simplicity of their attire being emblematical of the undisguised faith and practice of religion which they profess; but the meretricious ornaments of the apostate church are disgustingly the reverse in every thing. Corrupt herself, and wholly abandoned to her spiritual illicit amours, or idolatry, she seduces the nations of the earth into a communion and fellowship with her, in the same wantonness of superstition and sin. For this reason she is here distinguished by the well earned appellation of the GREAT WHORE, the MOTHER OF HARLOTS, her corrupting example, and even compulsatory measures, having always led the way to every religious abomination that God hates, and the gospel the emblem of present sanctification and future justification, the gift of Christ to them that overcome, (Rev. iii. 4, 5; iv. 4; vii. 9, 13; xv, 6: xix. 8, 14) Christ and all his followers are represented riding on "white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, (Rev. xix. 14,) and the church, the bride of the Lamb, is presented to him so adorned, simplex munditiis. "And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints." (Rev. xix. 8.) It is the emblem of it, and certainly adds greatly to the decency of appearance in divine worship, disowns. Like a true inchantress she bears in her hand an intoxicating cup of love potion, wherewith she fascinates the understandings and affections of her lovers, that although convinced of her falsehood and wickedness, they are infatuated with strong delusion to persevere in her guilty commerce, and have not the power to tear themselves from her embraces.* CIRCE of old did not succeed more effectually in her enchantments, away * The poet Mantuan died in Luther's time, and died a papist, yet an enemy to their horrid impieties, which he severely lash es. Speaking thus of the secular priests : Invisi superis, foedaq. libidine olentes, Heu, frustra incestis iterant sacra orgia dextris. Curst of the heavenly powers-defil'd with sin, And of the regulars he says -Ovium molli sub vellere fraudes Mente Lycaonius servant, et crimine sordent. 'Ray'd in sheep's clothing, they the fraudful mind VOL. II. when she changed the companions of Ulysses into beasts, than this modern sorceress does in transforming the servants of Christ into the idolaters of MAHUZZIM, and changing his easy and honorable yoke into a burthensome and ignominious captivity to superstition, and the reasonable service of the gospel into mystery and blasphemy. This idea is taken from Jeremiah li. 7. The Babylon whose judgments he describes in that chapter being explained by St John to mean the mystic Babylon, the subject of his prophecy." Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord's hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine, therefore the nations are mad." She is Their studied crime's so artfully designed- And of Rome he says,→→→ Vivere qui sancte capitis, discedite; Roma Flee Rome, wouldst thou be holy, come not near, Thou mayst be any thing but godly there. Man of Sin "sitting upon many waters," to denote the catholic or universal supremacy to which she pretends; the waters being explained (ver. 15) to mean "peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues," which have submitted themselves with a blind obedience to her spiritual tyranny, embraced her corrupt doctrines, and even contended for the support of her authority and power, against reason, conscience, the light of scripture, and the laws of huma nity." She is represented as "drunken, but not with wine, nor yet with affliction, but with cruelty and wanton bloodshed.." " I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus." The purple robes in which she is arrayed, and with which even the very beast on which she sits is covered, have been well imagined by the protestant writers to have been dyed red with blood,* The church of Rome has been peculiarly unfortunate, for perhaps to speak more truly, has been led by over ruling Providence) in taking upon herself the characteristic marks of the BEAST. Not only the pontiff himself, but the horse which bears him, and the cardinals which follow in his train on days of Crede mihi, nullo saturatas murice vestes, Et mersa insonti tota cruore madent. Beza's Notes, What means that robe of royal purple hue? Purple was anciently the principal distinction of the imperial dignity: and the popes no sooner usurped the sovereignty of Rome, the seat of the Cæsars,* and extended their solemn procession, are all covered with scarlet, as the prophet. has here beforehand described them. The scarlet hat is the badge of dignity to the cardinals, which are the princes of the ecclesiastical empire. In the year 1254, Pope Innocent IV. ordained that the cardinals should wear RED HATS, "honestandi ordinis gratia," says Platina,-" as an honorary distinction of their high rank,"-" as a symbol of their readiness to shed their blood for the church," says Onuphrius. But more probably by divine ordinance, to declare to all the world that the blood of the martyrs was on their heads, and for the fulfilment of prophecy. For about this same time thousands of the Albigenses were butchered. To the red bat, about 1471, Pope Paul II. added robes of scarlet.Compend, Diana. Hist. Popery. **Rev. xiii, 2. |