Trm C H U R C H oF R 0 M E, Book lV. DECEIVER. rof beguiling orhers: They have been fuch Crafrs-Mafters at it, th3t they have deceived Multitudes; •.nil not only the common Sort of . People, but divers great Men and· Princes have been cheated by them. PARI\LLEL. notorious in the hellifh Trade of beguilincr the Souls of Men. How many Millions have 0 they dcce1ved! 0 rhe Mulmudes they have led blind– fold ro Hell 1 The Kings of the Earth have been beguiled by her, and the Inhabitants of the Earth have been inade drunk, and bewitched with the Wine of her Fornication. Ill. Some Deceivers have fo far Ill. So Falfe-Teachers have fometimes fowon- •prevailed, 'that they have utterly uerfully prevailed, that they have unerly corrupted, ruined whole Families, cheating rumed, and undone, by their falfe DoCtrine, many People of their beft and chieft:ft Nations, Cities, Towns, and Famiiles, chearincr Treafure. them of the Trcth of Chrifr, and his bkffed Ord~ nances; .and not only fo, but thereby alfo of their '·Souls, which are of more WonJ1 than all the \'Y'orld, Matt. xvi. 26. . IV. Grand lmpofrors, old Cheats IV. So F.alfe-Teachers, Heretics, and Seducers, and Deceivers, it is obferved, rarely feldom or never are recovered, and broup.ht back reform their hclldh-Li,cs, and beby unfeigned Repentance, ro the rrue Church of come true Men, but grow worfe God: And theretore the Apofrle Paul faith, Evil and worfe, till J uftice f<izes them. Men, and SduceYJ, jha/1 wax wotfe and worfe, decei-ving, and being deecived, &c. 1 'l'im. i1i. '3· ·V. The End of Cheaters and Im– :poftors, we fee, oft-times is fad. lf he be a notorious Ofreoder, and ' be taken, he.dies without Mercy. V. So rhe lait End of Falfe-Teachers and He– retics will be fad and mifcrable: They .are faid ro bring upon themfelves fwift De}lrufiion. The BePjt, and Faife-Prophet jha/1 be cP}I alive into the Lake of Fire, burning witb Brimjlone, &c. 2· Pet. . ii. 2, 3. Rev. xix. 20. ' Tm CHURCH oF ROME, MYSTERY BABYLON. And there followed another Altgel,ja)'ing, Babylon is fat/m, is fallen, the great City, becauft jhe wade all Nations drink of the Wine of the f.Vrath of ber Fornication , Re-v. xiv. S. Andgreat Babylon came in Remembrance before God, -to give unto her the Cup ef t!JC Wi11e of the Fiercenefs of his Wrath, Re·v. xv;. I9· Alld upon her Forehead was a Name written, MYS'l'ERY, BABYLON '!'HE GREAT, '!'HE MO'l'HER OF HIIRLOTS, .or Fornicarions, AND ABOMINAUONS OF '!'HE EAR'l'Il, Rev. xvii. 5· .And after thefe 'J'hings, I Jaw another Angel come down from Hea~·m,-Aitd he cried mightily with aflrong Voice, faying, Babylon the Great is fallen, is fallen, and is be– . come the Habitation of Devils, and the Hold of every unclean Sphit, .and a Cage ~~ every u;tclemt and bateful Bird, -&c. Rev. xviii.. 1, 2 . 1N the handling of this _great SubjeC\, it feems needful to 11;ive .an Account of the va. rious Opinions, that have, more or Ief,, prefented · themielves to the \Yorid abJc:t it, which may be reduced to rhefe four following Beads. I. T!,ar it is Jerufalem; and rhat for two Reafons: _ t. Becaufe the Man of Sin, or !aft lleaft, that is to head this Baby/on, is fer forth by · St. Paul, to}it in the Temple of God, jhewing himfelf to be a God, 2 'l'bejf ii. 4· z. Becaufe this City where the Beaft reigns, and lh<1ll Oay the Witndfcs, . is fpiril'll– _.ally called Sodam and Egypt, where our Lord was crucified, Rev. xi. 8. II. That it is the 'l'uc·kijh Empire, or Power of the Saracens; which Mr. Mede[on;e. cwhai rouches, and in a brief Way moft learnedly argues againft, in his third Book, .Page 644, 645· 11 [. That it is indeecl Rome, the Seat of the fourth or !aft Empire, but Rome in 'its : heathm Stare, under the idolatrous and perfecuting Emperors: So the Rbemijls would have ir, if there be a Necdliry to .fix upon Rome to be th1s /lpocalyptical, or 1Vfyjier)' Ba– ,_bylon• . For this Opinion the prefenr Ro;;tanijls have no better Advocate than Dr. Ham3 mond,
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