This woman had also a name written on her forehead.  It was not, indeed, placed there by herself nor by her admirers; but He who drew this symbolic picture placed it there that all might know her true character.  “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”  Although this apostate church was only in embryo in the apostles’ day, yet the apostle who gave us a careful delineation of its terrible characteristics declared that it was then developing and denominated it a mystery.  “The mystery of iniquity doth already work.” 2 Thes. 2:7.  The same apostle regarded as an unquestionable fact that godliness was a mystery (1 Tim. 3:16); but he who peruses the history of the Papacy will be forced to declare with emphasis, “Without controversy great is the mystery of Romanism.”  She is also styled Babylon the Great.  This name is derived from ancient Babylon.  This city was the center of the earth’s idolatry and stood first of all as the direct enemy of God’s people.  So, likewise, this church is the center of earth’s spiritual idolatry.  There are other harlots, or corrupt churches, in the world beside her; but she is the mother of them all.  They are all children by her side.  Some of them greatly honor her and in deep veneration call her “our holy mother church;” but God brands her as the “mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.”

But the statement that she was a harlot merely, does not entirely describe her character.  She was a drunken harlot.  Drunken with what—­wine?  No indeed; that were a very small sin for her.  She was “drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.”  Romanists positively declare that their church never persecutes; but with the picture of this drunken prostitute before our eyes, we shall be hard to convince.  To illustrate this point fully would be to write a book of martyrs much larger than the present work; so, for lack of space only, we shall have to content ourselves with merely bringing forward a few of many historical proofs showing that they themselves claim the right to exterminate heretics.

Innumerable provincial and national councils have issued the most cruel and bloody laws for the extermination of the Waldenses and other so-called heretics; such as the Councils of Oxford, Toledo, Avignon, Tours, Lavaur, Albi, Narbonne, Beziers, Tolosa, etc.  Since Papists will assert that these had no authority to establish a doctrine of the church (although they clearly reflect its spirit), I remind the reader that some of their General Councils have by their decrees pronounced the punishment of death for heresy.  At least six of these highest judicial assemblies of the Romish church, with the Pope at their head, have authoritatively enjoined the persecution and extermination of heretics.  Extracts from the Acts of these Councils could be given if space permitted. 1.  The second General Council of Lateran (1139),