After her gaudy attire, and her golden cup, the evangelift mentions the name written on her fore head, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, &c. Her name is not written on her hand, which the therefore might hide at pleasure. No; it is engraven on her forehead, fo that all who fee her, may know who she is. And though And though fhe have a whore's forehead, refufing to be ashamed, Jer. iii. 3.; yet, in fhowing her brazen front, fhe in effect tells her name, whereby all the world may know her. That name confifts as of three fyllables.

The first is mystery. Paul told the Theffalonians, that even in his time, working, 2 Epift. ii. 7. And here John tells us, that mystery is written on the woman's brow. That is truly observeable, which the learned Scaliger affirms, viz. that he faw a great many Popish mitres at Rome, whereupon was written the word, mystery. This infcription the Pontiff's mitre bore, till the Proteftants alledged this paffage of fcripture to prove that the church of Rome was Antichrift†. Thus as God mentioned Cyrus, the deliverer, by name, long before he came on the ftage of time; fo here, he mentions the very name wherein the man of Rome would glory, Mystery.

the mystery of iniquity was

The fecond fyllable of the woman's name is, Babylon the Great. This naturally points us to that great city mentioned in the 18th verfe, as reigning over the kings of the earth: the city built on feven mountains, ver. 9.; that is, Rome. Babylon the great therefore, and seven hilled Rome, are Pictet. Theol. Chret. Vol. II. p. 383.

Guyfe in Loc.

D

xi.

one and the fame. Babylon is uniformly mentioned in this book as a city, chap. xiv. 8. xvi. 19. xviii. 2,10,19,21. and what can it mean but the sevenhilled city on which the woman fitteth? It is conftantly diftinguished from the holy city, chap. 2.; the beloved city, chap. xx. 9.; i. e. Jerufalem, or the true church of God, under the New Teftament: only let it be observed, that as the holy city fignifies the church of Chrift; so Babylon the great, fignifies not only Papal Rome, but all in connection with, all adhering to her. great city is fpiritually called Sodom and Egypt, chap. xi. 8. And by analogy fhe is alfo fpiritual or myftical Babylon. Sodom, Egypt, and Babylon, were the great enemies of the faints, under the Old Teftament; and therefore fo muft this city under the New. And who knows not that Papal Rome, together with all her dependants and abettors, is a Babylon for pride, an Egypt for cruelty, and a Sodom for her abominations? But this brings

me to the

This

Third and laft part of the woman's name, which is, The mother of harlots, and abominations of the earth. What a fhameful, and yet how juft a name! The mother of harlots fignifies that he is the ringleader in the great apoftacy, the fpiritual adultery: one who, by her example and her precept, teacheth the nations to go a whoring from the true God, and his true worship. As father and mother are names of eminence and fuperiority in a natural, fo alfo in a political, moral, and spiritual fenfe.Thus Eve, on account of her faith in the promised

feed, is called, The mother of all living.

So believ

ing wives are called the daughters of Sarah; and Jerufalem the mother of us all, Gal. iv. 26.

In like

manner, the woman is called the mother of harlots, to fignify that the herfelf is the great whore, who corrupteth the earth with her fornication, Rev. xix. 2. Her devotees call her, The holy mother church; but her true name is, The mother of harlots: As Zion has her chafte daughters, fo this mother her harlots. Rome, where fits the proud Pontiff, may juftly be defigned, the mother; and the churches acknowledging his fupremacy, the harlots; e. g. France, Spain, Portugal, &c.

The woman is not only ftiled, The mother of harlots, but also, the mother of the abominations of the earth. Whatever is contrary to the true worfhip of God, goes under the name of abominations, in the dialect of holy fcripture. So Ezekiel, in the eighth chapter of his prophecy, is led as through the chambers of imagery, from the fight of one abomination to that of another. Sin is that abominable thing which Jehovah hates, Jer. xliv. 4. And who, that knows any thing of the church of Rome, but muft fee, that she is the mother of abominations? He who does not, muft, like the men of Sodom, be fmitten with blindness.

What an abomination her pretended infallibility! On this pin hangs all the Papal trash, down to the rags and reliques of the faints. In this ftrong hold of Satan, the fortifies herself against all that reason, fcripture, or Proteftants can fay. Mean while it is notour, that one council has often repealed the acts of another; and one Pope condemned what

another did *. Nor has her boafted infallibility, terminated disputes among her members.

What an abomination to lock up the fcriptures, as in the Papal coffer! To hide, as under a bufhel,

* What numerous proofs might be given of this? For a fpecimen take the following Sixtus V. to whom the care of a new and correct edition of the Vulgate had been committed by the council of Trent, laboured with no fmall pains to execute this decree. He caufed this edition to be printed, having iffued out a bull wherein he declares, That this Bible, approved by the holy Catholic church, and by the holy fathers, and at laft by the general council of Trent, is approven of new by the apoftolic authority which God had given to him, in fo much that it ought to be regarded, as true, lawful, and authentic, and that it ought to be ufed in public and private • difputés, in the leffons of divinity, fermons, and other explications. Afterwards, he most exprefly commands, that the Bibles to be printed in time to come, fhall be conformed to his copy, without changing, adding, or diminishing the least particle in it; thundering out the greater excommunication against them who fhould not correct their Bibles by this edition. Some time after, Clement VIII. difannuls this bull, revokes the decree of his predeceffor, fupreffeth this edition, and compofeth a new one, wherein he makes a great number of additions. He retrencheth fome things, and changeth others; in one word, he makes more than two thousand corrections in it. What a proof of infallibility is this! Placette Pyrrhonism De L'Eglife Romaine, p. 92, 93.

The fifth council affembled at Conftantinople, in fpite of all the oppofitions of Pope Vigilius, and condemned certain writings as heretical, against the exprefs prohibitions which he had made, by a public decree to condemn them. Notwithstanding that very council was in the end approved by the fucceffors of Vigilius, and received through all the church for a true and holy œcumenical council. One Pope difapproves of a council,

and makes it void, to advance'all that he does; but by that the 'council is remote enough from infallibility.-Another Pope

the light fent from heaven! The scriptures was given to the Hebrews and the Greeks in their own language. On Pentecoft-day, men out of every nation under heaven, heard in their own tongues, the wonderful works of God, the everlasting gofpel. And for the fame reason, fcripture fhould be read, and worship performed in the language of every nation, whether the tidings of a Saviour come. But here, as almost in every thing else, the pretended fucceffor of Peter, fets himself in oppofition to Paul. The infpired apoftle fays, 1 Cor. xiv. 19. In the church, I had rather fpeak five words, that I might teach others alfo, than ten thoufand words in an unknown tongue. No, fays the church of Rome, Ignorance is the mother of devotion.

⚫ comes and receives and approves it, and behold on a sudden that council changes its condition, and becomes infallible.' Claude's defence of the Reformation, p. 50.

Pope Nicholas IV. decided, that our Lord was so poor, that he had right to nothing. Pope John XXII. declared this to be a herefy, charging our Lord with injustice. Pope Innocent X. faid, that the Vicar of Christ was not obliged to examine all things by difpute: for that the truth of his decrees depended on divine inspiration. What is this but downright quakerifm, enthufiafm, impofture? Barrow on the Pope's

fupremacy, p. 738.

If Popes or Councils be infallible, why does there remain the fhadow of difpute or difference among the Papifts? Why do not Janfenifts and Jefuits, &c. repair to the infallible chair? One would think, that if they believed what they boast, multitudes would be thronging from the four corners of the Papal territories, to have their religious differences decided. The truth is, infallibility fince the apoftolic age, is like the philofopher's ftone great has been the noife about it, but no man ever faw it.