Book IV; . M Y S TE R Y 13 AB Y L 0 N. mond, who hatli done very worthily at other Turns. See his Am;otatio11s upon tl1e 17th Chapter of the Apoca!)•pfe. IV. That it is the prefent Power and Church of Rome, who under pretence of the moft high and eccleflaftical J urifdiction, cloth influence and govern the fecular Powe' and State of Kingdoms. Of this ]aft Opinion were the ancient ff/aldenfes, who felt the bloody Power at Rome, venting itfelf in moft horrid and barbarous Cruelties againti: them, and that for a long Series of Time, as appears by o.ur moft authentic, :mcie~H, and modern Writers, who give a very ample Account of the great Perfecution of Chrif– tians, for many hundred Years ]aft paft, in all Parrs of the Chriftian World, whcr·e thq have had Power. To which Opinion of the Wa/denfes moft of our modern Protcftant Divines agree, of which we flull mention only Cm·twright, F:t!k, the v.:orthily admired, and learned Mede., not forgetting famous Du j\l[on!in of Frm1ce; as may be feen in their Works ac large. But becaufe we will not take Things upon Truft, nor refer the Reader to many G.!_:o– tations, which he may want l:looks and Time to farisfv hirnfdf about; it appears need– ful, that we remove the Objections with as much Brevity as p'laible, before we ftate the Metaphor, and run the Parallel. Now drat Bab)'lon in all thefe New Tefmment Texts cannot be fairly aP-plied to Jeru– Jalem, rhe CJ'urks and Saracws, nor terminate in rhe heathcnilh State of Rome, we ofttr Lhcfe following Confidnations or Argumems: ·I. Ir cannot be meant the City Jerufalem: r. Becaufe Jerufalem did not reign over rhe Kings of the Earth in St. John's Time, · when he faw this Vifion, and wrote the Revelation, which rh is City Baby/on is expreisly 1:oid to do: dnd the 11/oman which thol!fa:oeft, is that great C1ty which reigneth o':.ler th< Kings of the Earth, Rev. xvii. 18. Jeruf!lem having been . not only unda Cap: ivity , divers Times before, but were theil entirely under the Power or the H..r)man Yoke, as the whole Hifrory of the Gofpel doth confirm, and rhemtdves did moft plainly confefs: IVe ha11e no King but Cref.u·, Jobn xix. 15. 2. Jentjalem was never in fo high Efreem with the Beafr, as ro be capable to riue as G.!_reen Regent upon hi m, as this Woman, W hore, or City is f.1id to do ; And the · Angel faid unto me, W'herifore didfl thou marvel? I 1oiilte// thee the Myflery of the Wo- . mrw, a>td rbc Beaflthat carrieth her, whicb bath tbe je:w1 Heads, -<~nd ten Horns, Rev. · xvii. 7· compared wid1 Va. 3· So le carried me awn)' in the Spirit into the Wildernef.r, and I [1w a Woman/it upon a fcnrlet.coloureJ iJeaJ1, full of Names of Rlafphemy, having fe·ven !lends, and ten 1-frn·ns.-For by the VVoman liaiog, and Bealt carrying, is un· doub:edly fignified , Influenct", Pdwa, ar.d Dominion , which Jerufalem was far re– mote frvm, nor only under the Roman Monarchy, but alfo under rhe three Kingdoms that went before it, 'viz. the Bab)'lonian, Grecian, and Pnjian; as might be largely iiluf– trated both our of f.1cred and human l-Jrfrory. ·3· Jmtjalem did not fir llpon many Waters, which is interpreted to b:· People, Na– tions, and Tonguec:; ; that is, had not Command o: Dom;nion ovt"r them, as this \Va– man, Whor{', or Ci(y is faid to have : /fnd he faith, Cfht lf7a 1 trs which thou fizwe.fl , wbere tbt ff/bore jittetb, are P.:oples, and Multitudes, ai!d .Vatio>u, c11.i To11gues, Re<:. xvii. 15. The whole Land of Judea being nnJt>r fribuce to ~he Ro:nm Go\·ernment at that Time: Luke ii. 1. And it came to pafs in tbof; Days, tbat there went out a De– cree from Crefar Augui'rus, tl:mt all the !Vori./ Jhou/d be taxe.i; and panicubrly, Galilee, Nt!Zaretb, "fudea, and rhe City of David, called Betb!chem, \'er. 4· 4· J mfale:n was r>ot capable to enchant and bewitch all the Kat>ons round abom her, either by her Religion and Doctrine, or by g reat Gif" and Rewards. ( r.) Becaufe the Roman Power kept her ll!l(kr, anJ n;uch in awe, on the 0nc Hand, not owning nor fubfcribing to her Rdigion. (2.) The Chrifrian Doctrine and ]{~;hgion blocked up her \Vay, on the other Hand, that !he could nor extend her Infiuel}ce ro ti[her n~tighboring, or rcmore Nations, as this Vloman, Whore, or City, is faid to d0 : For thy Jierchrmts were the great Men of tbe Earth ; for b)' thy Sorceries we're alt JVations deaivt!d, Re"'..-', xviii. 23. 5· Jerufalem, though fi1e were guilty of much Blood, from the beginning of her Ex– cellency and Glory, in Solomon's Time, killing Prophets, e .:n all that were fent unto her, murdered Jobii Baptift, and our Lord and Sav\or, as alfo the bleffed Martyr, St. Stepben ; yet in her could r.ot be found that great Mafs of Blood that was lhed, and My; riads.,....
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