Revelation 18

Revelation 18:1-3

To punish her for corrupting the nations with her idolatry, and other wickedness, and enriching her clergy with her traffic in divine things, the Papal state shall be utterly destroyed, and exposed as a diabolical system of uncleanness, murder, and every other shocking abomination; and Rome shall be turned into a desolate and frightful heap of rubbish

Revelation 18:4-6

As, at the Reformation, multitudes revolted from Popery, to the advantage of their souls and their countries, so hereafter the faithful followers of Christ ought, and shall break off every connection with it, and shall be God’s instruments for ruining its power. 7, 8. The miseries of the obstinate Papists shall be dreadful, answerable to their former ambition, pride, luxury, and wealth. 11, 12, 15. Merchants may denote, not only such as trade in the commodities of life, but also the Romish clergy, who enrich themselves in selling spiritual offices, ordinances, pardons, deliverance from purgatory, and eternal happiness, to their deluded votaries.—The things mentioned, ver. 11—13, 22, 23, may either relate to the Popish worship, to their relicks, pardons, indulgences, to their costly images, rich furniture of churches and chapels, and rich dresses for their images and priests, the incense used at their altars, their use of musical instruments in their worship, their burning of lamps before their altars and images;—or they may in general denote that Rome shall be so utterly ruined, that nothing valuable or desirable shall be left in it. 20, 24. The Papists’ persecution of the oracles and saints of God will be especially regarded in and shall aggravate their ruin

Revelation 18:21-23

In the most sudden and terrible manner God will utterly, and without any possibility of recovery, destroy Rome and all her Antichristian influence

REFLECTIONS UPON CHAP. XVIII.—Sin brings the most fearful disgrace and misery upon wicked persons and societies at last; and, as there is no opportunity of punishing societies in the other world, their sins must overtake them in this. Earthly grandeur, pleasure, luxury, power, and wealth, often issue in, and render our misery more intolerable: and God forces men to mourn under his judgments who refused to mourn for their sins. Let wickedness be varnished over with pretences to sanctity and kindness as it will, or have been committed ever so long ago, God will mark it, and, in his time, fearfully punish it with righteous judgments. Superstition, idolatry, lewdness, luxury, merchandise in spiritual things, in men’s souls or bodies, allurements to apostasy from God, and particularly cruel persecution of his saints and servants, will at last issue in everlasting confusion and irretrievable misery.—With conscientious zeal and abhorrence ought all true Christians to hasten from the spiritual fellowship of Antichristian churches or societies, that their own sin and temporal ruin may be prevented. And with holy joy and triumph ought all the people of God to behold his righteous judgments inflicted on incorrigible persecutors, by which he vindicates his own righteous cause, and delivers his people from future molestations