¶ A SERMON preached at Hampton Court on Sonday being the. 12. day of Nouember in the yeare of our Lord. 1570. VVherein is plainly proued Babylon to be Rome both by Scriptures and Doctors Preached by VVilliam Fulke Bacheler of Diuinity and fellow of S. Iohns Colledge in Cambridge APOCALIPS 14. ¶ She is fallen she is fallen euen Babylon that great Citie for of the wyne of the furie of her fornication she hath made all nations to drinke Imprinted at London by Iohn Awdely ⧠TO THE RIGHT honorable vertuous lord Ambrose Dudley Earle of Varwike Maister of the Queenes Maiesties Ordinance and Knight of the most noble order of the Garter WHERE as it pleased your Honor to requyre a copy of my Sermon which I preached last in your Honors hearing so far as my memory would serue me to repeate it I thought it my dutie to satisfie your godly desire Not that I count it worthye of longer remembraunce in respect of any great skyl or diligence of myne shewed therein althoughe in regard of the matter I would it myght neuer be forgotten but because I acknowledge my selfe so much bound to your Honor that whersoeuer I may perceiue that my poore seruice may be accepted of the same I would in no wyse be slacke to offer it much lesse refuse to yelde it when it pleaseth your Lordship so earnestly to require it In which request albeit the singuler good wyll that your Honour beareth toward me moueth you to think better oâ— my simple doinges then they deserue in deede Yet your godlye zeale to the glorye of GOD and the detestation of Papistrie may appeare to all men as it is throughly knowen to those that daylye haue experience of your honorable disposition VVherfore I addressed my selfe to put in writyng that which before I had vttered in speaking obseruyng as neare as I could not onelye the substance of matter but also the phrase of wordes which I then vsed as by reading your Honor can best iudge VVhich after I had sent to a friend of myne in London to be written out at my next repayre to the Citie I found that it was already committed to a Printer who had vndertaken to set it out in prynt For which cause I thought good to set this Preface before it most humbly beseeching your Honor to take it in good part and for the delay of tyme to hold me excused seing it shall come otherwyse into your Lordships handes then of me at the first was purposed The Lord of Lords encrease al honorable godly vertues in your Lordship with prosperitie in this life to his diuine pleasure after the course of this time ended perpetuall ioy and felicitie Your Honors to commaund alwaies in the Lord William Fulke A sermon preached at hampton Court the. 12. of Nouember 1570. THat I may speake to the glory of God and the edifiyng of the CongregatioÌ„ here gathered in his name I shall desire you all right honorable worshipfull and welbeloued in our sauiour Christ to ioyne with me in faithfull and earnest prayer And in this praier c. It is written in the 14. chapter of the Reuelation of s. Iohn the 8. verse She is fallen she is fallen euen Babylon that great City for of the wyne of the fury of her fornication she hath in 〈◊〉 all nations to drinke The holy Euangeliâ—â— s. Luke right honorable welbeloued in Christ in the. 4. chapter of his Gospel recordeth that on a time when our sauiour came into the Sinagoge at Nazareth to rede as his custome was ther was deliuered to him a booke containing the Prophecy of the Prophet Esay Which after he had opened at the first be found the place wher it was written in these words The spirite of the Lord is vpon me because he hath annoynted me that I should preach the Gospell to the poore he hath sent me that I should heale the broken in hart that I should preach deliuerance to the Captiues and sight to the blinde that I should set at liberty them that are brused to preach the acceptable yeare of the Lord. Then after he had closed the booke and deliuered it to the Minister he sat downe to preach and the eyes of all them that wer in the Congregation wer bent vpon him Then he opened his mouth spake vnto theÌ„ these words This dai is this scripture fulfilled in your eares and they all gaue him testimony that it was so In like maner may I say concerning this place of scripture which I haue read vnto you In your eyes and eares is this scripture this day fulfilled And I pray God you may all likewise beare witnes with me that it is so The last time that I spake in this auditory I entreated of the floorishing prosperous 〈◊〉 of Ierusalem which is the Church of 〈◊〉 forth in the. 122. Psalme and therfore good order now requireth that I shuld speake of the dâ—cay ouerthrow of the enemy of Ierusalem which is Babylon the See church of Antichrist And for that purpose principally haue I chosen this text of scripture to speake of That by the one we might bee enflamed with loue of the true church of Christ by the other be moued to the hatred of that false church of Antichrist Now this text of scripture She is fallen she is fallen euen Babylon that great City for of the wine of the fury of her fornication she hath geuen all Nations to drinke offereth me thrée speciall things to be considered First what Babylon is secondly what is become of her and thirdly what is the cause of her heauy decay In the first part by the assistance of God and your honorable pacience I shal plainly shew proue that Babylon is Rome In the secend the Babylon or Rome by the iust iudgemeÌ„t of God is fallen yea she is fallen In the last the reason of this so sharpe sentence of God against her because she hath deceiued al the world with dronkeÌ„nes and whoredome Within the câ—mpasse of these thrée propositions I will kéepe my selfe in all my discourse Sauing that by your fauour forasmuch as this is the myddle voyce of thrée Angels that speake in this chapter for 〈◊〉 I wil vse the voyce of the first Angel of whose preaching this my text is a coÌ„sequent anâ— in the stéede of a conclusion I wil touch the voyce of the third Angel which is a consequent of this the myddle Angels voyce Concerning the Preface it shal be this in few words After that s. Iohn had described the preseruation vnity of the church of god in Christ their head euen in the midst of the fury of Antichrist vnder the figure of the Lambe standing on mouÌ„t Syon with 144000. of his chast worshippers Next he declareth that God would bring the same againe into the sight of the world by preaching of the Gospel and the ouerthrow of the kingdome of Antichrist Wherefore he sendeth an Angell flying in
was the stay that he was not presently reuealed But when that stay is taken away he shuld be reuealed in his due time Chrysostome expouÌ„deth this stay to be the Romane Empire which must geue place vnto Antichrist That like as the Persians came in place of the Chaldeans the Grecians in place of the Percians and the Romanes in place of the Graecians euen so Antichrist should inuade the Empire of the Romanes Vacantem imperij principatum inuadet tentabit ad se capere hominum Dei imperium Antichrist sayth he shal inuade the vacant principallity of the Empire shal assay to draw vnto him self the Empires both of God men And is it not manifest that the Papacie grew tooke increase by the decay of the Empire at the fall of the Monarchy challenged full possession of all dominion both spirituall and temporall Of the same iudgement is s. Ierome writing vpon the same place of Paule vnto Algasia in the eleuenth question whose wordes are these Nec vult aperte dicere Romanum imperium de struendum quod ipsi qui imperant aeternum putant vnde secundum Apocalypsim IohaÌ„nis in fronte purpuratae meretricis scriptum est nomen blasphemiae id est Romae aeternae c. that is Neither wil he openly say that the Romane Empire should be destroyed which they that gouerne it thinke to be euerlasting whereforâ— according to the Reuelation of s. Iohn in the forehead of the purple whore ther is written a name of blasphemi which is Rome euerlasting Loe here another witnes of good antiquity and sufficient credit which not onely agreeeth plainly with Chrysostome that Antichrist should take possession of the Romane Empire when it should be decayed in the Emperours but also most plainly agréeing with Tertulliane calleth that Babylonicall strumpet which is described in the 17. chapter of this Apocalips that purple whore of Rome the name of the blasphemye to be Rome euerlasting As though hee had heard the Pope brag of the eternity of his Sée which he saith is the Rocke against which the gates of hel caÌ„not preuaile But he is fowly be giled for Rome the Sée of his Popedome is by s. Ieromes iudgement that Babylon of whoÌ„ the Angel preacheth the howsoeuer the boast of her eternity She is fallen she is fallen euen Babylon that great city neuer shal rise againe They cry out agaynst vs that we rayle and speake coÌ„tumeliously of the holy Sée of the Pope when we call Rome the whore of Babilon but when the old Doctours to whose iudgement they themselues appeale from the authority of the scripture feare not so plainly in their writings to paynt out the Babylonycall strumpet in her right coulors in flat words to say she is Rome the mother of al abominacions the Sée of Antichrist why should we be blamed for saying as we are taught by them And especially of those men that make so great vauntes that the iudgement is altogether on their side by whom they offer to be tryed when they dare not abide the iudgement of the Scriptures Againe consider I pray you of the old Doctors before Antichrist were openly reuealed did vnderstand by the scriptures that he should â—yt at Rome what thinke you would they haue said and written if they had lyued in these dayes knowen and sene all that was prophecied to be fulfilled in him wyth what confidence suppose ye they wold haue inueyed against him With how open mouthes would they haue cryed out vpon him At least wyse do you not thinke in your conscience that when they had considered the autority of the Pope his wholesome doctrine they would haue chaunged their minds and recanted their writings against Rome and repented that euer they had called her the purple whore of Babylon seing she is the holy mother church of Rome the Sée of the most holy father the Pope the head of the same church I must néedes say thus much in your behalfe O ye Papists as yll as I loue you that if Hierome Tertulliane and the rest of the Doctors dyd so account of Rome as you affirme of them they were much to blame to defame her wyth such odious names as to call her the purple whore of Babylon which must néedes make her vehemently suspected to be the church of Antichrist and not of christ For what Papist in these dayes dare say that which Hierome sayd that Rome is that purple harlot Babylon which S. Iohn speaketh of in the Apocalips The same Hierome in his 13. booke of CoÌ„mentaries of the prophecy of Esay vpon the 47 chap. writeth in this maner Licet ex co quod iuxta 70 scriptuÌ„ est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id est filia Babylonis noÌ„ ipsum Babylonem quidam sed Romanam vrbem interpretantur quae in Apocalypsi Iohannis Epistola Petri Babylon specialliter appellatur c. That is For as much as the seuenty Interpreters write not the daughter Babylon but the Daughter of Babylon some doe interprete therof not Babylon in Chaldea but the City of Rome which in the Reuelation of saint Iohn the Epistle of Peter is specially called Babylon Note that Hierome in this place accoÌ„pted Rome to be Babylon the yonger daughter of Babylon the elder And secondly that this was not his opinion onely but the consent of many other in his time and namely of such as vsed to interprete the Prophet Esay Thirdly and especially coÌ„sider that he affirmeth Rome in the Apocalips to be specially called Babilon So that Babylon in the Apocalips by his iudgement cannot be vnderstood for nothing els but Rome because Rome is there specially figured by Babylon What meaneth Hierome so often to beate in this naile that Babylon is Rome If it had slipped out of his pen but once he myght haue bene pardoned for his ouersight but wheÌ„ he hath neuer done writing that Rome is Babylon and in the Reuelation specially called Babylon why should we accompt him any longer for a Catholike For in hys Preface vnto the booke of Didimus De spiritu sancto which he translated out of Gréeke into Latin writing to Pauinianus he vttereth these wordes Cum in Babylone versarer purpuratae meretricis essem Colonus iure Quiritum viuerem c. Of late saith he when I was in Babylon and was an inhabitant of the purple harlot liued after the lawes of the Romanes I thought to intreate somewhat of the holy Ghost What néeded Hierome in this place so odiously contumeliously to call Rome by the name of Babilon but that he could neuer consider Rome otherwise but to be that See appointed for Antichrist for in other places wher he interpreteth that scriptures Prophecies concerning Antichrist we may lesse maruel if he interprete Babylon for Rome because no reason could leade him to expound it otherwise But here talking pleasaÌ„tly with his friend what necessitys compelled him to vse such descriptions of Rome
but that this persuasion was so déepely grauen in hys minde that Babylon is Rome that neither in earnest noriest he could forget it but is alwaies harping vpon it as though he thought scorne to call Rome by any other name then that he had learned in the scriptures to be Babylon the purple Harlot For in lyke maner writing to Marcella a vertuous Gentlewoman of Rome whom he allured to forsake Rome to dwell nere vnto him in Bethlehem one especial reasoÌ„ that he vseth to persuade her is this That as BethleheÌ„ whether he wold haue her to repaire is situate in the holy land the place coÌ„secrated to the birth of Christ So Rome where shee desired to remaine was the Babylonical harlot according to the Reuelation of s. Iohn appointed for the birth of Antichrist which ther shuld arise exercise tyranny from thence should deceiue that whole world with his wicked wyles But who so wil reade the workes of Ierome may finde yet more places in which he is bold to cal Rome Babylon that very Sée of Antichrist Whereby it is apparant that it is no new or straunge matter to séeke Antichrist at Rome when such old Doctors of the church so coÌ„monly in Commentaries Epistles and other writings do teach vs that Rome is Babylon the scripture affirmeth that Babylon is the Sée of Antichrist But let vs leaue s. Ierome and sée what other say of the same matter Saint Ambrose writing a CoÌ„mentary vpon the Reuelation of s. Iohn is of the same iudgement Of the authority of the woorke I wyll moue no question at this time seing it is commended to vs by Cuthbert Tonstal late bishop of Duresme who found it in an old Library first set it in print vnder the name of that great s. Ambrose and is willing that men should so thinke of it It is good authority I say against the Papists being commended by so Catholike a Prelate because they are woont to receiue whatsoeuer commeth vnder the name of an old Doctor though it be neuer so vnlyke his writing and cry out vpon vs for reiecting at our pleasure the workes of auncient Doctors that make against our doctrine as though we reiected any without cause or they refused none for any cause wheras Pighius their great Patron blusheth not to reiect the report of two general Counsels the fift sixt of CoÌ„stantinople which are coÌ„mended to vs by publike faith of that church of Constantinople because in the one Pope Honorius is condemned accursed for an heretike in neither of both the Popes Legats could haue the highest place according to that request of their ambicious Maister But as for this Ambrose if he wer not Ambrose of Millain yet is it apparant by the style that he was some auncient writer of the Latin church he throughout this prophecy interpreteth Babylon to be Rome Antichrist to be sought no where but at Rome Primasius also a very auncient writer who likewise coÌ„menteth vpon the Apocalips expouÌ„deth these prophecies of Antichrist to be fulfilled in that Romane empire of the city of Rome S. Augustine in his worke De Ciuitate Dei not once or twise but oftentimes is bold to cal Rome Babylon Babylon Rome as in his 16. booke and 17. chapter he calleth Rome an other Babylon in the West And in his 18. booke 2. chapter he calleth Babylon of Chaldea the first Rome Rome of Italy the second Babylon willing men to consider that in the beginning of the city of God which was the church in Abrahams time the first Rome that was Easterne Babylon her enemy was builded in Chaldea and about the same time that the first Babylon was destroyed least the city of God should lack her enemy the second Babylon which is Rome in Italy was erected It is a straunge matter that the same city which is that professed enemy of the city of God should be the mother of al religion the very city of God it selfs O Augustin thou wast not wel aduised to make the city of Rome enemy to the city of God that Rome should be the same to the church of God that Babilon of old was at Ierusalem The same Augustine in the 22. chap. of the 18. booke calleth Rome an other Babilon daughter of the first Babilon And in the 27. chap. he calleth Rome Western Babylon By these other testimonies of oldâ— writers that might be brought but for tediousnes I suppose it is sufficiently proued that Babylon in this my text spoken of is Rome and that we should not seeke Antichrist to proceede from any other place then from Rome But what neede I trouble my selfe to seeke further testimonial for coÌ„firmation of this matter that Babylon is Rome then of the Papistes them selues For it is the common catholike opinion of all Papists that s. Peter in his Epistle where he sendeth salutacions froÌ„ the Church gathered in Babilon by Babilon vnderstandeth Rome And they learne it of Ieronime which in the life of s. Marke doth so expound it So gréedy they are to finde a place in Scripture where Peter should be said to haue bene at Rome that they are content to acknowledge Babylon in the scripture to be vnderstood of Rome And thus I haue performed I trust sufficiently that which I tooke in hand to proue both by the autority of holy scripture in plaine manifest textes by consent of many auncient writers yea by the confession of the Papists them selues that Babylon in the scripture is taken for Rome And thus much for the first part in which because I haue bene ouer long I wyl be shorter in that which remayneth In the second part I promised to declare how Babilon which is Rome is fallen according to the prophecy of this Angell She is fallen saith the Angel she is fallen He repeateth y woord of falling for two causes First to declare the certainty of her decay that howsoeuer she seemed to floorish and triumph as though she should neuer haue falleÌ„ or come to ruine yet God for her wickednes most righteously for the comfort of his church most mercifully had decréeed vndoubtedly that she should fall when that time was once come which in his most wise well ordered councel was appointed for her destruction Secondly he repeateth twise that she is fallen to shew that she should haue an vnrecouerable fall she should not fall as other cities which haue risen again but she should fal without al hope of recouery neuer to be restored again Therfore in the 18. chap. a mighty Angel taketh vp a great mylstone throweth it into the sea saying VVith such violence sâ—al Babilon that great city be throwne downe neuer be sene any more So that as it is impossible for a great milstone throwne with great forcâ— by a mighty Angel into the bottom of the sea to rise vp againe swym aboue the water so impossible is it that
in which the doctrine of Babylon of long tyme hath triumphed And it is our parts to pray that her credit may dayly more more decrease that the kingdome of Christ may be perfectly established amoÌ„gst vs the kingdom of Antichrist may be ouerthroweÌ„ euen from the foundacions That no superfluous relikes of Babylonical religion mai remain wher the church of Christ is in building but that the doctrine of Babylon may fal altogether Thus haue I declared that Babilon in wealth and substance in power autority in credit estimation of her doctrine is fallen that with out hope of recouery For her credit is cracked not onely among her enemies the Protestants but euen among her best friendes and greatest Archpapists For I suppose ther is none in the world so blinde so supersticious so deuoutly addict in all points of popish idolatry and supersticion as they were xxx or xl yeares past Although they close their eyes neuer so obstinatly against the light of Gods word yet some effect of the beames of force wil pearce euen through their eye lids And that they them selues caÌ„not dissemble although they would neuer so faine but that they haue bene deceiued wyth grosse errors shameful supersticions Their Pardons their Pilgrimages their Legends who is now so blinde that séeeth not how the world hath bene seduced by them And the simplicity of the people abused to satisfy their vnsatiable couetousnes As for the greatest Patrones of Popery that be learned they cannot deny but that great errors haue bene receyued taught for truthes yea the Pope himself hath acknowledged that many errours haue crept into the church yea euen into the Masse but the reformation of them pertaineth to him alone the general councel But what hope of reformatioÌ„ is to be looked for at their hands let it be sene in the decrées of the last councel of Trent What litle Mise those great mountaynes in so many yeres trauel haue brought forth In fortye or fifty yeres consultacion two great matters reformed One for Pardoners not to be coÌ„mon Pedlers another for the Communion in both kindes to those that desire it so they confes it were as good in one kinde and agrée with them in al other pointes of Popery Yet all was not wel they confes by their correction And as for the greatest pillers and Proctors they haue if they be pressed nere acknowledge a great deale more As one that landed lately at Yarmouth before witnes of good credite restified that if he might be satisfised in two pointes concerning y Popes supremacy the real presence for other matters he would not greatly striue So that I will conclude that Babylon is fallen in riches in power in credit of doctrine not onely with protestants but euen with Papists them selues But now I know what wyll be obiected against me that I haue traueled all in vayne to proue that Babylon is fallen that Babylon is Rome And that I haue abused the textes of scripture and sentences of old Doctors to proue the â—ame For what soeuer is contained either in â—he scripture or in the writing of the auncient Doctors to proue that Babylon is Rome is to â—e vnderstood of Rome vnder the heathen Emâ—erours not vnder the Popes And that all â—his while I haue wrested the scriptures enâ—orced the Doctors to affirme that which they â—euer thought of In dede I wil confes the some â—rophecies contained in this Reuelation were â—ulfilled in the heathen Emperours that the â—eathen Empire was an introduction vnto Anâ—ichrist but that Antichrist the great enemy of the church of Christ which is principally called Antichrist could not be any of the heathen Emperors neither the state of the heathen Monarchy I wil make it manifest by plain demonstrations And first I wil retain this principle sufficiently proued before that Rome is the Sée of Antichrist and that by autority of scriptures and consent of auncient writers we can seeke him no wher but in the Romane Empire And now the controuersy resteth in this whether that heathen Emperors or the Pope vs them First s. Paule in the second chap. of the second Epistle to the ThessaloniaÌ„s speaking purposely of Antichrist saith expresly that he shal syt in the temple of God which is y church of Christ â–ª But it is manifest that the heathen Emperorâ— did not sit in the church of God therfore that heathen Emperor is not this Antichrist And by that same reasoÌ„ it is manifest that Mahomet is not that especial Antichrist because he sitteth without the temple of God as ther be diuers that wold haue these things to be vnderstood of Mahomet or Ottomanus but it is as clere as the Sunne at noone daies for as much as neyther the heathen Emperors nor Mahomet nor Ottomanus sitteth in the temple or church of God that none of them is that great Antichrist oâ— whom the prophecies of the scripture are to bée expounded And where as some of them interprete the abominacion of desolation whereof Christ speaketh to be ment of Antichrist or at least wise to be a figure of him that cannot be vnderstood of the heathen Emperors or any other that is without the Church for that standeth in the holy place which is the temple and signifieth the church Now the Pope sitteth in the midst of the temple of God boasteth him self to be God challenging to him selfe such autority as is proper onely to God vsurping such honor as is peculiar onely to god Therefore not in the heathen Emperors but in the Popes is this prophecy accomplished Another reason to proue y Antichrist which in this Reuelation is foreshewed to come into the world caÌ„not be vnderstood to be the heatheÌ„ Emperors is taken out of the. 17. chap. of the same booke For there the Angell interpreting vnto s. Iohn the mistery of the Beast that beareth the Harlot which hath seuen heads after he hath shewed that the seuen heads signify vij hyls he declareth that they signifye also seuen Kings or principall estates or formes of regiment for so the name of King is often taken in the Prophets and specially in Daniel at which prophecy s. Iohn borroweth many phrases Of â—hese seuen heads fiue he saith were fallen the sixt was then presently in autority and the â—euenth was not yet come which seuenth was the monstrous beast Antichrist that was both the seuenth and the eight Now it is euident that this could not be vnderstood of the heathen Emperors for Nero the first persecuting Paynim was come and gone Domitian an other persecuter by whose tyranny s. Iohn was banished into the Isle of Patmos wher he saw receiued this Reuelation was then in autority So that of the Monarchy or tyranny of heathen Emperors this could not be vnderstood of the Christian Emperors no man wil expouÌ„d it so that it must needes be turned ouer to the Pope for it can rest in no place els