Mystical Babylon Availed, Proposition 1
Propoſition I. That Rome-Papal is Myſtical-Babylon.
EAſtern Babylon of Nebuchadnezzar in Chaldaea, was a famous City, Called the Lady of Kingdoms(a)Iſa. 47.1, 5. and the glory of Kingdoms(b)Iſa. 13.19. under whoſe Kings the People of God were Captivated and oppreſſed violently(c)2 Chron. 36.14,-20. and Jer. 51.34, 35.. For which violence done to Zion, and other God-provoking Sins, that great City and Kingdom was deſtroyed by Cyrus King of Perſia, (d)Iſa. 45.1-4 and 47.1-9.whom God raiſed up to execute his righteous Judgments upon them for their Iniquities, lo… before Saint John's time. Therefore Myſterie, Babylon the great, (ſo Named, Revel. 17.5.) is ſome other great City, which doth reſemble Old-Babylon for Idolatry, Jerem. 5.47. Perſecution, Lam. 5.1.5. Violence, Jerem. 51.25. Oppreſſion, Jerem. 50.33. Iſa. 14.4. and Pride, Iſa. 47.1, 5, 7. And thou ſaidſt, I ſhall be a Lady for ever, —I am, and none elſe beſides me. And ſo doth Myſtical-Babylon ſay in her Heart, Revel. 18 7. I ſit a Queen. Alſo Blood-guiltineſs, Pſalm 79.1, 2, 3. The blood of thy Servants have they ſhed like Water round about Jeruſalem; and ſo doth Myſtical-Babylon, Revel. 26.6. For they have ſhed the Blood of Saints and Prophets, Rev. 18.24. As the City Jeruſalem was Spiritually called Sodom and Aegypt, (e)Rev. 11.8.where our Lord was crucified. So Rome Pagan and Papal is Myſtically called Babylon, where the Saints have been and ſhall be killed,(f)Rev. 6.9, 10, 11. Rev. 11.7.16, 6. Rev. 18.13, 24. And in her was found the Blood of Prophets and of Saints, and of all that were ſlain upon the Earth. That which Jeſus Chriſt revealed by his Angel unto his Servant John touching Myſtical-Babylon in this Prophecy of the Revelation, can agree to no other City but Rome only. For firſt, No other City (in Saint John's time) was built upon Seven Mountains, or Hills, but Rome only, Revel. 17.5, 8, 9, 18. And the ſeven Heads are ſeven Mountains on which the Woman Sitteth, called the great City, verſe 18. whoſe Name is Myſterie Babylon the great, verſe 5. So Propertius, (g)Propert. Eleg. 10. l. 3. Septem urbs alta Jugis toti quae praeſidet Orbi.Virgil, (h)Virgil. Georg. 2. ω. Pulcherrima Roma, Septem quae una ſibi Muro circumdedit arces. Ovid. 1. de Triſtibus l. 3. Elog. 7. Dum que ſuis victrix ſeptem de Montibus Orbem Proſpiciet domitum, Martia Roma Legar.Ovid, (i) Cornel. à Lap. (k)Cornel. à Lap. in Apoc. 17.3, 9. In ſeptem Montibus patet denotari Romam.Bellarm. lBellar. de R. P. l. 2. c. 2. & l. 3. c. 12.So do Viegas, Suarez, Ribera, and divers others affirm, That by Babylon in the Book of the Revelation Rome is Figured forth. And the Remiſts in their Teſtament acknowledge, That by Babylon is meant Rome: See their Notes on 1 Pet. 5.13. and upon the 17. and 18. Chapters of the Revelation.
Secondly, No other City in the World had ſeven Kings, that is, Seven ſeveral Kinds of Governours ſucceeding one another, but Rome only, Revel. 17.10. And there are ſeven Kings, five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come. The five Kings, that were fallen, paſt and gone before John's time, are mentioned by Tit. Livius, l. 6. What the Romans did (ſaith Livy,) under their Kings, and after under their Conſuls, Dictators, Decemvirs, and Conſular-Tribunes, whither as to Wars abroad, or ſuppreſſing Troubles at home, I have ſet forth in five Books. And this One is(m)Rev. 17.10. foreign. viz. the Emperour, for the Caeſars were the the ſixth Head of Rome, who Reigned in St. John's time; The other is not yet come, viz. the Seventh Head of Rome, or the Seventh King, or Kind of Roman-Governour, to wit, the Popes of Rome, Revel. 17.11. And HE (that is, the POPE) is of the Seven, and goeth into Perdition. This Seventh Kind of Government of the Roman-Kingdom by Popes was not come in Saint John's Time. So then it is manifeſt, that Rome is the City, which had ſeven Kings, Heads, or Kinds of Governours, that ſucceeded one another; Now let any One ſhew us another City that hath had ſeven Kings, or ſeveral Kinds of Governours [Et erit mihi magnus Apollo] And let him be Pope.
Thirdly, No other City in Saint John's time did Reign over the Kings of the Earth, but Rome only, Rev. 17.18. And the Woman which thou ſaweſt [foreign] is that City the Great (verſe 5. Myſtery, Babylon the Great, viz. Rome) which Reigneth over the Kings of the Earth. Yea, it is very evident by the Teſtimony and Confeſſion of many Popiſh-Writers, who for their Learning, (and Dignity in the Church of Rome) were Eminent, That Rome is that great City, which by the Emperours Authority in Saint John's time, and by the Pope's Power ſince, hath Reigned and ſtill Reigneth over the Kings of the Earth.(n)Bellarm. lib. 3. de Pont. R. c. 13. Per Meretricem intelligi Romam. Bellarmin ſaith, That Rome is to be underſtood by the great Whore. Cardinal Poole (o)Polus Cardinal. de Concilio. p. 91. Petri Cathedram ſuper omnia Imperatorum Solia, & omnia Regum tribunalia Conſtituit Chriſtus.ſaith, Chriſt hath ſet Peter's Chair above all the Thrones of Emperours, and above all the Tribunals of Kings, [But Chriſt did not ſit in any ſuch Chair of Kingly State as the Pope doth; nor did Saint Peter, nor any of Chriſt's Apoſtles, no not Saint Paul (the chiefeſt of all the Apoſtles, 2 Cor. 11.5. and 12.11.](p)Iſodorus Muſconius de Majeſtate Eccleſiae Milit. l. 1. c. 7. p. 26. Venetiis, anno 1602. Pontifex Romanus eſt Judex univerſalis, Rex Regum, & Dominus Dominantium. Abra. Bzovius de Pont. Rom. Coloniae Agrip. 1619. ſays, Papa eſt Chriſtianorum Monarcha, Mortalium Supremus, Judex Coeli, Arbiter Orbis, cap. 1.3, 16, 32, 45. Celſus Mancinus, de Juribus Principatuum Romae 1596. lib. 3. cap. 1, 2, &c. ſaith, Papa eſt totius Orbis Dominus: Poteſtas Papae temporalis eſt omnium aliarum Poteſtatum eminentiſſima, Aliae que Poteſtates omnes ab illo dependent. Iſodorus Muſconius ſaith, That the Pope of Rome is the Univerſal Judge; HE is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. However, That Teſtimony recorded, Luke 2.1, 2, 3. is undeniable. And it came to paſs in thoſe Days, that there went out a DECREE from Caeſar Auguſtus (the Roman Emperour) that all the World ſhould be Taxed. From what hath been Confeſſed and Teſtified by the Papiſts themſelves, it is plain and evident, That Rome-Papal is Myſtical-Babylon (q)Viegas in Apoc. 17. Com. 1. S. 3. Inquit, Nomine Babilonis urbem Romam ſignificari in hoc Apocalypſis opere; ubi toties Babilon nominatur. vid. Oroſium lib. 2. c. 3. Hiſt. Par. in Apoc. 14.8..