The judgement of the late Arch-bishop of Armagh, and Primate of Ireland. Of Babylon (Rev. 18. 4.) being the present See of Rome. (With a sermon of Bishop Bedels upon the same words.) Of laying on of hands (Heb. 6. 2.) to be an ordained ministery. Of the old form of words in ordination. Of a set form of prayer. / Published and enlarged by Nicholas Bernard D.D. and preacher to the Honourable Society of Grayes-Inne, London. Unto which is added a character of Bishop Bedel, and an answer to Mr. Pierces fifth letter concerning the late primate.

The judgement of the Pri∣mate (wrot by him long agoe in answer to the request of a learned Friend) what is meant by the beast that was, and is not, and yet is, and other passages in the 17. and 18. of the Revelation.

IN the Revelation these four Particalars must be carefully distin∣guished. The woman (which is the great City Babylon.)

The first beast which ariseth out of the Sea, Apoc. 13.1.

The second beast which ariseth out of the Earth, Apoc. 13.11. and the false Prophet which ministreth to the second beast that goeth to de∣struction,

Apoc. 16.13. (19.20.) by which are meant (as I conceive) Ʋrbs Romana, Imperium Romanum, Pontifex Romanus, and Clerus Roma∣nus. The two beasts in Cap. 13. verse 11. are plainly distinguished, and that distinction must necessarily be ob∣served in the seventeenth Chapter. Likewise for the great beast men∣tioned in the third and seventh verses of that Chapter is the same with the first beast of the thirteenth Chapter as appeareth by the like description of the seven heads and ten horns: the lesser beasts mentioned in the eighth and eleventh verses, (which is the last head of the for∣mer) can be no other but the second beast mentioned in the thirteenth Chapter, verse 22. who revived the Image of the former, i. e. of the Empire, and made all to admire and adore it.

Now the Question is how this latter which is Pontifex Romanus can be said to be the beast, that was, and is not, and yet is? My conceit of this is Singular, but such as it is, I will not conceal from you; The Pontifices among the ancient Rom. (as Dionysius Halicarnassaeus, no••eth in his second Book of Roman Antiqui∣ties) were obnoxious to no other jurisdiction, neither were bound to render account of their doings to a∣ny, they were only at the command of the Pontifex maximus, whose au∣thority was so great that the Empe∣rours thought it inconvenient that this Supremacy should be commit∣ted to any other, therefore by as∣sumeing it to themselves, and anex∣ing it to their imperial Crown, they did by this means extinguish the Spiritual Magistracie, and in a sort extinguish the solemne Magistracy,

which (under the 5. former heads) was distinguished from all other superiour Governments, and pro∣secuted with special regard and re∣verence. That as if now for exam∣ple in our state, one should Prophe∣sie of the Government of the Dukes of Lancaster under the like Type, he might say of them in this manner; The beast that was (for the Dukes of Lancaster in their time have been great) and is not (for by annexing of the Dutchey to the Crown, there is now no speech of any Duke) and yet is (for the Dutchey still remaineth with the several offices appertaining thereunto, though the state of the Duke lieth as it were drowned in the person of the King.) So in like manner, the Angel might speak of these Pontifices Romani, the beast that was (for he was in former time of speciall account) And is not (Being

now confounded, and, in a manner, swallowed up with the state of the Emperour) And yet is (for the Priest-hood remained still,) the Title and Dignity there∣of resting in the Emperour. This Beast, this Pontifex Romanus shall hereafter appear in his Pontifica∣libus, and by his creatures (the false Prophet) induce the world to accept his Pontifical power for the highest upon earth, as before they did the Imperial, the image where∣of is in this perfectly revived.

As for the second we are to con∣sider that the seven heads of the first beast are expounded, Apoc. 17.9. & 10. to be both the seven Mountains on which the woman, (i. e.) the great City, verse 18. was seated, and the seven Kings (or head Governours,) by which that City was ruled.

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The Pope in regard of his Civil power over the woman (i. e.) his Regall Power over the City of Rome, orderly succeedeth the six heads that went before him, and so becometh the seventh, claiming that respect in higher headship then did his Predecessors.

But not content with that, for whereas the state of Pontifex ma∣ximus, which in Saint Johns time after a sort was, and is not, as hath been shewed, by means of the Christian Emperors was clean extinguisht (the first of them bear∣ing only the Title, but not exer∣cising the Office, and Gratian the Emperour at last abolishing both the Title and the Office, as by Zosimus a heathen Historian we understand) the Pope raised it a∣gain out of the grave and took it to himself, and after he had got∣ten

to be the seventh head, re∣tained not the pontificality as an appendant of his regall Power (as did the Emperours before him) but advanced the head there∣of far above any of the seven civil supreme governments, making himself by that means an eight head distinct from any of the for∣mer, which in respect of his civil Power was one of the seven; Nei∣ther was he content to extend the jurisdiction of his Pontificality, ad urbem & regiones suburbicarias onely, or to bound it within the confines of Italy, but (which was never done by any Pontifex maxi∣mus, before him) by being Ponti∣fex urbis; he challenged a Title of Summus Pontifex Orbis, and so became not onely a head of the former beast, but also a severall beast by himself, receiving in his

government the image of the for∣mer beasts, drawing all the world to worship the same, for (as Au∣gustinus Steuchus writeth in his second Book against Laur. Val∣la) when the Pontificality was first set up in Rome, all Nations from East to West did worship the Pope, no otherwise then of old, the Caesars.

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