— AS the Lord rained fire and brimstone from heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah , and overthrew the cities and all the plain , so that the smoke of them ascended as the smoke of a furnace ; — so undoubtedly will the Lord surprise papal Sodom , as in a moment ; in one day shall her plagues come , death , sorrow , and famine , and she shall be utterly burnt with fire : " For strong is the Lord of hosts that judgeth her . " — In an instant shall she be made desolate — her great riches shall come to nothing , and " the smoke of her torment shall ascend up for ever . " " The beast and the false prophet shall be taken , and cast alive into the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone ; and all who worship the beast , &c. " Rev. xiv . 9 , 10 , 11. — The Lord hath seen in thee , and in thy prophets , great and horrible enormities , adulteries , whoredoms , lies , and abominations more than Sodomitical . Have you not wrought wickedness with a high hand ? Hath not profaneness gone forth from you among all nations ? You strengthen the people in their superstitions and idolatries . Hear then , Italian Sodom ! Hear , ye princes of Sodom , and ye people of spiritual Gommorah ! what the Lord hath pronounced against you : " He will feed you with wormwood , and make you drink the water of gall : " Thou shalt be made a desolation ; — so that every one that goeth by , shall be astonished , and hiss at all thy plagues ; — " No man shall abide there , neither shall a son of man dwell in it : " — for who is like me ? and who will appoint me the time ? and who is that shepherd that shall stand before me ? Jer. xlix . 17 , &c. Hear then the counsel he hath determined against thee , O Italy ! and the thoughts that he thinketh against the inhabitants of Rome : The earth shall be shaken at the noise which shall bring upon them ruin . He shall come up as an eagle ; he shall fly , and stretch his wings over that great city , and the hearts of her mighty men in that day , shall be as the heart of a a woman in travail ; " Behold a people shall come from the north , and a great nation , &c. " Jer. l. 41 , 42 , 43. — Thou shalt become like Sodom in thy punishment , as thou wast Sodom in thy sins ; and thy children as Gomorrah ; — a place for breeding of nettles , and salt pits , and of desolation for ever . This shalt thou have for a reward of thy pride : Even as thou hast used reproaching taunts and boastings against the people of the Lord , so the Lord shall be terrible against thee : He will famish all thy gods . Depart then quickly , ye who are his people , tarry not : Save your lives , your souls , your bodies , your families , and your posterity : " Wash you — make you clean . " — Lo , you are admonished of this . Behold the patience and goodness of God leading thee to repentance . Therefore , while it is said , " to-day if you will hear his voice , harden not your hearts , " make haste , arise , save your life ; stop not in any place of the plain of this spiritual Sodom : Ascend and save yourselves in the mountain of God . — Arrange yourselves on the side of the Lamb ; for those who are with him are called , and holy . Linger not ; and if there are any others pertaining to you , kinsman , son , or daughter , remove them far from these places ; for assuredly the Lord is about to destroy them , because the cry of them is become exceeding great before the Lord . He will send his delegates , and his holy ones , to destroy them . Therefore , do not scoff at the warning ; for if you do not believe and obey the voice of the Lord , you shall perish in these judgments . And as for you who have departed thence , tarry not in that plain : Suffer not yourselves to be allured by the pleasures , the plenty , the opulence , or delights of it : Stretch not out your tents so far as Sodom , for the men of it are " wicked , and sinners before the Lord exceedingly . " — Their cry is increased — their sin highly aggravated , and the Lord is come down to see , whether it be not so . Remember the wife of Lot , who is proposed for an example to all those who put their hand to the plough , and look back ; and lay to heart that most alarming word of God , enough to make ten thousand worlds to tremble ; " If we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth , &c. " Heb. x. 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 31. and chap. vi . 4 , 5. — " How fearful a thing is it to fall into the hands of the living God! " * * L'Armaged . ch. v. §. 13.

" In Egypt the first-born and the chief of their strength were smitten : So in the Romish church ( which spiritually is Sodom and Egypt , Rev. ii . 8. ) many of their first-born and chief of their strength have been smitten , in many kingdoms , and are dead , yea , the very posterity and memory of them are rooted out of the earth , as in Germany , France , Flanders , Scotland , England , and several other kingdoms . The deliverance of the churches of God was accomplished " by a strong hand , and stretched out arm , with signs and wonders : Et quand le premier ne qui est assis sur ce throne tenebreux de Pharao occidental sera frappe , lors la delivrance sera accomplie : — And when the first-born who is seated upon that darkened throne of the western Pharoah shall be smitten , then the deliverance shall be completed † † Ibid. ch. x. §. 3. .

" As those who departed out of Egypt were for the most part rebellious , and fell thro' their unbelief in the wilderness ; so shall it befall those still who , having left this Egypt , rebel against the Lord , in order to return thither . Not even the king himself , the higher powers ordained of God , to whom all persons ought to be subject , can again bring back the Lord 's redeemed , seeing he hath said , ye shall never again return this way . — For we must " render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's , and unto God the things that are God's . " We must obey God God rather than men . " Wo unto them that go down into Egypt for help , and rely upon their great number of horses , chariots and horsemen ; but they look not to the Holy One of Israel : " for they are men , and not God . " The Lord shall stretch forth his hand , and he who helpeth shall fall , and he who is holpen shall stumble , and they all shall fall together . And if ye will return , he will bring upon you all the sicknesses of that land , and make them cleave to you : he will make your plagues and the plagues of your children wonderful , even great plagues , and of long continuance . — Betake not yourselves to the shadow of Egypt ; for that shall be your confusion , seeing it is a people that shall not profit you at all ; their help shall be in vain , and to no purpose , but ' your strength is to sit still ; " and to stay yourselves entirely upon the Lord : " for it is a land of trouble and anguish , from whence come the old and young lion , " to devour , " the viper and the fiery flying serpent " to bite and to sting . — Let every one cast away his idols of silver and of gold ; for your fortresses shall pass away for fear , and your princes and captains shall be afraid of the ensign , saith the Lord , " whose fire is in Zion , and his furnace in Jerusalem . " Isa. xxxi .

— " Ye pastors of the Romish church , who feed your flocks with the wind of traditions , the commandments , and ordinances of men , even doctrines of devils , howl and cry ! and ye magnificent cardinals , archbishops and bishops , roll yourselves in the dust ! for the days of your slaughter , and of your dispersions are accomplished , and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel : your peaceable habitations are cut down , because of the fierce anger of the Lord . He shall kindle a fire in the houses of yours Gods , and shall burn them , and break the statues of your gods in pieces . Doth not the Lord remember the incense you have burnt to them in all the cities , and in all the streets of that great city — you , and your fathers , your kings , the chief men among you , and your people ? Is not all this come into his heart , so as no longer to endure your wicked and abominable deeds ? Order ye the buckler and shield , and draw near to battle ; harness the horses , and get up ye horsemen , and stand forth with your helmets , furbish the spears , and put on the brigandines . Wherefore are they dismayed , and turned away back ? — The swift cannot flee away , nor the mighty man escape ; they shall stumble and fall towards the north ; for out of the north cometh destruction . Jer. xlvi . 3 , 4 , &c. Go up to Gilead , and take balm , O daughter of Egypt ; in vain shalt thou use many medicines , for thou shalt not be cured . Declare ye this in Italy , and publish it in Naples ; publish it in Milan , and in Rome , and in all the strongest cities thereof : all thy plains shall be ravaged , and the strong shall fall upon the strong , and both shall fall down together . O inhabitress of Italy ! prepare thyself for removing . Thy military men , thy cardinals , bishops , canons , monks , Jesuits , and all thy troop of locusts maintained by thee , are as fatted calves ; they shall turn their backs , and fly together , they shall not stand their ground , because the day of their calamity , the time of their punishment is come upon them : for thine adversaries shall march with power , and come against thee ; with an ax , as fellers , they shall cut down thy forest , although the trees thereof cannot be numbered . Pharaoh thy king with his triple crown , is but a sound ; and the noise of thy frogs and locusts shall pass like the hissing of a serpent . — All the fowls of the air are called to the banquet of the great God ; they shall all be assembled to eat the flesh of those who take part with the beast ; and then you shall know that the Lord is the God and Reedemer of the reformed churches . — Many kings and princes have served , and made their subjects perform great services , against the Turks , &c. without receiving their wages . — See then , O kings , and princes , and ye who follow him who rides on the white horse ! Behold the land of Italy , behold the great city that hath enriched her merchants with her wealth , and made them princes in the earth , lo , they are given you for the recompence of your service : ye shall gather the booty thereof , and seize upon her spoil ; this shall be your pay , and the wages of your armies , inasmuch as ye have wrought for me , saith the Lord. — Howl ye , gentlemen ( Messieurs ) of the Romish church , and cry , Alas ! alas ! wo worth the day ! for the day of the Lord is near — thy foundations shall be overthrown — thy primacy , that thou hast laid as the foundation of thy reign — thy wicked hierarchy , thy diabolical doctrine , superstitions , and the burden of thy commandments which thou hast bound upon the shoulders of the nations . And not only thou , but those who shall support thee , shall fall : thy strength shall be brought low ; and those who shall give thee aid , shall be broken ; for the armies gathered together , and the kings that are with the beast to make war with him who sits on the white horse shall be killed . Rev. xix . 19 , 20 , 21. Those who shall afford thee aid , shall be broken : It will be your great wisdom then , O ye kings , and princes of the earth , who have committed whoredom with her , you her merchants in the sale of souls , ye masters of ships , and all ye mariners whoever you be that trade upon the sea of this beastial monarchy , and all you , who love it , and bear affection to it ; — ye will do well , I say , to stand at a distance from it , and venture not to approach , when you shall see her condemnation , and the day of God's vengeance which shall come suddenly upon her — If you chuse not to join with the Lamb , and those in heaven and earth , who sing , Hallelujah — for judging the great whore — at least come not near , keep at a distance for fear of her torments , when you shall see the dunghill deities , her gods created by the blowing of their breath , her gods of bread , and graven images are but vanity and abomination . O ye Romanists , this sentence is sure , " The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth shall perish . " — Thy wisdom and knowledge shall perish : He hath turned your counsels into foolishness ; he will break your bars and your arms , and will put his sword into the hand of his delegates .

— A lamentation shall be taken up over the multitude of thy people , and the daughters of magnificent nations : the kings of the earth shall weep , and lament , saying , Alas ! alas ! Babylon the great city ; the city so powerful ! — They shall convey thee to the grave with those who descend into the pit , saying , Go down , daughter of spiritual Egypt , and be with the uncircumcised . The mighty shall speak to thee out of the midst of the grave , and say , Alas ! the great and powerful city ; " Thou also art become weak as we ; thy pomp is brought down to the grave * * L'Armaged . p. 138 , &c. . "

The Apocalyptic Babylon , the Romish church , hath oppressed the church of Christ ; she hath brought it into a harder and longer bondage , than the Chaldean . — Like ancient Babel ; she hath instructed her young captives in the science of her mythology and mateology , her scholastic babblings , missals , &c. having abolished the language of Canaan . — She hath likewise set up statues of gold , silver , wood and stone , all the false gods they adore , especially that grand idol the Mass , the great Diana of Italy , the goddess of papal Rome . She hath commanded all people , nations and languages to fall down before it , and worship it . It is she that hath kindled a burning furnace in all her provinces , commanding those who would not fall down to worship the idol to be cast into it . But the Lord hath marvelously preserved his church , as he did the three young men in the furnace , in the midst of her most bloody persecutions , that furnace seven times hotter than that of Nebuchadnezzar , in all the kingdoms , where there was any resistance made to her idolatry . The Son of God hath walked with them in the midst of the flames . They overcame by the blood of the Lamb , and by the word of their testimony , for they loved not their lives even to the death : Now they are clothed , in white robes ; and live and reign with him ; — while many have been raised up with the same spirit , to maintain and justify their cause before their enemies : But the flame of their fiery furnace hath killed those who at the commandment of that beast cast the children of God into it ; witness , the violent and miserable death of such as were the executioners of that bloody beast and the instruments of her butcheries committed on the professors of the truth : These examples are yet fresh in our eyes and ears : But the king of Babylon in the west is worse and more obstinate than the Chaldean — for the latter , upon seeing the wonderful deliverance , approached , and called upon the servants of the Lord to come forth , confessing the true God , and made an edict that none should speak a word against the God of Shadrach , &c. — and he promoted them in the province of Babylon .

But do the great deliverances of the servants of God astonish our Roman Babylon ? Does she hastily arise — call out — assemble her counsellors , governors , & c. ? — Does she strive to convince them that their fires , swords , treachery , imprisonments , butcheries , are of no avail ? Do they confess the true and living God ? Do their kings and governors dread the cruel orders ; or publish contrary edicts ? Quite the reverse . They cease not to heap fire to fire , and to inflame the furnace still more . And though they had seen the flame devour their mighty and valiant men who had cast the children of God into it , at their urgent command , yet the dragon , the beast , and false prophet , having collected all their force and deceits into one , desist not from sending unclean spirits out of their mouth , to gather together the kings of the earth in battle against the Lamb , and those who follow him : for which cause that great tree of the papacy that has become so strong and high , shall not only have its branches hewed down and scattered , but the trunk also shall be cut up and plucked out of the land of the living . — This is the decree of the Almighty that shall come upon the king and his kingdom , when the word shall yet be in his mouth , " Is not this great Babylon that I have built , &c. " — The voice from heaven shall cry , O bloody beast , O Romish Babylon ! thy kingdom is departed from thee . When the seventh angel shall pour out his vial in the air , a great voice from the temple shall proclaim , It is done : and then the great city shall be divided into three parts , &c. A grievous vision is declared against thee ; " the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously , the spoiler spoileth : Go up , ye Elamites , besiege ye Medes ; ye kings and princes who have departed from Babylon , go up and besiege . O Belshazar , king of Romish Babylon , make a great feast to thousands of thy lords and great men ; drink , proclaim your solemn festivals ; praise your gods of gold , silver , brass , wood , stone , and flour : Make good cheer . But mark the decree of the Most High ! See the fingers of the man's hand gone forth writing on the wall of thy royal palace , a writing that shall make thy countenance change , and thy joints to shake ; a writing which none of thy astrologers or divines can read or interpret . That writing shall be the destruction of all thy grandees , thy prelates , princes , cardinals , thy red hats and servants . Hear the writing that is written ; Mene , &c. —

God hath brought thy kingdom to an end ; he hath divided it , and given it — to whom ? to these ten kings , who shall hate thee and burn thee with fire : even to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven , who shall eat thy flesh , and the flesh of thy kings , captains , of great and small ; — thy patrimony , and the revenues of thy cardinals , which are like kings — of thy archbishops , and also of thy bishops , and of thy abbeys ; and the flesh of all thy monasteries , colleges , and societies , both of the small and of the great .

Arise then , ye captains and princes , and anoint your shields ; for thus saith the Lord , " Babylon is fallen , is fallen ; and all the graven images of her gods are broken and cast to the ground . " The watch is set ; and prophecy is added to prophecy to confirm the vision . — See the chariot of men , with a couple of horsemen , that come against thee — thy defence shall forsake thee ; thy great river Euphrates is dried up ; — thy friends shall be turned another way ; and thy first-born Spain , shall keep at a distance , and not dare to approach thee to help thee : those who love thee , shall mourn for thee , but they will not draw near thee to afford thee help . Lo , I have declared unto you , what I have heard from the Lord of hosts : So we believe , and therefore we speak . It is he who performs the word of his messengers — that saith to Jerusalem , and to the temple , thou shalt be built again , even in the midst of thee , O Italy .

Hear then , ye kings , who are anointed of the Lord ; thus he speaks to you ; " I hold your right-hand ; " he shall subdue the nations before you — he shall loose the reins of kings who take part with the beast . They shall open the doors , and the gates of cities shall not be shut against you . He shall go before you , make rough places plain , break in pieces the gates of brass , and will give you the hidden treasures , riches hoarded there with the utmost secrecy , that you may know that the Lord is the God of the reformed churches , who hath called you by your names , for the love he bears to his chosen who serve him . Be of good courage , and let not your hearts fail you . It is he who formed the earth , and created man upon it , who stretched out the heavens , and gives law to all their host ; it is he who hath raised you up in righteousness , and who directs all your designs against her . * * L'Argamed . p. 199-207 .

Rev. xviii . 1 , 2 , 4. One angel proclaims , Babylon the great is fallen , &c. and another voice from heaven says , " Come out of her , my people , that ye be not partakers of her sins , and that ye receive not of her plagues . " — The former voice is a prediction of her ruin ; the latter , is a command , pointing out the duty of the children of God to withdraw from her ; both are heavenly and divine : The first , obliges our consciences to believe ; the second , to obey . He who believes not the Lord foretelling and denouncing her ruin , will not obey the Lord , charging men to depart from her . Infidelity is the cause of disobedience . You obey not the divine order , Come out of her ; because you believe not the divine oracle , Babylon is fallen . Believe , and then you will obey that voice from heaven , " Depart from her , my people . " Purge your hearts of infidelity , and you would not rebel against the voice of the Lord . If the world believed the ruin and fall of Babylon , men would not remain one hour in her communion . What have you to do , O kings and princes , small or great , with that disgraced and wasted harlot , grown old in her whoredoms . You have neither part , nor lot , with her : retire therefore to your tents , retire to the tabernacles of Zion . What madness , what frenzy , to be found exposed to the avenging hand of God , in the arms of this whore , when become the habitation of devils , and the haunt of every unclean spirit ! What infatuation to be found on the side of the beast , and of the false prophet ; whose ornaments are employed to make war against him who sitteth on the white horse , having on his vesture and thigh the name written , King of kings , and Lord of lords . He shall gather the vintage of the earth , for her grapes are ripe , and he shall tread the wine-press of Divine wrath without the city . " And the beast shall be taken , &c. " chap. xiv . and xix . Wherefore withdraw from her , for this is her end ; this her condemnation , and fixed doom : " for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her † † L'Argamed . p. 269 , &c. . "

" What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness ? What communion hath light with darkness ? What concord hath Christ with Belial ? Or what agreement hath the temple of God with idols ? Therefore come ye out from among them , and be ye separated , saith the Lord God . " 2 Cor. vi . 17 , &c. Be ye separated — in respect of her doctrine , which is a lie , the seduction of iniquity ; it is the mouth of the dragon , the doctrine of devils , the efficacy of error ; it subverts and overthrows completely the foundation of our salvation ; it is spiritual adultery , that dissolves the conjugal bond of the spiritual marriage with Jesus Christ . He therefore that would be in covenant with God , and who would not drink of the wine of his wrath eternally , must have no communion with her doctrine , or her religion . In respect of her religious services , and idolatrous assemblies ; " I would not , " said the Apostle , " that you should be partakers with devils , " for such is the service of idols . 1 Cor. x.

— Also in respect of alliances for mutual aid and protection with them ; " Why shouldst thou help the ungodly , " said the Prophet to Jehosaphat , " and love them that hate the Lord ? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord. " 2 Chron. ix . 2. " Wo to them that go down into Egypt for help , " &c. Isa. xxxi . — " Depart ye thence , and touch not any unclean thing : " Take heed to the interdict , for fear lest you fall under the curse , and bring the camp of Israel under an interdict , and thereby trouble it . Covet not these Babylonish garments , these ceremonies , and ornaments , nor the wedge of gold . — Keep yourselves from the accursed thing : for none may take any stone from that cursed city for a corner , nor a stone for a foundation ; otherwise the curse would fall on the takers , and the whole camp of Israel , so that they could not stand , but would turn their backs before their enemies . " Go forth then , be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord. " " Go forth , and be ye as the he-goats before the flock ; " for Italian Chaldea in the west shall be delivered up to pillage , and all those who spoil her shall be satiated , and the arrows of those whom the Lord shall raise up against her shall be as those of a mighty man , skilfull to destroy , for they shall not return empty . Ye therefore who have escaped , march , halt not , although you be already far off . Remember the Lord , and let Jerusalem come into your mind . Come forth , and deliver every man his own soul from the heat of the Lord's anger : for she shall become a heap , &c. — Go forth , in body and soul : Have no communion with her either in her doctrines , or idolatrous assemblies , nor in her ceremonies , nor in her ecclesiastical hierarchy and episcopal government , nor in her religious customs and modes , nor in her iniquities , nor in any unequal yoke with these who belong to her , nor finally , in aid and mutual protection . Go forth yourselves , and go with all your household ; leave not a hoof behind : and go thence , never more to return * * L'Argamed . p. 274 , &c. .

" Be not partakers of her sins : " Obey not those who would command you or constrain you to this ; or who would entice and counsel you . Should even your father or brother , your wife or husband , your companion or your master , your lord , your prince , or your king , should your minister , or even an apostle , or angel , command or counsel you to do so , hearken not to them . Gal. i. 5. — Away with all authority , human or angelic , in the matter of religion , in the matter of our faith and religious obedience . Ye princes and kings , ye fathers and magistrates , command not , constrain not , entice not nor draw away others to communication with , or participation in your own iniquities , or those of others , especially to a participation of the iniquities of Babylon , for they are great , and shall certainly be punished , both in those who commit them , and on those who are or shall be partakers of them .