Fishers Folly Unfolded, Floating text
That Church which hath the chiefe properties of the great whore of Babylon, mentioned Revel. 17. is undoubtedly that great whore, and the Church of Antichrist.
The present Church of Rome now subject to the Pope, hath those properties,
ergo it is the great whore.
The assumption confirmed.
These following are the chiefe properties of the great whore. First, shee must bee such a Church as being once most famous and renowned over all the faithfull Spouse of Christ, hath by degrees fallen away into spirituall whordome, that is, Idolatrie and Image-worship: for the Scriptures doe never stile by the name of whore any Citie or Church, but such as thus fall away.
Secondly, shee must still hold her visible succession of Bishops in the same place and Sea, and professe her selfe the chiefe spouse of Christ, while she commits Idolatrie in the Churches of Christ, and mingles it with his outward and verball worship, and while hee doth by persecution sacrifice to her God Molech, such children, as she, by meanes of the Scriptures and some parts of his worship, which shee still after a sort retaineth, hath begotten and borne to Christ.
Thirdly, shee must bee the mother of whoredomes, by assuming to her selfe the power to canonize for Saints whom she pleaseth, and to authorize the worship of them and their Images: and by obtruding upon the Churches of other nations, Cities and Countries her formes of idolatrous worship.
Now there is no Church or Citie in the world which hath, or can have these properties, but onelyonly the present Church and Sea of Rome. 1. For she was for faith renowned in all the world, as Saint Paul, Rom. 1. and many of the ancient Fathers in their writings doe shew. 2. And she now continuing her visible succession of Bishops ever since the Apostles, in the same place and Sea, is become a worshipper of Images, which is Idolatrie, as all the world may see and observe. 3. And though shee doth challenge to her selfe the authoritie to canonize Saints, and to authorize all Image-worship, going a whoring from Christ her first love, after his pretended Vicar the Pope, and his superstitions, and obtruding upon all nations her abominations: yet she still glories in the name of the chiefe spouse of Christ, and under shew and colour of zeale and love to him, doth persecute and murder such godly men as (being converted to Christ by those meanes of Christianitie which shee still retaineth) doe reprove and rebuke her for Idolatrie, superstition, and other vices; as Ierusalem did when shee was a great spirituall whore and adultresse, Ezech. 16. Therefore the present Church of Rome, now subject to the Pope, hath the chiefe properties of the great whore of Babylon, and by consequence is that great Babylonish whore, and the Church of Antichrist:
This argument being to this effect delivered in writing to the Iesuit, hee departed, and hath not yet returned an answer. OnelyOnly hee sent within a few daies after to Master Walker, by his disciple above mentioned, certaine propositions which hee commonly carries about him as the chiefe weapons of his warfare, and by which he doth provoke and challenge all Protestant Divines with whom hee doth meet in any place.
FINIS.
End of the text · George Walker, Fishers Folly Unfolded (1624)