the midst of heauen or betwene heauen earth bringing w him an euer lasting Gospel preaching that all men should feare God geue glory to his name for that time of his iudgement was at hand and that they should worship him that made heauen earth and althings that ar in them A very angelical sermon in déede an euerlastâ—ng Gospel is that howsoeuer the enemies charge it with noueltie that teacheth to feare God to geue glory to his name to worship him onely that is the creator of heauen earth And a consequent of that Gospel is this sermon of the Angel Shâ— is fallen she is fallen euen BabyloÌ„ that great 〈◊〉 For whersoeuer men are taught to fear◠〈◊〉 a right to geue all glory to him alone to worship none other but him that made heauen and earth althings in them contayned ther must néedes follow a great fal ouerthrow of Babylon Babilonical religion which teacheth the contrary Wherfore if we loue the peace of Ierusalem to the ouerthrow of this her great aduersary let vs embrace this euerlasting Gospel that we feare God glorify God and worship God alone Againe if we hate Babylon with a perfect hatred as we ought to do and therefore would séeke her vtter ruyne and decay let vâ— procure that this Gospel may be preached that men may learne to feare honor and serue God onely and then vndoubtedly Babylon shall fall she shall fal I say she can stand no longer Let this suffice therfore for a Preface Now haue we to consider what Babilon is I haue vndertaken to prooue that Babylon here spoken of is Rome But first I must admonish you how I vnderstand Rome And that is not onely for a certaine place in Italy compassed about with walles furnished with buildinges us other Cities are but for that aucthority gouernment preheminence which is challenged by meanes of that city or for the Romane Empire which is claimed by prerogatiue of the same City And so is Babylon taken in the scripture and namely in thys prophecye For in the. 11. chapter of this Reuelation the same great City is called also Sodoma and Aegiptus wher our Lord was crucified Sodoma for the great abomination and filthines therin maintayned and Aegiptus because it kéepeth the people of God in miserable bondage slauery as Aegipt vnder Pharao did of old Wherby it is manifest that the great City is to be taken for that tyranny gouernment preheminence as I sayd which is châ—llenged in the right of that great City and so is the regiment gouernance of the Romane Antichrist depending vpon the prerogatiue of his See which is Rome Now if any wil contend that Babilon must be taken in the proper sence for a City in Chaldea onely as though we should looke for the Sée of Antichrist out of the East As the Papistes for xxx or xl yeres ago deuised a fable that was renued also in Quéene Maries daies of a monstrous childe which should be borne at Babylon which they would haue men suppose to be Antichrist Hée may be flatly coÌ„uicted of great ignorance when the Angel in the. 17. chap. of this prophecy testifieth that her name is Babilon in a mystery as in the. 11. chap. that she is spiritually called Sodoma Egiptus not in respect of situation of the place but in similitude likenes of conditions Wherfore it remayneth that according to my promise I proue Babilon here mencioned to be Rome The greatest controuersy the thys day troubleth the world is where the true church of God shuld be the Papists making great brags that it is on their side we affirming that it is on our side This controuersy will soone be cut of brought to an end if it may be shewed that BabiloÌ„ is Rome For then cannot Rome be the church of Christ but the church of Antichrist therfore it standeth ure vpon to bring very good and substantial proues to maintain this my assertion the Babylon is Rome But what proues may be counted sufficient Is not the autority of holy scriptures the testimony of auncient Doctors of the church good substantiall proues Therfore if autority of scriptures be a good and substantial proofe ye shal haue scriptures if coÌ„sent of auncient writers in the same sentence be of any value you shall haue plenty And first beginning with scriptures I will not alledge such places as be hard darke to vnderstand but such as be plaine euident manifest and can receiue no other interpretacion to satisfy the iudgement of any reasonable man I omit therfore so many figures as in this Reuelation do not very obscurely signify but euen directly poynt paint out the Antichristian church For although they do so aptly fitly agrée therto as a man might easely iudge they wer made euen for the same purpose yet because they might be wrested to som other meaning if manifest places did not withstand I will leaue all aduauntage that I might take of them hold me onely at this time to those playne euident demonstrations which with no equity nor conscience can admit any other interpretacioÌ„ Onely I wil here note the forasmuch as all figures types and coulors contayned in this booke may so conueniently be applied to Rome as though they had bene properly appoynted to describe her as they wer in deede it is a great preiudice agaynst Rome although no playner prooues might be brought But when so playne arguments ar brought forth that without to much impudency cannot be auoided al other figures dark speches agrée accordingly it is a manifest coÌ„uiction the Rome is none other but this BabiloÌ„ But to begin with these plaine places as I haue promised the first shal be out of the. 11. chapter of this Reuelation that place before alledged wher it is declared the God in al times yea in the greatest persecution would maintain his Church reserue at the least two witnesses which shuld testify of his truth in spight of Antichrist hys adherents Which although the moÌ„strous beast that ariseth out of the bottomles pit shuld murther slay yet God should restore them to lyfe again continually stirring vp a sufficient number to beare witnes of his name doctrine In that chapter I say is contained that when the beast had murdered them he should enuy them the honor of burial so their bodies should lye in the stréete or market place of that great city which is spiritually called Sodoma Aegyptus wher our Lord was crucified Declaring therby that as Rome had slain crucified the head so should Rome persecute the members and in the same city wher their Lord was murthered the seruaunts also should be persecuted But here a man would thinke that I were impudent to affirme that our sauiour Christ was crucified at Rome whom al the world knoweth to haue suffered death at Ierusalem But you must call to remembrance
circumlocution then Rome For it any man wyll be so froward to except that the word of hyls is not taken in the proper sence but figuratiuely and Metaphorically for some other thing as some would seme to interprete seuen hils in this place for vij kingdoms he shall plainly be conuinced by these reasons First it wer absurd that the Angell should repeate one thing twise for in the next clause hée sheweth that the seuen heads doo signify kyngdoms also But specially we must remember that this is an interpretacioÌ„ of the Angel which must either be plaine easy to be vnderstood or els it deserueth not the name of an interpretacioÌ„ Therfore if the Angel offering to expound the mystery of the seuen heads geueth this exposition that they signify seuen hyls if hyls be not taken in their proper sence to what purpose serueth this exposition For if the name of hyls hath nede of an other exposition he had bene as good to haue left the name of heades vnexpounded And as for the interpretacioÌ„ of hyls to signify Kings is more obscure dark far fet then that heads shuld represent Kings for it is more apt by Metaphore to call a King an head then to call him an hyl Therfore except we wil say that the interpretacion of the Angel is in vain yea more darke then the thing that is expounded by him we must needes confes that hyls ar taken in their proper sence for hyls and then the Citye builded vpon seuen hyls without all controuersy is the City of Rome The fourth last proofe that I wyll take out of the holy scripture is the last verse of the same 17. chapter which is yet a more plain descriptioÌ„ of Rome if any thing can be more plaine then that hath bene already spoken of For ther the Angel in plaine woords expoundeth that the woman which S. Iohn saw which was the great whore Babylon is that great City which hath doâ—inion ouer the Kings of the earth What brasen face is so impudent to deny that Rome was that great city which had dominion ouer the Kings of the earth at that time when this was spoken Or what other city had dominion ouer the Kings of the earth in s. Iohns time but Rome Who is therfore so froward and vntoward the he will not acknowledge Babylon here to be plainly called Rome If I should name the chiefe City of England who would not vnderstand London If I should speake of the cheif city of Eraunce who would not conceiue Paris And when the Angel named the chiefe citie of the world who could be ignoraunt liuing in that time or knowing the history of that time that he vnderstood it of the city of Rome which was the Sée of the Empyre and from whence wee should looke that Antichrist should come according to the former prophecies For it is a shame in this place to slée vnto Allegories and further expositions of this Angelicall interpretacion which as I said before if it be not cleare playn and easy to be vnderstood deserueth not that name of an exposition as when one knowen thing is expouÌ„ded by another as much or more vnknowen it is vayne superfluous and ridiculous Wherfore whom any bandes of reason wyll hold in they must be satisfied with the expositioÌ„ of the Angel that Babylon is Rome For seing it was necessary for the church of God to know as well the place wher Antichrist should sit as to be instructed of his craft and cruelty our sauiour Christ the Author of thys Reuelation would not suffer his congregation to be ignoraÌ„t therof but sent his Angel playnly to interprete and expound the vision of the great whore that the Church being throughly admonished of her wickednes instructed perfectly to know her might more easely take heede of her flée from her and abhorre her So that according to my promise I haue sufficiently proued by autority of holy Scripture this first proposition which I tooke in hand that Babylon is Rome But because some ar of such obstinate wilful frowardnes that nothing will satisfy them but they wyl styl grudge and repine â—arpe and obiect against my interpretacions of the holy scriptures for the text they caÌ„not deny I wish them that are such if they like not these expositions which I haue brought to the defacing of Antichrist his religion then that they admit and reuerence those expositions which their own Authors bring for the maintenance of the Popes authority his religion Of which sort are these God saith Moses in Genesis made two great lights the Sunne to rule the day and the Moone to gouern the night That is saith the famous Interpreter God ordained the Pope and the Emperour to rule the world By the Sunne is ment the Pope by the Moone the Emperour And looke how much greater and more glorious the Sunne is then the Moone so much greater and more glorious is the Pope then the Emperor And not content with this he couÌ„teth by Arithmatike how much greater the Sunne is in quantity then the Moone by proportion that it hath to the earth so by many parts be coÌ„cludeth that the Pope is greater then the Emperor But here a maÌ„ might help him what by Geometry what by Arithmatike for wher as the Sunne is 166 times greater then the earth the earth 39. times greater then the Moone as is proued by Mathematical demonstration the Pope shoulde bée 6474. times greater then the Emperor This is one noble exposition that is set forth to aduaunce the dignity of the Pope and his kingdome Another like to this is vpon the words of the Apostels which answered vnto our Sauiour Christ when he commaunded him that had no sword to sell his coate bye one signifiyng the great daunger the was at hand Lord say they here are two swordes These words sayth the Glosar are the Ciuill Ecclesiasticall power which remâ—ined in Peter therfore his successor the Pope hath preheminence of both No doubt a worthy interpretacion that agréeeth wel w the text doth the Pope great worship Againe S. Paule saith to the Corinthians 1. Cor 2. The spiritual man iudgeth althings and he himselfe is iudged of none This spirituall man saith the Interpreter is the Pope which is Iudge of all the world may not be controlled of any man no though he draw with him innumerable soules into hel fier ther to be tormented with the Deuil him for euer more yet no man must be so bold as to finde fault with him or to say Domine quid ita facis Lord why do you so Is not this an handsome exposition Yes I promis you euen like vnto this other Statuimus vt Clerici nec ceruam nutriant nec barbam radant We decrée sayth the Canon of an auncient Counsel that the Clergy shall neither weare loÌ„g héere nor shaue their beards The Glosar finding this Canon to be so cleane contrary
vnto the custome of the popish Clergy who vse to weare long héere and to shaue their beardes thought he would draw it at the least if it would not come by faire meanes to maintaine the lawdable custome of the popishe Clergy and by exposition of one word he maketh the whole Canon to serue his turne Therfore Statuimus saith he which is we decrée is to be expounded for Abrogamus which is we disanul or abrogate and so the sence afterward falleth out very plaine for the popish Priestes thus We disanul that Priests should go with out long héere or vnshauen beards A right cuÌ„ning interpretation and proper for the place such in effect are all those that serue for the maintenance of the Popes authority the religion of popery Therfore he that is of so sharpe iudgement that he wil mislyke refuse those playne expositions which I haue brought of the places before alledged except against them as enforâ—ed constrained and far fetched let hym lyke of prayse magnify and admire these interpretations which are sought out to vphold establish the Popes throne his religion as rightly faithfully truly collected Atque idem iungat Vulpes mulgeat Hircos and by as good reason let him ioyne for hys plough not Oxes but Foxes and mylke for his payle not shée Goates but hée Goates as the Poet saith Now that I haue proued Babylon to be Rome by autorite of scripture it foloweth that I must shew for the same the consent of auncient Doctors And as in my former probatioÌ„ I touched onely such places as did plainly directly manifestly set forth my purpose so in this behalfe I wil deale with the Doctors Not such as they are woont to alledge against vs names in déede of great and reuerent antiquity but workes of mere falsehood and forgery bewraying theyr Authors not to be such as they are fathered vpon but such as out of the body of blindnes and superstition of much latter time haue begotten them Such are the decretal Epistels of the old Bishops of Rome Linus ClemeÌ„s Anacletus c Of which Clemens writing to s. Iames forsooth in his second Epistle chargeth him very earnestly that the Pixe be cleanly kept so that ther appere no Myse doong or any other filthynes among the fragments of the body of Christ with many other apostolical coÌ„maundements The impudence of whose Authors appeareth notably in this that wheras they were ignorant Buzards that could not write true latin they would ascribe their couÌ„terfet Epistles to so learned fathers as though at that time when womeÌ„ and children spake latin naturally as their mother tong the bishops were so vnlearned that they did write so barbarously and were not able to vtter their minde in true latin But leauyng those delicates for such as long after them I wyl vse no authority for this purpose but such as they cannot refuse but that it is auncient catholike authentical I wil begyn therefore with Irenaeus one of the most auncient and authentical writers that the Church hath Who in the fift booke of his treatise agaynst all heresies speaking of the Sée of Antichrist vpon the last verse vpon the 13. chapter of this Reuelation where it is sayde that the number of the Beastes name is sixe hundred sixtye and sixe sheweth that the opinion of many in hys time was that seing this name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is in English The Latineman or Romane in the numerall Greeke letters containeth thys number that Antichrist must be sought at Rome His woordes are these Sed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no men sexcentorum sexaginta sex numerorum c. et valde veresimile est quoniam verissimam regnum hoc habet vocabulum Latini enim sunt qui nunc regnant Also sayth he thys name Latemos contayning the number of 666 is thought to be the name of Antichrist and it is very like so to be for that which most vndoubtedly is a kingdome hath that name for they be Latines which now doo raigne You sée by this testimony of Iraeneus that this prophecy of old time was vnderstood of Rome and therefore it is no new interpretacioÌ„ that Babylon is Rome and that the number of the Beasts name is to be found in one that beareth rule at Rome If this exposition or explication of that Beasts name had bene deuised by Luther Zwynglius or Caluine it might haue bene suspected as a thyng imagined of spight and enuy against the church of Rome but wheÌ„ it is brought forth by so auncient a Doctor which liued not many yeres after this Reuelation was geuen as he himselfe saith it was but a litle before his tyme vnder Domitiane the Emperor which died 13. hundred yeres before Luther was borne we must néedes iudge it both to be very auncient voyd of all partiallity Wherfore I wyll passe ouer diuers other applications of that number to other names whych neuertheles hyt Babylon home because they haue bene sought out of late by such as beare yll wyll vnto Rome For I think this is sufficient with all reasonable men of equal iudgemeÌ„t to proue that this is no new opinion to séeke the See of Antichrist at Rome They them selues to prooue their doctrine catholike alledge autority of a 11. or 12. hundred yeres antiquity behold this opinion is 13. or 14 hundred yeres old that Antichrist should be a Romane that the See of his tyraÌ„ny is at Rome The second witnes of this assertion that Babylon is Rome is Tertullianus a very auncient writer also Who in plaine woords affirmeth that Babylon signifieth Rome in that third booke against Martion which denyed that Christ had a true body Wherfore Tertulliane vseth this reasoÌ„ against him That thing which hath a figure of it must be a thing of truth so discoursing of many things figured the figures of them coÌ„meth to these words Sie et Babylon apud Iohannem nostrum Romanae vrbis figuram portat perinde magnae regno superbae sanctorum debellatricis That is to say Euen so doth Babylon in the Apocalips of our s. Iohn beare the figure of the city of Rome which is altogether as great and as proud in raigne as great a persecuter of the Sayntes as Babilon was You see therfore most clearly and plainly that Tertulliane w al his learning could not interprete these things that be written in this Reuelation concerning Babylon to be applied to any other city then Rome And he is also a witnes voyd of al partiallity or affection to either part of them that striue in our dayes For he departed nere about xiij hundred yeres before our tyme why should we not then bée credited in this case Well next vnto hym I wyll ioyne Chrysostome in his CoÌ„mentary vpon the second Epistle to the Thessalonians the second chapter in his fourth Homely Where as s. Paule speaking of the manifestation of Antichrist sayth they knew what
was the stay that he was not presently reuealed But when that stay is taken away he shuld be reuealed in his due time Chrysostome expouÌ„deth this stay to be the Romane Empire which must geue place vnto Antichrist That like as the Persians came in place of the Chaldeans the Grecians in place of the Percians and the Romanes in place of the Graecians euen so Antichrist should inuade the Empire of the Romanes Vacantem imperij principatum inuadet tentabit ad se capere hominum Dei imperium Antichrist sayth he shal inuade the vacant principallity of the Empire shal assay to draw vnto him self the Empires both of God men And is it not manifest that the Papacie grew tooke increase by the decay of the Empire at the fall of the Monarchy challenged full possession of all dominion both spirituall and temporall Of the same iudgement is s. Ierome writing vpon the same place of Paule vnto Algasia in the eleuenth question whose wordes are these Nec vult aperte dicere Romanum imperium de struendum quod ipsi qui imperant aeternum putant vnde secundum Apocalypsim IohaÌ„nis in fronte purpuratae meretricis scriptum est nomen blasphemiae id est Romae aeternae c. that is Neither wil he openly say that the Romane Empire should be destroyed which they that gouerne it thinke to be euerlasting whereforâ— according to the Reuelation of s. Iohn in the forehead of the purple whore ther is written a name of blasphemi which is Rome euerlasting Loe here another witnes of good antiquity and sufficient credit which not onely agreeeth plainly with Chrysostome that Antichrist should take possession of the Romane Empire when it should be decayed in the Emperours but also most plainly agréeing with Tertulliane calleth that Babylonicall strumpet which is described in the 17. chapter of this Apocalips that purple whore of Rome the name of the blasphemye to be Rome euerlasting As though hee had heard the Pope brag of the eternity of his Sée which he saith is the Rocke against which the gates of hel caÌ„not preuaile But he is fowly be giled for Rome the Sée of his Popedome is by s. Ieromes iudgement that Babylon of whoÌ„ the Angel preacheth the howsoeuer the boast of her eternity She is fallen she is fallen euen Babylon that great city neuer shal rise againe They cry out agaynst vs that we rayle and speake coÌ„tumeliously of the holy Sée of the Pope when we call Rome the whore of Babilon but when the old Doctours to whose iudgement they themselues appeale from the authority of the scripture feare not so plainly in their writings to paynt out the Babylonycall strumpet in her right coulors in flat words to say she is Rome the mother of al abominacions the Sée of Antichrist why should we be blamed for saying as we are taught by them And especially of those men that make so great vauntes that the iudgement is altogether on their side by whom they offer to be tryed when they dare not abide the iudgement of the Scriptures Againe consider I pray you of the old Doctors before Antichrist were openly reuealed did vnderstand by the scriptures that he should â—yt at Rome what thinke you would they haue said and written if they had lyued in these dayes knowen and sene all that was prophecied to be fulfilled in him wyth what confidence suppose ye they wold haue inueyed against him With how open mouthes would they haue cryed out vpon him At least wyse do you not thinke in your conscience that when they had considered the autority of the Pope his wholesome doctrine they would haue chaunged their minds and recanted their writings against Rome and repented that euer they had called her the purple whore of Babylon seing she is the holy mother church of Rome the Sée of the most holy father the Pope the head of the same church I must néedes say thus much in your behalfe O ye Papists as yll as I loue you that if Hierome Tertulliane and the rest of the Doctors dyd so account of Rome as you affirme of them they were much to blame to defame her wyth such odious names as to call her the purple whore of Babylon which must néedes make her vehemently suspected to be the church of Antichrist and not of christ For what Papist in these dayes dare say that which Hierome sayd that Rome is that purple harlot Babylon which S. Iohn speaketh of in the Apocalips The same Hierome in his 13. booke of CoÌ„mentaries of the prophecy of Esay vpon the 47 chap. writeth in this maner Licet ex co quod iuxta 70 scriptuÌ„ est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id est filia Babylonis noÌ„ ipsum Babylonem quidam sed Romanam vrbem interpretantur quae in Apocalypsi Iohannis Epistola Petri Babylon specialliter appellatur c. That is For as much as the seuenty Interpreters write not the daughter Babylon but the Daughter of Babylon some doe interprete therof not Babylon in Chaldea but the City of Rome which in the Reuelation of saint Iohn the Epistle of Peter is specially called Babylon Note that Hierome in this place accoÌ„pted Rome to be Babylon the yonger daughter of Babylon the elder And secondly that this was not his opinion onely but the consent of many other in his time and namely of such as vsed to interprete the Prophet Esay Thirdly and especially coÌ„sider that he affirmeth Rome in the Apocalips to be specially called Babilon So that Babylon in the Apocalips by his iudgement cannot be vnderstood for nothing els but Rome because Rome is there specially figured by Babylon What meaneth Hierome so often to beate in this naile that Babylon is Rome If it had slipped out of his pen but once he myght haue bene pardoned for his ouersight but wheÌ„ he hath neuer done writing that Rome is Babylon and in the Reuelation specially called Babylon why should we accompt him any longer for a Catholike For in hys Preface vnto the booke of Didimus De spiritu sancto which he translated out of Gréeke into Latin writing to Pauinianus he vttereth these wordes Cum in Babylone versarer purpuratae meretricis essem Colonus iure Quiritum viuerem c. Of late saith he when I was in Babylon and was an inhabitant of the purple harlot liued after the lawes of the Romanes I thought to intreate somewhat of the holy Ghost What néeded Hierome in this place so odiously contumeliously to call Rome by the name of Babilon but that he could neuer consider Rome otherwise but to be that See appointed for Antichrist for in other places wher he interpreteth that scriptures Prophecies concerning Antichrist we may lesse maruel if he interprete Babylon for Rome because no reason could leade him to expound it otherwise But here talking pleasaÌ„tly with his friend what necessitys compelled him to vse such descriptions of Rome
but that this persuasion was so déepely grauen in hys minde that Babylon is Rome that neither in earnest noriest he could forget it but is alwaies harping vpon it as though he thought scorne to call Rome by any other name then that he had learned in the scriptures to be Babylon the purple Harlot For in lyke maner writing to Marcella a vertuous Gentlewoman of Rome whom he allured to forsake Rome to dwell nere vnto him in Bethlehem one especial reasoÌ„ that he vseth to persuade her is this That as BethleheÌ„ whether he wold haue her to repaire is situate in the holy land the place coÌ„secrated to the birth of Christ So Rome where shee desired to remaine was the Babylonical harlot according to the Reuelation of s. Iohn appointed for the birth of Antichrist which ther shuld arise exercise tyranny from thence should deceiue that whole world with his wicked wyles But who so wil reade the workes of Ierome may finde yet more places in which he is bold to cal Rome Babylon that very Sée of Antichrist Whereby it is apparant that it is no new or straunge matter to séeke Antichrist at Rome when such old Doctors of the church so coÌ„monly in Commentaries Epistles and other writings do teach vs that Rome is Babylon the scripture affirmeth that Babylon is the Sée of Antichrist But let vs leaue s. Ierome and sée what other say of the same matter Saint Ambrose writing a CoÌ„mentary vpon the Reuelation of s. Iohn is of the same iudgement Of the authority of the woorke I wyll moue no question at this time seing it is commended to vs by Cuthbert Tonstal late bishop of Duresme who found it in an old Library first set it in print vnder the name of that great s. Ambrose and is willing that men should so thinke of it It is good authority I say against the Papists being commended by so Catholike a Prelate because they are woont to receiue whatsoeuer commeth vnder the name of an old Doctor though it be neuer so vnlyke his writing and cry out vpon vs for reiecting at our pleasure the workes of auncient Doctors that make against our doctrine as though we reiected any without cause or they refused none for any cause wheras Pighius their great Patron blusheth not to reiect the report of two general Counsels the fift sixt of CoÌ„stantinople which are coÌ„mended to vs by publike faith of that church of Constantinople because in the one Pope Honorius is condemned accursed for an heretike in neither of both the Popes Legats could haue the highest place according to that request of their ambicious Maister But as for this Ambrose if he wer not Ambrose of Millain yet is it apparant by the style that he was some auncient writer of the Latin church he throughout this prophecy interpreteth Babylon to be Rome Antichrist to be sought no where but at Rome Primasius also a very auncient writer who likewise coÌ„menteth vpon the Apocalips expouÌ„deth these prophecies of Antichrist to be fulfilled in that Romane empire of the city of Rome S. Augustine in his worke De Ciuitate Dei not once or twise but oftentimes is bold to cal Rome Babylon Babylon Rome as in his 16. booke and 17. chapter he calleth Rome an other Babylon in the West And in his 18. booke 2. chapter he calleth Babylon of Chaldea the first Rome Rome of Italy the second Babylon willing men to consider that in the beginning of the city of God which was the church in Abrahams time the first Rome that was Easterne Babylon her enemy was builded in Chaldea and about the same time that the first Babylon was destroyed least the city of God should lack her enemy the second Babylon which is Rome in Italy was erected It is a straunge matter that the same city which is that professed enemy of the city of God should be the mother of al religion the very city of God it selfs O Augustin thou wast not wel aduised to make the city of Rome enemy to the city of God that Rome should be the same to the church of God that Babilon of old was at Ierusalem The same Augustine in the 22. chap. of the 18. booke calleth Rome an other Babilon daughter of the first Babilon And in the 27. chap. he calleth Rome Western Babylon By these other testimonies of oldâ— writers that might be brought but for tediousnes I suppose it is sufficiently proued that Babylon in this my text spoken of is Rome and that we should not seeke Antichrist to proceede from any other place then from Rome But what neede I trouble my selfe to seeke further testimonial for coÌ„firmation of this matter that Babylon is Rome then of the Papistes them selues For it is the common catholike opinion of all Papists that s. Peter in his Epistle where he sendeth salutacions froÌ„ the Church gathered in Babilon by Babilon vnderstandeth Rome And they learne it of Ieronime which in the life of s. Marke doth so expound it So gréedy they are to finde a place in Scripture where Peter should be said to haue bene at Rome that they are content to acknowledge Babylon in the scripture to be vnderstood of Rome And thus I haue performed I trust sufficiently that which I tooke in hand to proue both by the autority of holy scripture in plaine manifest textes by consent of many auncient writers yea by the confession of the Papists them selues that Babylon in the scripture is taken for Rome And thus much for the first part in which because I haue bene ouer long I wyl be shorter in that which remayneth In the second part I promised to declare how Babilon which is Rome is fallen according to the prophecy of this Angell She is fallen saith the Angel she is fallen He repeateth y woord of falling for two causes First to declare the certainty of her decay that howsoeuer she seemed to floorish and triumph as though she should neuer haue falleÌ„ or come to ruine yet God for her wickednes most righteously for the comfort of his church most mercifully had decréeed vndoubtedly that she should fall when that time was once come which in his most wise well ordered councel was appointed for her destruction Secondly he repeateth twise that she is fallen to shew that she should haue an vnrecouerable fall she should not fall as other cities which haue risen again but she should fal without al hope of recouery neuer to be restored again Therfore in the 18. chap. a mighty Angel taketh vp a great mylstone throweth it into the sea saying VVith such violence sâ—al Babilon that great city be throwne downe neuer be sene any more So that as it is impossible for a great milstone throwne with great forcâ— by a mighty Angel into the bottom of the sea to rise vp againe swym aboue the water so impossible is it that
in which the doctrine of Babylon of long tyme hath triumphed And it is our parts to pray that her credit may dayly more more decrease that the kingdome of Christ may be perfectly established amoÌ„gst vs the kingdom of Antichrist may be ouerthroweÌ„ euen from the foundacions That no superfluous relikes of Babylonical religion mai remain wher the church of Christ is in building but that the doctrine of Babylon may fal altogether Thus haue I declared that Babilon in wealth and substance in power autority in credit estimation of her doctrine is fallen that with out hope of recouery For her credit is cracked not onely among her enemies the Protestants but euen among her best friendes and greatest Archpapists For I suppose ther is none in the world so blinde so supersticious so deuoutly addict in all points of popish idolatry and supersticion as they were xxx or xl yeares past Although they close their eyes neuer so obstinatly against the light of Gods word yet some effect of the beames of force wil pearce euen through their eye lids And that they them selues caÌ„not dissemble although they would neuer so faine but that they haue bene deceiued wyth grosse errors shameful supersticions Their Pardons their Pilgrimages their Legends who is now so blinde that séeeth not how the world hath bene seduced by them And the simplicity of the people abused to satisfy their vnsatiable couetousnes As for the greatest Patrones of Popery that be learned they cannot deny but that great errors haue bene receyued taught for truthes yea the Pope himself hath acknowledged that many errours haue crept into the church yea euen into the Masse but the reformation of them pertaineth to him alone the general councel But what hope of reformatioÌ„ is to be looked for at their hands let it be sene in the decrées of the last councel of Trent What litle Mise those great mountaynes in so many yeres trauel haue brought forth In fortye or fifty yeres consultacion two great matters reformed One for Pardoners not to be coÌ„mon Pedlers another for the Communion in both kindes to those that desire it so they confes it were as good in one kinde and agrée with them in al other pointes of Popery Yet all was not wel they confes by their correction And as for the greatest pillers and Proctors they haue if they be pressed nere acknowledge a great deale more As one that landed lately at Yarmouth before witnes of good credite restified that if he might be satisfised in two pointes concerning y Popes supremacy the real presence for other matters he would not greatly striue So that I will conclude that Babylon is fallen in riches in power in credit of doctrine not onely with protestants but euen with Papists them selues But now I know what wyll be obiected against me that I haue traueled all in vayne to proue that Babylon is fallen that Babylon is Rome And that I haue abused the textes of scripture and sentences of old Doctors to proue the â—ame For what soeuer is contained either in â—he scripture or in the writing of the auncient Doctors to proue that Babylon is Rome is to â—e vnderstood of Rome vnder the heathen Emâ—erours not vnder the Popes And that all â—his while I haue wrested the scriptures enâ—orced the Doctors to affirme that which they â—euer thought of In dede I wil confes the some â—rophecies contained in this Reuelation were â—ulfilled in the heathen Emperours that the â—eathen Empire was an introduction vnto Anâ—ichrist but that Antichrist the great enemy of the church of Christ which is principally called Antichrist could not be any of the heathen Emperors neither the state of the heathen Monarchy I wil make it manifest by plain demonstrations And first I wil retain this principle sufficiently proued before that Rome is the Sée of Antichrist and that by autority of scriptures and consent of auncient writers we can seeke him no wher but in the Romane Empire And now the controuersy resteth in this whether that heathen Emperors or the Pope vs them First s. Paule in the second chap. of the second Epistle to the ThessaloniaÌ„s speaking purposely of Antichrist saith expresly that he shal syt in the temple of God which is y church of Christ â–ª But it is manifest that the heathen Emperorâ— did not sit in the church of God therfore that heathen Emperor is not this Antichrist And by that same reasoÌ„ it is manifest that Mahomet is not that especial Antichrist because he sitteth without the temple of God as ther be diuers that wold haue these things to be vnderstood of Mahomet or Ottomanus but it is as clere as the Sunne at noone daies for as much as neyther the heathen Emperors nor Mahomet nor Ottomanus sitteth in the temple or church of God that none of them is that great Antichrist oâ— whom the prophecies of the scripture are to bée expounded And where as some of them interprete the abominacion of desolation whereof Christ speaketh to be ment of Antichrist or at least wise to be a figure of him that cannot be vnderstood of the heathen Emperors or any other that is without the Church for that standeth in the holy place which is the temple and signifieth the church Now the Pope sitteth in the midst of the temple of God boasteth him self to be God challenging to him selfe such autority as is proper onely to God vsurping such honor as is peculiar onely to god Therefore not in the heathen Emperors but in the Popes is this prophecy accomplished Another reason to proue y Antichrist which in this Reuelation is foreshewed to come into the world caÌ„not be vnderstood to be the heatheÌ„ Emperors is taken out of the. 17. chap. of the same booke For there the Angell interpreting vnto s. Iohn the mistery of the Beast that beareth the Harlot which hath seuen heads after he hath shewed that the seuen heads signify vij hyls he declareth that they signifye also seuen Kings or principall estates or formes of regiment for so the name of King is often taken in the Prophets and specially in Daniel at which prophecy s. Iohn borroweth many phrases Of â—hese seuen heads fiue he saith were fallen the sixt was then presently in autority and the â—euenth was not yet come which seuenth was the monstrous beast Antichrist that was both the seuenth and the eight Now it is euident that this could not be vnderstood of the heathen Emperors for Nero the first persecuting Paynim was come and gone Domitian an other persecuter by whose tyranny s. Iohn was banished into the Isle of Patmos wher he saw receiued this Reuelation was then in autority So that of the Monarchy or tyranny of heathen Emperors this could not be vnderstood of the Christian Emperors no man wil expouÌ„d it so that it must needes be turned ouer to the Pope for it can rest in no place els
And being referred vnto him all the rest hath a very apâ— exposition of the city of Rome the dominions therof hath had seuen principal states or formes of regiment The first state of Kings the secoÌ„â— of Consuls the third of Decemuiri the fourtâ— of Dictatores the fift of Triumuiri the sixt oâ— Caesars or Emperors the seuenth of Popes Now fiue of these states or formes of regimenâ— were fallen and abolished in s. Iohns time thâ— sixt which was the Emperors in his time waâ— in place and the seuenth which is the Popes was not yet come which was the very beast iâ—selfe the Romane Empire reuiued and raise vp from the bottomles pit of hel into the vsurped tyranny of the Pope And this is that Beasâ— that somtimes was of wonderful great poweâ— and glory in the daies of Augustus and some other of his successors but then much decayed as if it had not bene although in some sorte it wer but should be restored in the vsurped autority of the Pope that claimeth al the world to be his Diocesse Which power commeth not from God but from the Prince of pride out of the bottomles pyt But chiefly let vs consider that the beast although he be but one yet in the accompt he standeth for two for he is that seuenth head the sight also And remember that the Pope challengeth double authority namely the power of both swordes the spiritual the temporal So that in this exposition althings agrée most aptly Againe it is manifest in the scriptures that Antichrist should deceiue the world with false doctrine vnder pretence coullor of true religion therfore so often times the scripture warneth men that they be not seduced by him which were needeles if any open professed enemy of Christ should be that Antichrist For there is no likelyhood that an heathen man a Iew or a Turke shuld deceiue any multitude of true ChristiaÌ„s but he that vnder the pretence of the name of Christ seeketh most of all to deface the honor of Christ he is a subtil aduersary the very spirit of Antichrist as S. Iohn also in hys Epistle doth testify For in the second chap. speaking of those Antichristes which were the forerunners of that great Antichrist be sheweth that they went out from the church in the fourth chap. he calleth them false Prophets and teacheth them how to know that spirit of Antichrist He that denieth IESVS to be Christ he that denieth that IESVS Christ is come in the flesh That is he that derogateth anye thing from the honor of Iesus to be Christ and in his flesh to haue performed the ful worke of mans redemption as that Pope doth most blasphemously he is Antichrist and who so teacheth anye such doctrine speaketh by that spirit of Antichrist For the testimony of IESVS is the spirit of prophecy Seing therfore that S. Iohn accompteth Antichrist for one that is gone from the Church for a false Prophet it is cleare that Antichrist is no heathen Emperor which was neuer of the Church nor anye false Prophet that tooke vpon him to teach in the church The same may be said of Mahomet who neuer professed him selfe to be a Christian nor yet a Prophet in the Church of Câ—rist pretending to vphold the religion of Christ but an open enemy or the Gospell and of our Sauiour Christ altogether without the Church By these arguments I doubt not but all men may see that seeâ—ng Babyloâ— is Rome and that the head of Babylon is Antichrist that he cannot be any of the heathen Emperors but euen the Pope him selfe And therfore I conclude according to my text that Rome is fallen if Babylon by fallen Now remaineth the last part that I promised to entreate of namely the cause of Gods so seuere iudgemeÌ„t against Babylon that he hath decreeed her vtter ouerthrow and destruction which the Angel compreheÌ„deth in these words Because she hath made al Nations dronke with the wyne of the fury of her fornication That is She hath deceiued all the world wyth false doctrine which he compareth vnto two kindes of vices wherby men are so deceiued that they léese al right iudgement Dronkennes and Fornication For as these two vices do allure men to commit them by coueting of vayne deâ—ectacion that is in them euen so Babylon hath enticed all men lyke an other Circe to drinke of the cup of her delectable errors and to commit most filthy fornication with her idolatrous religion For of all other religions to the carnall man none is so pleasant as Popery is in which be so many kindes of satisfaction to be obtayned both in this life after men be dead that there is no greater security of an hipocriâ—e to sleepe in then in the faire promises of Poê‘erye And that causeth so many willingly to embrace it so loth to depart from it because they wold styll continue without checke of true doctrine which calleth men to repentaunce and amendment of lyfe or els threateneth eternal damnation For howsoeuer it pleaseth them to charge the doctrine of the Gospell with cause of security it may easely be sene by comparison of it with the doctrine of Popery whether be cause of security that which teacheth no satisfaction but one for them that be penitent in this lyfe or theirs that hath so many waies to merite rewardes to satisfy for synnes not onely while men lyue in the world but also for them that are already gone out of it And ther is no wine so swéete to the taste of a carnall man as that which maketh hym droonke with opinion of his own righteousnes as it is the nature of strong wyne to make very Cowardes thynke them selues to be valiant Champions and such is the cup of popish doctrine contayning merites and satisfactions Agayne when we consider that Antichrist should make men droonke wyth hys erroneous doctrine we maruel lesse how men could be so blinded and infatuate that they could not sée and perceiue such grosse errours and manifest vntruthes as are in Popery For as they that are ouercome with the strength of wyne haue lost the right vse both of their wyt and of their sences euen so they that are droonke with the hereticall doctrine of Papistry do grope in the cleare light of the Sunne and sée not their own deformity though all the world beside cry out of them In like maner they that be ouercome with the vnhonest loue of Harlots haue theyr reason so imprisoned in corrupt affection and foolish fantasy that they are at libertye neither to see their own folly nor admit any wyse and godly counsel So it fareth with those that the Babylonicall Circe the church of Rome hath alâ—ured by her enchauntments to commit spiritual fornication with her they cannot abide to heare the voice of them that calleth them out of that damnable estate so highly they please them selues in their own misery as if they were in case of