574 AKeryelationoftheApocalypfe. CAP.17. which íhould lignifie this felf -fame thing, with other words by a my- fterie; Namely ,Rome theEmprefre of theworld, the 'Pillar oftruth,the Looking-glaffe andpattern for all Churches tobehold, from *heft Sta- tutes We mùft not depart in any cafe,t hatfoever flee ordaineth, IDift, rg. Enimvero.. This is thatname painted with great Letters on the fore- headof the whore; the meaning whereof,ifa man will diligently fearch into,he fhallfee,that it cometh all toone by amyfteriewith that which John fäw:For whatfoever ancient corruption eitherhath beenof old, or is yet remaining in thefe welternand Northern Churches ofours, all that hath flowed wholly from Rome; in which refpec`t fhe calleth her felfvauntingly,the Mother of the Churches,bnt themay becalled a Stepmother rather, which hath mingled a Cupfull of. deadly Hen- bane to her daughters. Such therefore is this name,which yet remain- eth myfticall,is this fait period,as the Holy Choft Both declare plainly, by prefixing this wordmyfterie before it,and therfore neither (hall it be manifeft now unto all men,as we may fee in the Papifhs,whoadore this name, as if it were that moti holy Name, Holinefe to the Lord. The Íefuits do againft their vils confeffe, that this Babylon is their Rome, as we have Peen a little above,andyet what windings andftar.., ring-holes dò they feek, whereat their Popifh filthinefreand impiety may flip away ? Bello-mine will have the Heathenifh Rome to be un- derl}ood,fuch as it was ofold under the Emperors,that were the ene- mies ofthe Chriftian profefrion. Franca Rsbera had rather have the time to come refpee7ed, when the Pope (hall be driven out of Rome by erfntichrif, as he drearneth. Thus are thefe men blinded in underftanding this name, which foundethany thing rather unto them, then that which it is in truth. But we have fhewed futficiently, that thefe forgeries of theirs, aïeno lcffe foppifh and fooli(h,then they arepernicious to thofe that do re- verence them and thofe things which follow in this Chapter; (hall make it yet more manifel}, that there is no other Babylon men- tioned here, then that Popifh Rome that is extant at this day, and that in fuch a fafhion as it now is, andhath been for many Ages pal}. For did ever the Heathenifli Emperors labour to impofe their Aomith Ido- latry upon the Nations that they vanquifhed ? Or if they had ftrí.ven todoe ir, could this impiety have had any myfterie in it ? It was ma- nifeft that the Heather/sib fuperftitionwas execrable in the eyes of the Chrifl'ians; but this Babylon fhould infec`f Chriftïans with the Contagion of her fuperftition, which cannot . agree to any other Lome lout that which is Popü . BUT
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