This is one interpretation of the seven Heads She sits upon seven Hills Now it 's well known that Rome is scituated on seven Hills or Mountains And therefore was known by the name Vrbs septicollis and Septiceps and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which words signifiâ— seven Hills or seven Heads That 's one Interpretation or unfolding of the seven Heads of the Beast that carries the great Whore. The Angel also gives another interpretation of those seven Heads that both meeting together they might make the more certain discovery of her That second interpretation was not then at that time wholly fulfilled when the Angel gave it And that still adds more clearness and certainty to the applying of it to Rome The interpretaton is this And there are seven Kings five are fallen and one is and the other is not yet come 〈◊〉 and when he cometh he must continue a while These seven Kings are rightly taken by prudent understanding men to be the seven Governments that Rome hath had viz. First Kings secondly Consuls thirdly Dictators fourthly Decemviri fifthly Tribunes Which five were fallen in John's time then One is said the Angel to John and that was the Emperors which made the Sixth and was standing in John's time But the other the Seventh which was the Popes is not yet come said he And when he is come he must continue a while How aptly do these things fit Rome even as a garment fitted to ones back So that finding all these Characters of the great Whore so apparently in Rome how can she clear her self from being that very great Whore Only this I would have the Reader to mind that by Rome here I do not understand every individual person in her but the Ruling Hierarchical power of Rome which makes the carnal and earthly people drunk with the Wine of her Fornication and holds the People of God in Captivity under her As Jerusalem and Israel was charged with Whoredom in like case of following their own inventions whenas all in it were not guilty but God had a precious people in it who were grieved therewith So it may be with Rome And so by Pope I do not so much understand every individual Pope as the Mystery and the power of the Popedom in which they stand I now pass on from the Hierarchy of Rome to the Inhabiters of the Earth who are a People set on mischief by the Whoredomes oâ— the great Whore. These are a People so intoxicated with the Wine of her Fornication that is with the Innovations of the great Whore that like drunken men they are full of quarrel heady bold out-facers of Truth haters of all that stands in the way of their Innovations and ready with eager minds to embrew their hands in the blood of righteous people if their Masters do but call them Hereticks and set them on altho they have no other provocation or reason to do it but only because they are against their Innovations These are very numerous so that the great Whore wants not hands to execute her fury upon the innocent Servants of Christ when she sees a fit time to employ them And this they are ready to do in loyalty to her Usurped Authority And therefore altho they are not guiltless yet she is chiefly charged with being drunk with the blood of the Servants of Jesus As David was charged with the blood of Vriah because it proceeded from him So the great Whore standsguilty of all the blood shed in obedience and loyalty to her Innovations But in a dangerous thing to be 〈…〉 in the hand of there that sight against God and against'd â— simplicity and pusity of his wares and innocency and fidelity of his Servants It may go easier with those that are drunk with the Wine of the great Whores Fornication than which her that is drunk with blood but I think none that understands the danger would be in Sodoms use because it shall be more toletable for them than for some other Cities at the day of Judgment There is a third sort of People under the Dominion of the great Whore whom my Soul longs after whose Spirits are drawn after the Lord and who truly fear him altho their understandings may be captivated under many of her Innovations These when they come to see their liberty in the Lord may say with the Israelites O Lord our God other Lords besides thee have had dominion over us but by thee only will we made mention of thy name Isa 26 〈◊〉 Other Lord have had dominion over ye to cause 〈◊〉 to make mention of thy Name in their superstations waies but by thee only even by thy self and thy direction and assistance will we now henceforth make mention of thy Name They that have been in bondage under enforced Worship when they are made rightly sensible of it will see the dominion that other Lords have had over them will not satisfie but there will be a cry in their hearts that â—he Lord alone may rule over their Conscienceâ— and that all their profession of him or making mention of his name may proceed from himself and so shall they worship him in Spirit and in truth These may say also with Israel of old By the Rivers of Babylon there we sat down yea we wept when we remembred Zion Psal 137.1 I know whose case that hath been under lesser Innovations The heart that truly fears the Lord and pants after him longs after the purity of his ways and when it gets a glimpse thereof sits down weeping under all other bondages of humane traditions and Innovations finding it self as it were in a Captivity or banishment from its own Land which it longs to be at and that is the enjoyment of the prefence of the Lord in the purity and simplicity of his ways Now my Soul and Spirit simpathizes with such as these breathing to the Lord for their deliverance wheresoever they are having had a fellow-feeling of their Bondage and I hope deliverance draws nigh to many For what is their Captivity but their Thraldom and Bondage under the Innovations of men And what shall be their deliverance but the falling of those Innovations which hold them Captive and their being set in the liberty of the Spirit Though men have built a Tower of their own Inventions whose top may reach to Heaven and upon the top of which they pretend to set men into Heaven yet down again this must tumble This Babel this Great Whore this Mystery of Iniquity this Mother of Harlots must have a fall and then that Voice will call to them from Heaven Come out of her my People that ye be not pertakers of her Sins and that ye receive not of her Plagues Rev. 18.4 Now what shall be this great fall of Babylon I answer if we consider what was the fall of the Jews we may partly understand thereby what shall be the fall of Babylon The Jews fall was their continuing in that which God by
Christ Jesus came to put an end to They fell short of the Grace and Glory that was revealed and came by Jesus Christ altho they continue a People still So Babylon the House of Captivity shall fall Innovations or Inventions of men after which they have gone a Whoring and under which the Seed of God hath been held in great bondage these shall have thei◠〈…〉 the hearts of men they shall understandingly see them 〈…〉 hated of the Lord and to 〈…〉 to the Spirit of God 〈…〉 the Truth revealed by 〈…〉 and witnessed by 〈…〉 Aâ—â—stles and Prophe◠〈…〉 so they shall 〈◊〉 in the 〈…〉 being seen and fallen 〈…〉 they shall strongly be called out of them them by the Spirit of God. For observe after it is said Babylon the Great is fallen is fallen that Voice is uttered Come out of her my People For after the great fall of Babylon there shall yet be a Continuing in or upholding of her Innovations by some But Gods people are called out they that fear God and love his truth shall be called out and so the rest that remain in them shall be captivaâ—ed themselves thereby as a Bird in a Cage For those Inventions and Innovations of men shall become a Habitation of Devils and a hold of every foul Spirit and a Cage of every unclean and hatefull â—â—â—d and that after Babylons great 〈◊〉 Rev. 18.2 This fall of Baylon the Great that is the fall of mens Innovations shall be no small matter for it will carry along with it Plagues and Death and Famine and Mourning The Scarlet coloured Whore that hath been decked with Gold and precious Stones and Pearls anp lived deliciously and Reigned in great Pomp by by the Merchandize of her Innovations she shall have torment and sorrow and be pinched of her Deliciousness when men begin to see the cheat of her Merchandize and will buy it no more when they begin to see the Vanity and wickedness of her Innovations and will no more buy any of them then comes her Plagues and Torment and Sorrow and Famine and Mourning For what is it that hath upheld the Great Whore but the Merchandize of her Innovations And these things men shall come to see and Kings shall see And when they see it they shall hate the Whore and make her Desolate and Naked and shall Eat her Flesh and burn her with Fire Her Innovations are as her very Flesh and Blood which give her Comeliness and Vigour if you consume them you put her to torment and even eat her Flesh as it were and burn her with Fire and this even those Kings shall do who have given their power unto the Beast that carries her and whom she hath drawn in to commit Fornication with her Rev. 17.16 17. And blessed be God who hath put it into the hearts of some Rulers of the Earth to make void one great Innovation of the Mystery of Iniquity for the deliverance of Gods people that is to oppose that persecuting of one another for Conscience sake or worshipping God according to their Conscience This is a great step of Reformation and the King of Kings make them successfull therein and bless their good Endeavours and open their eyes yet further and the eyes of all that are honest hearted to see still further and further into the Mysteries of his Kingdom and to embrace them and also into the Mysteries of Iniquity to turn from them Oh! What rejoycing will there be in the Earth among all that fear God and love his truth when the Inventions and Innovations of men are cast out and the simplicity of the Gospel shall be free for all men to walk in When those Innovations of men that have caused so much bloodshed shall come to an end and like a great Milstone shall be cast into the Sea and be found no more then will follow the Marriage of the Bride the Lambs Wife and Alâ—eluâ—â— For the Lord God omnipotent signeth Rev. 19.6 7. A POST-SCRIPT to those that are Members or Vpholders of the Great Whore. THE Lord seeks not the Destruction of people but that they shou'd repent of the evil of their ways and be preserved and that 's the desire of him who hath writ these things Therefore his advice to them that find themselves included in humane Innovations is this to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God and lay down what they find to be contrary to his Counsels left they suffer in upholding that which God will consume and destroy For tho single persons cannot reform the degenerated State of things yet they may reform themselves The Pope may reform himself a Cardinal may reform himself by withdrawing himself from that he sees evil and in humility of Spirit submitting himself to the Counsels of God and simplicity of the Gospel laying aside the Innovations of men The Lords pleasure is that man should rather be preserved than destroyed I wrold have healed Babylon saith he Then if she be not healed where lies the fault Is not her Destruction of her self Oh! that you could see the evils that are introduced into the profession of Christianity by the Wisdom of men and despise the World and the Glory thereof and exaltation in the Earth in comparison of an immortal Crown of Glory which fadeth not as Earthly glory doth How much better a purchase would you obtain than the earthly fading transitory momentany glory of this world And no man hath run himself so far from the Lord but that there may be a returning except he deny the Lord that bought him They that were the greatest Transgressors in the Churches of Asia were advised to repent and threatned if they did not which implies that the mercies of God were ready to receive them if they did repent O return return to the purity and simplicity of the Gospel as it was in the Primitive times of the Apostles and lay aside all these separating Inventions and Innovations of men which divide between Christians and Christians that we may come into Unity as at the first What! is Christ divided No certainly he is One and his Doctrine is One. It s the Device and Doctrines of men that diviâ—e O what Acclamatiâ—â—s of Jâ—w will there be among all that love the Lord Jesus Christ in truth when the separating Inventions and traditions of man are cast forth This is the great fall of Babylon over which the Saints and Servants of God shall sing Alelujah But the Spirit of God seems to speak prophetically of Babylon that she will not be healed saying of Babylon of old we would have healed Babylon but she is not healed And I think there is little ground to expect that so great a Society of men so strongly conjoyned in a Mystery of Innovations can make a publique Reformation of themselves together because it s most likely that the greater number of them will be for maintaining their earthly Interest and worldly Glory that they have in their Kingdom of Innovations therefore the Lord calls to particular persons to withdraw saying Come out of her my People that ye be not partakers of her Sins and that ye receive not of her Plagues Rev. 18.4 For let her be as strong as she can yet she hath to deal with one that is stronger Strong is the Lord God who judgeth her so that she cannot avoid his Stroke Therefore let all that fear the Lord come out of her come out of the Inventions Innovations or Traditions of men into the simplicity and sincerity of truth where you shall find the Comfortable presence and power of the Lord going before you and as a Lamp enlightning your paths that you may follow him in safety and satisfaction to your Souls as he leads and goes before you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 FINIS Books Printed and Sold by Thomas Northcott in George-Yard in Lumbard-street Folio ISaac Penington's works price 12. s. Samuel Fisher's Works price 12 s. Francis Howgil's Works price 10 s. Quarto Robert Barclay's Apology for the true Christian Divinity as the same is held forth and Preached by the People called in scorn Quakers price 4 s. George Foxe's New-England Firebrand quenched price 4 s. Hugh Cloaks Call from Sin to â—â—liness of Life pric â— d. An Account of the Suffâ—rings of Thomas Briggs 4 d. ½ George â—oex's Testimony to Mastere of Ships and Seamen 1 d. ½ Thomas Laythes Excreise of the Spiâ—it in Spiritual things James Parke's Epiâ—â—â—â—â— to Friends 1 d. â— Robert Sandâ—â—and's â—â—pistles of Love 2 d. â— A Journal of the Travels of William Caton 6 d. Octavo William Pen's no Cross no Crown 2 s. George Keith's Immediate Revelation 2 s. 8 d. His Divine immediate Revelation 1 s. 2. d. His way to the City of God described 1 s. His Fundamental Truths of Christianity 8 d. His Trow Christ owned 4 d. His Rector Corrected 8 d. His Truths Defence 10 d. E. Bathurst's Vindication of Truth 8 d. 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INNOVATIONS OF POPERY IN THE CHURCH of ROME CALLING For Repentance and Reformation being as a Wall of Separation between Christians and Christians Wherein is shewed That the Mystery of Iniquity Sodom and Egypt Spiritual Babylon the Great and the Mother of Harlots and Great Whore are all founded in Innovations Given forth partly to stir up our Thankfulness to God for his former Mercies to this Nation in delivering it from the Horrid Popish Thraldom and Ignorance and for his preserving it at this time from the impending Storm that threatned us partly also to help to establish those that are wavering in their minds towards it and to encourage those that are under it who truly fear God in expectation of deliverance from under it By one that Loves all that fear the Lord and love Truth and Righteousness in their Hearts wheresoever they are found W. T. LONDON Printed for Thomas Northcott in George-Yard in Lumbard-Street 1689. INNOVATIONS OF Popery IN THE CHURCH OF ROME CALLING For Repentance and Reformation c. HHving some things lying fair before me concerning the Church of Rome and Popery and having a desire to express the same with as much clearness and plainness as I can it will be needful for me in the first place to distinguish both between Persons and Persons and also between Things and Things being prompted thereunto by the manner of our Lord and Masters writing to the several Churches in Asia Rev. 2. 3. He owns the Good and disowns the Evil in the same Church and in the same Persons He doth not own all for good because some things were good Nor doth he disown and reject all as evil because some things were evil His example I desire to follow Now therefore concerning Persons they are thus distinguished The Church of Rome taken in a general sense consists of these three Parts 1. The Hierarchy or Ruling Priesthood who are as the Leaders and Teachers and Rulers of the People from the Pope downwards in Subordination to him 2. Inhabitants of the Earth that is such as have their minds and hearts on the Earth and have no power of Truth in them but all their Religion stands only in their outward Form whose life is in that and Zeal for that only 3. Such as in sincerity of Heart seek after the Lord and pursue according to their understanding things that are spiritual or heavenly who Hunger and Thirst after Righteousness whose hearts are drawn after the Lord and who love Truth in the inward parts and hate Lying and Deceit These altho they may be under many mistakes in judgment or knowledge by reason of education or outward teaching yet I look upon them as people whom God will own saying to them Come out of her my people And concerning things I distinguish between those ancient Truths which the Church of Rome had and lived in at first and still retain and those Innovations brought in among them afterwards And therefore I call nothing Popery but Innovations introduced or upheld by some Pope or Popes wherewith the Church of Rome is infested I do not comprehend those ancient Truths which they lived in at first in the Apostles days and which they still retain under the name of Popery but as I said only their Innovations such as these which follow and which I shall endeavour to detect by evidence of Scripture and to manifest the Truth obscured by them as there is need 1. The Popes Exaltation or his being made Universal Bishop This is an Innovation directly repugnant to the Doctrine of Christ and of his Holy Apostles and practice of the primitive times It s contrary to the Doctrine of Christ plainly exprest in the Concurring Testimony both of Matthew Mark and Luke Read Matth. 20.25 26. Mar. 10.42 43. Luk. 22.25 26 27. It s in all these places flatly forbidden the Servants of Christ to exercise Dominion or Authority over their Fellow Disciples and they are commanded not to be like the Princes of the Nations or Gentiles herein The words in Matthew are these Ye know that the Princes of the Gentiles or Nations exercise Dominion over them and they that are great exercise Authority upon them But it shall not be so among you What can be spake more plainly and fully than this But it shall not be so among you The words in Mark and in Luke are to the same purpose prohibiting this Exaltation and Dominion And the Apostles of Christ they kept to this Doctrine Paul denyed such Dominion 2 Cor. 1.24 Not that we have Dominion over your Faith but are helpers of your joy And Peter excludes this Lordship likewise 1 Pet. 5.3 Neither as being Lords over Gods Heritage but being ensamples to the Flock Again if we look at the practical State of the Churches and take notice of the several Epistles of Christ to the Seven Churches of Asia we see no Superiority given therein to one Angel of the Churches above onother But they are distinctly writ unto as having no precedency one above another but every one standing distinct in his own Sphere or Charge So that this Exaltation of the Popes is dissonant to the purity of the Gospel and crept in through impurity and corruption in after Ages as by and by I shall make appear Only first take notice that this Exaltation of the Popes is an Innovation very fitly suiting or agreeing with the Mystery of Iniquity For Paul speaks plainly of such an exalted one in the Mystery of Iniquity Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is Worshipped that is above all Magistrates and Rulers who are called Gods. Psal 82.1 6. Who hath his Seat in the Temple of God 2 Thess 2. So the Pope he hath his Exaltation in the Church or Temple of God. Now let us take notice how this Innovation of the Popes great Exaltation over all his Fellow Bishops came in It had its rise from Pride and Ambition and from the Gift of a wicked Man. Pride and Ambition working in him that was Bishop of Rome and seeking to have the preheminence he obtained of Phocas then Emperor that the Church of Rome should be and should be called Caput omnium Ecclesiarum The Head of all the Churches And so consequently that he should be the Head of all the Bishops This was the rise of the Transcendent Exaltation of the Popes or Bishops of Rome It was the Gift of wicked Phocas a Man of whom it is recorded That he was Tyrannus patriaque calamitas sub quo omnis generis mala exundaverunt a Tyrant the Calamity of his Country under whom all manner of wickedness abounded Thus you see what manner of Original this Innovation had and what the Foundation of it was And the Popes came not to this height till about six Hundred Years or more after the Birth of Christ as History informs Bucholcer punctually sets down the Year 607. when Boniface 3. obtained this of Phocas But tho the Pope was
Eyes to see with their own Eyes and understandings the comfortable Sunshine of those pure Truths which shine forth in the plain and uncorrupted words of the Gospel left upon record This is Tyranny upon the Souls of people to which the Bondage of Egypt and Captivity of Old Babylon was but a small matter seeing that chiefly was upon the Body but this is upon the Soul. So that their enthralled people cannot say Their Soul is their own But they are the Slaves and Souls of men fulfilling that very expression of them Rev. 18.3 For how can a Man say that his Soul is his own when he cannot make use of the Faculties of it But must be wholly in things Spiritual restrained to the Sense and Will of another This is an Innovation of great consequence for it is as a Lock and Key upon all their other Innovations to keep them safe from being assaulted So that hereby they Establish themselves in their Kingdom of Darkness even as Satan holds his Kingdom in men as long as he can keep them in darkness but where light comes Satan falls like Lightning and even so where the free use of the Scriptures comes in their purity their Innovations must needs fall But what wickedness is this that for the upholding an earthly Kingdom they care not what becomes of Millions of Souls but let them perish in the darkness by their will. For Children of darkness they must be kept and not be suffered to become Children of the Light if they can help it The Holy Apostles of Christ gave this Testimony of the Scriptures That they are able to make one wise unto Salvation through Faith in Christ Jesus and that they are given forth by inspiration of God and are profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness that the man of God may be perfect thorowly furnished unto all good Works 2 Tim. 3.15 16 17. What 's the reason then that men should be envied the comfortable use and benefit of them Is there any true reason can be given for the restraint of them but this That men would by them be instructed and furnished against the Innovations of the Popedom and so run into that which they call Heresie But what desperate wickedness and scared Consciences hath God given people up unto that dare thus in opposition to the inspirations of the Spirit of God and benefit of the Souls of People deprive them of so great helps and furtherance of their Salvation This is a Robbery far greater than any earthly Robbery And yet they must be called Holy Fathers who have been the greatest Robbers in the World. May we not here greatly suspect that the Mystery of Iniquity doth here lurk where such care is taken to keep out the light of the Scriptures from men lest thereby they should discover it Yea may we not rather detect that Mystery of Iniquity to be here where so many Innovations contrary to the Holy Scriptures are found and such innovations as turn the profession of Christianity into a Stream quite contrary to its own nature To work wickedly and contrary to the Spirit of God and yet pretend therein holiness and serving of God What 's this but Iniquity under a Mystery wickedness vailed with pious pretences And what is the Mystery of Iniquity but Iniquity in a Mystery Iniquity under pious pretences which makes it a Mystery But those pretences cannot alter the nature of Wickedness but only put a fair Gloss upon it for wickedness is wickedness wheresoever it is found and the fair pretences put upon it cannot change its nature but only dazle the Eyes and Minds of men and make it mysterious to them The shedding of so much innocent Blood as hath been shed in Massacres and Fires and by other ways doth not change the nature of that wickedness by putting the name of Hereticks upon those who were so destroyed only that ignominious Title may cover it to the ignorant and make that cruelty seem to them a pious thing and so make that Iniquity a Mystery And in like manner Idolatry or bowing to Images may be made a Mystery by pretending it to be a reverencing God and thanking him for such or such a Saint or such like considerations when as the action it self is directly opposite to his command and bears no other appearance but of an idolatrous worship contrary to the second Commandment which they dare not let stand in the common sight of their people for fear of its discovering their Idolatry Now not to name the rest of these their innovations here what greater wickedness is there then these three namely shedding innocent Blood worshipping Images or Gods of their own making and robbing people of so great a Benefit to their Souls as the Holy Scriptures in their purity might be And all the pretences they can put upon these Evils can but disguise them and make them a Mystery but they cannot change the nature of them 12. Another Innovation is that invention of putting their people upon the pattering over so many Pater Nosters and Ave Maries that they need a String of Beads to number them by And here we may stand still and wonder that men that pretend themselves so profound Doctors and Fathers in the Church of Christ should shew themselves to be so blind or wicked So blind as to think that God is well pleased with Lip-labour or so wicked as to make people believe that he is so Surely they know that Christ Jesus our great Doctor or Teacher hath said When ye pray use not vain Repetitions as the Heathen do for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking Be not ye therefore like unto them Mat. 6.7 8. But these Doctors make their people like the Heathen herein The Lord requires such worship as is done in Spirit and in Truth John 4.23.24 It s not vain Lip-labour that 's acceptable to him but my Son give me thy Heart saith he He hates drawing near him with the Lips and the Heart far from him It s praying with the Spirit and with the understanding also that he requires If these great Doctors know not these things they are not fit to be Teachers or Guides in the Church of Christ and if they do know them the greater is their wickedness to teach people to do things that are so contrary to the Doctrine of Christ and thereby to make them like the Heathen thinking to be heard for much babling But to what end should they repeat so many Ave Maries with their Pater Nosters every day Is Mary at hand every Hour to be saluted by them Is she present continually all over the large Dominion of the Popedom to be saluted by them all that patter that Salutation so often over Or do they hereby worship her as a God thinking her to be Omnipresent It s hard to know for what good end this Custom was invented For my part I can see no other
quite contrary to him and an Enemy to his Counsels altho professing him yet introducing and setting up Innovations of its own And whosoever do outstrip or excel others therein they are the Great Whore. And the Spirit of Whoredom will manifest it self most among them by abusing the Chast and Faithful Servants of Christ who love his Precepts and dare not subject themselves to the Innovations of men For the Whorish Spirit is a cruel Spirit hating Chastity because Chastity is a check to its Whoredom I speak of Spiritual Chastity and Whoredom Thus you may see what is couched under the Innovations of men viz. The Mystery of Iniquity Sodom and Egypt Spiritual Babylon the Great and the Great Whore. Which Innovations most abound in the Church of Rome tho others as yet may not be altogether clear of some of them But now that I may speak clearly and be rightly understood concerning persons I must resume my former distinction of persons for I now come to speak of persons chiefly But as I could not well speak of things in an abstracted sense without relation to persons so now I cannot speak of Persons without relation to things I look upon the Church of Rome consisting of these three Parts 1. The Hierarchy or Ruling Chergy so called 2. The Inhabitants of the Earth 3. Such as in sincerity of heart seek after the Lord. The First of these viz. the Hierarchy as they stand in Innovations in the Popedom or usurped Dominion and Exaltation I take to be the Great Whore And I shall give my reasons for it which are these two following First Because the Description of the great Whore given by the Angel to John doth so aptly fit this part of Rome Those Characters that are given of her whereby to know her are found on them Secondly Mystery standing upon the great Whores forehead relates her to the Mystery of Iniquity Thes 2. And that hath such an exalted one in it as we find only in Rome and no where else Concerning the first of these two Reasons that the Great Whores Description and Characters are found in Rome that is in the Hierarchy thereof the very reading of Revel 17. may give light to any unbyassed and indifferent Capacity I shall point out several of those Characters First Come hither saith the Angel to John I will shew thee the Judgment of the Great Whore that sitteth upon many Waters Revel 17.1 Here we have one Character of the Great Whore and that is She sitteth upon many Waters What those Waters are the Angel expounds to John ver 15. The Waters which thou sawest where the Whore sitteth are Peoples and Multitudes and Nations and Tongues She hath a large Dominion over Peoples Multitudes Nations and Tongues a kind of Universality which Universality they of Rome boast of and glory in the Title of Catholic which signifies Universal But they are no further Universal than to fulfill this Prophecy Therefore they glory in that which helps to discover their shame giving them one Character of the Great Whore. The next ver 2. gives us two more Characters of her One is That the Kings of the Earth have committed fornication with her They have been drawn in by her to go a whoring with her after her Innovations or Inventions The other is this And the Inhabiters of the Earth have been made Drunk with the Wine of her fornication So that here you see there is some distinction made between the Great Whore and those that commit Fornication with her or are made drunk by her wine Which helps to clear my attributing of the Title of the Great Whore only to their Ruling Hierarchy For it s they that draw others into the Fornication of their Innovations others are deluded by them and made drunk by them Here be two or three work stand need of being opened 〈…〉 1. Who are those Inhabiteâ—s of the Earth To that 〈◊〉 〈…〉 â—â—ey are not the Saints 〈…〉 â—ersation is in Heaven 〈…〉 expression is Philâ—◠〈…〉 are such as have 〈…〉 the Earth The Inventions and Innovations of men are not Heavenly things but Earthly springing from the carnal and earthly Wisdom of mans heart now these having the chief Foundation of their Religion standing in the Innovations of men which are earthly they are the Inhabiters of the Earth They dwell in the earthly things of mans Wisdom not in the heavenly things of Gods Wisdom grounded in him and his truth And therefore 2ly These are fit Subjects to be made Drunk with those Innovations that is to be inflamed in their Spirits with a furious zeal for them for their Religion stands in them And therefore no marvel if they be violent like Drunken men against all that speak against those Innovations Yea a 〈◊〉 ready with greediness to destroy those that will not embrace them And that especially because 3ly Those Innovations are made like wine to them and therefore called the Wine of her Fornication They so agree with the carnal heart of man that they are as Wine to them for they nurse them up in a good conceit of their Condition indulging their carnal hearts with outward observations and giving them rest therein while they are Strangers to God and to the operations of his Spirit This repose in outward things giving ease to and lulling asleep their Conscience is sweet as Wine to them and the more being sweetned with the words of heavenly things put upon them By the Artifices used about their Innovations they are so taken that they become raging Drunk or mad upon them not more humble more meek and gentle and tender-hearted as the mystery of Godliness makes men But these become cruelly Drunk first with the Wine of the Fornication of the Great Whore and then together with her drunk with blood being made hands fit for her to destroy with Which shews what Spirit is at work under these Innovations But before I proceed any further I would here advertise the Reader that I do not look upon all that are counted of their Hierarchy to be equally concerned or have an equal share in this great Whoredom tho I cannot excuse them For some may be more passive and carryed along with the stream and strength of the active part who are fierce and violent and are the chief enforcers of their Innovations As when the Prohibition of Marriage was imposed upon their Clergy many of them did greatly withstand it to their power but were forced to it by the greater power of the over-ruling part and made to submit to it against their minds Such I look upon rather as Captives than otherwise And so the case may be with many in other Innovations But to proceed in the Description and Characters of the great Whore the Angel took John into the Wilderness in the Spirit that there he might see her more fully Not that the great Whore is in the Wilderness who sits upon many Waters Peoples multitudes Tongues but that intimates that such as