A commentarie upon the book of the Revelation Wherein the text is explained, the series of the several prophecies contained in that book, deduced according to their order and dependance on each other; the periods and succession of times, at, or about which, these prophecies, that are already fulfilled, began to be, and were more fully accomplished, fixed and applied according to history; and those that are yet to be fulfilled, modestly, and so far as is warrantable, enquired into. Together with some practical observations, and several digressions, necessary for vindicating, clearing, and confirming many weighty and important truths. Delivered in several lectures, by that learned, laborious, and faithfull servant of Jesus Christ, James Durham, late Minister of the Gospel in Glasgow. To which is affixed a brief summary of the whole book, with a twofold index, one of the several digressions, another of the chief and principall purposes and words contained in this treatise.

CHAP. XVII.

Vers. 1.

ANd there came one of the seven Angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither, I will shew unto thee the judgement of the great whore, that sitteth upon many waters.

2.

With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the in∣habiters of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

WE have had a little view of Gods judgements against Antichrist and Ba∣bylon his seat, in the former principall and last typicall prophesie of the vials, which carried it on to the last judgement. Now, followeth the last explicatory prophesie, in two visions: wherein some speciall things, mentioned in the former, more darkly and shortly, are more fully explained. The holy Ghost aiming hereby clearly to point out what this Babylon or antichristian Church, and who this Antichrist is, (the one in opposition to the true Church, the other to Christ, the right Head and Soveraign thereof) with a more clear description of them, their actings and ruine. We are there∣fore to look on this prophesie, and especially on this Chapter, as a speciall key for opening the main mysteries concerning these things which are delivered in the former prophesies. In order to which, and for understanding of what followeth, in general we premit these things.

1. Concerning the scope, it is in these words, Chap. 17.1. I will shew unto thee the judgement of the great whore: by which is meaned not only nor mainly the last judge∣ment, or last step of her judgement under the seventh vial; for, all which followeth, a•• the destruction of Babylon, Chap. 18. which is the seat or throne of the beast, belongeth not to the seventh, but to the fifth vial; nor the battell of Armageddon, where the beast is taken, belongeth not to it, but to the sixth: and this would make the story of the se∣venth more comprehensive than it will bear.) But we take in the remarkable events on the beast and his throne, which are by temporall judgements to be carried on by the Kings, who, once having given their power to this beast, shall afterwards withdraw from her, and piece and piece hate her, and make her naked, as is clear, vers. 16. all which cleareth, that this following vision (Chap. 17.18. and 19.) doth belong to the fifth and sixth vials, and not to the seventh.

2. Concerning the series and placing of them, it is thus to be done, 1. He describeth (Chap. 17.) the object of these judgements, to wit, the whore and the beast, and who are to be understood by them, with a generall hint at the instruments to be made use of in their ruine. Then, (Chap. 18) he more fully and pathetically sheweth the temporall destru∣ction of that city or whore, by the following lamentations of her followers: which sheweth it not to be the last judgement on her, which could have nothing following; but that judgement on the beasts seat, mentioned under the fifth vial, Chap. 16. Then (Chap. 19.) he goeth on to describe the events of the sixth vial in the battell of Arma∣geddon, which was defective, (till supplied there) Chap. 16. after these, In the last vision (Chap. 20.21.22.) till vers. 6, 7, &c. he setteth out the events of the seventh vial: wherein Rome, is not only destroyed, as in the fifth; and the beast, as in the sixth: but

the Dragon in his universall dominion, which belongeth to the seventh vial. So, Chap. 18. expoundeth the fifth vial; 19. the sixth; and 20.21. the seventh; and this 17. Chap. maketh way for all.

3. For this 17. Chap. (which is a ground well premitted to all the rest) it hath three parts, 1. An introduction, or preface, containing the occasion of what followeth; or, the proposing of the sum and scope of the vision following. This is in the Angels words to Iohn, vers. 1, 2. 2. There is the vision it self, more darkly represented to him in types, or in a figurative vision. This is from vers. 3. to vers. 6. 3. From that to the end, we have a clear interpretation (upon the occasion of Iohns wondering) more fully expounding this than any other vision is expounded. Concerning which, Observe more particularly,

1. That there is great odds between the figurative expressions, in which the vision is set down, and these by which it is interpreted. The vision and prophesies are set down darkly under figures, and we must take them so; and to take them literally were absurd: be∣cause they need interpretation, but the interpretation, is in plain words and more properly to be taken. Otherwise, to expound one allegory by another as obscure, were no exposi∣tion, and contrary to the Angels scope here, which is by this interpretation to make Iohn and us know the meaning of the vision, and contrary to the manner of exposition in all other places, as (Chap. 1.20.) the seven Candlesticks are the seven Churches, literally so, and no moe, as they are named. The seven Stars the Angels, or Ministers of these Churches: and (Chap. 7.) these are they who are come out of great tribulation, i.e. so indeed. And therefore here, though in the vision, heads and horns be not to be properly and literally understood, yet in the interpretation, seven heads are seven hills, or ten horns ten Kings, they are literally and properly to be taken, especially when the Angel cir∣cumstantiateth the hills, such as the woman fitteth upon; and the Kings, by this, that five be past, one is and the other is to come; and the ten Kings, not as yet to have re∣ceived power, but to get it afterward, and so forth. All which demonstrate, that the An∣gels purpose and words are to be literally understood. So the woman, the city, (vers. 18.) is so circumstantiated by her dominion, as constraineth it literally to be understood.

2. Concerning this woman and whore, Obs. 1. That the woman and whore are both one city or state, but diversly considered▪ for, she who is the whore, vers. 1. is styled and represented as a woman, vers. 4. and the woman there represented, hath the whores name, vers. 5. yet (I say) diversly considered, for, to be an whore and an adultere••-whore, such as the Scripture useth to mention to this scope: therefore this name is given to Israel in their defections, and not to Heathens, because it importeth a Contract and Marriage with some party and a foul breach of that tie. The whore then, as such, can be no city that never was Christian, but some eminent Church, making defection to idolatry and falling from the F••••••h given to God their husband; at least, this engagement to Him, must preveen their being accounted so notorious an harlot. And, 2. as the woman and whore are one; So Babylon (called the great city, Sodom, Chap. 11. vers. 8.) and the whore, are the same, as appeareth by then names, vers. 5. and vers. 18. and their pra∣ctices are the same, to wit, to allure to fornication, Chap. 14.8. to persecute, Chap. 11. and their ruine and judgement is one. Compare Chap. 14.9, 10, &c. Chap. 16.19. Chap. 18.2, &c. And where the epither great, is added to City, Wh••re or Babylon, the same singular party is described, but in diverse considerations, either of her dominion, as vers. 18. or whoredoms, oppressions, pride, or some such thing, for which she getteth diverse names, and is represented by diverse types.

3. Concerning this Woman, it is by most of the Fathers applyed to Rome. Ter••••••i••∣nus, lib. adversus Iudaos, Cap. 9. Sic & Babylon, apud Ioannem nostrum, Romana urbis figuram imp••••••, proin•••• & magna & regn•• superba, & Sanctori•••• debella∣tricis, that is, Babylon, in our Iohn, is a figure of the city of Rome, being so great, so proud of the Empire, and the destroyer of the Saints. The like he hath, lib. ••. contra Marcionem, Cap. 13.

Hieronym••••, epist. 17. ad Mar••••ll••••, nomin•• Pauli & Eust••ch••••, ••pist. 151. Alg••∣siae, quaest. 11. Comm••••••. in Cap. 47. Es••iae. in lib. Di••ymi de Sp••r. Sa••nct••, praef••∣tione ad Paulinianum. Ambrosius Ansber 〈◊〉〈◊〉 locumpunc; where he saith, ••oc manife∣stum est, i. e. it is manifest. Also Victorin••••, Prima•••••• and others, cited by Ful•• in his answer to the Rhemists, 4. note upon the place.

Nay, Augustine (howbeit cited for another opinion concerning what is meaned by Ba∣bylon from his Comment. in Psal. 26.) doth concede what we say, lib. 18. De civitat•• Dei, Cap. 2. & 22. And Arethas Caesariensis, Comment. in locum, granteth the same to be the judgement of diverse: whence Fulk gathereth, That this was the common opi∣nion of the ancient Greek Fathers.

The same is granted by the most learned of the Papists themselves. ••aro••ius, (Anna••. Tom. 1. An. 45.) hath these words, Roman, in Apocalyps•• Io••nnis eo••••m nomine (sci. Babylonis) notatam esse▪ in confesso est apud omnes, i.e. That Ro••••, in the Revelation of Iohn, is designed by the same name, to wit, of Babylon, is confessed by all.

••ellarmine is both frequent and full in this, lib. 3. De pontif. Romano. Cap. 13. have∣ing, first▪ proposed that opinion of Augustine, Arethas, Ha••o••, ••eda and ••apertus, who, by the city Babylon, understand the multitude of the wicked. And addeth, Se∣••anao▪ dici potest, & ••ea judicio melius, per meretrice•• intelligi Roma••, that is, It may be said also, and in my judgement better, that by the whore, Rome is to be understood. And lib. 2. Cap. 2. he expresly disputeth for it; Praeter••a, Ioan•••••• in Apocalyps•• passim Romam vocat Babylonem▪ & apertâ colligitur ex Cap. 17. Apoc. ubi dicitur Babylon magna sed••re super septem montes, & habere imperium super Reg••s terr••: Nec 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••lia civitas est, quae, Ioannis tempore, ••••perium habuerit super Reges terrae, quam Roma▪ & notissimum est super septem colles Romam edificatam ess••▪ that is, Moreover, Iohn in the Revelation, every-where calleth Rome Babylon, and it is evidently gathered from the 17. of the Revel▪ where Babylon the great is said to sit upon seven hills, and to have dominion over the Kings of the earth: Neither was there any other, which in Iohn's time had power over the Kings of the earth besides Rome; And it is a most known thing, that Rome was builded upon seven hills. See also his 3. Book, Cap. ••.

The same is the judgement of Esti••s, in 4. Sent. Dist. 47. S. 9. and of Ribera upon the place, The Rh••mist•• also acknowledge, that Rome heathen may be understood her••, and Alcasar confirmeth it; Also Cornelius •• lapide, Blasius, Viegas and others.

Reasons in the Text do constrain it so to be understood, 1. Its locall situation, This whore is a City sitting on seven hills in Iohns time: whereof afterward. 2. It is an Em∣pire or City, which had before that changed five sorts of Governments, had then the ••••xth, unto which one other was to succeed, as Popes have done, who were not come in Iohns times▪ 3. It is (vers. 18) clear from its Dominion, she is that city, that great city, which then commanded all the Kings and great men of the earth: which grounds (I say) make even the adversaries apply it to Rome, but they fall in two foolish shift••▪ ••ome applying it to Rome heathen, others to Rome under the Antichrist, who (they say) is yet to come. Of these we shall speak particularly in the close of the Chapter, and ••ow premit▪

1. That this beast, that beareth or carrieth the woman, is the same mentioned, Chap. 11. that cometh out of the bottomlesse pit, and killeth the witnesses, and the same with that beast, Chap. 13. their rise is one with this, out of the pit, vers. ••. Their description in heads, horns, and exercise in persecuting the Saints and maintaining blasphemies, and the time that they belong unto, will be one; that beast, (Chap. 13.) riseth after the wound∣ing of the sixth head; This when that Government, which then was, is expired: yet fall they under diverse considerations, as the two beasts formerly, Chap. 13. The beast is as the Husband or rather Adulterer, the woman, the wife, or whore; the woman re∣presenteth an apostate Church, or the body; the beast here suppo••••ing her, pointeth at the head or mungrell power sustaining her and acting her, which in respect of absolutnesse, tyranny, and persecution (though in a kind distinct from the former, ye•••• become they one, as we will hear.

2. Observe, that there is a great propinquity betwixt the woman▪ or whore, and this beast, they belong to one time: for, the beast carrieth her, and they 〈◊〉〈◊〉 together, They ••re of one colour, scur••••••. They have both blasphemies on them and fornications, (the same upon the matter) they both are up together, the woman is great when the Kings give the beast their power, when they withdraw i•• then she cometh down, his throne, which was the Dragons, (Chap. 13.) is her seat, to wit, the seven hills: from which neernesse, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 evident they must dwell together.

3. This beast then must signifie such an Empire and Dominion as doth not only support

Rome, the city, but Rome a whore, and that not as a temporall head meerly by force keep∣ing down men under it, as did the old Roman Empire; but such a head as the world wondereth at, as is Chap 13. and here also, vers. 8. and such a head as when ten Kings, out of the ruins of the old temporall Empire, shall assume Dominion and soveraignity to them∣selves, and withdraw from him, yet willingly they shall yeeld their power to be disposed of by this beast: and so long as they reverence him, the whore is in no fear by them, but when they cast him off, then she is burnt. By which it appeareth, that as by the woman the Roman Church is described, in opposition to the true Church, Chap. 12.1. called a woman there; so, by the beast must be meaned the Roman sea, or the Papall power, by which this whore is supported, and to whom the Kings of the earth give their power, and after whom the whole world hath long wondered, as was cleared (Chap. 13.) of this same beast: and the propositions laid down there, are also to be applied here.

4. We would consider at what time this which is spoken of the beast and whore, is to be applied to Rome, and the powers which govern Rome, which is the beast, as the other is the woman. There are these characters to find it out by, which now at the entry we shall but in generall propound, 1. It is the time when the beast should appear, as he riseth from the bottomlesse pit, vers. 8. to wit, in the last state of the Empire, before his utter ruine: and so it is not that which was in Iohns time, any lawfull succeeding power (which cometh not from the pit) but it is that which the Dragon gave, Chap. 13. an au∣thority and soveraignity invented by the devil, and not warranted by the Word, such as is Vniversall Bishop, Prince of Pastors, and Vicar of Christ; so it is no meer civill power, though persecuting: for then, as it was in Iohns time, it might have been said to have ascended from the pit, and it had not been peculiar to the future state of the Empire, which is a forreign Government of an other rise than these which went before, such as that of the Popes, who are distinct and different from Emperours. 2. It is Rome under the last head of seven, whereof five were but past in Iohn's time, and Caesars were the sixth: the seventh called the eighth for his twofold consideration (as Chap. 13.) then was not come; for, this last head is expresly called the beast, vers. 11. Therefore Rome under none of the first six Governments is the beast here, but under the seventh or eighth, which in Rome succeeded to Emperours, or Caesars; for, this last is to have none after it. A third character is, to try the time by the horns, That Government of Rome is to be the beast, which shall have with it ten Kings reigning, which had not recieved their Kingdom in Iohn's time, vers. 12. Again, it agreeth to that state of Rome, when other Kings, that have withdrawn their temporall subjection from the Emperours, shall yet unanimously and harmoniously of their own good wills give their power unto, and be at the devotion of this beast. 3. These Kings shall be especially employed by this beast in making wars against the Saints, till God discover the whores rottennesse to them or some of them, vers. 14. compared with vers. 16, 17. It must then be applicable to that time when per∣secutions abounded through all the Christian world by the Laws of all Kings and King∣doms, which was when the Prophets prophesied in sackcloth and were killed, Chap. 11. and 13. A fourth character we take from that, that the woman is called a Whore: there∣fore it cannot agree to Heathen Rome, for she was not then married nor ever called a whore.

5. The last thing we premit, is, concerning the times mentioned, as past, present and to come: when they are particularly differenced, they are not to be confounded, yet that any thing in the vision is affirmed in the present time, it will not prove it then to have been, seing it is ordinary for things to come, to be represented as present or past.

More particularly, we come now to the preface of the vision, vers. 1. and 2. Wherein the sum and scope of the vision is proposed: In which, consider, 1. the thing proposed to be shown, It is the judgement of the great whore. 2. some properties of that whore hinted at. 3. by whom this is revealed.

In the proposition, the word whore, (which in all languages cometh from mercenari∣nesse) shortly implyeth two things, 1. An engagement on the party sinning, there is a breach of wedlock-bond, as Ezek. 16.38. 2. The nature of the sin as inconsistent with the nature of that tie, to wit, Idolatry, &c. with which God will have no communion: though many other infirmities may consist with that bond of Marriage, yet this is particular∣ly whoredom in Scripture, a peoples shamefull prostituting themselves to idols and strange

worship, who were engaged to God. See Hos. 4 12, 13. with the right exposition of that place. So here, by whore is understood some city or state, as vers. 18. yet such as hath been engaged to God and hath made defection from him to Idolatry. In which re∣spect, Israel, Iudah and Ierusalem do get the name of harlots peculiarly, and are charged with spirituall fornication beyond other Nations because of this their tie to God which others had not. Beside, this whore is painted out in opposition to that woman and wife, Chap. 12. which evanished: and this whore and strumpet appeareth in her place. 2. By judgement we understand her ruine, especially when it cometh to her seat, which is the great city, and is here manifested to Iohn, 1. to shew that it was certain, and so to prevent stumbling at that whores greatnesse and pompe. 2. To shew that it came not by guesse, but that God had ordered her ruine. 3. To begin this explication with the fifth vial pre∣ceeding, Chap. 16.

2. The property of this whore hinted at here, is, her greatnesse; Thus to distinguish this corrupted Church from ordinary defections, heresies and schisms, whereby often the married Spouse of Christ hath been an harlot, and particular Churches have degenerated. This is the great whore, looking to the great defection and falling away, spoken of in Scrip∣ture, 2 Thess. 2. to be in the dayes of Ancichrist, and the greatest eclipse that the light, after Christs dayes, had to endure. This greatnesse of this whore, is four wayes expressed and proven, 1. She sitteth upon many waters, vers. 1. to set out the greatnesse of her temporall dominion, she that was a mistresse over People, Nations, &c. vers. 15. is to be this whore, and by her whoredoms and idolatries was to keep these under her power. 2. She is a great whore in respect of these who sin with her and share of her idolatries, superstitions and errors. These are the Kings and great men of the earth, such have been Popish for many generations. 3. In respect of the extent of her whoredom or common∣nesse of it: It is not only with Kings, but indifferently, she proposed unto and did bear in her strumperies on all sorts, great and small; the meanest behoved to bear her mark, Chap. 13. even all the inhabiters of the earth. 4. She is a great whore in respect of that degree of whoredoms wherewith she hath intoxicated them. She hath made them d••unk with the wine of her fornications. 1. Her sin is fornication, which ordinarily in the Old Testament is applyed to Idolatry, in putting some other in Gods room. Now there is no Christian Church hath degenerated in this respect to own Images and Idolatry but Rome. 2. She hath entysing wayes (as poisoned cups of wine) to allure to her idolatries: Many threatnings, promises and false miracles have been made use of to engage the world to this. 3. She maketh them drink of these till they be drunk, being through Gods judgement deluded, as 1 Thess. 2. madd and irrationally addicted to and bent on that way of super∣stition, as appeareth by the many Abbacies, Mon••steries, superstitious titles and submissions given to Popes, and persecutions against all her faithfull opposers, which bear witnesse how drunk the world hath been with that conceit of the Roman Church.