“And the cities of the nations fell,” Rev. 16:19; the cities of the nations, the antichristian churches, otherwise called the daughters of the mother of harlots.  This is a second stroke that God will give this man of sin, and a third cometh quickly.

Wherefore it follows, upon the downfall of those cities of the nations, that great Babylon came into remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.  Now then, strike at great Babylon.  Great Babylon!  What is that?  Why, I take it to be the mother, the metropolitan, the great harlot herself.  For though sometimes by great Babylon we may understand the church of antichrist in general, yet by it is meant more properly the mother of the daughters, of whose overthrow we have spoken before.

We are now, then, come to the threshold of the door of the house of the old one—­to the door of the mother of harlots and abomination of the earth.  This then that but now is said to come into remembrance with God, is that which gave being to the cities destroyed before, to wit, the ministers, the queen, the mother-church as she calls herself.

And this is the wisdom of God concerning her, that she should not be the first that should die, but that she should live to see the destruction of her daughters, and pine away under the fright and sense of that, even until judgment also shall overtake herself.

Thus Pharaoh and his chief ones did live to see the greatest part of Egypt destroyed, before judgment overtook them; but at last it came to their doors also.  Zedekiah lived to see his children slain before his face, before judgment overtook him to his own personal destruction.

Babylon also, when God sent the cup of his fury unto her, yet was to live to see the nations drink before her.

From all which I conclude that the mother, the metropolitan, the lady of kingdoms, shall live to see her daughters executed before her face; after which, she shall come into consideration herself, for she must assuredly drink of the cup.

This destruction must be last for this reason also, because she most deserves the bottom of the cup.  The bottom is the dregs, the most bitter part, and that where the most heat and fiercest wrath of God do lie.  And great Babylon came into remembrance before God:  “To give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.”

Now then is the time of iniquity, when it will be come to the full; and now also is the time of God’s anger, when it will be come to the full.  Now therefore must the murders and thefts and blasphemies and fornications belonging to this mother of harlots, be recompensed to the full, to wit, with the dregs of this cup.  Yet since the hailstones come by weight and the wrath comes by measure—­for so a talent and a cup imports, Rev. 16:17-21—­it follows that the almighty God, even in the midst of the heat of all this anger, will keep to the rules