation wherein the Lord shews unto John all things that should be acted for his Church unto the end of the World and the Spectators thereof which are as the Chorus and upon every occasion give their Acclamations are the Churches First The Church is here meant because first there is Gods presence amongst his people his Throne is there