The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 379

aloud, "Come out of her, my people ••• that ye receive not of her plagues." Ot.ltl '11111 tWtD poinl to any form ur form• qf ~ tbal . _ to IM, ,gmbolitm P We have no hlll!it&tion in saying-Y~ In BO doin:;:, let us observe that there really is not room for &n)I great diversity in applying aucA symbolism as we have here, for surely there are fvw forms of evil so gigantic as to suit the words, "She bath made all nations drink," etc. It is_, however, clear that whatever form of evil there may be, known or unknown w us, which prffl!lnts all the features named here, or even the greater part of them, then hi a gre.'lt Babylon which is doomed to a fall tha$ will be utter and irretrievable. Therefore obeerv- L One form of Babylon the great is seen in that terrible, awful; uni~l departure from God which bas corrupted all nations, perverted politiCB, poisoned commerce, and marred ~ llfe; by which, as manifested ln the iniquitous pursnit of gain, many ba'l'e grown rich ; which ha~ manifes~ itself in "the lust of the fl.e.~h, the lust of the eye, and the pride of !ifs;• which has assumed a domineering air, commanding men to bow down to it, under pain of social ostracism or petty persecution. This ■pirlt of exaltatfon.againl!t God has often pufl'ed men up in false BeCurity. U bath beeri the CUl'l!8 of mankind ; for when men are unfaithful to God, they are urttme to themselves. The cup of'iniquity becomes fuller and fuller. Often the land moumeth because there i.9 no truth nor justicer nor knowledge of God, therein. Yea, in legion fonbs this world- "'* poison of sin, which work■ out in blasphemy towal'<ll! God and ruin towiuds man, II & great Babylon, which will_ be smitten, and reel, and fall. And in IO far u any ~ e d Church puts itself between man and God, and usurps his rights, it la akin to Babylon the gre.'lt.1 . It At the 118Jlle time, we cannot fall to Bee that there is one ■pecial form of m) which more than anything else in the world is pointed out in the symbolism of this chapter, a.nd that is TBll APOSTASY Ol' THll Ommoo oi, Ron. Not that we can agree with those who think papa] Rome the iok enemy of God here referred t.o. For we shall :find in the lamentation over Babylon's fall much that leads us to think not only of a huge ecclesiastical Babylon,. but also of a huge commercial one._ But that papal Rome is one- form of this mystic Babylon we can entertain no doubt whatever. The student of history can follow out at leisure thirteen or fourteen lines of inquiry, on which weeaa but give a rew illustrative remarks. 1. The woman was seated on the beast 88 If supported by it (ver. 3). Rome has relled on the worldly power to put her decrees ioto execution by brute force; both in using temporal powers, and in herself chiming tempotal_ power as well as spiritual. 2. She yet rid_ea the beast as if to govern lt (ver, S). We know but too well how Rome has aimed at, and does still aim at, controlling tfle power <in which she relies; claiming even to regulate allegiance t.o earthly p~ee■• S. 8he is seated on many waters {ver. 1). In IY'Very quarter of the world her emissaries are sent. A~d in many a I.and where tb& pure gospel of Christ has been preached, she 11811ds her emissarie■ to undo the holy work by sowing ta1'811 among the wheat. •· She -rules over the kings of the earth (vet. 18). Kings are but the·" sons of the Church,"' ~ do the bid,ling of their "hol;r" (?) mother; otherwise she may absolve sabject■ from all~nce to their sovereign. 5. She holds out a golden cup full of ab<lminations {ver. -l). · 'Papal Rome makes large offers of indulgences and absolutions, and positively luree men into sin. 6. The merchants grow rich hy her (<;h. ,;viii. 3). Many are enriched by the ungodlytraffic to which she conllE'nts in making the house of prayer a den of thieves; fur her indulgences and absolutions will cover any kind and degree of sin, whether in tl1e getting of wealth or otherwiae. 'I. She is presumptuoua in her self- lllldority (eh.· xviii. 7). Papal Rome acknowledges no other Church,and looks for the time when all will be absorbed in her, while she is to be •c a lady for ner." 8. She ii iuiorned with pompous array-in gold (ver. 4), purple, soatl~ and precious stone&. Any ' "&by1oo emb:rac111 moob more than Rome, and illuatrationa of what she ill iie neaN!I' ,Gal' own door. Wheri;,rer profeset:dly Ohriscian men have ihoughi u,.e world'■ faYOIU' better Ulm i~ reJ)l'IMM)h; wherever they have eateemed· ite bonoma a m~ desin.ble po■118118iou ba ita ■hame; whezever they have eotll'ted eue nther thau welcomed ltdfering, have ,loYed aelf-indu~ee rather than aelf-880riJIOO,, and have mbl!U~ted oovetoUllllellll in grasp- ing, for f.enel'Olilty in diatributing what they had,-'--tbere hai been a pan of the apipt of 'JJabylon (MilligliD's • Commenta;ry,' iA loo.).· (The whole of &he prore.■.' ■ able &nd weqpity note OD &1.J7lon ■hould be atudied.) •. a xvn. 1-1~.j TAR REVELATION OF BT. JOUN TB.B DIVIlfB. 4~l-