The Judgment of Babylon, Tract · Judgment 2
The judgement of the Primate (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 diſtinguiſhed. 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 deſtruction, Apoc. 16.13. (19.20.) by which are meant (as I conceive) Ʋrbs Romana, Imperium Romanum, Pontifex Romanus, and Clerus Romanus. The two beaſts in Cap. 13. verſe 11. are plainly diſtinguiſhed, and that diſtinction muſt neceſſarily be obſerved in the ſeventeenth Chapter. Likewiſe for the great beaſt mentioned 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 former) 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 Antiquities) were obnoxious to no other jurisdiction, neither were bound to render account of their doings to any, they were only at the command of the Pontifex maximus, whoſe authority was ſo great that the Emperours thought it inconvenient that this Supremacy ſhould be committed to any other, therefore by aſſumeing it to themſelves, and anexing 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 proſecuted with ſpecial regard and reverence. That as if now for example in our ſtate, one ſhould Propheſie 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 thereof reſting in the Emperour. This Beaſt, this Pontifex Romanus ſhall hereafter appear in his Pontificalibus, 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 whereof is in this perfectly revived.
As for the ſecond we are to conſider 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.
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 maximus, 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 bearing only the Title, but not exerciſing 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 again out of the grave and took it to himſelf, and after he had gotten to be the ſeventh head, retained not the pontificality as an appendant of his regall Power (as did the Emperours before him) but advanced the head thereof far above any of the ſeven civil ſupreme governments, making himſelf by that means an eight head diſtinct from any of the former, which in reſpect of his civil Power was one of the ſeven; Neither was he content to extend the juriſdiction of his Pontificality, ad urbem & regiones ſuburbicarias onelyonly, or to bound it within the confines of Italy, but (which was never done by any Pontifex maximus, before him) by being Pontifex urbis; he challenged a Title of Summus Pontifex Orbis, and ſo became not onelyonly a head of the former beaſt, but alſo a ſeverall beaſt by himſelf, receiving in his government the image of the former beaſts, drawing all the world to worſhip the ſame, for (as Auguſtinus Steuchus writeth in his ſecond Book againſt Laur. Valla) 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.