out of this life But contrarywise the Lord here pronounceth and declareth euerlasting rewardes to be for them prepared For theyr soules deliuered from their bodies are streight waye taken vppe into heauen and their bodies reysed at the last iudgement ascende into heaueÌ„ also that there they maie reioyce with Christ for euermore But to the intent that this godly promesse of the euerlastyng and inestimable rewarde might be of more authoritie and credit with al men the Lord propoundeth it not simplely but most gallauÌ„tly decked and â—â—rnisshed for he setteth before that a voyce was sente to the prophetes and that from heauen morouer great or lowde For great is the consent of Patriarches Prophetes and Apostles with the very sonne of god in most assured doctrine wherupoÌ„ we beleue vndoubtedly that those which suffer for the confession of Christ are saued both body and soule And that doctrine was brought froÌ„ heauen that there is no place lefte for doubtfulnes There be testimonies in the scriptures both manifest and many as in .26 of Esaye .12 of Daniel .10 and .16 of Matth .14 of Iohn and diuerse others What shuld we saye that at this present is brought an expresse testimony hereof for a voice soundeth from Heauen ouer the afflicted with the tiranny of Antichrist Come vp hither come vp hither That is asmuch to saye as I see the lewdenes and crueltie of the Antichristians to be such that there is no place lefte you in earth They tourmoyle and persecute you as plagues and vnworthie to liue on the earth come ye therefore hither to me into the heauenly palace whither I my selfe came also after the crosse and opprobriouse death We reade in the Gospel that the iudge shall saye to the godly come the blessed of my father c. They weÌ„t vp into heauen in a clowde Furthermore leeste any man should thinke these wordes to be vayne the lord adioyneth by S. Iohn and they ascended into heauen not for that the resurrection is made already but for the vndoubted certentie of the thing he speaketh of the thing to come as if it were paste of the which sorte are founde many lyke phrases euery where in the Prophetes Helias in times past asceÌ„ded into heaueÌ„ both soule and body as we reade in the .4 boke of Kinges the .2 chapt by the same miracle he shewed than also what rewarde the Lorde hath prepared for the faythfull preachers of Gods worde nother is there any other thing here nowe repeted He addeth how they went vp in a clowde For a clowde toke vp Christe our head from the eyes of the disciples and we shal be also taken vp in a clowde to mete the Lord in the ayre as the scripture reciteth in the .1 of the Actes and the .1 to the Thessalonians the .4 chap. Albeit therfore that preachers those which beleue the preachers be excoÌ„municated of Antichrist through open and shamefull punisshmentes should seme to be sent to the Deuill yet Christ receiueth them deliuered from al euils vnto him into the palace of Heauen Vnto this he addeth an other thing also and their enemies sawe them Their enemies sawe them They saw I saye with an horrible feare for whilest they shall see them whom they haue condeÌ„ned for gods enemies as the trewe and honorable frendes of God to be in glory therof they shal gather that they themselues shal be deputed into the fellowship of Deuilles Reade herof a plentiful coÌ„mentary in the .3 .5 chapt of the boke of wisedome Albeit therfore that the preachers of the Gospell in this present worlde be iudged and seme and appere before the world as damned yet in that same daye wherin all men shal be assembled so many as euer haue ben be now or shall be vnto al it shal be manifest that these be the most dere freÌ„des of God and that their cause is best And herewith wil the lorde haue them comforted which are persecuted condemned dispised and spurned for the preachyng of Gods worde By these thinges he prepareth establissheth the mindes of the faithful that thei be not discouraged with the rebukes reuilinges and oppressions of Antichrist and his limmes Finally the Lorde addeth also certen thinges of the miseries of the Antichristians The calamities of the Antichristians wherwith the rightuouse Lord beginneth to punnish them to interrupte their wicked ioyes that at the last in an other world he maye put the same to tourmeÌ„tes that neuer shal haue ende In that same houre sayeth he the same time doubtles wherin they shall afflicte the prophetes shal be made a great Earthquake the tenth parte of the citie shal fal And the tenth part we vnderstaÌ„d to be great yet so that the more parte shal remaine in errour As S. Peter prophecied should come to passe in the .2 of Peter the .2 And the Lord him selfe also in the .7 of Matth. And he semeth to recite two euilles which haÌ„ge ouer them calamities and reuoltinges For S. Iohn him selfe semeth to adde an exposition and to saye and there were slayne in the Earthquake the names of seuen thousande men And the residewe were affrayed and gaue glory to God of Heauen Therfore I suppose by the Earthquake to be signified excedyng greate alterations SeueÌ„ M. men slaine with the earthquake commotions seditions warres slaughters and distructions And he sayed the names of men after the Hebrewe phrase for a nombre of men And he put 7000. a nombre certayne for an vncertayne as where it is sayed to Helias I haue lefte me seuen thousande men which haue not boughed their knees to Baal For if it signifieth a great multitude Likewise he signifieth here also that no smal nombre of Antichristians shal be dispatched out of the waye by slaughter and sondry or all kindes of calamities Agayne he signifieth that the tenth parte of the world that is to saye the adherentes and fauourers of the Romisshe churche shall reuolte not a fewe of them from the same church beyng feared with the preachyng of God his worde and with plagues inflicted to the enemies of God his worde and so they shal forsake the Romisshe churche that they shal geue all glory to the God of Heauen The tenth part of the citie falleth Hitherto being abused with the Romish trifles and sophisticall opinions they haue not geuen all glory wholy to the trewe God creatour of heauen end earth and the inhabiter and geuer of heauen whilest they haue attributed more vnto creatures mens inuentions and to errours than to the veritie and communicated the glory which they owe to God alone vnto sainctes also and to the workes of their handes but now beyng instructed with the preachyng of the gospel they wil depende of God alone and wil ascribe al glory vnto him through Christ Nowe if ye conferre herwith histories not olde for wherunto shoulde I moleste you with a long rehersall but lately made that with in
to be loked for in the world to come most dilligently and most certenly he treateth of the state of soules and of the felicitie and blesse of soules which as sone as they die they atchieue assuredly and streightwaye flitting out of this worlde into life euerlasting But they that know these thinges and haue conceaued them by a true faith how thei shal vndoubtedly slitte frō the corporal death into the blessed life it can not be chosen but that they shal more boldely contemne the life present Most certē tables of saluation are to vs exhibited And this holesome doctrine is comprised in three poincts For first he sheweth the certentie therof secōdly he declareth what it is laste he setteth forth and lighteth the same by circūstaunces At the first verely he semeth to allude to the maner accustomably receyued of al nations that such thinges as they wuld haue thought to be certen and vndoubted they would also cōmitte to writing to leaue them vnto posteritie But the certentie veritie or Authoritie of the thing is estemed of thauthours which first haue dispatched any matters emonges thēselues and after haue caused the same to be put in writyng At this present therfore is God shewed to be authour For S. Iohn saieth and I hearde a voice from heauen And by and by addeth ye the spirite sayeth Therefore there is no doubte but that the sonne of God him self hath spoken and reuealed these things Our lord Iesus Christ For him he sawe at the beginning of this reuelation after he seeth diuerse kindes of Aungelles but he seeth not Christ speaking to him But he heareth now his voice from Heauen he heareth the spirite speakyng by whom the lord sayed whilest he was yet cōuersaunt in earth with his disciples that he would treate and speake al thinges in the churche Let vs beleue therefore that the wordes which are here recited by christes doyng to be a celestiall oracle certen and trewe whereof we ought not to doubte And S. Iohn thapostle Euangelist is cōmaūded to write the saiynges of Christ from the heauēly seate Which thing he doeth so at Christes cōmaundement sendeth them vnto al posterie vnto vs also to our ofspring euen to the worldes ende But if tables written by the chaūcelours or secretaries of kinges and Princes beyng notable men deserue credit we maye much more iustely rightly beleue this writing which the sonne of God inditeth from heauen that beloued disciple of Christ the apostle and Euangelist S. Iohn writeth Thou hadst ones a confidence in the Popes bulles they maye well be called bulles sins thei be more vaine than bulles or blabbers in the water sent from the See of Rome wherein thou as one assured didst put ful truste to haue remission of sinnes and blessed life And shalt thou not nowe be accompted madde and out of thy witte in case thou wilt not beleue this heauenly writyng That other was indited by the spirite of Antichrist by the Pope the man of sinne and childe of perdition written of some disceauer infected with Simony and sacrilege which in life and maners was filthines it self But in Iohn is nothing but cleanes puretie integritie and the very sonne of God which prescribeth these things to S. Iohn is the very veritie and life This writing is frely geuen the light of the world lord of heauen and Earth of life death See than how safely thou mayest laine to this heauenly writyng which here is offered geuen thee frely Thou nedest not to disburce for the same one farthing The Pope instituted in the church biyng selling deuelish bargayning about perdōs other things which were plaine disceiptes illusions playne mocheries and open blasphemies therfore accursed for euer as S. Peter also pronoūceth in the .8 of the Actes God him selfe diswadeth al men from such tromperies and bargaines wicked vayne in the .55 chapt of Esaye where he promiseth agayne that he wil geue to the godly al plentie of al good thinges And now let vs heare what the writte is Blessed at the dead whiche die in the lord what S. Iohn is cōmaunded from heauen to put in writing It is a shorte sentēce as also in many places the wisedome of God cōprehēdeth in fewe wordes the true some of blessednes so prouiding for our infirmitie that we nede not to cōplaine that the doctrine were ouer longe which we with our slender vnderstandyng are not able to attayne to The Lord therefore pronounceth them to be blessed whiche die in the Lord then we must see what he vnderstandeth by blessednes and who thei be that die in the lord blessednes is that high felicitie which chaunceth to the faithfull in an other world in the which we shall see God him selfe as he is and haue the fruition of him vnto a ioyefull and neuer lothsomefulnes We shall liue in the same with all the Sainctes for euer and shall haue ioynes that can not be expressed with tunges of men Of the whiche shall followe more afterwarde They shal reste from their labours And more plentifully in the .21 chapt And they dye in the Lorde whiche by faith greffed in Christe layne to him alone depende wholy vpon him only regarde him and desire nothynge els but hym alone For they are sayed to liue in Christe in whome Christ liueth by faith they that liue in Christ do frame their whole life after the will of Christ And they die in the lord chiefly and before all whiche for the confession of the lordes faith suffer death and offer thēselues to tourmentes And not they alone but those also whiche although they die of the sworde of the persecutours yet die when the Lorde calleth them in the trewe christen fayth For these are also blessed as the Lord in S. Iohn verely verely I saye vnto you yf any man kepe my worde he shall not see death for euer Howebeit they die not in the lorde which eyther deny god that they might not be slaine or trust to their owne merites intercessions of Sainctes or to other mens workes be they monkes freres or massemonging priestes and so departe out of this life thinking that thei shal be holpen by other mēs workes To be briefe the veritie of the lord pronoūceth them al blessed and fortunate which departe out of this world in true faith Finally the Lord him self adioyneth a notable declaration of this his briefe sentence For he sette forth the circumstaūce of the time When and how saluation commeth to the dead and the maner of the blessednes For it is wonte to be demaunded what time saluatiō and felicitie happeneth to the dead whether incontinently or after a time that is whether our soules flitte by and by and immediately after the death of the body to the blessed seates or whether they be intercepted for a certen time so that they might be pourged in purgatorie before thei enter into
euerlastyng And the description or demonstration of this vision hath these thinges chiefely what the iudge shal be The principall articles of this â—â—ace who shal be iudged how they shal be iudged of what sorte shal be the â—â—surrection of the dead and of euerlastyng damnation finally who shal be properly damned Which things I shal in order accordyng to the grace that God hath geuen me declare as playnely as I can ¶ What iudge at the last iudgement What maner of iudge there shal be we haue vnderstaÌ„d before at this preseÌ„t he is shadowed by certeÌ„ notes or markes These thinges agree with the same vision which is described of Daniel in the .7 chapt Where by the waye we see agayne how this boke hath his testimonies of the prophetes of whoÌ„ it is coÌ„mended to vs like as Iohn also expoundeth to vs the prophets S. Iohn seeth a seate and that white great For the iudge him self sayde that he would come in glory maiestie to witte with great light And we beleue also that his iudgemeÌ„tes are rightuouse iust white And Aretas an expositour sayeth the seate is great because he sitteth therin of whoÌ„ the prophet sayde great is the Lord great is his power c. And in the seate as iudge of al that moste rightuouse he sitteth furnisshed with all power vertue For al this signifieth the worde of sittyng They that are to be iudged staÌ„de he sitteth Therfore he calleth him that sitteth as you would say iudge For other name he geueth not But we beleue that al iudgement is geuen to the sonne and that he is appoincted iudge ouer all S. Iohn therfore seeth and also sheweth vs to beholde the Lord Iesus Christ commyng in the clowdes of the ayre a rightuouse mightie iudge S. Paule also in the .2 to Titus calleth him a great God not that there is one great god and an other little God but that the Maiestie of our Lorde Iesu Christ shal at that daye moste euidently be sene and the lord him selfe shal than shewe him selfe to the world with greater glory and power than euer heretofore FroÌ„ whose fight heauen fleeth The same shall appere also moste seuere and moste iuste Wherupon S. Iohn sayeth figuratiuely from whose face fled awaye both heauen and Earth For if those thinges whiche haue not sinned dare not come in the iudges sight but seke as it were to saue themselues by Sight where I praye thee shal appere the vngodly sumer And doubtles the prophet Malachie also who sayeth he shal abide the daye of his commyng or who is able to stande when he shal appere So in the sixte chapter we hearde that heauen fled backe and was folden vp like a scrolle that the mountaynes also and Iles flitted and that Kinges and Princes and other men hidde themselues in caues and sayde to the hilles and rockes falle vpoÌ„ vs hide vs from the face of him that sitteth on the seate and from the wrath of the lambe c. By whiche wordes although be described the effecte of a desperate coÌ„science out of corrupte doctrine yet the same shall appere chiefely in this iudgement what time the seuere and moste rightuous iudge shall appere A muche like figure is red in the .18 Psalme Where is added and their place was no more fownde it is annexed to amplifie the matter not that Heauen and Earth shal be no where but for so muche as they dare not whiche is spoken by a figure appere in the iudgement of God By al these thinges therfore is signified that the vngodly beyng destitute of all counsell shal not knowe at that daye whither to tourne them or what to doe but trembling and despayryng to be vexed with vnspeakeable tormentes before the seate It might be thought in the meane season that S. Iohn signifieth this also howe heauen and earth should at the coÌ„myng of the iudge be renewed The whiche also the Apostle S. Peter more playnely expresseth in the .3 chapt of the seconde Epistle whiche neuerthelesse referreth and applieth al those his sayinges to the same sense that we haue touched before For he sayeth seyng than that all these thinges shall be disolued what ought you to be in holy conuersation loking for and hasting the coÌ„myng of the day of God Aretas of Cesaria the flight of heauen and earth sayeth he signifieth no chaungyng of place for whither should they flee but flight flittyng from corruption to incorruption and the laste coÌ„myng of the lord vnder the which this mortal body of ours shal putte on immortalitie and the face of the Earth shal be renewed This sayeth he a like phrase of speach is had in the 12. of the Apocalipse of the Angelles caste downe out of heauen nother was their place founde any more in heauen c. Nowe toucheth he also who shall be iudged Who shall be iudged verely the dead For he sayeth and I sawe the dead And shorteth after we shall heare that the dead shal be reysed vp Therfore they shal be iudged that rise from the dead Neuertheles the liuing are not exeÌ„pted whome the Apostle sayeth most manifestly shal be iudged in the .4 of the first to he Thess But these he nameth not at this present the dead he nameth for that the resurrectioÌ„ of the dead is more hardely beleued more easely beleued that those which remayne in flesh should be iudged at that daye And verely the soules neuer die the bodies die Therfore where it is sayde here that the dead shal be iudged we meane that al those which are dead at that daie shal come in their owne bodies to the iudgement of Christ And al men must be iudged All meÌ„ are iudged Wherefore S. Iohn seeth great and smalle that is to witte men of all sortes state sexe and age Kinges and princes are not excepted the common people shall not escape nother children nor olde folkes men nor wemen All these seeth he standyng before the face or iudgement seate of God The gilty or accused or to be accused shal be set before the iudgemente seate of God And S. Paule also testifiyng expressely of this matter we must al sayeth he appere before the iudgement seate of Christe that euery one maye receaue in his body accordyng to that he hath done whether it be good or euil .2 Corinth 5. chapt but after a diuerse maner appere both good euill For the wicked as giltie are brought to be iudged and punnished and that their giltines maye be openly knoweÌ„ to al creatures The vngodly are iudged not the godly The good for asmuch as they be iustified and quitte haue nowe no more gilte nor crime by reason of Christes satisfaction appere in iudgement with glory ready to iudge the vngodly after their fashioÌ„ and maner and not to be iudged of any And this thinge is singular that he sayeth that we shall be iudged in the sighte of God For who
same he declareth by fiue partes of membres the walles Firste the walles are of Iaspar Let no man here forge to him self carnal thinges The Iaspar is grene The celestial Citie alwayes florisheth God his protection neuer fayleth 2. The citie it self that is to say the buildynges in the citie the palaces and houses are pure golde For al things be purefied in the eternall countrie There is no vncleanes Habitations no euil affectiōs there shal be no trouble or payne As the lord sayde also in the .19 chapt of Matth. Disputyng agaynst the Sadduceis Therfore like as golde is most tried and pure so shal the celestial habitation be most cleane Therfore must the bodies also that shal dwell in heauen be clarified or glorified He addeth that this golde most pure is not glasse but in brightnes doeth represent most pure and shinyng glasse For in heauen al thinges are clere There we shal be sene face to face There we shal moste perfitly know al thinges 3. Foundations And first he sayeth generally that the foundatiōs of the citie are beaultified with al maner of precious stones after particularly he reciteth by name the stones that are most excellent Doubtles nothing is more preciouse nothing more excellent than Christ the foundatiō of our saluatiō than thapostolical doctrine wherby we are induced to the knowledge of Christ of our saluatiō And he setteth in order .xii. stones to thintent we shuld vnderstand that there is not one precious stone alone placed for the foūdatiō but a rowe of one sorte in such a lēgth as the side is square so cōsequently likewise in al partes of the squadre For the first order therfore is placed a Iaspar stone that is to saye in the first place of the foūdatiō Iaspar stones are set in their ranke agayne in the next rowe vpon the Iaspars are laide Saphyres through out the whole space in such length as the foundation was so consequētly the other stones were couched and layde in order By all the which is signified that the foundation of our saluatiō is both most excellēt and sure Which we ought of right to set more bie thā by the price of al the Iewelles in the earth And there are founde men godly beneficiall which bestowyng or sellyng these earthly Iewelles according to the Apostles doctrine in the .1 to Timo. the .6 prepare for themselues a good foundation in an other world There are foūde fooles which are ouer much in loue with Iewelles many times in stead of precious stones that coste very much beyng polished thei bie glasse Ful worthie doubtles to be deceaued Verely precious stones haue their vse vertues nother were thei made of God in vaine But we must alwayes remembre that saying of the wise man al thinges are not mete for al men Precious stones 4 By the register of preciouse stones he semeth to haue alluded to the precious stones that were set in the attire of the high bishop in the .28 of Exod. Nother doubte I that S. Iohn toke these things partely out of the .54 of Esaye which place S. Hierome expoūding sendeth thē that desire to knowe more of stones to Epiphanius to the .37 boke of the Natur. Hist of Plinie Aretas in his commentaries applieth the twelue precious stones to the .12 Apostles of Christ There remaine moreouer the writynges of Bede vpon this place out of whō toke Thomas of Aquine such things as he hath in his cōmentaries vpon the Apocalipse I see not howe I can with any great fruicte tary longer in this treatise Wherfore I referre the curiouse reader to these Authours it is enough for me to haue shewed that by these costely Iewelles is signified the excellencie of the foundation of our helth and saluation The gates Morouer in the fourth place is declared the matter of the gates They were of one whole pearle euery of them whereof the price is excedyng greate The gate of heauen is Christ and the porters of heauen are Apostles as is declared before Therfore are the gates most preciouse and most strong In the .13 chap. of S. Mathewes gospel Christ himself and the saluation that is of him are compared to a Pearle which the marchaūt selling al that he hath byeth for himselfe thinking himselfe rich enough yf he may haue this Pearle 5. In the fift place is also described the Strete what it is Strete In the Cities here in Earth the stretes are many times myrie though otherwyse the cities be neuer so famouse noble Where they be notable they are paued with stone or bricke but the Strete of our Citie is paued with golde both cleane and bright For in heauen is founde no noysomenes no obscure darkenes All these thinges doubtles are spoken moste beaultifully but yet must far greater thinges be vnderstand and imagined and we muste indeuour with all our myght that the thinge which the tung of man can not vtter nor our mynde here for the greatnes excellencie conceaue we may at the length beholde the same in Heauen presentlie and may experience the same in those our glorified bodies throughe Iesus Christe our Lorde ¶ Furthermore yet is described the euerlasting countrie in Heauen The .xcv. Sermon AND I sawe no temple therin For the Lorde God almightie and the lambe is the temple of it and the Citie hath no nede of the Sunne nother of the Moone to lightē it For the brightnes of God doth lighten it and the lambe is the light therof And the people which are saued shal walke in the light of it the kinges of the earth shal bring their glory honour vnto it And the gates thereof shall not be shut by day For there shal be no night there And they shal bring the glory honour of the Gētiles to it And there shal enter into it none vncle an thing nother what soeuer worketh abomination or maketh lyes but they which are written in the lambes boke of life The Aposte procedeth in the descriptiō of the diuine or celestiall Citie to comfort and kepe the faithful in all temptations and afflictions Therfore in the seuenth place he discourseth of the temple The tēple For in famouse Cities ther is no smal cōsideration and prayse of churches This is manifeste by all writers of stories places and times What temple is than in heauen none at all For S. Iohn and I sawe saith he in the citie of God no temple This place repugneth not with those thinges which are in the .11 and .15 chapters of the temple in Heauen For the temple is there exhibited in a figure and vision not that there is in dede any temple in Heauen but that thus mighte be signified Gods iustice and certayne saluation promised in the Scriptures lyke as we haue in those places declared No temple in Heauen And what is the cause that there appeareth no temple in heauen The diuine reuelation aunswereth for
nor other mo doctrines and to haue no nede of other Reuelations For the churche ys already instructed with a most complete doctrine There is it taught also what we ought to do with corrupte doctrines and teachers And where it is easy to fall into vices this boke doth dilligently and plentifully minister medicines teaching how the churche falling downe maie be set vp and repared againe And here it treateth much of true repentauÌ„ce of the fruites of repentaunce of the duties of Saincts or of very good workes Moreouer it exhorteth the afflicted to patience and constantie and to the confession of Christes name withoute feare and to all godlynes many times settyng forth the most ample rewardes of god And also affirming that tourmentes are prepared for the disobedient and reuoltes By this waie meane S. Iohn sheweth to the church how our Lorde Iesus Chryst being in heauen on the righthande of his father in the meane tyme neuerthelesse worketh in the middes of the congregation of his faithful inspiring quickenyng kepyng and gouernyng it And agayne how the church liuing in this world may lâ—ue notwithstanding in Christ and be quickened of him of whom it dependeth wholye whom only it regardeth and in whom it is preserued And who wyll not acknowledge this handlyng of the matter to be all together Apostolicke and right well grounded in the doctryne of Chryst But in the worke it selfe all and euery thynge shall to vs be muche more euidently declared But where as Christ in the Gospel hath said that the church his welbeloued spouse shulde be exercised with sondry afflictions in the whiche notwithstanding The church is subiect to teÌ„ptations persecutions he wolde neuer faile her Nowe in dede froÌ„ the right hand of his Father he recompteth moste plentifully and in a most goodly order of all the dollefull destenies of the churche to thintent that whilest the churche is subiecte to sundry euilles she may remember these thinges and coumfort her selfe lest she beyng discouraged with aduersitie she begin to doubte of the good wyll of God towardes vs and fall againe to Idolatrye forsaken into the errours of theyr Fathers and into the slippery pleasures of this worlde but rather that she go forewarde in the Religion of Chryste once receyued that she holde on throughe constante patience to professe Chryste to cleaue vnto him vnseparably that at the length we maye also be ioyned with the same in the heaueÌ„ly countrey Which is verely the marke and ende of our lyfe the course of all faithful in this miserable world Howebeit Chapter .iiii. wheras in the calamities and persecutions of the faithful and in the felicitie triumphing of the infidels the minde euen of the holyest seruaunt of God is sore moued and greuously tempted before he come to declare the heauy and miserable destenies of the church he setteth foorth vnto them a moste beautifull type or figure of the reuerende holy â–ª and euermore blessed Trinitie wherin is setforthe to be sene of theyes of all men the vnspeakeable wisdome of God power maiestie the iuste gouernement of the same and holy iudgement in all thinges And is also declared that almightie God the father by that Lambe that is by hys sun our onely redemer in the vertu of the holy Gost doth gouern well althinges what soeuer they be eyther in heauen or in earth And also the very destenies of the churche which are written in the boke of his eternal prouidence closed with seueÌ„ seales There appereth the Lamb of God The seuen hornes of the Lambe Chap. v. setforth with seuen hornes That is furnished with most ful power aswel princely as priestly the greatest of al and in all the most absolute The Lamb receyueth that boke of the ryght hand of hym that sitteth in the Throne and vndoeth and openeth in order those seuen seales For he receyueth of hys father all power bothe in heauen and in earth And that the Lambe alone openeth those seuen seales it conteyneth a swete mistery and ministreth a singular comfort to the faithfull For where we beleue that the LaÌ„be of God our redemer Iesus Christ doth loue mankind so excedyngly that neyther in heauen nor in earthe maye any thyng be founde that loueth vs more intierly And now see the very same and none other to open the seuen seales Seuen seales which opened sondry calamities issew out by and by into the worlde Who wold double the same to be sent to him for his health since they are sent not without his prouidence and disposition who directeth al thinges for the saluation of his chosen vnto all the which thinges that notable matter is added that al the spirites Angelicall thelders also and all heauenlye creatures worshyp God and the Lambe prayse and commende his righteousnes and for his excedyng good gouernement geue him immortall thankes For therof we miserable mortall men inuironed with synful fleshe ought to learne that we shuld acknowledg also the iustice of God in all hys workes and not mumer at his gouernement and most rightfull iudgmentes but rather to worship God to submit vs vnto him to prayse his righteousnes and geue thankes for his moste holy gouernmente and to crye with the prophet thou art iust O Lorde in all thy wayes Chap. vi and holy in all thy workes These thinges being on this wise promysed and the mindes of the faithfull thus instructed and prepared in the opening of the seuen seales seuerally is accompted and rekned vp what and how greate euils shuld inuade men from the which not somuch as the faithful liuing in this world shuld be free Wares slaughters famine pestilences are recyted and suche other lyke plages Agayne persecutions seditions Gospel or Consolation and a great deale worse then al these the seducyng and distroying of men through corrupt doctryne But because this boke of the Apocalippes is most euangelicall apostolical it mingleth doubtles in all that declaration often tymes ioyfull thinges with sorrowful and comforteth the faithfull excedingly in moste and greatest daungers And therefore in the calamities Chap. vii troubles euils and corruptions declared hitherto the Aungel of God is brought in who marketh the elect of God in theyr foreheades and all they in dede throughe the goodnes and custodye of God are saued from perdition And of these are accompted innumerable thousandes Wherby we learne that the mercy of God is moste ample in sauing of men and that we ought to hope well of the saluation of oure elders We must hope wel of the saluation of oure forefathers wherof though the most part lyued vnder the corrupt tyme of Papistrie yet followeth not thereof theyr saluation to be doubtfull at the least euen for this cause that we see that God had hath his church at all tymes euen when they be most daungerous To haue hys sealed to haue suche as worship hym whiche like as in times paste haue not bowed
liuing and was dead wherby he signifieth that he toke the true humane nature The whiche many also at the same time denied In like case as theâ— be some at this daye whiche do playnely derogate from thâ— humanitie of Christe Agaynste all suche maner of heresies the Lorde him selfe confesseth that he was dead Wherby it is now manifest that he is very maÌ„ as he is also very God of the same esseÌ„ce with his father in deitie as he is also of the same substaunce with vs in humanitie like vnto vs in all thinges sinne excepted For he toke not the nature of Aungelles but the sede of Abraham And it behoued in dede thaâ— the sonne of man shuld be incarnate that bothe he might diâ— shede bloud Hebr. 9. For the Testament in the dead is finally ratified neither is there any remission made without bloud sheâ—ding The Lord therfore dieth and shedeth bloud to the intâ— he might geue full remissioÌ„ of sinnes and confirme the newâ— Testament Yet euen he that was thought to be dead nowe liueth Christ that was dead liueth and is that same liuing who hauing vaÌ„quished death the iii. daye rose againe from the dead and repared life for aâ—â— beleuers and inspireth into them his owne very life And therefore addeth immediatly beholde I am liuingâ— world without ende For nowe Christ dieth no more deathâ— shal not rule ouer him But rather he is the life of al his faitâ—full who in rising againe brought agayne life and that life euerlastinge induringe I saye worlde without ende As he him selfe declareth more at large Iohn 5.6.10 chapter And thapostle to the Rom. 4.1 Corinth 15. and 2. Timoth. 1. Moreouer where many were woÌ„te to doubte of this life gotten and repared by Christe the Lorde him selfe confirmeth that he saied by an othe and sayeth Amen As though he should saye this is altogether trewe and vndoubted that I saye Finally he addeth Christ hath the keyes of hell and of death and I haue the keyes of Hell and of death By the whiche woordes againe he comforteth exceadingly and expresseth his power and declareth howe great he is and what we haue of him Here must we speake by the waie of the kepe The ordinary glose saieth very wel he that hath the keyes of any house sayeth he letteth in whome he wil and kepeth backe whom he will from entring in Therfore Christ possesseth the keyes of death hel for that whom he will he deliuereth from perpetual coÌ„demnation of death And whom he wil The keyes he suffereth to remaine iustely in the same daunger of damnation And verely Esaye in the 22. speaking of Eliachim whome he sayeth shoulde be made Iudge in the courte of Ezechias I wil laye sayeth he the keye of the house of Dauid vpon his shulder whiche shal open and no manne shall shutte shall shutte and no man shal open Therfore are the keyes put in the Scripture for the charge and gouernement of the house Eliachim shall gouerne all thinge in the Courte of Ezechias vprightly What soeuer he shall determine no manne shal infringe that whiche he shall abrogate no manne shall restore Christe therfore a figure of whome Eliachim represented shal him selfe haue also the chiefe gouernment in the house or kingdome of God so that whom he will he may quickeÌ„ and plucke backe from hel and from damnation And againe whom he liste to condemne he may distroie by his iuste iudgement For he hath most ful power ouer death and hell Ose 13. 1. Cor. 15. For bothe two hath he ouercomen and made weake And these thinges comforte the faithfull moste strongely and reteyne them in all Godly duties And that same is chiefly to be obserued that he sayeth not he had the keyes or shall haue but I haue sayeth he I haue I saye He gaue not his power to the Bishoppe of Rome but hath iâ— him selfe and will kepe it still for euer And he gaue not to the Apostles ful power of life death of saluation and damnation The keyes of heauen geueÌ„ to the Apostles and so vnarmed him selfe but he gaue the keyes of opening and shutting heauen as it were to his Ministers seruitours by the preaching of the Gospell by the whiche he promised life to all that beleued Christ him selfe shoulde geue that life for the truth of the promise To whom so euer they should threaten damnation Christ him selfe shuld condemne for the truth of his woorde We see therfore that the Lord kepeth stil exerciseth the power and his ministers the ministerie by preaching not by absolute power Therfore the Pope is Antichrist The keyes of the bishop of Rome which vsurpeth and taketh vpon him this full power and authoritie in Heauen and in Earth and in the middes of the earth also or beyonde all the earth iâ— those vnfortunate Ilandes I meane purgatory By the whicâ— craftie deuise he hath subtilly emptied the purses Cofferâ— garuers and wine cellers Apoc. 13. of foolish people that swarne from the articles of their beliefe to wit I beleue the forgeuenes oâ— sinnes the resurrection of the fleshe life euerlasting Thâ— beaste dare vsurpe the two hornes of the Lambe Daniel 7. namely thâ— authoritie of King Bishop therfore to hange two keyeâ— vnder his triple Crowne that euen by these Armes all the world maye perceyue that this is very he whiche hauinâ— subdued three kinges or hornes is cropeÌ„ vp chalengeth tâ— him selfe all power in heauen in earth signified by the twâ— keies And surely the blindnes of our time is wonderful anâ— to be lameÌ„ted that hauing eyes it seeth yet nothing Let sucâ— as be wise remeÌ„ber that Christe hath yet the keyes of deatâ— and Hell his ministers the denouncyng of life and death Iohn is coÌ„maunded to write And nowe when he had declared these greate and mosâ— holesome matters and had comforted the minde of Iohn hâ— addeth the commaundement write the vision exhibited fâ—nally write those thinges also whiche muste be done shorteâ— after this He placeth in the middes and those that be thâ— is whiche are in dede and trewe and be not false And thesâ— things are to get authoritie to this boke finally to the whoâ— scripture whiche is reuealed with like truth of the selfe samâ— Author And as Iohn is coÌ„maunded to write without fearâ— so are we coÌ„maunded to Preache publish the same boldly though the world be neuer so madde therat He addeth moreouer the exposition that remaineth and sayeth The misterie of the seuen starres c. The reason semeth almost vnpersit Therfore muste we vnderstande this is the mistery or sacrament of the seuen Starres and Candelstickes that it maye be as it were a proposition SacrameÌ„t and that the exposition shoulde folow immediatly the seuen starres are seuen Messengers c. And by Sacrament vnderstande a secret mistery and the very exposition of the mistery As yf you woulde sâ—â—â— here is to
He propoūdeth also thexāple of the cōquerour Christ For we must ouercome as he hath ouercomē He in dede ouercame most perfitly we after our litle strēgth fight and ouercome And verely the true victory in vs is the liuely vertu of Christ that is to say by him they ouercom whosoeuer ouercome And like as he hauing ouercome death vanquished the world the deuill ascended into heauen sate on the right hand of the father so he promiseth vs also ouercomming that he wil geue vs the seat of his father not that we sitting on the right hande of God should iudge ouer al flesh beyng made Christes but that beynge made pertakers of euerlasting glory and deliuered from all iudgement we maye appere in glory when he shal come to iudge the quicke and the dead We reade of a like promise made to the disciples Matth. 19. and Luke 22. And so assuredly shall this glory come vnto vs as Christ him selfe did verely ascende into Heauen and sate in the glory celestiall And here we must note a speciall thing that Christ geueth here that thing whiche in the 20. of Matth. he denieth that he can geue to Iames and Iohn that is to sitte in the glory celestiall Therfore this place expoundeth that The diuinitie of Christ For Christ after his deitie geueth that whiche after his humanitie he denieth that he cā geue This place then proueth that Christe is very God geuer of eternall life c. He addeth after his maner an acclamation wherby he applieth this epistle to al congregations and affirmeth it to be inspired of the spirite of Christe Whereof we haue spoken before And we haue treated hitherto of the seconde parte of this worke wherin are declared the moste excellent poinctes of our religion who of what sorte is Christ The sum sittyng in the glory of the father howe he is presente in his churche and gouerneth the same as kynge and priest by his spirite by his worde and Sacraments What also and of what sorte is the church of Christ what is the true and righte doctrine of the churche what opiniōs are wicked What is to be done with erroneouse doctrines and seducers howe the churche fallen and afflicted maye be repared what is true repētaunce and what are the dueties of the godly and many other thinges of like sorte To God the father be prayse thankes geuinge and glory through Iesus Christe our Lorde ¶ The seconde vision is shewed to S. Iohn wherin he seeth God in his Throne with Elders whome he describeth gallauntly The .xxiij. Sermon AFter this I loked and beholde a dore was open in heauen and the first voice whiche I hearde was as it were a trōpet talkyng with me whiche saied come vp hither and I will she we thee thinges whiche muste be fulfilled herafter And immediatly I was in the spirite and beholde a seate was set in heauē and one sate on the seate And he that sate was to loke vpō like a Iasper stone and a Sardine stone and there was a rainebowe aboute the seate in sighte like a Smaragde And about the seate were xxiiii seates And vpon the seates xxiiii Elders sittinge clothed in white raymente and had on theyr heades crownes of Golde The thirde parte of this worke reacheth from the beginning of the 4. chapter vnto the beginning of the 12. chapter And conteyneth a notable vision moste holesome and of muche fruicte The first vision which we hearde expounded in the 3. chap. exhibiteth a figure of Christ and of his church and howe the Lord reigneth in the same how also the church behaueth or oughte to demeane her selfe In the seconde vision S. Iohn declareth howe by a most iuste and most holy gouernement God gouerneth all thynges by Christ which chaunce and are done to the churche in the worlde and of the worlde The argumēt of the seconde vision In these are rehearsed the most sorrowful destenies of the church calamities plages and destructions famines persecutions reuoltinges heresies conflictes and other euilles moste greuouse of the same sorte c. Who also and what and howe iuste God is rightuouse and holy in all his iudgementes here is described That he is Authour of all That God throughe the moste wittie and excellent gouernement of Christe ruleth all thinge that the holy Aungelles also and al creatures do acknoweledge him and geue glory vnto God For so it teacheth vs also in al our doynges Th ende of this visiō and euen in the very greuouse calamities and persecutiōs wherof it shall prophecie moreouer the acknoweledge the prouidence and good wil of God towardes vs and his most iuste gouernement This if we shal do with quiet mindes we shal beare also moste heauy burthens patiently we shall cease with curiouse questions to inquire whye God permitteth Antichrist to spring vp to increase and reigne to oppresse the religion and Sainctes of God Then shal cease also the blasphemouse mutinyng of those which are not affraide to saye God is in dede the Lorde he is almightie he doeth what he will and as he will we are bonde seruauntes and rather worse than bondemen We are forced to beare what so euer he wil laye vpon vs c. As thoughe God were vniuste and after a tirannicall feare terrible and ruled after a carnal lust It is most shameful to thinke thus much more to speake it This vision shal declare that God by his prouidence gouerneth althinges and that the same is iust in al his wayes and holy in al his workes And firste S. Iohn is prepared to receyue this vision A preparatiō to this vision yea and we also are prepared in him For when he had sene the dore in heauen to be wyde open he hearde withall come vp hither c. It is surely a benefite not to be expressed with tonge that the Lorde openeth heauen for vs miserable men mortall and suffereth vs to see what is done therin or what he him selfe doeth there and what his workes or iudgments be towardes men Let no man saye herafter that God doeth in Heauen what thinges he liste not passinge vpon vs that crepe vpon earthe and who also muste suffer that we woulde not For nowe he maketh as it were an accompte of his workes and beyng assured admitteth thee as a looker on of the matter And here he declareth with a godly voice The mīde muste be lifted vp what Iohn shuld do and how he should behaue him self Christ biddeth Iohn ascende into supercelestial places not in body but in minde Therefore muste our minde be lifted vp into the contemplation of Heauenlye thinges and be pourged as muche as maye be from earthely affections that we maye beholde heauenly thinges with an heauenly contemplation What will we saye that the example of Iohn followeth immediatly And incontinently I was in the spirite that is in a spirituall cōtemplation or rauished with the spirite into the faithful consideration of those thinges whiche
And with many wordes and also moste dilligently and goodly is treated here of the openyng of the seales who verely might be thought worthie to open to the churche the secret iudgementes of God and to execute and minister his holy workes that is to saye to whome the kingdome is geuen and gouernement of the diuine prouidēce For an Aungell and that not of the cōmon sorte but a stronge and worthie one with a loude voice crieth to make vs all attentiue and that we shoulde note diligently who he is that shoulde both open the boke and vnloose or vndoe the seales And he holdeth longe in suspence the hearer beholder or reader before he will shewe him to the intent verely to cōmende him to vs exceadingly No man sayeth he in the whole vniuersal world neither emonges the Aungelles sainctes in heauen nor emongs earthly men and vnder the earth was founde whiche coulde eyther open or vnseale the boke To Christ alone belōgeth the kingdome and the power of gouernemēt is taken from others Let vs obserue that there is none that can open the boke and open the seales besides Christ alone Whie than is the administration of thinges attributed or communicated to sainctes none can open to vs the counselles and iudgements of God no man can gouerne those iudgements workes of God that he worketh in the world saue only Christ the lord whie than are so great benefites sought for of Sainctes and be imputed to them if eyther the sicke be restored to helthe or that a mortall man do receiue any other gifte or benefite ▪ many will saye I receyued this in dede of gods benefite but through the meditatiō and power and merite of this or that saincte vnto whome God graunted this that he should rule ouer suche a disease and might heale suche as calle vpon the name of the Saincte or the name of God by the Saincte These are here confuted now by the wordes of the Lord and S. Iohn saying that no man in heauen or in earth is founde whiche coulde open the boke Yet neuerthelesse aboute the Throne sate the xxiiii Elders representinge the Type of all Sainctes in glory not one of al thē was found which could open the boke Therfore be thei a great deale madder which do attribute the gouernement of things in the church to the Pope a most corrupte and filthie man Only Christ receiued al power in Heauen and in Earth as we shall incontinently more fully vnderstande S. Iohn wepeth The weping of S. Iohn for that he vnderstode a weightie matter to consiste in the openinge of this godly boke and yet sawe he no man at al which coulde eyther open or vnseale it Neyther did he as yet fully vnderstande the matter And he bare the figure of them which vnderstande not the iudgementes of God nor know not that al thinges are through God his prouidēce holyly gouerned by Christ For in them nothing els remaineth but mourning and heauines Certenly withoute Christ and his opening wherby he reuealeth to vs the diuine misteries and iudgements no man can rightly iudge of the same For vnlesse we vnderstand the seales to be opened by Christ and that al thinges are done by his order whiche loued vs and gaue him selfe for vs what thinge shall be lefte in vs but sighinge But he rehersed three thinges to open rede and loke vpō No man liuing openeth for that no man is mete for so great a charge saue only the sonne of God No manne readeth or vnderstandeth fully the iudgements of God but the sonne and to whom he hath reuealed so muche as any man hathe No man loketh on it that is to saye can beholde the workes and iudgementes of God but he shal be offended excepte he be indewed with the spirite purified with the same Therefore we must axe grace of him that we maye vnderstande so muche of Gods iudgementes as shal suffice and may iudge wel of the same Aretas Bishop of Cesaria an expositour of this boke neither any sayeth he of those that lacke fleshe nor any of them that are in the fleshe nor yet of suche as are deperted leauing their fleshe behinde them hath receiued a perfit knoweledge of godly matters And by and by after nother only is there any which could open it but also not so much as loke vpō it that is to saye coulde not loke attentiuely on the iudgments of God and so forth And the cōtexte of the whole place proueth sufficiently that S. Iohn speaketh here of the iudgmēts verely but chiefly of the gouernement of thinges The Lord Iesus be glorified for euer Amen ¶ Here is liuely described the Lambe in the throne of God receiuing the boke of the hand of him that sitteth and opening it The .xxvij. Sermon AND one of the Elders sayd vnto me wepe not Beholde the Lion whiche is of the tribe of Iuda the roote of Dauid hath obteyned to open the boke to lowse the seuen seales therof And I behelde and lo in the middes of the seate and of the foure beastes and in the middes of the Elders stode a lābe as though he had bene killed whiche had seuen hornes and seuen eies which are the seuen spirites of God sent into all the worlde and he came toke the boke out of the right hand of him that sate on the Throne By Christ all thinges are gouerned Forasmuch as Iohn had wept that no man was worthy so muche as to loke on the boke of him that sate on the seate muche lesse to open it One of the .xxiiii. Elders comforteth hym His name is not expressed wherfore it semeth to be required both vaynely and curiously Notwithstanding there be some of the expositours which suppose hym to be the patriarch Iacob Verely for that shortly after his oracle or prophecie is recited And so the authour descendeth in a moste goodly order vnto the description also of the sonne of God by whome the celestial father as al the scripture euery where approueth gouerneth al thinges Hitherto hath he described hym that sitteth on the seate and before that the holy ghoste Wherfore these are holsome and moste profitable doctrines for the churche wherby the true faith is confirmed The comfort of this elder and verely the heauenly most Godly doctrine tendeth to this ende that we should vnderstande that all the complaintes weping grudging and the sondry tourmoylinges of our minde can not be quenched appeased quieted vnlesse we see and beleue that to Christ as here is moste playnely and manifestly set forth is geuen of the father al power in heauen and in earthe and therfore to be constituted like as the only redemer so also the head Prince and gouernour of al whiche vnder the seale of fayth and veritie shoulde gouerne all thinges that are by God his prouidence ordeyned and euen now dispiseth them and reuealeth vnto vs so muche of God his iudgmentes as do suffice vs. This if we beleue with a
Whose bloud prohibited the Aungel distroier from the houses and tentes represented the figure of Christ by whose preciouse bloud we are reconciled to God This expositiō of the Paschal lambe S. Peter him self in the .1 Pet. 1. and S. Paull in the .1 to the Corinth 5. haue brought Esaye accordeth with them in the .53 chapter And so expounded by the Apostle S. Philip in the 8. of the Actes Finally S. Iohn Baptist whiche with the fingar stretched out and poinctyng to Christ exclamed beholde the Lambe of God whyche taketh awaye the sinnes of the world Let vs therfore beleue that the same Iesus Christ vnto whom al power is geuē of the father to be our deliuerer our expiation reconciliation innocencie sanctification iustification and euerlastyng saluation as he whom we shal heare in the xiii chapt to haue bē slayne from the beginning of the world for so much as his only death one oblation made from the beginning of the world and continually to the worlds ende doeth sanctifie al those that are sanctified Which the Apostle also affirmeth in the .10 to the Hebrewes Howebeit this lambe or sauiour of the worlde is sayed to stand in the middes of the throne verely for that now he executeth thoffice of a catholicke kinge and priest gouernour beynge alwayes ready and prepared to saue So S. Stephen also in the .7 of the Actes seeth him standing Or els in other places we reade that Christ sitteth on the right hande of the father To the which this place gayne saieth not considering that to sitte is bothe to rest and to reigne Moreouer this our Lambe appereth in the Throne of the diuine maiestie The lamb appeareth as slayne as if he were killed not for that he was not slayne in dede and dead for that same is a little after excessed moste exactely but for that he remayned not in deathe but the thirde daye rose agayne from the dead to th ende he mighte so declare him selfe to be the life and resurrection of the faythful Or verely for that after his humanitie he is red to be slayne after his deitie to be immortall and subiecte to no reproche Wherfore in the old lawe the one of the goates in the 16. of Leuitic is slayne but the other is not killed but by the worke of a man herunto appoynted is led forthe into the deserte Neuertheles there is of the expositours which expounde it thus he is sayed as though he were slaine for asmuche as after S. Chrisostome and S. Austen he hath reserued as yet the seares of the woundes of his death in token of his victory c. Furthermore this lambe Christ Iesus our lord hath .vii. The lābe hath seuen hornes hornes not that in dede he carieth so many hornes like a goate of Iude. An horne as appereth by Daniel and by the songe of Zacharie in the 1. of Luke signifieth power and kingdome The .vii. nombre is the nombre of fulnes It is therfore signified that Christ is indued with al kinde of power diuine humane imperial pontifical roiall briefly moste absolute In the 13. chapt we shal heare that the beaste hath taken to him two hornes as it were of the lambe whereof I shal speake in his place Daniel in the 7. chapt And rule sayeth he was geuen him and honour and kyngedome that al nations and tounges mighte worship him whose rule is an euerlastinge rule which shal not perish nor decaye at any time Now hath he seuen eyes also These he expoundeth and sayeth The lābe hathe .vii. eyes whiche are the .vii. spirites of God sente into the whole worlde I shewed you before that the .vii. spirites are called a seuenfold spirite Here therfore is signified the fulnes of the spirite which the lord powereth out vpon al flesh Here is signified the vniuersal knowledge of the sonne in whose sighte are present what thinges so euer are done in heauen and in earth opēly priuely For the spirite of Christ that vnmeasurable force incomprehensible and most diuine searcheth and pearseth al thinges nothinge is hidde from his eyes whiche viewe the whole world And such is Christ as we haue hearde described hitherto What is the gouernour of all and who openeth the seales whome the Patriarches haue before sayed shoulde come a victour and triumphant cōquerour alone verely inuincible very man of our owne substaūce and also our very brother yet very God neuerthelesse of the same substaunce with the father and the holy ghoste the reconciler redemer and the only saluatiō of the world hath suffered for vs and the same risen agayne from the dead and ascended into heauē hauing al power in heauen and in earth whiche seeth al thinges cōmunicateth his spirite vnto men and is the most faithful keper and defender of al mā kinde This Christ Iesus our lord came and receiued he conueyed not or stale it away but toke that boke of the prouidence diuine of the iudgementes of God of the vniuersal gouernmēt of al things that he might open and lowse the Seales thereof that is to saye that he might reueale to vs that are redemed with his bloud the iudgementes of God and mighte dispose and order al thinges in heauen and in earth Therfore sins we know that the gouernour of al thinges is geuen to vs a redemer Kyng Bishop and our only saluation who will not from hence forth willingly submitte himself to his gouernement And seyng we nowe vnderstande certenly how that vnder the seale of faith and veritie al things are done by Christ who dare hereafter more curiousely inquire of his workes and iudgmentes vnto whose credite and gouernement we should nowe cōmitte althinges Howe the sonne is saied to receiue the boke at his fathers hande in case they were in our power Notwithstanding we shall obserue that the sonne doeth not so receyue these thinges of the father that the father is depriued therof For in the .5 chapt of S. Iohns Gospel the Lorde sayeth my father worketh vnto this time I worke c. Certes the sonne is called the worde mouth and arme of the father c. or that after the humanitie the sonne mighte seme lesse than the father For very godly Aretas where the lambe sayeth he receyued the boke of the right hande of him that sitteth on the Throne it must be vnderstande on the behalfe of his humanitie As also that he was slayne For concernyng his deitie none of all those thinges that maye worthely be spoken or thought of God is seuerally assigned to three persones sauing the maner of bringyng forth of him that begetteth and of him that is begotten and of hym that procedeth c. This description of Christ is singular moste excellent very euangelicall and ful of consolation and therfore is it chiefly to be layde vp in the botome of our hartes Where we finde also that they were disceaued in theyr iudgment which were not affrayde to saye that in this boke besides
are signified by trees Trees appereth by the .9 chapt where it is sayed they had cōmaundement that they shuld not hurte the grasse of the earth nother any tree sauing only men whiche are not c. After he had sayed saue only those trees which were not marked but he had rather saye men that he might as it were with this keye vnlocke the misterie Nother is it rare to shadowe men in the scriptures by trees floures and grasse as we maye gather of the .1 Psalme the. 40. of Esaye and the .12 chapt of S. Matthew But that latter poincte that al grene grasse was brent muste be fauourably expounded For who can beleue that al men were distroyed by those first heresies we vnderstād therfore that the mindes of the faithful were diuersely afflicted and tourmoyled with those errours and troubles but yet as the Golde tried in the fixe not to be vtterly consumed The secōd trompet The second Aungel soundeth the trompet signifiyng that newe warres are nowe a brewyng and therfore exhorteth that al the godly would defende themselues with weapons And there is cast into the Sea not a Mountaine but as it were a Mountaine burning with fire The sea beareth a figure of the world A burning moūtaine than the which there is nothing more vnstable It is a thing most frequented in the prophetes to call this our world wherin we liue a sea By mountaines are signified kingdomes witnesse Esaye in the .2 chapt Daniel the 2. And Zacharie in the .4 chapt And Christ him selfe in the .7 of Matth. By remouing of hilles or mountaines signifieth any harde thinge and by the opinion of many impossible Nowe therfore springeth vp an heresie and a doctrine in the church as it were a burnyng Mountaine as the which was in dede most furnished and as it semed inuincible We reade that such was the heresie of the Valentinians Valentinians whose secte the holy martir Ireneus teached to be diuided into many Suche was the fury of the Manicheis Manicheis and Montanistes Montanistes They semed to many to burne with the spirite of God and to be whole nothinge els but the spirite and all their oracles to be of the holy ghoste Manichaeus called him selfe the Apostle of Iesu Christ The Montanistes bragged of a newe holy ghost Ther was moste greate plenty of this darnell throughout the vniuersall church Nother was the successe therof small For the thirde parte of the Sea was made bloud The Apostle signifieth the wickednes of sectes For howe vile and impudent were the heretikes called Gnostici the valentinians and Manicheis Ireneus S. Austen and Epiphanius doe testifie And a great part of the creatures in the Sea perisshed And he speaketh of such as haue soules not of fishes in dede but menne Many shippes moreouer were lost to witte Mariners and Ilonde men beyng corrupte with these heresies That time those heresies sprange vp in dede of those Authours which I named but as yet thei be not vtterly extinct corrupte men buddyng vp in a maner at euery time and renewyng the olde errour Wherupō a bitter strife remayneth yet at this daye in the church and we are dayly admonished that we should beware of those corruptions The thirde Aungell bloweth his trompet proclaymyng new warres The third trompet and behold a great Starre fell doune from heauen burning like a cresset and infecteth the thirde parte of riuers and fountaines of waters A burning cresset that starre is called wormwood I tolde you in the .1 Chapter that Starres are called Preachers Bisshoppes and notable men in the churche It signifieth therefore that some notable man should fall awaye from the trewe faith into heresie wherwith he should infecte a great parte of the world in corrupting the Scriptures and sounde doctrine of fayth And these thinges seme to be fulfilled in Paulus Samosatenus Paul Samosatenus and Arrius Arrius This creshet burned horribly and inflamed the whole worlde without recouerie That pestilence denied the deitie of Christe and made the whole Gospel to vs moste bitter For if Christe be not very God how is he a Sauiour King Bishop intercessour mediatour and saluation of the faithful He quenched the light that denied the deitie of Christ Therefore is he called by the name of wormwood The prophet Ieremie vsed the selfe same allegorie or metaphore or allusion in the .9 and .23 chapt And Amos in the .6 where he sayeth that the Iudges haue tourned iudgement into Wormwood The Scripture and doctrine whiche is trimly figured by riuers and fountaines corrupted of the Arrians was to many the occasion of death The Scripture and doctrine of the Gospel is of it selfe mortal to no man but rather liuely to al◠corruption maketh it deadly Poyson put in wine maketh the wine deadly the wine of it self killeth no man but rather gladdeth and reioseth al men Reade the Ecclesiastical stories of Eusebius Theodoretus Sozomenus Socrates and others and ye shal perceyue howe aptely S. Iohn hath written all these thinges and how rightly they are al fulfilled No smal parte of that bitternes hath flowed vnto our time whilest that old errour is often times by the instigatiō of the deuil renewed For what that vncleane beaste Michell Seruetus Michell Serueto a spaniarde vomited against the Sonne of God for his impenitent wickednes and continuall plasphemie burnte at Geneua the world knoweth We muste praye therfore to the Lorde that in suche daungerouse conflictes he would kepe vs safe and sounde Amen ¶ The fourth and fifte trompet is expounded of the opening of the botomlesse pitte and of grasse hoppers creping out into the Earth The .xxxix. Sermon ANd the fourth Aungel blewe and the third parte of the sunne was smitten and the thirde parte of the Moone and the thirde parte of starres so that the third parte of thē was darkened And the daye was smitten that the third part of it should not shine and likewise the night And I behelde and hearde an Aungell fliyng thorow the middes of Heauen and saiyng with a lowde voyce wo wo wo to the inhabiters of the Earth because of the voyces to come of the trompe of the thre Aūgels which were yet to blowe The .9 chapter And the fifte Aungel blewe and I sawe a starre fall from Heauen vnto the Earthe And to him was geuē the keye of the botomlesse pitte And he opened the botomles pitte and there arrose a smoke of the pitte as it were the smoke of a greate fornace And the Sunne and the ayre were darkened by the reason of the smoke of the pitte And there came out of the smoke locustes vpō the earth and vnto thē was geuen power as the Scorpions of the Earth haue power And it was sayed vnto them that they should not hurte the grasse of the Earth nother any grene thing nother any tree but only those menne which haue not the seale in theyr forheades and to
Helias cried out how long halte ye on both sides As though he should saye it is not lawful to part your hartes betwixt two Gods nother is it lawful to atttribute al thinges of life of saluation but vnto God alone The fellowship of the kingdom is in this case enuiouse in dede The Helianes shal crie if rightuousenes be of the lawe Christ died in vaine No man can serue two maisters Christ shall profit you nothing which seke saluation in the traditions of men Come ye vnto Christ he is the perfection of the faithfull in him we are complete And like as Helias greuousely accused Achab Iezabel and the Baalamites righte so shall the Helians most sharpely inueye against kinges and Bishoppes Idolaters and Antichristians Thus I saye Helias cometh againe hath commen and shal come before the iudgement Nother shal S. Iohn prophecie otherwise before the iudgement Before the iudgement Iohn came against antichrist He shal not retourne into the Earth in his body out of Heauen but the preachers indewed with the doctrine of S. Iohn shal renewe al his doctrine thei shal expounde such thinges whiche he hath lefte vnto the church written in his Gospell in his Epistles and in the Apocalipse This booke hath a while layne hidde contemned also of good and learned men yet preachyng the same that is conteyned and set forth in this boke but it shal be brought to light of others be set by as it is playne that in this our memorie is done of many And of al these thinges we doe clerely perceyue how Antichrist muste be impugned and slayne not with carnall Armures but with spirituall to witte by sincere doctrine framed after the example of Enoch Helie and Iohn and taken out of the holy scriptures Wherof we shal speake more fully in the .11 Briefly the doctrine of Iohn about the laste iudgement shal be renewed agayne and be knowen to the worlde in despite and agaynst theyr will And vnder the doctrine of Iohn we vnderstande the whole euangelical and Apostolical doctrine in the writing settyng forth wherof S. Iohn also imployde a singular trauell amongs the most excellent What thei must be with what qualiâ—ies furnisshed that preache against antichrist And in the meane season in the same vision is figured the whole maner of the faithfull and lawefull Preachers to be matched with Antichrist what thei ought to be with what qualities furnisshed First S. Iohn is called by a voyce spoken to him from heauen with a coÌ„maundement goe Therfore is Gods vocation chiefly necessary leest any maÌ„ should take vpon him this office with an euill affection Moses was called the prophetes and Apostles were called some in dede immediately from God not of men nother by men some of God also but yet by men and of men The apostles of Christ were not called of men boasting the lawfull succession from Caiaphas Annas colledge of priestes neuerthelesse had their vocation of Christ and approued their vocation in dede to wil by preachyng of the veritie Therefore albeit we cannot at this daye referre our vocation to the Pope and Bisshops braggyng of the lawful succession yet for asmuch as we are able to approue it in very dede and by the testimonies of Christ that our doctrine is Christes doctrine therfore that our ministerie is lawful we care not a whit for theyr opprobriouse and rayling words which crie that we be not called that we be not ordeyned by the Pope To the called is geueÌ„ a sure coÌ„maundemeÌ„t to take the boke of the haÌ„de of the Angel But to him that is called is geuen a sure coÌ„maundement to witte that he take the boke not euery boke but the booke open and that of the hande of the Aungel and agayne of the Aungel standyng vpon the sea lande That Angel is Christ the Lord Lord of the whole Earth of the Sea and al thinges conteyned therein He with his hande offereth to his ministers a boke open to witte the holy scripture and chiefly his sacred holy gospel wrapped with no darkenes nother closed but right manifest to theÌ„ that wil see For albeit that for thantiquitie of the tongue for the proprietie of speach for the figures rites places things stories out of memory some places maie appere somwhat harde what doeth this darken or obscure the misterie of fayth and saluation neuerthelesse most open plaine who vnderstandeth not what he should beleue what he should do how he should pray euen of the Articles of the faith of the .x. coÌ„maundementes and the lordes praier The some of faith and of doctrine is certaine plaine Esaye 29 2. Cor. 4. This boke therfore opened Christ offereth to his ministers And S. Iohn hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a little boke not a boke For if ye compare the holy bible especially the gospel boke with other lawes bokes and especially the decrees and decretalles of the Pope the little boke of the holy gospel shal seme very smal Primasius expoundyng this place he semeth sayeth he to vnderstande the veritie of the lawe and prophetes manifested in Christ therfore he sayeth not now as before that he taketh the sealed but the open boke For Christ is the ende of the lawe for rightuousnes to al that beleue and so forth Therefore the lord Christ him selfe geueth vnto the sincere preachers none other preaching than his owne to witte the Euangelicall For he is the light and redemer of the worlde rightuousenes and life nother is there saluatioÌ„ in any other This preaching is not fetched nor takeÌ„ of others than of the handes of the Angel not of the handes of the Pope or Bishops Christ sayeth go forth into the whole worlde and preache the Gospel to euery creature teachyng them to kepe al thinges which I haue coÌ„maunded you Now is also required obedience of the ministers The obedience of the ministers that they obeye the coÌ„maundement of God and that they craue and receyue that which they are coÌ„maunded to axe and receyue In vayne doe some loke for a drawyng and working of saluatioÌ„ outwardely and with out then to be finisshed through the only inuisible operation of God Yf God will haue me blessed and iuste saye they let him worke in me what he wil. Moreouer they themselues are not careful how they should applie themselues to the grace of God workyng by grace Agaynst their vngodlines is it that we heare now howe S. Iohn applieth him self to the coÌ„maundementes of God not without grace For he goeth to the Aungell and sayeth geue me the boke For the Lord must be prayed we must reade diligently as S. Paul also coÌ„maundeth we muste learne and obeye the commaundementes of God The Lord denieth nothing to theÌ„ that are and not tary til God without vs do drawe vs. And the lord denieth nothing to them that are willing do are and are dilligent
inuadeth not only the auncient churche but euen the very head of the church and redemer Christ howebeit with his furie outrageouse he could nothyng preuayle therefore he shal no more preuaile agaynst his membres Now he retourneth againe to the church and sayeth the church fleeth into wildernes after the dragon could bringe nothing to passe agaynst the sonne of God he wente and made warre agaynst the church and the churche fled into wildernes Certenly Iewrie in the prophetes is compared to a place most frequented the gentiles are called a deserte or wildernes Therefore after Christes ascention the Apostles departyng out of Iewrie repared to the gentiles yea and the Iewes inspired of the red dragon caste out the church out of their limites which was constreined as appereth in the Actes of Apostles to flee vnto the gētiles And where the Lorde hath prepared a place for his churche and the churche was greately augmented emongs the gentiles certenly it was through his grace and by no merite of man whiche prepared the place whiche calleth directeth and kepeth his shepe the same hath disposed and yet doeth dispose for this churche ministers or pastours which may fede it as the rauens did Helias al the time that shal be vnto the worldes ende For as for the nōbre of those daies I discoursed before And by this exposition is signified that the dragon shal fight stoutely against the church so that she shal be cōpelled to flee but how much so euer he shal rage against the churche the lorde God shal yet prepare a place in earth wherin she maye dwell safe and will euer sende pastours to fede He sheweth moreouer that the flight shall not alwayes be reprochable The Lord saue and kepe vs. Amen ¶ The description of the conflicte of Christe and the Church with the Dragon the dragō is ouercome the heauenly dwellers sing prayses The .liij. Sermon ANd there was a great battell in heauē Michaell his Angels fought with the dragon the dragō fought his Angels preuailed not nother was their place foūde any more in heauē And the dragon that olde serpent called the deuil and Sathanas was cast out Which deceaued all the world And he was cast into the Earth his Angels were cast out with him also And I hearde a lowde voice which sayed in Heauen nowe is saluation and strength and the kingdome become our Gods the power is Christes for he is caste downe which accused them before God daie night And thei ouercame him by the bloud of the Lambe and by the worde of their testimony and they loued not their liues vnto the death Therfore reioyce ye heauens and ye that dwell therin Wo vnto the inhabiters of the earth and the sea for the deuill is comen doune vnto you which hath great wrath because he knoweth that he hath but a short time Thapostle hath spoken of the partes of the notable fight worthie battel he hath spoken also of attēptes pourpos of the dragō which verely applieth al his coūsels to this intēt that he may deuoure al godlines that is might distroy it vtterly he hath shewed how he began to moue warre agaynst the church which fled into the wildernes now as it were leauing the womā in the wildernes he semeth to bring forth other soldiours whiche geue battel to the dragon most valeauntly do impugne also discōfit him al his power S. Iohn therfore describeth the singular fight of one most excellent to witte Michaell which ouercame the Dragon and describeth the general fight annexed with that particular For he addeth that al the Angels of Michael fought agaynst the dragon And first is heauē shewed to be the place of the fight or cōflicte For in heauen sayeth he was fought a great battaile The place of conflict And it is euidēt that Sathan was at the beginning of al things cast out of heauē into the earth and therfore that he moueth no warre in heauē nor reiseth any tumulte there For heauē is a place of rest ioye not of debate and contention Therefore this must be attributed to the visiō For the lord hath in heauen by signes represented this battaile to be sene whiche in dede is fought in earth in the middes of the church But here is set forth an image of a notable fight wherby is shewed what hath ben what is yet done in earth I saied euen now that this cōbat was in dede particular but to haue a general fight annexed For Michael fighteth whiche is as captaine of this warre and Michaelles Angelles fight also Who fight which must be wel discerned although that Michaell his Angels make but one parte only On the other side fighteth the dragō as emperour of this warre his angels fight also And these verely make non other partes thā we haue heard before in the beginning of this chapt That the partie of this fight were the church the deuil Neuertheles leest the victory should be attributed to the church not rather to Christ the womā must now be omitted and Michael brought in fighting Whereupon there is in these thinges some difficultie but it shal be easie enough for him that will marke euery thing in order Who is that Michaell captaine of the warre against the Dragon First we must see what that Michael is there is in dede no doubte but that the Angel Michell appered in the vision with an Army of Angels fighting And that on the contrary parte against thē fought the Dragon with an hoste of deuils But for asmuch as we hearde in the beginning that these were tokens they must nedes signifie betoken other thinges I suppose here therefore to be signified Christ the head of his church king protectour with his mēbres Apostles Martirs faithful Nother is it a rare thing that Christ should be figured to vs by Angels but is euen moste accustomed that Angelles are called the ambassadours of God the faithful seruaūtes of Iesus Christ Christ therfore head of the church the faithfull membres of Christ fight against the Dragon yet after a diuerse sort For christ ouercame him alone in the cōbat with out helpe of any creature whilest in temptations he discomfited him at the last also by diyng on the crosse rising agayne from the dead How christ hath fought with the dragō he al to brake his head This is the only trewe singular victory wherby afterwardes are obteyned the victories of Christes mēbres goten of that general fight wherein Christ fighteth not now only hande to hande with the Deuill but all the membres of Christe at all times vnder Christ their Captayne fight against the Deuill and in the vertue or victory of Christ fight and ouercome as we shal heare by and by in the songe of prayse Why Michael is Christ But for great and sondry causes we affirme Christe to be figured and
let him busily praie vnto God that if he fele them the lord would confirme them if he fele them not that the Lord would printe them depely in their mindes ¶ The Aungel preacheth the eternall gospel of Christe The .lxiij. Sermon ANd I sawe an AuÌ„gell fliyng in the middes of heaueÌ„ hauing an euerlastyng Gospell to preache vnto them that sit dwel on the earth and to all nations kinredes and tunges people saiyng with a lowde voice feare God and geue honour to him for the houre of his Iudgement is come and worshippe him that made heauen and earth and the See and the fountaines of water Antichrist desireth nothing so much to be oppressed as the preaching of the Gospell For euen therfore hath he instituted the inquisitours of hereticall prauitie for hâ— dare calle the Gospel heresie Therfore he burneth the Gospel bokes and preachers of the gospel and euery where restreyneth the readyng of the gospel and Euangelical bokes Wherefore the simple suppose that it can not be but that gospel with all his adherentes should perish vtterly Now therfore in the lordes consolation is brought in a vision of an Angel for he is stil in the vision fliyng in the middes of heauen hauing the euerlasting gospel and preachyng to the world Whereby is signified that the gospell shal be preached vnto men in despite of al the enemies therof And he gathereth a briefe some of such thinges as by the gospell are preached to the worlde Those same appertaine also to the coÌ„forte of the church whiche vnder the olde beaste suffered persecutions for the Gospel We will briefly consider euery thing The angel is a figure of the preachers Firste it is euident euen by the fourmer thinges that by thangel is signified the ministers of the worde and the very ministerie of the gospel Certes the scripture calleth preachers Angelles For so is S. Iohn Baptiste named of the prophet Malachie Wherof is spokeÌ„ before And the ministers by this honourable title are admonished of puretie of most sincere faith For Angels be gods ministers whoÌ„ thei only regarde loue and honour whose coÌ„maundemeÌ„tes thei execute most faithfully sincerely and dilligeÌ„tly Such it besemeth preachers to be in their kinde and office And like as Angels cannot be hurte through the treasons and iniuries of men so God defendeth his ministers vntill the houre appointed So is Peter deliuered out of prison in the .12 of thactes So is Paul in Shippewreake c. And he sayeth an other Angell for that he hath brought in already sondry visioÌ„s of diuerse Angels Notwithstanding that other semeth to be put for the firste For he annexeth to this yet two angels moe The first wherof he calleth an other the later the thirde He flieth through the middes of Heauen And this Angell flieth in the middes of heauen By this thinge is signified the lucky course and procedyng of the preachyng of the gospell It is also written in the prophetes his worde runneth swiftely Psalm .19 Dauid compareth the runnyng of the preachyng of the gospell to the course of the sunne ioyefull as a giaunt he runneth his waye iâ— the vttermost parte of heauens he arriseth and runneth againe to the same neyther can any man stoppe him nor hide him self froÌ„ the heate thereof The sunne shineth in all places Therefore shal the preaching be free For as we caÌ„ nother plucke backe nor hinder the thinges that are aboue vs in thayre skie so shall we nother plucke downe nor hinder him that flieth in the middes of heauen The wordes and writinges flie they flie farre wide where Nother can the veritie be oppressed God hath geuen to the world Printyng wherby the gospel is preached and runneth farre wide and most swiftely And this Angell hath the euerlastyng gospell The gospell euerlasting Wherin is the greatest coÌ„forte For it signifieth that the veritie shal be in the world inuincible And for many causes is the Gospell called euerlastyng Firste because the veritie is immortall which can not be bounden how so euer the ministers are fettered slayne .2 Timoth. 2. secondely the gospel is eternal for bicause it was shewed to our firste fathers prophecied in the lawe prophetes fulfilled of Christ declared by thapostles by the grace of God brought vnto vs. Yea before al times was predestinated Reade the .1 to the Ephes For eueÌ„ for this cause is it called euerlasting for asmuch as it apperteineth to vs to our posteritie vnto the worldes ende and not only to our elders And because it is euerlastyng they lie whiche at this daye calle it a newe doctrine or learnyng Papistrie is newe whiche hath his originall what time euery thing was ordeyned c. Moreouer the Apostle sayeth yf I or an Angel from heaueÌ„ shal preach any other gospell or besides the same that ye haue receyued let him be accursed And we heare expressely that the Aungel had not only the Gospell but that he had preached the gospell The angel preacheth Many in dede haue the gospel but dumme and written in bokes The gospel must be shewed forth and pronounced He declareth also vnto whom the gospel must be vttered and preached to the inhabiters of the earth for it must be cried out to such as are drowned in earthly matters and they muste be reysed out of their slepe And after his maner and imitation of blessed Daniel in the .7 chapt He rekeneth vp nations kinredes tunges and people and thus signifieth that the gospell shal be preached â—â—â—ough out the whole worlde Whiche thing the lord sayde also should come to passe in the .24 of Matth. and than that the ende should come And we see at this daye that the gospel hath in a maner thondered through out the whole world And here I geue warning leeste any disceaue him self Thapostle in the .1 Timoth. 3. and .1 Coloss that the gospell was preached through out the whole world in his time Howbeit al men had not than receyued it but a fewe Do not therfore Imagine with thy selfe that the Gospel is not preached vnlesse al receyue it There shal no more be made one sheperde one shepefolde They are abused that promise to theÌ„selues before the iudgement a concorde of all nations for that it is writteÌ„ that there should be ons one sheperde and one shepefolde For the same was accoÌ„plisshed whilest of the Iewisshe Synagoge and dispersion of the gentiles the lord prepared to him selfe one church wherof Christ is head and pastour and Antichrist shal at the length by his laste comyng be abolished Therfore shall he alwayes resiste Christe He preacheth with a lowde voice Furthermore where he seeth heareth this Angell preach the gospel with a lowde voice he meaneth that the preachers shall with great constancie and frankenes also with shrylle voices and most ernestenes preach the gospell agaynst Antichrist And we see at this daye that the more cruelly the faithful are
thursted for bloud drīke blud in so moch that being drowned in their owne blud vp to the chin thei may seme to bath them in their owne bloud And here we must remēbre the horses prepared to battaile of whō we spake in the .9 chap. shal be drowned in euerlasting tormēts Thus thus at the last wil the lord auenge himselfe vpon his enemies Let vs call vpon him and abyde patiently and valeauntly The Lorde graunte vs his grace ¶ The Angels of seuen plagues are brought forth Moreouer the triumph and prayse of Christes holye Maritrs is described The .lxvij. Sermon The .15 Chapter AND I saw an other signe in heauen great and wonderful Seuen Angels hauing the seuen laste plagues For in them is fulfylled the wrath of God And I sawe as it were a glassye sea mingled with fyer and them that had gottē victory of the beast and of his Image and of his marke and of the nombre of his name stand on the glassy Sea hauing the harpes of God and they sung the song of Moses the seruaunt of God and the song of the lambe sayeng great and maruelouse are thy works Lord God almightie iust and true are thy wayes thou King of Sainctee Who shal not fear O Lord and glorifie thy name For thou onely art holy for all gentiles shall come and worshippe before the for thy iudgementes are made manifeste The argument of the fifte parte Vpon occasion of harueste and vintage expounded in the laste parte of the fourmer vision is annexed the fifte parte of this godly worke which represēteth vnto vs the fourth visiō of this worke whiche some make the fifte The same is of the iudgemēts of God it hath two parts wherfore it might also be deuided into mo visiōs but we had rather vse fewer For first he discourseth most largely of the paynes or tourments prepared of God to be executed vpon Antichrist his membres and all the vngodlye here is treated of the iudgement of the whore of Babilon of the destinies and ruine of Rome and the church of Rome of the reioicing and song of saincts of the comming of the iudge vnto iudgement of the payne and euerlasting destruction of all wicked And these are intreated in the .15.16.17.18.19 and .20 chap. Than also he reasoneth most excellētly of the reward of saincts and of the euerlasting filicitie thorow out the whole .21 chap. and a good part of the .22 euery where is set open hel it selfe and heauen it selfe And is geuen vs in maner to loke in this fleshe mortall euen into very hell it self into the very palace of Heauen Nother shal you finde any where in all the Scriptures with a continual treatise so plenteouse a disputation of the iudgementes of God of the tormentes of the wicked of the felicitie and ioyes of the godly as in this presente And ful necessarie is this treatise especially in this our last and vngraciouse world A most plētiful dilligent treatise of the iudgemēts of God wherein men neglectyng the spirite of God are become like brute beastes altogether carnall regarde the flesh and wholy depende thereof Happy are al the victoriouse welthie honorable and gloriouse Antichristians miserable are the pore and dispised trewe christians and subiecte to the iniuries persecutions of al men Therfore do the carnall men esteme al thinges of the present fortune and crie it out that their religion and conuersation pleaseth God and the Christiās to displease The godly are here also greuously tempted as they were also in times past reade Psalm 73. and the .1 chapt of Abacucke The vngodly promise themselues that they shal reigne for euer at the length also they contēne the iudgementes of God nother thinke they that euer it wil come to passe that they shal be punnisshed The talke of punnishementes to be diuised of melancholicke persones and to be vttered of mallice and therfore they saye and thinke them not to be regarded but to be mery in this worlde Therefore it behoued the place of Gods iudgementes to be most largely and dilligently decided and to be set as it were before the eyes of the hearers to the ende al might rightly vnderstāde what should be assuredly the ende of good and euill But the punnishmētes of the vngodly are diuerse to witte of this life present and to come And the punnishmentes of this present life are almost innumerable and the tourmentes of the life to come are eternall and vnspeakeable and as there is no comparison betwixte the paincted and trewe fire so is there none betwixte the punnishementes of this present life and that to come But in case men would ernestly beleue that vnspeakeable ioyes and euerlastyng tormentes are prepared of God for good and euill doubtles al would sinne lesse serue God more dilligently But let vs see nowe what is the treatyse of S. Iohn concernyng the same The originall of the doctrine of the iudgementes of God First he sheweth the original of al things that follow not to be earthly but heauenly For he seeth an other token in heauen He saieth an other for that in the .12 chapt we heard that mention was made of an other certen signe And he calleth that a signe or token which signifieth an other thing and therefore not to be considered of it selfe but in asmuche as it bringeth into knoweledge an other certen thinge and that much greater thā it sheweth at the firste sight He calleth this signe that is to witte that same visiō great and maruelouse For the iudgementes of God are greatest and moste wonderful Whilest thei are executed the vngodly maruel which had thought such thinges should neuer haue comen to passe the godly also maruell at the great power of God his moste iuste rightuousnes and his ripenes and faythfulnes in deliuering and sauing his people Than he declareth what signe was shewed him in Heauen and by that celestiall vision he sawe seuen Angels hauyng in seuen cuppes plages That is he perseyued God prepared and furnisshed with power diuine wherewith he both might and would sende plages and condigne punnishementes aswell vpon Antichrist him selfe as vpon his membres and all the vngodly men in Earth for their wickednes committed agaynst God Seuen angelles seuē plages And as we haue many times warned you in this boke the seuēth nombre is the nōbre of fulnes Wherefore God hath ministers enough and enough by whose seruice he maye plague and distroye the vngodly And therefore seuen plagues are all maner of plagues Temporall plagues are aboundantly recited in the 26. of Leuit. and .28 of Deuter. Riche is the Lord and in euerlastyng plagues of most diuerse kindes also For the Scripture in certen places reherseth a gnawyng worme a fyre vnquenchable weping and gnasshing of teth outwarde darkenes and many other of like sorte But these seuen plagues he calleth the laste and immediately sheweth the reason for in them is the wrathe of God
aboundauntly which neuerthelesse in the meane season persecute Christes church moste greuousely The Lorde sende peace And nowe where the godly might maruell ¶ God is righteouse in his iudgementes why God so suffereth the worlde to be shaken and tourmoyled with mutuall warres the Angelles preuent the marueling and complainte and shewe not onlie the cause but also praise the iustice of God in these iudgements And he bringeth in two Angels as mete and sufficient witnesses of this businesse Angels gouernoures of things The one he maketh ruler of waters the other speaking out of the aulter He semeth here in to followe Daniell which also in the tenth chapter sayeth that Angelles as gouernours were set to rule ouer Prouinces Not that God doeth not worke and gouerne al things in waters in all elements and Regions but for that he vseth the trauell of Angelles as his ministers But where the Papistes gather hereof that Sainctes rule ouer elements diseases limmes cities and euery part in man it is folish and superstitious and smelling of Idolatrie For the maner of Angelles and of blessed soules is cleane diuerse moreouer the Scripture attributeth vnto them farre other things than it doeth to these Thou shalt read nothing of the blessed soules as hauyng any thyng to do with men here in Earth in the whole Scripture But in sondry places of the Scriptures you shall reade that Angelles are set to be mens kepers and to serue them with dyuers ministeries Agayne ye read not that the godlie haue for this cause geuen any godly honour to the Angelles no we shall heare in this booke howe Saincte Ihon woulde haue worshipped an Angell but was prohibited of the Angell ones or twyse Chap. 19. and .21 Moreouer here the Angell rendreth a reason why the water is tourned into bloude and commendeth here in Gods iustice For turning his talke vnto God thou art inste sayeth he O Lord which arte and which wast c. He pronounceth him righteouse as he that will do no man any wrong and therefore calleth him also holy In the mean time he signifieth his euerlastingnes and that he geueth being vnto all thinges where he sayeth which arte and which waste c. Of this phrase of speache is spoken in the first chapter And the true righteousnes geueth to euery one his Therefore the Angell sayeth Therfore Lord thou arte righteouse and declareste thy righteousnes to the world in that thou hast geuen them bloude to drinke which haue shed the bloude of the Prophetes that is of preachers for preaching of the truth And not their bloud only but haue shed also the bloude of thy holy faythful I meane whom for the true professing of the faithe they haue vexed and at laste slayne Therfore are they worthie that they theÌ„selues shuld agayne drinke the bloude of them and theirs that is shulde fall by mutuall warres tumultes and slaughters verely before recited The Angel speketh oute of the aultâ—r These thinges are confirmed by an other Aungell which speaketh from th aulter and not without cause from the aulter For we heard before in the .6 chap. that vnder the aulter the soules of them that are killed crie out and say how long is it that thou auengest not our bloud on them c. Therfore nowe is the talke vttered out of the Aultar to the ende we should vnderstaÌ„de that God forgetteth not the bloud of his sainctes but reueÌ„geth it in iuste and dewe season Now here in also coÌ„mended as it were by the waye the omnipoteÌ„cie of God that the vngodly maye vnderstande howe in the time of affliction and vengeaunce there shal be no power able to resiste the almightie To him alone be glory Amen The .iiii. and .v. Angelles shed theyr vialles The .lxx. Sermon ANd the fourth Angell powred out his vialle on the Sunne power was geuen to him to vexe menne with heate of fire And the men raged in great heate and spake euill of the name of God whiche had power ouer those plagues and they repented not to geue him glory And the fifte Angell powred out his viall vpon the seate of the beast his kingedome waxed darke they gnewe their tungues for sorrowe and blasphemed the God of heauen for sorrowe payne of their sores and repented not of their dedes The godly esteme not their afflictioÌ„s sent by the iuste iudgement of God as the punnishmeÌ„tes of sinners The afflictions of the godly and vngodly but as exercises of the fayth how so euer they acknowledge themselues to be iustely afflicted for their sinnes committed yet here they commende neuerthelesse the grace of God conuertyng the punnishementes of sinners into the exercises of fayth To the vngodly punnisshementes are plagues whiche nother they can suffer patiently nor glorify God but rather blaspheme him suppose that they suffer vnworthely Therfore are the plages of god to theÌ„ most greuouse where neuerthelesse much more cruel things are for theÌ„ prepared to wit that they should suffer in an other worlde euerlastyng damnation Therefore the plagues of this worlde infliâ—â—ed to the vngodly are as it were certen preparatiues and preambles of more greuouse tourmentes Drought the iiii plage The fourth Angel poureth out his viall on the sunne and to the same was geuen power to plague men with heate or fire This plage do many expounde allegorically vnderstandyng by the sunne Christ exhilaratyng the consciences of the faithfull and the fame to be darkened in the mindes of men chosing rather the darkenes of Antichriste than the light of Christ and therefore do the consciences erryng and seduced with errour burne with sondry lustes desperations wherby they be driueÌ„ at the length to sondry blasphemies Which exposition as I do not vtterly reiecte so after my iudgemeÌ„t the sense shal be more playne yf we vnderstande the fourth plague to be an heate and great drought a barrennes of the Earth and scarsetie of Corne finally an intollerable thurste afflictyng both men and beastes and laste bredyng and ingeÌ„dring hoate diseases For so we haue red in the threatenings of the lawe I will geue an heauen of brasse and an earth of yron In the time of Helias for contemnyng and reiectyng the worde of the lord God plaged Israel with a sore drought as you maye see in the .3 boke of Kinges the .17 and .18 chap. Ieremie also describeth the like drought and heate in the .14 chapt Agayne the lorde defended Israell with a pillar of a cloude by the daye and a pillar of fire by night Moreouer we haue hearde heretofore in the Apocalipse the sunne shall not fal vpoÌ„ them nother any heate And iustely is this world plaged with burnyng heate as the which offendeth greuously burneth with sondry lustes and also by wicked proclamations prohibiteth the coulyng refressyng of Gods worde Theffecte of this plague is greate For the effecte of this plage followeth And meÌ„ sayeth he burned with great heate At the first
perish they shall ryse agayne to the iudgement whole Aretas also Bishop of Cesaria perceiued this and sayed he reciteth these things to the intent he might declare what the finall and vniuersal resurrection shall be For where many beleuyng not that the same shall be do say that it is by no meanes possible to be in those bodies which haue ben long corrupted and broughte to that poincte that they be not at all this sermon nowe correcting this sayeth Lyke as the bodies when they were not began to be not by a certen chaūce or of themselues but of the four elements namely of Water Fyre Ayre and Earth So also beyng reasonably returned agayne into the same may be of the same cōposed againe c. And for a further declaratiō he addeth agayne Death and hel gaue vp them c. and death and hell gaue vp those which were in them dead For he vnderstādeth by death any kynd of death as though he shulde say death it selfe restoreth to the Iudge iudgement whom soeuer after what sort soeuer he hath dispatched Death therfore is fayned to be as it were a person which holdeth the dead in himselfe or in a prison And hel hath yet but a fewe bodies for some we read to haue gone down to hell quicke but the soules of the wicked The same retourne to their bodies that the whole man may be iudged body and soule Others by hell after the Hebrewe phrase vnderstande a sepulture or graue Agayne is repeted that the whole man shal be iudged body and soule after euery mannes workes Thus much hitheto of the resurrectiō of the dead Of euerlasting damnation wherof in our bokes els wher we haue treated more at large In the laste place followith of euerlastinge damnation and who be properly condemned And Hell sayeth he and death are cast in to the lake of fyre Whereof hath ben spoken before And Hell here signifieth not the place of pūnishmēt but those that are inhabiters of Helle to witte whose soules are yet deteined in hel or appointed thither Death also signifieth those that are deade in sinne and they which from the spirituall or tēporall death go straight way to death euerlasting Wherevpon is immediately annexed This is the second death by the which verely they that are dead to Christe are adicted to perpetual fyre and that lyue to Antichrist and the world Others expounde these thinges hereof that after the iudgemēt the Saincts shal nother be buried any more nor die Which S. Paule affirmeth also out of Osee in the firste to the Corinth the .15 chap. Aretas and Primasius make with vs. For Aretas saieth and he calleth death and hel those that haue cōmitted thinges worthie of punnishment as fulfilling the numbre of the second death And Primasius by these names sayeth he he signifieth the Deuil because he is authour of death and paynes in Hell and also the whole fellowship of Deuylles For this is the same that he spake more playnelye before by the way of preuēting and the Deuil which deceaued them was caste in to the lake of fyre and brimstone And that which he added there more obscurely sayeng and the beaste the false prophet here more playnely So much Primasius And who knoweth not that the membres muste followe the head all vngodly the Deuyll the head of all vngodlynes Whych ar not writtē in the boke of lyfe And moste euidētly he expresseth who properly at the iudgement are addicte to fyre euerlasting they that are nother written nor sound in the boke of lyfe Therefore shall the only faythfull in Christe in whome they are predestinated vnto lyfe euerlasting shall be saued All others of what religion so euer they be or what so euer kynd of lyfe they haue lyued be it neuer so strayte shall perish Others referre these words to such as are lefte a lyue at that daye For we beleue that the son of God shall iudge both the quicke and the dead Doubtles whether they be lyuing or whether they be dead certain it is that no man shall be saued in any other but in the fayth of Iesu Christe all the resydewe shall be damned And this is the finall end of the good and euill To Christe Iesu iudge of all and redemer of the faythfull be prayse and glory for euermore Amen ¶ That the worlde shall be renewed the Saincts glorified and made blessed and what that felicitie shall be and howe certeyne The XCj. Sermon AND I sawe a newe Heauen and a newe Earth The .21 chapter For the first Heauen and the first Earth were vanished away there was no more Sea AND I Ihon sawe that holy Citie newe Hierusalem come downe from God oute of Heauen prepared as a bryde garnished for her husband And I heard a great voice from the seat sayeng beholde the Tabernacle of God is with men and he wil dwel with them AND they shal be his people and God himselfe shall be with them and shal be their God And God shal wipe awai al teares from their eyes And there shall be no more death nother sorrowe nother shal ther be any more payne For the ould thinges are gone And he that sat vpon the seat saide behold I make al things newe And he saied vnto me wryte for these wordes are faythfull and true And he sayed vnto me it is done I admonished you aboute the begynning of the .15 The order chap. of this boke that the fifte parte of this worke began at the .15 chap. and treated of the iudgementes of God righteous and iuste And forasmuch as the iudgementes of God are of two sortes in this that he requyteth the euyll according to their wickednes and rewardeth the good with rewards I sayed howe this place consisted of two parts For first I sayed that S. Ihon most plentifully treated of torments to be inflicted to Antichrist and all vngodly secondly of rewardes especially in the end of the world to be imployde vpon al sainctes For ofte times haue we heard in this boke that the soules seperated from the body are immediatly after the corporall death taken vp in to lyfe euerlaking but that the felicitie of al most complete chaūceth to the faithfull in the ende of the worlde what time the bodies now raised againe receiue the rewards of glory euerlasting And this place is treated through oute al the .21 chap. beginning of the .22 cha And lyke as in the former parte he hath set hel in a maner wyde opē shewed the euerlasting torments as it were to be sene presently so in this later part he vnlocketh after a fort or openeth heauen it selfe that with the eyes of faith we shulde se what hope and glory abydeth for Sainctes And with all is most clerely expoūded the article of our faith ¶ I beleue lyfe euerlasting I beleue lyfe auerlasting And agayne for the more perspecuitie he declareth these things by a visiō Which others
be confuted 80 Heresye oght nether to be maynteyned nor born wyih 79 Heresyes of diuers sortes 244 Heretikes maye be punyshed otherwyse then by the wordes 318 Heretikz muste be examined 52. 53. ordred .iij. waies of iij. statz 53 Hail resembleth corrupt doctryn 242. 243 Hail lyk talents 503 Hand of Christe is a token of c 50 HaÌ„ds holding vp for an oth 292 Hand fasting or coÌ„tract of matrimony 563 Happy or vnhappy who are 343 Harp in the scrip 169 Harps of God 474 Hart of maÌ„noÌ„ knowz but god 96 Harts inflexible habergions 263 Haruest 465 Hatred must be toward the diedz not the parson 58 Heads seuen are 7. hils 517 Head of the churches 519 Head of the churches 253 Head of the church must be c. 51 Hear of wemeÌ„ for waÌ„tuÌ„nes 262 Hebeon 52 Hebrew tuÌ„g called Iewish of the papists 4â—8 Hebrew tungs maiestie 533 Heithen are all papists 380 Heithennish religion broght in by the Pope 393 Hel what 627 Hel figured by a wyn fat 468 Hel tormeÌ„ts euerlasting 455. c Helias cumming 288 Heuen in the script 209 Heuen is atcheued with the mynd in this world not with the body 139 HeueÌ„ opened to the faithful 344 139 Hid can nothinge be from Gods fyry eyes 87 Hierom for praiyng to saiÌ„ts 595 Hierusalem new 122. 632. HierusaleÌ„ ruin what it teacheth 530 High priestz ministry 5â— Hildebrand Pope touk vpoÌ„ him the authoritie of themperour 414 History of corrupt doctrin 234. of Rome 525. c. of the church 183 Hodgpotch of papistry the gospell 126 Holy ghostz proceding 20 Holy ghost is seueÌ„ spirits 20. 21 Holy ghosts mystery 146 Holy ghosts signes thunder c. 145 Holy ghosts operacions 147 Holy ghost did not the Apostles geue but God 399 Holines of God 150 Homicids 643 Honor of God 449 Honor dew to God 152 Honoring or worshipping of saiÌ„ts 154 Hoordum 82. what 506 Hoordum better then matrimony with papistz 81 Hoordum vnclennes by Baaâ— religion 91 Hoormongers and their kindes 643. 281 Hoot and could 126 Hope of the faithfull is not vayn 283 Horn sign power and kyngdum 165 Horns sign kingdums power 371 Hornz ij of the lamb 44 Hors an image of pryde 260 Hors red 185 Horses of sundry colors 182 Hour day munth and yere 271 Hour for the same tym 519 Humanity of Chryst 22 Human body of Christ in on place 34 Humanitye figured by faces of men 261 Humility to be lerned 340 Humility shal find comfort at the Lords hand 40 Humility of Saints 153 Humilitie of an apostle 28 Hunz inuade Rome 527 Hungary lost to the Turk 275 Hussis death reioysed at 328 Hymne of Saints 172. 560 Hypocrites 127 Hypocritz alwaies suÌ„ in the church 79 Hyre vnto euery one 343 I Iacobyts heretiks 268 Iamz Syrus heretiks 268 Iasper stoon 142 Idol what 644 Idols of theÌ„ Gentils and Chrystians differ not 280 Idolaters 644. their excuses for images 374 Idolatry Nicolas falt 60. prohibited 280. reducid by what men 394. confirmed 436 Iesus diffined 21 Iesus face lyuely painted by Pilate 60 Iewes conuersion 223 Iewes fals 115 Iezabel cast into a bed 94 Iezabelism 90 Ignoranse without a teacher 229 Ignoranse of Christ without all confort 159 Ignoranse is a great ill 128 IgnoranÌ„se of the Turks c. shal not excuse them 589 Iles be token nacions c. 210 Image or shap is not attributed vnto God 141 Image of Christ not in colours 33 Image of the beast set vp 402. the propertie therof 403 Image wourshipynge agaynst God 280. excused 374. forbodeÌ„ 432 Images of fame 120 ImpacieÌ„s what it wurketh 89 Impenitent sinners 278 Imperfytnes in Saints 104 Impossible things thre 37 Imprisonment and bonds 67 Incarnacion of Christ 352 Incens 169 InchauÌ„ting 280. in Rome 557 Inconstancie figured by a ball or bowl 655. by waters 524 Inheritauns spokeÌ„ bi parte 646 Intent good 226. 375 Intercession of saints 84 Intercession of saints in heuen 170 IntercessioÌ„ of saints is noon 203 Interpretacion of the script best allowed 3 Inuencions of men 97. 375. 299 Inuincible is Christ 162 InuocatioÌ„ is but part of praiers 170 Inuocacion of saints 573 Iohn the eighth Pope a womaÌ„ 507 Iohn theuaÌ„gelists prais 17. banished by Domician 27. returneth from exyl 297. erreth 571 wourshippeth the aungel 677. dyed at Ephesus 49. shall returne into the world befor the iudgement how 299 Ioyes triumphes of the godly 473 Ioyes of heauen 633. c. vndoutedly certain 635 Irun rod. 580 Israell all faithfull 222 Israels restoring 222 Italy no patrimony of S. Peter 386. c. Iubiley of Saints 559 Iudge inexorable Rhadamantus 212 Iudge of the last iudgement 622 Iudge câ—meth to iudgemeÌ„t 576 Iudging the quik and dead 25 Iudgement of Christ 24 Iudgement beloÌ„geth to god 555 Iudgement of God 449 Iudgements of God of ij sorts 629 Iudgements of God are paines of the wiked 476 Iudgement last 575. 621. 465. 466. c. is at hand 295. is assured iust 341. is certein and spedie 675. 676. is vnknown to vs. 337. is known to the father alone 315. is coueted of the church 692. 698 Iulius Maximinus 194 Iustice of God commended 342 IustificacioÌ„ 565. falsly attributed 52 Iustification where it is to be sought 299 Iustification by the law whoo 's heresy 243 Iustificacions sequels 640 K Keeping of Christes word 116 Key of Dauid 112. of the botoÌ„les pit 261 Keyes signify charge and gouernement of the hous 43 Keyes of the Apostles 112. of biding and lawsing 590. of hell and death are in Chrysts haÌ„ds 43. of the Pope 252 Killing gostly 317 King of Fraunce most Christen 433 King of Saints 475. of locustes the Pope 264 Kings 662 Kings we are 24 Kings clients to the Pope 416 Kingdums are of God 370 Kingdums are all Christs 338 Kingdumes all theyr proprietye belongeth to the Pope vse to theyr princes 419 Kingdum and priesthod chaleÌ„ged by the Pope 389 Knoking that God vseth 134 Knowledge of God necessary to be perswaded to the people 72 Knowledge of Christ 73. 74 L Labours effects 51 LaÌ„b is fought against not christ 521. is maried 563. is a figure of innocencie 163. is slain 164. kylled from the beginnynge 381 Laodicea 123 Latin church 428 Latreia and Duleia 570 Lawe of God signifyed by tan 220 Leage figured by the rainbow 285 Leag of God with vs perpetuall 142 Legats a latere 493 Leo Bishop of Rome 387 Luke warme 126 Libertie of speakinge the truth 368 Light heuenly what 650 Linsie wulsie 126 Lyar who 52 Lyars with theyr kynde 645 Lying 688 Lyfe of ij sortes 605. ought to be loued aboue Christ 362. procedeth from God alone 668. is figured by the riuer of the celestiall Citye 666. single 443. present how it may be conteÌ„ned 457. spirituall 103. after thys lyfe 70. euerlastyng 629. 648 Lyon described 372 Lyons teeth figure cruelty 262 Lyon in the scripturs 162 Locusts authours of ill doctryn 254. of locusts 257 Long
Austen imbraced this boke as Apostolicall and reâ—â— the same to his churche leauing certen treatises vpon thâ— same Primasius also Byshop of vtica in Africke expouâ—ded the same as Apostolicall Primass Bede Of Bede and the residue oâ— that sorte I speake nothyng synce his opinion is knowâ— to all men Andreas Aretas Andreas also Byshop of Cesaria wrote vpoâ— this boke As Aretas reporteth in his commentaries who opinion I declared before Me thinketh I haue sufficiently confirmed the authoritiâ— of this boke against them that diminishe the same But thâ— same semeth strongest of all that the thinge it selfe and tâ— handlyng therof proueth that it did procede from the Apâ—stle Whiche thyng we shall proue in the treatise it selfe But in case those blessed fathers in their tyme did expound the Apocalypse to theyr churches The Apoclipse must be expounded to the churches why should it not be lawfull for vs also in our time to expounde it to our men whicâ— are in the ende of the worlde where nowe all thynges 〈◊〉 more fully then they were than accomplyshed Yea theâ— thynges serue moste chiefly for vs and for our tyme fyne that we trauell and be exercised vnder Antichriste In vayne therfore many prattell that this boke is obscuâ—â— and can not bee vnderstande And for the same cause to bâ— read in the Churche without any profit or fruite For to speake nothyng hereof that nothyng is set forth in holy scripture whiche hath not an excellent fructe Neyther must we by and by dispayre of the true vnderstanding although at the fyrst sight of the holy scripture it be obscure whiche is opened of God hymselfe and to be opened is obteyned by prayers and Godly exercises Certes we are not ignoraunt that many had rather nothyng were spoken of Antichriste to the intent he myght reygne more carelesly and they them selues be lesse subiecte to perilles But Christ commaundeth vs to trouble hym Let vs therfore go forward in the worke of the Lorde And where it offendeth them Iohn maketh much mention of Christ that Iohn maketh little mencion or none of Christ where notwithstanding the maner of Apostles is to intimate alwayes Christ and the grace of redemption We suppose this same boke more throughly loked vpon to proue the contrary Whose argument nowe I wyll recite The Prophet Zacharie in the thirde Chapter A full description of Christ obiecteth the whole misterie of Christe to all mens eyes in a moste euident figure to be sene For he seeth Iesus the hygh priest appareled in vile garmentes and lyke a coale that is taken out of the fyre to suffer muche contradiction of the Deuyll by and by the same to haue put of the vyle clothynge and put on whyte garmentes to be glorified and proclamed kyng and priest and Sauiour of all This fygure the Apostle and Euangelist S. Iohn expoundeth And first in deede the Gospell beyng set forth he describeth Christ in vyle apparell howe muche contradiction beyng taken he suffered of the wycked tyll at the length he was nailed to the crosse He toucheth there also his glory Whiche notwithstanding the Apocalypse therto annexed he declareth more at large shewyng the same vnto vs in a whyte garment and in glory howe verely after this humblyng being exalting he obteyned a name aboue all names And now being in glory howe he worketh neuerthelesse in the churche the sauiour of all the faithfull in the churche In his Epistle he commendeth this whole mistery of pietie and beateth in to all men For the whole booke is diuided into syxe partes The diuition particion of the Apocalips 1 For first is set the title with the begynnyng and some oâ— the worke and with a briefe narration And all this in thâ— first part of the first chapter 2 Secondly from the myddes of the first Chapter to thâ— fourth Chapter is described Christ reignyng in glory oâ— the ryght hand of the Father and is declared howe he iâ— conuersaunt in the Churche by his spirite and ministery oâ— hys woorde What thynge he teacheth from heauen and what is the syncere doctrine of the churche what is also thâ— reparing of Churches that are fallen and the preseruatioâ— of thesame 3 Than from the fourth Chapter to the .xii. Christ still admonisheth his Churche diligently by seuen Seales and seuen trompettes what thynges shall happen to the Churchâ— all the whiche are moste iustly gouerned of God hym seâ—â— by the Lambe Christ 4 Moreouer from the .xii. Chapter to the .xv is more fully described the conflict of the Churche with the olde Serpent and with the olde and newe beaste Where also the fâ—â—myshe Tyranny both old and newe and verey Antichrist hym selfe is trymly paynted foorth in his coulours Nâ—withstandyng that afterwarde also these thynges are agayâ— more playnly declared 5 And from the fiftenth Chapter to the two and twentiâ— Chapter are recited the paynes and tourmentes of Antichriste and Antichristians and the destruction of the samâ— and the condempnation of all the wycked Also the Iudgâ— Christe is sette foorth and the processe of an external iudgement is fygured There is also rehearsed the triumphe Ioie and rewarde of Sainctes Where also heauen it selfe is opened to bee seene of our eyes that nowâ— we maye by faythe looke in to the same The depthe oâ— Hell is opened that we maye looke in to it also And maye take good heade that we bee not throwen thether headlong 6 Finally in the ende of the .xxii. Chapter followeth the conclusion and commendation of the woorke with the sealing vp of the same And here I wyll not hyde an other diuision of thys woorke not to bee contempned The boke diuided by visions which I see the expositours haue followed For fyrst they rehearse the Title and begynnyng After they annexe the whole woorke it selfe diuided by seuen visions And in dede the seuenth numbre is moste frequent and as it were peculiar to this booke Finally they adde to the conclusion of the woorke in a maner comprised in the last Chapter And these visions be compassed within their limites In the thre fyrst Chapters the first vision is expounded exhibityng Christ vnto vs reigning in glory gouerning ordering correcting and preseruing his churche The second vision beginneth in the fourthand reacheth to the eight Chapter That setteth forth God him selfe and his Christe to be loked vpon whose moste iuste gouernment of all thynges in the worlde it commendeth and openeth seuen Seales The thyrde vision hath seuen Aungelles soundynge with seuen Trompettes Whiche treatise stretcheth to the xii Chapter The fourth Vision sheweth the fighte of the woman wyth the Serpent and setteth foorth to vs the olde seuen headed and the newe two horned beaste to be seene the description of Antichriste and this in the .xii. xiii and .xiiii. Chapter In the fift vision seuen Aungels power out seuen vials of Gods wrath vnto the .xvii. chapter From thence begynneth the sixt vision and extendeth
were shewed me The some of thinges to be sayd Now also is compiled an argument of things that should be tolde I will shewe thee what thinges muste be done herafter For after the Tipe of God orderyng or gouernyng al thinges iustely through Christe immediately are declared the destenies of the churche by seuen seales and seuen trompettes in the which are euery where interlaced moste comfortable consolations and ful of efficacitie A tipe of God workynge all thinges iustely And first of al before the Seales and troÌ„pettes is set forth a figure or tipe of God and his moste rightuouse iudgement and gouernement in al thinges and that through out the 4. and 5. chapt wholy that it mighte prepare vs to the reading or hearyng of those thinges whiche shal followe in the 6. 7. and 8. chapt And seme to others and to mans iudgement to be greuouse harde and vniuste And the Tipe or vision was after this sorte The some of the visioÌ„ generall order of the same In heauen it selfe appered a seate or throne of Maiestie He that sitteth therin holdeth in his right hande a boke closed with Seales By him that sate stode a lambe whiche taketh the boke and openeth the Seales therof And out of this Throne also procedeth a seuenfolde spirite wonderfully vtteryng his vertues Before the seate appeareth a glassie Sea bright and euen like Christal The throne it selfe resteth like a wagon vpoÌ„ foure beastes ful of eyes winges beneath appering rounde about and inuirunnyng or compasing the throne A rainebowe like a smaragde goeth rouÌ„de about the same Aboute the Throne by a circle appere xxiiii Seates and so manye elders sittyng in them crowned and in white arraye This is the order of this seconde vision In their place shal be declared what the LaÌ„be what the beastes what the Elders and the other partes did It sufficeth nowe to haue touched the chiefest poinctes of the vision and a shadowyng some of the same Visions exhibited many times befor Secondely we must see what euery thyng signifieth For herof dependeth a greate parte of the whole misterie as concernyng the maner of vision S. Ihon bringeth no newe thing of the reuelation of Christ For we reade that such maner of visions were exhibited for the moste parte to the prophetes as to Esaye in the 6. chapt To Ezechiel 1. and 11. chapt And to Daniel in the 7. chapt c. A Throne And a Throne signifieth a maiestie imperiall administration iudicial And because the Throne is not in earth but is sene in heauen we shal thinke that the prouidence and administration of gods iudgementes be celestial sounde most holy and cleane voyde of al corruption And vpon this same Throne is one sitting sitting I saye Sitting in the Throne not lyinge or standinge For God the iudge of all is of a quiet minde neyther is he moued with any affections like men Here is none affection iniurie vnrightuousnes in the vniuersal gouernement of al thinges to be thought vpon Elihu in the 34. chapt of Iob sayeth Farre from God be wickednes and iniquitie from the Almightie For the worke of maÌ„ wil he render to him and accordynge to the wayes of euery one he wil rewarde them For verely God will not condeÌ„ne in vaine neyther will the almightie subuerte iudgement c. And Aretas Bishop of Cesaria an olde expositour admonissheth God is presented by no humane shape that of pourpos the shape of man was not attributed to him that sitteth in the seate For albeit that afterwarde mention be made of a righthande holdyng the boke yet is here no shape of manne exhibited But he sayeth also simply one sitting he geueth him no name The cause is ready for God by his nature caÌ„ not be defined as he that is inuisible and vnmeasurable After the maner of men in dede humane membres are attributed to him but to be expounded by a trope Moreouer when the same God appered to the people of Israel in Sina they hearde a voyce only but the Israelites sawe no shape As Moses witnesseth in the 4. chapt of Deuteron Doubtles that they shoulde not expresse with an Image the incomprehensible and shoulde coÌ„mitte idolatrie the greate sinne and wickednes S. Paul in the 17. of the Actes denieth that the deitie is like the forging of men To the Romanes He ascribeth to the greatest folye Idolles made after the shape of men whiche shoulde represente God Wherof we haue spoken els where In the meane season are rehearsed two preciouse stones whiche by theyr collours do after a sorte shaddowe the nature of our God and admonishe the godly of greater and more excellente thinges A Iasper is a grene stone like an Emeraude Grenes signifieth the perpetuitie of God and that he quieâ—teneth and kepeth in life all thinges But the Sardine loketh with a fine coulour like a bright red For God dwelleth in light inaccessible The same is a consumyng fire and also charitie it selfe For the nature of stones reade Plinie c. The rainebowe smaragdine But a raynebowe inuironeth the Throne rounde aboute a raynebowe for the moste parte is of diuerse coulours but here it is of one coulour and that of a Smaragde to witte grene The raynebowe is a token of a perpetuall grace and couenauÌ„t made after the fludde as is declared in the 9. chapt of Genes And verely the Throne of the hyghe iudge mighte put vs wretched menne in feare Therefore the raynebowe putteth vs in remembraunce of Godes grace and that God whiche by his prouidence gouerneth all thinges hath bouÌ„de him selfe in leage to man kinde to whome verely he wissheth well That leage is still grene and alwayes of force The goodnes of God towardes menne is perpetuall For though heauen shoulde fall and out of this Throne procede moste greuouse thonderboltes and calamities shoulde fall vpon vs like a storme yet is God in leage with vs and loueth vs derely xxiiii Elders in seates Aboute the Throne are sene sette .xxiiii. seates and in them sitte xxiiii Elders as Senatours of the moste mightie kingdome of God and fathers of the Hierarchie celestiall This nombre is made of xii and xii But xii Patriarches signifie the whole people of Israell and the olde churche before Christe The Christen churche was planted and sprange vp of the twelue Apostles after the incarnation of Christ wherupon that xii numbre comprehendeth the whole churche of the newe people Therefore is the whole vniuersalitie of Sainctes assembled in heauen and triumphing with Christ theyr king And therefore be they clothed in white rayment to witte pourged by Christe and pure and cleane from all corruption Crowned also bycause they haue ouercomen and nowe reigne in eternal glory verely kinges and priestes through Christe The description also of theyr behauour admonissheth that in them is nothynge wauntinge but to be truely blessed and therefore they be shewed sitting not that they are iudges or iudge for Christe
preseruer of al thinges and by Dia thy wil they are were created This glory of God is woÌ„derful vnmeasurable How great say they thou art that al power glory is dewe vnto thee appereth of the making creation of the world vniuersal No man was with thee at the creation therof no maÌ„ gaue thee couÌ„sel what or how thou shuldest do no man helped thee thus much Who than shuld approch vnto thee to be partaker in power who shuld glory before thee God maker of al things Thou alone madest al things alone preseruest al alone gouernest al. Thou willest they were made Thou saidest they were created It was enough to haue said it was enough to haue willed And in dede al thinges at this day haue their being through thy wil without any painefulnes trauel of thine Thou gouernest al thing in best most goodly order This testifieth the wonderful course of the stars the plesaunt chauÌ„ge of things the most swete plentiful fruites spring of the same Who thaÌ„ wold not gladly submit both him self al his to thee to thy gouernment who wold not coÌ„mit al his thinges vnto thee Who wold not acknowledge the power glory to be thyne Let vs marke these thinges with attentiue mindes that we may also appere such before God as we sethe sainctes in heauen appere God graunt vs this ¶ Of him that sitteth in throne holdeth the boke in his right hand sealed with .vii. seales What that sealed boke is The .xxvj. Sermon AND I sawe in the right hand of him that sate on the throne a boke written within and on the backe side sealed with seueÌ„ seales And I sawe a strong angel preaching with a loud voice who is worthy to open the boke lose the seales therof And no man in heauen nor in earth nother vnder the earth was able to open the boke to ioke theron And I wept much because no man was fouÌ„d worthy to open and reade the boke nother to loke theron He now procedeth to describe more fully hym that sitteth on the Throne Of whome he had touched certen and a fewe thinges before In this pece is no smal force of this our matter For now wyll he shewe that whiche in this treatise is principall that all thinges whiche are done in the worlde through God his prouidence are moste iustly and holily gouerned by Christ Whiche thing all the sainctes of God and creatures acknowledging for an exaÌ„ple to vs that we shuld do the lyke do prayse and celebrate him that liueth for euer And it shall behoue vs to way euery worde synce that in euery one are greate misteries nothing is spoken in vaine And verely that God almighty sitteth in a Throne God sitteth in a throne And by sitting is signified not only the power of iudging rulyng gouerning But also a quiet mynde not troubled with any euill affections after the maner of iudges of this world and great equitie in all thinges Secondly a booke is sene in the right hande of hym that sitteth of the whiche boke we must speake more at large Here appereth an allusion made as ther is in many other places of the scripture to the princes of this worlde whiche haue bokes of the lawes of priuileges of institutes what thing is done and is to be done finally of secretes of actes of condemned and of citezens of lyfe and of death For so is both the boke and bokes assigned to God Moises saith in in the .33 of Exodus Put me out of the boke of lyfe c. In the Psalmes is muche mention of these bokes of God In the Psalm 56.69.139 In the seuenth of Daniel bokes are opened wherof mentioÌ„ is made also in the .20 of the Apocalipse We reade in the .3 of Malach. of a boke of remembraunce before God Therfore this boke of God conteineth all the counsels of God al his workes and iudgementes For we shall heare by and by The booke in the right haÌ„d of him that sitteth that all thinges that are done in the worlde come out of this boke as it were out of a fountaine or wel spring And thre thinges are chiefly spoken of this boke Firste that it lieth not in the Throne or in the bosome of hym that sitteth or vnder the Throne or that it hangeth before or behinde the Throne But it is in the right hand of God Herby is signified the operation or power of God the same moste iust and moste mightie The booke writteÌ„ wtin and without For the boke is not sene in the lefte hande God therfore worketh and conteineth or ministreth all his workes and iudgementes moste holily Secondly that boke is written within and without or on the back side For in the prouidence and iudgementes of God all thinges are conteined both good and euil lucky and vnlucky sharpe and softe swete and sewer visible and inuisible priuie and aparte and all thinges in generall Finally the boke is sealed with seueÌ„ seales For it is most strongly closed and fastened The booke sealed with seueÌ„ seales For the iudgementes works of God are firme true iust and such as can not be withstaÌ„d The vse of seales amonges men is diuerse notwithstanding it may be contriued in two poinctes The vse of seales First Seales are set to because of fidelitie truth and rightuousnes And a great deliberation is had in setting to of seales For they are not put to vniust matters vayn or false Therfore seales be tokens of a certentie and testimonies of a right It semeth an vnworthi thing to speake against sealed wrytinges By the seales therfore that are set to the boke of God is signified that the iudgementes and workes of God are moste firme true and iust what so euer are done by his prouidence and ar ordeined by Christ It shal therfore be a shame to finde fault with the iudgementes of God or to speake euill of his workes Againe by seales are secretes kept that they be not sene of euery maÌ„ but of them only to whome they are appointed The iudgementes therfore and workes of God are for the moste parte hidde and not open to all men sauing to suche as the Lorde hath appointed namely to the faithfull and obedient SeueÌ„ sâ—â—les But there be seueÌ„ seales only for that in them the fulnes of times and of thinges to be done in these times throughout the world and churche and of the iudgementes and misteries of God are comprehended Now therfore the opening of the boke The opening of the boke and seales and the vnsealyng therof is nothing els but the reuealing of God his iudgementes and the declaring or vttering of his most secret counselles Finally the moste holy and iust operation dispensation and execution of his will Nothing in that opening is done against the veritie fayth loue and iustice of God Who is worthy to opeÌ„ the boke and seales therof
vp to God the father the body bloud of Christ a propiciatory sacrifice for the quicke and the dead But Ireney and Tertullian speake not of such a sacrifice but of the oblation of prayers which the massemonging Prieste offereth not vp alone but the whole cōgregation of Christ sanctified in his bloud geuynge thankes in the lordes supper to God the father for theyr free redemption These holy fathers neuer knewe the sale Masses of these Chananites Againste praying to sainctes in Heauen Of this same place of S. Iohn the selfe same Papistes go aboute to proue and to establishe the praying to Sainctes in heauen Beholde saye they the Sainctes are sayed to praye openly in heauē But they nede not to praye for them selues and therefore as intercessours and Patrones they praye for their clientes and worshippers in Earth I aunswer that the Sainctes in dede praye in heauen but that you addyng the kinde and maner of praying do expounde it to be intercession patchyng to a piece of your owne do forge and coūtrefet the same and maliciously and falsely do belye it S. Iohn here expoundeth him selfe so that he nedeth not your patchyng For he addeth and they singe a newe songe Yea and he reciteth the whole fourme of this song leeste any mā should corrupte that whiche he had sayed of prayers And that same fourme conteyneth prayse and blessing or thankes geuyng and not intercession or inuocation For certayne it is euen by the doctrine of the Apostle 1. Timoth. 2. and to the Philipp 4. that there be two chiefe kindes of prayer inuocation and prayse or thankes geuyng But the thing it selfe playnly proueth that S. Iohn speaketh here of the latter and not of the first The shadowes of the lawe are expoūded And where as this place expoundeth certen Tipes shadowes or misteries of Gods lawe by the same we maye rather confute the intercession of Sainctes in Heauen for their worshippers For in the lawe is permitted one onlye golden Aultar of incense And the same represented a figure of Christ For one Christe is the mediatour and intercessour betwixt God and man It was not laweful for the people of God to burne incense but vpon this Aultar only It was not laweful for any man to prepare or make for him selfe an odour of those kinde of gumes whereof the diuine incense consisted and to smell to it as appereth in the .30 of Exodus Whie than doe not these vnderstande that prayers belonge to God alone and that the Sainctes in Heauen woulde not smell of suche incense Dauid in the .141 psalm sayeth let my prayer be directed as incense in thy sighte the listynge vp of my handes an euening sacrifice The Deuill desireth to haue suche maner of incenses to be made vnto him As appereth in the .4 of Matth. and in S. Austen of the Citie of God But our heauenly Sainctes are not Deuilles Whie vnderstonde they not that this Aultar of incense standeth nowe in Heauen on the ryght hande of the father and there maketh intercession for vs and that for his sake the father is reconciled to vs and we are accepted of God and that by him alone we muste offer vp our prayers vnto God whiche are els abominable Whie see they not the heauenly Sainctes at this present to attribute al things to the only lambe alone and to chalenge nothyng to them selues Finally that they make no mention of their worshippers but plainely testifie that the only lambe was and is worthie whiche should take the boke c. And the praise or thankes geuing of the heauenly sainctes he hath called a newe songe What is a newe song whiche in the Scriptures is no newe thynge For the Sainctes saye that they will singe in Earth vnto God a newe songe Psalm xxxiii.xcvi.xcviii.cxliiii Esaye .xlij. And newe songes be called these newe balades or verses in meter whyche are made of some newe benefite or noble acte done And because the minde of manne is delighted greately with newe benefites they synge a newe songe whyche with a ioyefull mynde prayse GOD and geue him thankes with theyr inwarde affections Finallye they synge a newe songe whiche wyth purified myndes and renewed with the Spirite doe laude GOD whiche thynge was chiefely geuen to those heauenly Sainctes Whereof we learne agayne howe it behoueth our mindes to be affected and furnisshed in the prayers and prayses of GOD. This same sayeth Aretas I cal a new songe by whose benefite we whiche beyng lighted in al partes of the earth departing from the antiquitie of the lawe written and walkynge in the newnes of life are taught by the holy ghost to singe a geuing of thankes The himne or prayse geuing of the sainctes in heauen To these thynges nowe is added the Himne of Sainctes that we might also haue a fourme howe to prayse God And in the Hymne they singe that al things are subiecte to christ and al thinges ordered by his gouernment that he humbled him selfe to the deathe and was therefore exalted aboue all thinges Now are also the vertues or effectes and wonderful benefites of his death cōmended vnto vs that estemyng the gouernour of his benefites done to vs we maye beleue also that his gouernement shal be holesome for vs and therefore maye submitte our selues to him willingly in faythe and patience Whiche verely is the chiefest ende of those thinges whiche here are treated with so great diligence Christe alone is worthy to open the boke Firste they cōmende the Maiestie and dignitie of Christ that he alone is founde in the whole vniuersal world whiche hath rule ouer al which is the only sauiour of the world the reuealer also of godly misteries and gouernour of all For this is to take and to open the boke whiche we haue nowe oft times repeted Secondly they annexe the cause why this glory should be only of the lambe or sonne of God because saye they thou waste killed And they vnderstande by the lesse the more to witte his whole incarnation and the whole misterie of our redemption death resurrection and ascensiō into heauen and the residewe He therefore is the true and only mediatour of God and men he is the only sauiour as he that alone was incarnate crucified for vs he is the only gouernour whiche by his humilitie deserued to be exalted Philipp 2. And he is a most fitte gouernour of al thinges as of whome al men maye as of their most faithful sauiour and euen their brother hope well what thinges so euer chaunce vnto them through his gouernement c. The vertu effecte of the death of Christe In the meane time they cōmende most highly the vertue or effecte of Christes death For this beynge rightly vnderstande we are more ready to submitte our selues to that gouernour whom we knowe to be our sauiour whiche loueth vs derely and would haue al saued And the chiefest effect of Christes death is redemption Redēption redeminge
slowe and to make those cleane that are couered with ruste and maye fine the corrupte Golde For so the Scripture defineth in the .11 chapt of Daniel and the Apostle .1 Peter Chapter .4 Christe therfore not to distroie but to trie permitteth very many things to Tirannes agaynst the Church The godly men also procure to themselues the heauy hande of the Lorde whilest in dede they beleue rightly in the sonne of God and depende only of him but neuerthelesse are intangled with sondry and euill affections and committe suche actes as not becometh them This maye you see declared at large in the beginnyng of the eight boke of the Ecclesiastical story of Eusebius whiche I lately alledged And the Tirannes that persecuted had an other respect as Sinacherib and Antiochus than our Bisshoppes and Princes haue at this daye For these nowe are moued with the hatred of Religion and are pricked forewarde of Sathan They will haue in any wise their Idolatrouse religion mainteyned and the religion of the Gospell vteerly distroyed They can not abide to haue their Idolles or other sinnes reproued for this cause are they mad at the faithfull and suche as frankely speake agaynst blame ther Idolles and wickednes And thus doeth the persecutiō arrise boyle vp and procede The whiche when the faithfull see increase thus Mutining in persecution and fele themselues sore oppressed they maruel howe longe the lord wil winke at this Many crie out the Lorde neglecteth his matters The Lorde semeth to deale vniustely with his seruauntes he semeth vtterly to forget them Neither is there any doubte but that many by murmuryng offende the Lord greuously Now therfore are we taught that we might haue hope and patience And at this present Heauen is opened to vs and shewed vs to beholde The sum of such thīgs as are opened to vs in this seale where as be the soules of them that are slaine in persecutions and what is their state is declared morouer that God forgetteth not to be reuenged whie also he differreth the same and how long These thinges are spoken to the consolation of al the faithful that are now afflicted with persecutiō Farre other thinges are exhibited here vnto vs than painters instructed or rather corrupted of with monkes and Freres set forth to vs to wit a great company of Monkes and Nunnes couered in Heauen with our ladies coule as though the greatest parte of them should be saued S. Iohn sheweth vs neuer a Frere but rather many martirs whom the Freres at this daye make before other men Herof therfore as of the doctrine of veritie we shal learne what state or degree is most plentifull in heauē not that we should thinke no man but only Martirs to be saued for so many as truely beleue in Christe and crucifie their fleshe with the concupiscences of the same shal be associated with holy Martirs and reioyse with Christ for euer but that chiefly the holy Martirs are saued whome the madde world supposeth to be lost Soules seperated frō the body be immortal But al thinges here must be examined of vs most diligētly For this place as it is most manifeste so is it ful of moste holesome doctrines First S. Iohn seeth and sheweth vs as it were poynting with his fingar the soules that of those that were slaine to wit the spiritual immortal substaunces which the body beyng lost and consumed do remaine a liue The body may be killed the soule can not be killed Whiche our Sauiour hath liuely expressed in the .10 of Matth. In the 12. of Luke he sayeth be not affrayde of them which sleye the body and after this haue nothing that they can do more c. Therfore tirānes might wel kil the bodies of Martirs they had no power ouer their soules This place witnesseth manifestly the soules of men not only to be immortall but also liuing or watcheful not slepyng to remayne liue in Heauē For there be that thinke the soules departed from the body to slepe The cause maketh martyrs not the punishment which thing is most vayne Nowe also the cause is shewed for the which the Martirs are slayne for the worde of God and for the testimony that they had they were not put to death for their wickednes or euill doynges but for the trewe religion wherby they confessed and preached that word of God which was in the beginning and was made fleshe and the Gospell which they had committed vnto them the testimony of God and eternal life which also thei ministred and preached Of the word of God and testimony of Iesu Christ I haue spoken in the first Chapt. For no other cause at this day are slaine innumerable of Bisshoppes kinges and princes Yf they were aduouterers vsurers blasphemers wicked doers they shuld be in some estimation nowe where they professe the onely sonne of God and preache the Gospell they are murthered without mercy Here haue we also certenly defined who be very Martirs in dede not they that suffer tourmentes but they that are tourmented for gods word For the cause maketh the Martir But where are the soules of them that are slayne for the word of God shewed vnto vs vnder the Aultar Where the place is of the soules slayne for gods word the Aultar is after in the .8 chapt set in heauē before the throne of God Therfore the soules of al Sainctes are in Heauen before the Throne of God which was also signified before in the Tipe of the .xxiiii. Elders The Lord hath sayed also where I am there shal be also my seruaunt But the lord is in heauē therfore the soules of the faithful whose bodies haue ben slayne The souls vnder the Aultar or buried without slaughter be no where els but in Heauen Neuerthelesse it waunteth not a singular misterie that they are layed vnder the Aultar as vnder a shadow through whose benefite the soules may be wel at ease I told you before and here againe repete that the aultar signifieth Christ For he is also the golden aultar intercessour and propiciation for our sinnes For the propiciation and mediation of Christ we are receiued into the Ioyes celestial And Christ is our life saluatiō Vnder him we lie hidde as vnder a couer or a shadow Thomas of Aquine expounding this place of S. Iohn by the aultar sayeth he is signified Christ in whom and by whome we should offer to the father what good so euer we doe and through him is made acceptable what so euer is pleasaunte to God Vnder this Aultar namely vnder christ be the soules not only in the state of life to witte whilest we liue here in earth but also in the state of our countrie to wit in heauē as vnder him of whome they are couered as vnder a shadowe agaynst all euill Thus sayeth Thomas But I suppose that there is an other thing also signified that martirs are made confourmable to the Aultar that is to
the passion of Christ and therfore to reste now vnder the Aultar Christ For they that are pertakers with him in passion doe cōmunicate also with him in glory The aulter and bosom of Abrahā For like as the bosome of Abrahā is called a receptacle and that porte and hauon of Saluatiō into the whiche the soules of thē are receiued which had the faith of Abraham so do we vnderstande the aultar to be a place of blessednes in heauen wherin they rest which with true faith haue acknowledged Christ the aultar propiciation sanctification and satisfaction and haue moreouer in suffering offered them selues to God in Christ through patience an acceptable sacrifice to God Vnder this Aultar was gathered the first martyr Abel and after as many as haue died for religiō and shal begathered who so euer in bearing the crosse through tribulation enter with Christ into glory The saītes crye vnder the Aulter Now is also declared what they do vnder the Aultar The very martirs I saye crye not the beastes as they haue done hitherto and they crie out with a lowde voyce No man shal Imagine that the blessed soules in Heauen doe complayne be sorowfull doe accuse and be troubled These thinges are fayned to an other ende to the intent we should gather therof that God forgetteth not his that he putteth not out al reuengement that he seeth feleth and regardeth the iniuries and deathes of his seruauntes Where the vengeaunce followeth not immediately God is thought of many to slepe and to haue no respect vnto his We heare therfore that the holy Martirs crie and that with a lowde voyce He appereth to haue alluded to that same in the .4 of Genesis The voyce of thy brothers bloud crieth vnto me to witte for vengeaunce Crying sinners For the Diuines call certen sinnes criyng as those whiche are red in the Scriptures to crie vnto God as is at this present the shedyng of bloud the sinne of Sodome in the .9 of Genes the oppression of widowes and orphanes in the .22 of Exodus wages for worke deteyned Deuteron 24. and Iames the .5 How longe so euer therfore God differreth vengeaunce be it neuer so many yeres yet is not the bloud of the iuste forgotten before God S. Paule in the .12 to the Hebrewes crieth out and sayeth that the bloud of Abell speaketh In the .18 of Luke the Lord sayeth that the afflicted do crie bothe daye and nighte for deliueraunce Would God they would wayegh these thinges whose feete are swifte to shede bloud God would not in times paste be mercifull to his people for that much innocent bloud was shed emonges them by the meane of Manasses theyr kinge as appereth in the .4 boke of Kinges Therefore dere bretherne let vs consider wel at this daye what we doe and let vs not shede rashly innocent bloud Certenly the wordes are expressed of S. Iohn Whether the Saincts in heauē desire vēgeāce whiche the Martirs cried to the Lorde howe longe saye they Lord whiche arte holy and trewe c. They put God in remembraunce not as ignoraunt or inconstaunt but as knowyng and moste stedfastely mindefull of holines and trueth For in asmuche as the Lorde is holy he hateth all prophane and vncleane persones and spareth them not For as muche as he is true he maynteyneth and defendeth his chosen and punnissheth and oppresseth his enemies as he hath promised by his worde Sins therefore thou arte suche saye they O God why doest thou not iudge and auēge our bloud of them which in earth as in their kingdome exercise tiranny and oppresse euery good man Al this signifieth none other thing than that God for his owne sake whiche is holy and true will neuer forget the iniuries of his seruauntes Therefore we vnderstande these thinges to be spoken by a figure called Prosopopeia that is the fayning of a persone not that the Sainctes in Heauen do expostulate with God but that we by suche a figure might vnderstande that God hath care of Martirs because he is holy and true S. Austen in the .68 question vpon the newe Testamente Seynge the Lorde sayeth he hath taught vs to praye for our enemies what is the cause that the soules of those that are slayne crye out as doeth the bloud of Abell and require that they maye be auenged And he maketh aunswer Sainctes be not impatient that they should vrge that thing to be done now which they know shal come to passe in the time prefixed which neither can be preuented nor yet delayed but by this saying he woulde shewe howe God will auenge the bloud of his seruauntes leest bycause he semeth now so patient that wicked warre shuld be thought vnpunished which is made against the Sainctes that both he might driue a feare into them that persecute the seruauntes of God and might also exhorte the sufferers vnto patience Thus sayeth he And this in dede semeth the playnest sense of al others especially if we consider the things that follow in the lordes aūswer and it was sayed vnto them that they should rest c. Primasius Bishop of Vtica expoundyng this place of S. Iohn Sainctes not incensed with carnal vnderstāding it is not to be thought saieth he that the Sainctes are incensed with a carnall vnderstanding and stoutenes to be auenged sins we knowe that through the aboundaunce of charitie the very enemies are of thē also in this case beloued but it is euident that they prayed agaynst the kingedome of sinne and to haue ernestly desired the other thinges of that kingdom wherof we saye thy kingdome come For it is not lawful to thinke that they woulde couet any thinge agaynst the pleasure of God sins their desires depende vpon his wil c. And S. Gregory what is it sayeth he that the soules make request of reuengement but that they desire the laste daye of iudgement and the resurrection of bodies slayne Aretas noteth here also out of the commentaries of S. Andrew bishop of Cesaria moreouer the Sainctes appere hereby to wisshe for the ende of the worlde Wherfore they are commaunded patiently to abide vntill the accomplishement of their bretherne Hebr. 11. leest they should be fulfilled with out them after the holy Apostle Vēgeaūce is desired two waies Howbeit Thomas of Aquine in the exposition of the Apocalipse sheweth that vengeaunce is required of god two waies First in dede with an euil and malliciouse affectiō which the Scripture doeth vtterly represse Secondely by a Zeale of rightuousnes and after the wil of God is iudgement required agaynst them that be vncurable After he annexeth this therfore do the blessed soules require vengeaūce of their enemies albeit they intende it not chiefly bicause of a Zeale of rightuousenes and affection of godly loue they grudge as also doeth god him self at the wickednes of the persecutours who impugne God him self and seke to hinder his religion and tourment suche as worshippe him wherfore they would
haue their mallice and power at an ende Thus farre he But where as the Scripture euery where agreably witnesseth that the sainctes in heauen are free from greues affections and to liue nowe a newe life moste farre from all payne and perturbatiō and that they haue submitted their willes to the will of God whom they maye followe in al thinges approuyng all his iudgementes saiynges and doynges yea and reuerencing the same I suppose we nede not to reason more subtily hereof at this present but simply to vnderstande that by this figuratiue speache as criyng is also els where attributed to the bloud of martirs shed is signified that the bloud of the oppressed shal neuer be forgotten of God and that before him the iuste iudgement and vengeaunce is prepared to be executed in his time against the enemies and cōtemners of God but chiefly agaynst the persecutours of the worde and the murtherers of Sainctes Which thing is more fully declared by this that followeth For by the same that followeth such aūswer was made to the complaincte of Martirs What was aunswered to the martirs requiringe vengeaunce that we may vnderstand what is the state glory of sainctes in heauen which haue offered their bodies for the Testament of God and that God hath not forgottē the bloud spilte but that he wil at length requite those bloud sheders when he seeth time But where he hath reserued this time to him self when he wil rewarde the bloud suckers it is not our parte to inquire curiousely therof but rather to be in a readines that if he will that we also should suffer for the Testimony of Iesus Christ we should runne spedely and cherely through afflictions vnto glory doubting nothing but that we shall be ioyned to the blessed Martirs in heauen and that the iuste iudge in that daye wil render to al the enemies ol God the Churche and Gods worde after their demerites And albeit the time of persecution doe seme a world to the flesh yet is it here and els where in the scriptures called shorte The state of soules in heauē is moste happy But these thinges muste be sene and considered by partes First doubtles the state of soules in heauen is in al things most fortunate The which is figured by the white garmēts For the glory of the blessed is signified that are nowe in light and fele nothinge of darkenes of this garmente I haue spoken before And it is sayd expressely and white garments are geuen to euery one of them For euery soule receiueth his rewardes And the body also at th end of the world shal receiue his owne garmente S. Gregory Saintes as yet sayeth he haue the fruition only of the blesse of the soules but in th end of the world they shal receiue two stoles or garmentes for with the perfecte ioye of the soules they shall be clothed also wyth the incorruption of bodyes Hereof shall be reasoned more dilligently about th ende of the .vii Chapter where this place shal be declared more at large After it was sayde to the blessed soules 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that they should rest Therfore they be altogether in quiet and fele no perturbation whiche in the .xii. Chapter shall more plainely be declared Notwythstanding that it may be referred to delay and breathinge as though he should haue sayd It was signifyed to the soules that they should yet differ and abyde For it followeth yet a lytle whyle Therfore God signifyeth that after a little tyme he wyl delyuer hys and punnishe the aduersaryes The tyme of persecutiō is short And the noting of the time semeth to be taken of the .2 Chapt. of Abacuk whiche place is also alledged of the Apostle in the .11 to the Hebrew For yet a little while for bicause he that shall come wil come and wil not tary And the iust shal liue of his faith c. In the .26 of Esaye we reade these wordes after he hath shewed the resurrection to come and the laste ende of the worlde goe therefore my people and enter into thine inner chābers and shut thy dores after thee hide thee a litle while euen for a momente till the indignation be past And likewise S. Peter called all this time of affliction vnto the iudgement a shorte time that we mighte take comforte therin .1 Peter .1 And .2 Peter .3 To these also is ioyned an other thing whiche more fully accomplissheth the time till three fellowes and bretherne were fulfilled whiche should also be slayne for the worde of God Therfore let vs no more herafter inquire when persecution shal haue an ende or whie the Lorde differreth vengeaunce and howe longe For we heare that the numbre of the electe muste be accomplisshed But where that time is knowen to God alone lette not vs be curiouse but lette vs thinke of suche thinges as concerne our dewetie that if the case so require we maye also die strongly for the Testament of our Lorde God that we maye be associated to our bretherne and our fellowes and haue the fruition of the blessed sight of our redemer The numbre shal be accomplisshed in the ende of the world at the last iudgement Hitherto therfore shal last the persecution but than assuredly wil the Lord requite it as also the Prophet Malachie hath wittenessed in the .3 and .4 chapter Hereof we learne also What we should iudge of the saintes ī heauē what we shoulde iudge of the holy Martirs in Heauen and blessed soules the same that we learne here of Gods worde Bretherne and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fellowe seruauntes as also Aungelles in the .19 and .22 of the Apocalipse they are expressely called not Lordes and founders For although the wordes muste be vnderstande of vs yet liuyng yet is there a relation For if we be theyr bretherne and fellowe seruauntes they be verely our bretherne also and Gods seruauntes with vs and euen fellowe seruauntes Now though we graunt that they praye in Heauen what I praye you praye they here but that God would auenge and punnisshe and what doe they obteyne As we reade that Christe sayed to his mother requiryng wine at the mariage womā what haue I to do with thee my houre is not yet comen so likewise are the Martirs here cōmaunded to tary abide the time of God appoincted The which we beleue that the Sainctes doe What can we saye than of their intercession and praying for sinners vnto God there is one only mediatour geuen euen the Lorde Christe let vs goe vnto him in al our necessities he alone shal suffice al and in all These thinges are spoken hitherto of the persecutions of al times so that in the meane time they haue ministred most comfortable consolations to all that suffer persecution to the ende of the worlde and haue likewise cutte of curiouse questions and sette vs saue and whole in the will of God wherein we only restynge maye knowe that the same is best
for vs. It behoueth vs therefore to gather certen sure saiynges wherwith to comfort our selues as with the moste certayne sentences of God pronounced First that God is trewe and iuste and therfore not to neglecte his but to tender with fatherly care And if he caste vs into any daunger or difficultie the same verely shall tourne the godly to great profit Yf he shal take vs awaye by tourmentes that he deliuereth vs frō euilles from miseries and corruption of this world and rendereth for the same euerlastingnes Secondly it is certen sins that God is iuste and trewe that he will requite the wicked after theyr desertes Agayne if he make menne fortunate in this worlde that the same in dede apperteyneth to their destruction Where he is slowe to punish that is done through Gods long suffering but that God recompenseth this slownes with the weightines of the punisshement in case they be incurable Where as these thinges vndoubtedly are moste certayne what remayneth there but that we shoulde committe our selues and al ours to the Lord our God He knoweth the time and meane wherby to auenge his and to plague his enemies To him be glory for euermore Amen ¶ The sixte seale is opened and the corruptyng of the sincere doctrine is exhibited The .xxxiij. Sermon ANd I sawe when he had opened the sixte seale and beholde there was a greate earth quake And the Sunne was as blacke as a sacke cloth made of heere and the Moone waxed euen as bloud and the starres of Heauen fel vnto the earth euen as a figge tree casteth from her her figges when she is shaken of a mightie winde and Heauen vanished awaye as a scroll when it is rolled together The sixte seale opened of the lambe Corruptīg of the sound doctryne in the church openeth vnto vs generally and setteth forth to be sene of the eyes of all men the corruption of the doctrine in the church with this mourning terrible effecte of the same Nother is there any other thing sayed here in the sixt seale as also in the fiue fourmer seales than that which was prophecied before of the same our lord Iesus Christ in the .24 of Matth. that the Gospell should be preached through out the world and how there should come warres famines pestilences persecutions most greuouse and false prophetes whiche should disceaue men whom also they should drowne in moste greuouse sorrowes Neuerthelesse these thinges must religiousely be expounded For it is not to be thought Chryste is not author of the corrupt doctrine for that the lambe openeth the sixte seale and the Sonne by and by waxeth blacke that Christ is authour of the corrupte euill doctrine For Christ it is that soweth in the fielde good sede the hostile man soweth darnell As the Lord him self expoundeth it Matth. the .13 For Christe teacheth sownde doctrine by the Apostles and sincere preachers which whē it semeth vile to the world and can not please of his iuste iudgement he leaueth the contemners to their affections and as the Apostle S. Paull sayeth 2. Thess 2. he sendeth vpon them the efficacitie of illusion that they may beleue lies and so maye be iudged all whiche had rather beleue a lie than the veritie And the seducing through corrupte doctrine is a more hurteful euill than are the blouddy persecutions Yea and the seducers and false prophetes haue done more hurte to the churche than haue cruell tirauntes Finally men are more greuousely punished what time they are relinquisshed to be seduced of disceauers than when they are obiected to be torne in pecs of their murtherers Therfore is it a most greuouse plague of god and vtterly to be abhorred for the simple veritie dispised to be deliuered to liyng disceauers which after the demerites maye with reuerence be it spoken al to be shite and be pisse thee For where the gospell is purely preached vnto many these men saye I vnderstand not what these men teache vs out of the Gospell but this I can see that the olde haue all to be rayde vs and these newe bothe to be pisse and beshite vs. Therefore shalt thou haue teachers which shal perfourme to thee in dede the same that thou talkest Would God we waunted examples and did not see certen nations which haue here tofore had the free pure preaching of the gospel and now spoiled of al veritie to sigh vnder the pleasure and boldenes of most wicked disceauers whiche treade Gods worde vnder fote and condemne it for heresie and stoppe the mouthes of the wretched people ful of mans dunge This is the punishment of the veritie dispised The deprauatiō of the doctrine in the church And this place maye not be expounded of one certen age sins as yet things are rehearsed in general but of that whole time which reacheth from the age of the Apostles vnto the laste iudgement It conteineth therfore the corrupte doctrine of Valentine Marcion Manichaeus Arius Macedonius Nestorius Eutyches Donatus Pelagius Priscillians and finally of all Heretikes and the mingle mangle of Mahomet composed of the same and chiefly the sophistrie and moste corrupt doctrine of Antichrist and of his ministers But what time the lambe opened the sixte seale there was not hearde now as before the voyce of the Beastes Elders or Martirs but a terrible earthquake An earthquake An Earthquake in the Scriptures doeth signifie a wonderfull commotion of all thinges troubles tumultes and greate alterations And verely greater darkenes arriseth of nothing els than by alteryng of Godly religion and receyuyng of wicked doctrine For so arrise sectes seditions warres You maye see many examples hereof in the story of the auncient people whiche are redde to haue ben greuously shaken so ofte as they haue chaunged theyr religion and kynde of doctrine By this Earthequake therefore is signified that exceadynge great trouble shal arrise herof for that a new and a straunge kinde of doctrine should be brought into the world of men amisse incensed Authours of tumults troubles Here haue you that you maye aunswere vnto them whiche impute to the Gospell and to the Preachers thereof what so euer troubles seditions and commotions be at this daye in the worlde Helias hath ones made aunswere for vs whiche maye serue for all times the place is in the thirde boke of Kinges .18 Chapter I haue not troubled Israell but thou and thy fathers house whiche haste forsaken God c. Hereunto apperteyneth also the story of Ieremie in the .44 Chapter Where al the euilles that than vexed the wicked are imputed to the sinsere doctrine and to the Prophet Ieremie without cause Learne here morouer what to aunswer them whiche saye it is like that God hath permitted his Church so many yeres to lie and rotte in errours c. And the corrupte doctrine is described by partes euen from the toppe to the toe The sunne waxeth darke and the effecte also of the corrupte doctrine is annexed
Millenaries vnlesse we iudge here vprightly I beleue therfore that the same restoring wherof the Prophetes speake muste be diuided into three times that the first be so be called historicall which extendeth frō king Cyrus vnto great Pompey the which Ezras Nehemias and the Authour of the boke of the Machabeis describe and teache to be fulfilled The second to beginne at the comming of our Sauiour and procede vnto Antichrist and to his distroying which in dede the Apostles and Euangelistes haue moste diligently described and wherin they testifie many thinges to be accomplisshed And that the thirde time should beginne from the gospel restored and the last iudgment and continewe foreuermore whiche restitution verely semeth to be of al other most perfit complete wherin God wil geue vnto man most fully what things so euer he hath promised by the mouthes of the prophetes and Apostles Hereof hath S. Peter most manifestly made mention in the actes the .3 chapt saying it behoueth Christ to take heauen vntil the time of restoring of al things which god hath spoken by the mouth of al his sainctes frō the time of the prophetes And the Lord him selfe in the gospel speaking of the last iudgement sayed lifte vp your heades because your redemption draweth nere Or happely we may on this wise diuide this matter perauenture more plainely the restoring of Israel or of al faithful is verely either corporall or spiritual The corporal maye be called historicall and was perfourmed by Cyrus Zorobabel Iehosua Ezras Nehemias and the Machabeis And the spirituall is fulfilled or shal be yet accomplisshed by the cōming of our holesome Messias our lord Iesus Christ And the cōming of the lorde is of two sortes the firste in dede is in the flesh in the which we beleue many things the Apostles bearing witnes to haue ben fulfilled of Christe in the latter he shal come agayne from Heauen into iudgement In that comyng he shal most fully accomplisshe such thinges as we see as yet not perfourmed And doubtles al our hope is herunto referred and comforted by this comyng Those thinges that are spoken of the Apostle in the .11 to the Romains of the conuersion of the Iewes are fulfilled partly and partely are fulfilled dayly and as yet shal be fulfilled Now we retourne to the plenty of them that shal be saued and are already saued from the middes of the kingdome of Antichrist to be declared Many thousands of Iewes be saued S. Iohn diuideth the vniuersalitie of man kinde into Iewes and gentiles Of the Iewes are raccompted an hondreth and fourtie and foure thousande And after our iudgement of a thousand Iewes there semeth scarsely one or two to be saued but where by the testimony of our sauiour him selfe so great a numbre is saued there is lefte verely of this numbre certayne an infinite multitude of this stifnecked people to be gathered which shal be saued And they are not saued by the Lawe or by circumcision or by their damnable obstinacie but vp the grace of God in Christ their Messias the only redemer reuealed to them of God mercifully and of them receyued faithfully For if the thefe on the crosse mighte be saued nowe leauinge his lyfe what shal lette innumerable Iewes to be saued by the same meane neuerthelesse I will here determine no measure Neyther will I also by this meane make frustrate the ministerie of the worde and Sacramentes Howbeit I know the thinges to be trewe that here are spoken the measure or maner is knowen to God neither is there any thing with him vnpossible And hereunto serueth the Apostles doctrine in the .11 to the Romains You wil saye If the ende be good al is good this doctrine wil make men to neglect their owne Saluacion where already nowe there are that saye if the ende be well then is all well As though they shoulde haue sayed how soeuer thou liuest in this world drowned in pleasures and bloud and geuen to gloutonny beleue only at the last ende of thy life and thou shalt be saued Doubtles I am not ignoraunt that there be many vncleane hogges and filthie swine abusing the worde of the veritie and consolation of the Gospell but shal the abuse of prophane men take awaye the veritie from vs The childrē of God which know that there is none other propiciation or satisfactiō for sinnes but the oblation of Christ cease not therfore to renewe their life dayly by repentaunce The godly abuse not gods mercy to the libertie of sinnynge Thus although the godly doubte nothing but that innumerable at the last ende of their life are conuerted and saued of the Lorde yet do they not abuse this mercy of God to the libertie of the flesh but are affraied For ther be other places diuerse which reteyne them in order and duety For the lord sayeth thou arte made hole go and sinne no more leest some worse thing happen to thee Item let vs do good whilest we haue time the time will come when we can not worke The parable of ten virgins declareth vnto vs the same Also if the iuste shall vnneth be saued where shal the sinner and wicked appere moreouer tempte not the Lord thy God And innumerable others of like sorte And when the Sainctes shall haue all their life time demeaned themselues blamelesse in the rightuousenes of God yet in the laste time of theyr life thei trust not to the same but to God his mere mercy through Christ They remember alwayes howe greuousely he was rebuked in the Gospel first in dede he that inuied the good lucke of him that laboured with him in the vineyarde for that he had receyued so muche wages coming into the vineyarde about the laste houre of the daye as he had receyued that had laboured al daie long and agayne the thriftie sonne for that he was sory that his wastefull and prodigall brother was receyued agayne of his father a feeste also made him and for him that was alwaies obedient and toke paynes cōtinually no such thing was prepared Innumerable people of al parts of the world are saued But the gentiles he contriueth not into any certen numbre but saieth how he sawe a great multitude which no man could tel no more thā they coulde the starres sande herbes or grasse how many they were in nūbre He signifieth therfore that in al the worlde at al times innumerable are saued by Christe neuerthelesse leeste any man should thinke that it should preuaile or hinder him to saluation to be borne of this or that nation tribe or tonge S. Iohn addeth incontinently of al tribes people and tonges to be ordeyned to saluation indifferently Therfore this difference hindereth saluation nothing but are founde in Inde Aethiopia Barbaria and in the furthest parte of Libia in Scythia Tartaria and in the vttermost endes of the worlde whiche are saued by the grace of Christ And because it hath much doubtfulnes to reason of things
to come S. Iohn here moste expressely speaketh of them The faithfull in heauē reioyse which are not to be saued but already haue atchieued saluation and are in Heauen to the intent we should not doubte of their saluation And also shaddoweth the maner of saluation and blesse euerlastinge This treatise confuteth those which suppose the soules to slepe not to haue the fruition of the godhead before the iudgement nor to be as yet in heauē First he sayeth howe they stande before the Throne and in the sighte of the lambe For the firste felicitie in the blessed life is to see God as he is and to inioye his glory to be with Christe in glory Iohn .17.1 Iohn .3 white stoles are the garmentes of triumphant and cleane persones As herafter shal be declared more at large and hath ben noted ones or twise before It betokeneth that the blessed soules are decked with light c. And the Palme also is a token of victory The palme Plinie treateth much of the Palme in the .4 Chapt. of the .13 booke Al men write that the Palme was the moste auncient badge of a conquerour And wherefore this tree chiefly was chosen for this vse of men of most antiquitie Aulus Gellius sheweth the cause in the .6 Chapt. of the .3 boke of Noct. Att. Writing that in a Palme tree there is a certen peculiar thing whiche agreeth with the nature of stoute and noble men For if you laye sayeth he greate weightes vpon the wood thereof the Palme geueth not place downewarde but riseth vp against the weight and beareth vpwarde And for this he alledgeth the authoritie of Aristotel and Plutarche vnto whome you maye adde also Plinie .16 boke .24 Chapter Vnto al these thinges is annexed an exceding great noise wherby not only they geue God thankes and prayse his mercy To whom thei impute theyr saluation but also shewe and testifie moste manifestly whome they maye thanke for their saluation And they saye saluation to him c. For so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is rather as also Erasmus hath noted For they signifie that God is not blessed in him self only but to haue cōmunicated this saluation vnto them and saued them Of the Throne or seate of God was spoken before in the .4 chapt God the father him selfe sitteth on the seate It is therfore a phrase of speach which hath this cense we owe this our saluatiō and blessednes to our God which sitteth in his Throne Agayne they cōmunicate this saluation to the lambe also that is to Christ For God by his grace through Christe saueth the beleuers And where as Christ is called the lamb the whole misterie of the incarnation and redemption is remembred in the word Lambe that beyng in dede reconciled to God by the bloud of the hoste Iohn .6 Ephes 1. Rom. 3. we be nowe the heires of God and the sonnes of God c. Therefore the Sainctes in Heauen and our fathers already saued and dwelling in heauen doe testifie and in testifiyng teache that they be iustified and saued not by Mahometrie or Poperie or any other obseruaunces but by the mere grace of God in Christ Errours ar cōfuted Hereby are confuted two opiniōs right hurtefull to the whole worlde The first weneth that the Papistes be saued for their simplicitie and seuere discipline For bycause saye they they know no better things and the workes that they doe they doe them of a good intente therfore are they saued by the same That is moste vayne and moste vngodly They adde vnlesse we shuld iudge thus doubtles there should not one of the Papistes be saued Certenly I saye playnely that no man is saued by papistrie no more thā by Mahometrie For it is called the waye of perdition euen of S. Peter him selfe 2. Pet. 2. Howebeit I thinke not therfore that no man of the nūbre of Papistes is saued But I beleue that innumerable as I sayed before haue at the lēgth sene the filthines of papistrie through the illumination of God and the papistry forsakē to haue imbraced the sincere Gospell and so by Christ alone to be saued The latter supposeth that euery manne in euery and what so euer his religion be shall be saued Agaynste these the Sainctes here crie how they that are saued are saued by the grace of God through Christ Euery mā is not saued in his religion Therfore none other religion saueth There is non other name geuen to men wherin they must be saued but that of Christ Iesus None other waye is open into heauen nor any other dore he that affirmeth any other is called of the veritie a thiefe and a murtherer Yea they vtterly abolishe Christ and the whole scripture who so euer contende that euery man is saued by his owne religiō Neyther can I tel whether any other thing so hurtful can be Imagined Therfore lette vs holde that thing whiche all the Sainctes in heauen haue taught vs that saluatiō is of God through Christ All the Aungelles in Heauen confirme these thinges The cōfirmation of Aungelles example songe leest any thing should waunte which belongeth to a sure and certayne testimony and also teache vs by theyr example what we should doe They sing together Amen wherby they also testifie that saluatiō is of only grace through Christ Againe they fall downe and worship God But howe muche more ought we men mortall by worshippyng to attribute to him this honour And by singing an himne they exhibite to vs a forme of seruing God finally of iudginge rightly of God that we attribute nothing to any creature to the reproche of the creatour whiche belongeth to God alone but ascribe all thinges to God wholy The wordes of this Hymne are expounded in the .4 and .5 chapt that I nede not here to tary aboute them They putte blessing for prayse the reste of the wordes are playne And nowe lette vs learne beyng taught by so many testimonies and examples of all Sainctes forsaking al vayne wicked opinions to geue al glory to God through Christ to whom be prayse and thankes geuyng Amen ¶ Here is expounded who they be that are are clothed in white from whence is saluation and what is the trewe blessednes The .xxxvi. Sermon ANd one of the elders aunswered saying vnto me what are these which are arayed in longe white garmentes whence came they And I sayed vnto him lorde thou wotest And he sayed vnto me these are they whiche came out of greate tribulation and made their garmentes large and made them white in the bloud of the lambe therfore are they in the presence of the seate of God and serue him daye and night in his temple and he that sitteth in the seate will dwel emong thē They shal honger no more nother thirst nother shall the sunne light on them nother any heate For the lambe whiche is in the middes of the seate shall fede them and shall leade them to fountaynes
painefulnes And thei serue God in the temple as God is wonte to be serued in the Temple For they kepe holy dayes they are glad reioyse be mery prayse and so they offer vp sacrifices and are refresshed with heauenly repaste And this ioye shall be euerlastyng and perpetuall which is signified by daie and night Otherwise in the blesse euerlasting there is no mighte at all nor anye chaungeable course of time Hereunto is added that he that sitteth in the seate that is the diuine maiestie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will dwell in them that is to witte God wil be al in al or he wil leane ouer them and as it were a tente or tabernacle will ouershadowe them defende and kepe them and geue him selfe whole to be inioyed of them as moste familiar and frendely to them Moreouer they shall honger no more nother shall they thirste For all infirmitie and miserie is taken awaye from the blessed soules and bodies glorified They are filled with al good thinges without any lothsomnes with a most ioyeouse fulfillynge Nowe the sunne falleth not vpon them nor the heate whiche phrase of speache betokeneth that they are put to no trauel nor paine but are deliuered at ones from all displeasure and all paynefulnes and to be at moste pleasaunt reste Agayne is set in the cause of so greate felicitie Christ the lambe that is to saye Christ mediatour and redemer in the middes of the seate that is very God For he as both Ezechiel in .34 chapt and the lord also him selfe in the .10 of Iohn Wittenesseth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to saie wil fede them Christ fedeth and quikneth like a sheperde and as a Captaine of life will leade them to the fountaines of liuely water that is to witte will quicken them for euer preserue all his in that felicitie He vseth in this treatise wordes of the prophetes most accustomed and vsed euery where that climyng vnto higher thinges we might after some sorte esteme heauenly giftes Hereunto he ioyneth as yet a notable benefite and the Lord will wipe al teares from their eyes Which wordes he hath borrowed of Esaye For Sainctes in this world tourmoyled with sondry euils haue shed most plentiful teares but in the world to come the Lord comforteth them gladdyng them with ioye euerlasting nother geuyng thē at any time any occasion of grefe Iacob 16 And therfore he sayed in the Gospel verely I saye vnto you ye shall wepe and lament but agayne the world shall reioyse and ye shal mourne but your mournyng shal be tourned into ioye And your harte shal reioyse and your ioye shal no man take from you We shall heare the like thinges vnto these also in 21. of the Apocalipse c. Against the cōtemners of the blessed lyfe Hereof they perceiue howe shamefully they transgresse which haue alwaies in their mouth if I should contene this life present for religiōs sake who shal tel me what is that other other life to come perauenture if I neglecte this in an other world I shal get nothing For here we haue a most manifest testimony that as most assured saluatiō is prepared of God in heauen for the faithful so is it also moste ample and great in so much that the Apostle in an other place sayeth that th◠afflictions of this time present are not egall to the glory which shal be reuealed to vs. The Lord graunt vs that we maye acknowledge these thinges ¶ Whilest the .vii. Seale is opened and the Aungels with trompettes come forth Christ the intercessour of his church offereth vp before his father the praiers of his faithful The .xxxvij. Sermon ANd when he had opened the .vii. The .8 chapt seale there was silēce in Heauen about the space of half an houre And I sawe seuen Aungels standyng before God to them were geuen seuen trompettes And an other Aungell came and stoode before the Aultar hauing a golden censer much of odoures was geuen vnto him that he shoulde offer of the prayers of al sainctes vpon the goldē aultar whiche was before the seate And the smoke of the odoures whiche came of the prayers of al sainctes ascended vp before God out of the Aungels hand And the Aungel toke the censer and filled it with fire of the Aultar and caste it into the earth and voices were made and Thonderinges and Lightninges and Earthquake I suppose ther be no bokes in the world of whomsoeuer The excellency of the bookes of holy scripture or when soeuer they were written which maye cōpare with the bokes of holy scripture as concerning the sincere veritie pure simplecitie and plaine order Nother perauenture that maye seme any maruell to any man knowing that the same are written in dede of men but inspired of the holy ghoste There be edifices most skilfully builded of men and framed and cōtriued in a most goodly order But what beaultie wil you iudge them to haue in case ye compare them with the creation of the worlde and with that most beaultifull order whiche we see dayly in all thinges created and chaungeable course of times the moste excellent workes of men haue nothyng in them yea seme vile in case you compare them with the workemanship of God the creatour A recapitulation But for the moste bright order and most playne treatise this boke of the Apocalipse hath emonges others moste notable an excellent and wonderfull prayse S. Iohn promised a some of the matter signifiyng that he wold speake of those thinges which shuld be done in the church from his time vntil the iudgemēt And the faithfull doe knowe to what ende they should take those thinges not to thintent their curiositie might be mainteined or satisfied but that they sufficiently warned before shuld not fal but take hede to themselues hold faste the true saluatiō And forasmuch as there is muche talke emonges men whie God doeth thus or permitteth that and whie he prohibiteth not these or those thinges S. Iohn hath exhibited to vs a most holesom visiō by the which we may learne not to talke against God not to contende with him but to acknowledge al his iudgments to be rightuouse iust Which thing verely both al the Sainctes in heauen and also angelicall spirites do acknowledge and attribute to God al glory And thus hauing prepared the mindes of the Auditours he cometh to the thing it self and declareth the fatall destenies of the church Vnder the .vi. seale he toucheth generally the corruptiō of doctrine which sins it is more perillouse more pestilent than al daūgers of mans body or outwarde perilles he reasoneth yet more fully therof and nowe particularly vnder the opening of the .vii. seale reciteth howe farre the same stretcheth For he declareth how many how great what maner of sectes heresies and troubles shall arrise in the church howe hurtful they shal be to the churche And this place conteyneth an Historie of the
them was commaunded that they should not kill them but that they should be vexed fiue monethes and their payne was as the payne that commeth of a Scorpion when he hath stonge a manne And in those dayes shal men seke death and shal not finde it and shall desire to die and death shall flie from them The fourth trompet declareth an hurtful and a long strife The .iiii. trompe whiche arrose in the churche of the doctrine of Pelagius This Pelagius taught that the sinne of Adam hurte him alone and not mankinde and therefore that in the same all men die not That man hath free will so that he maye doe good Nother that he shoulde be free if he nede the helpe of God Which if he hath it he maye the more easely do good The doctrine of pelagius yf he haue it not that he maye yet neuerthelesse worke it by his owne vertue and maye deserue euerlasting life Therefore that our victory is not of the helpe of God but of free will and that remission is not geuen to the penitentes after the grace and mercy of God but after the deserte and workynge of them whiche through repentaunce are worthye of Godes mercy and the residewe whiche Saincte Austen reherseth in the hondreth and sixte Epistle to Boniface that Pelagius had renounced whiche neuerthelesse in an other place he sheweth that the same had taught and retourned to his vomite As in the register of heresie the .88 heresie The same against two epistles of the Pelagiās in the .2 boke 2 chapter to Boniface The Manicheis sayeth he denie that a good man had the beginnyng of euill of free will Whileste fooles eschewe one vice they runne into an other The Pelagians saye also that an euill man hath free will sufficiently to fulfil a good precept The catholicke doctrine reproueth both these and to them sayeth God made man right c. And to these sayeth yf the sonne hath made you free you ate verely free And in the .9 chapt the same Authour Where we saye that the wil of man vnto euil is free to do good that it muste be made free by the grace of God it maketh against the Pelagians And where we saye that the euill whiche was not before is comen of him it is agaynst the Manicheis Moreouer in the .8 chapt Pelagius sayeth that the thing which good is maye soner be accomplisshed if grace helpe therto By the whiche addition that is in adding more easely he signifieth verely that he thinketh thus that although the help of grace waūt he can yet albeit more hardely perfourme that which is good by free will Agayne the same in the .47 Epistle to Valent. Who falle into the errour of the Pelagiās That man saieth he falleth into the errour of the Pelagians whiche supposeth the grace of God to be geuen for any deserte of man whiche grace alone maketh manne free through Iesus Christe our Lorde But agayne he that thinketh when the Lord shal come vnto iudgement that man is not iudged after his workes which might now by reason of his age vse the free choyse of will is neuerthelesse in errour He sayeth in a maner the same thing in the .2 booke the .18 chapt of the merites and remission of sinnes The third part of the sunne of the Moone the starres smitten With this doctrine of Pelagius was stricken that is to saye darkened for so S. Iohn him selfe a little after expoundeth him selfe saying in so much that the third parte of them was obscured c. the thirde parte of the sunne to witte of Christ which is the trewe sunne of rightuousenes For the Pelagians doctrine denied the grace of Christ with mans merite trode vnderfote the merite of Christ Whereby also the thirde parte that is to witte a great parte of the Moone namely the church is red to be smitten and darkened moreouer the thirde parte of starres I meane preachers and ministers wounded hath not taught with such light as became them For stories witnesse that this heresie hath sore infected diuerse partes of the worlde that euen Bisshoppes and learned menne haue followed this noysome errour At Palestine in the Easte was assembled a Sinode of Bisshoppes which droue Pelagius to recant They disputed also at Rome sharpely against the Pelagian doctrine and Counsels were assembled which condemned the same Ther were Sinodes assembled in Affrica and after much reasoning sentence was pronounced against Pelagius For many were dayly taken with this infection For the doctrine is pleasaunt whiche waunteth not euen at this daie his mainteyners and defenders For it semeth godly and for the study of vertue nedeful to affirme free wil and mans merite agayne it appereth to be licentiouse to attribute al thing to Gods grace He addeth Nother daye nor night shone with the third parte therof that nother the daie shone with the thirde parte thereof nother yet the night with his thirde parte For like as grace coulde not be fully perceiued by the doctrine of Pelagius no more coulde sinne And S. Austen in the .2 boke of originall sinne .23.24 chapt sayeth that the Christiane fayth consisteth properly in the cause of two men For by the one we were solde vnder sinne by the other redemed from sinne by the one throwē headlong into death but by the other deliuered vnto life c. And whilest al these thinges are spoken they are spoken to this ende that we might beware of those Heresies And hitherto haue we spoken of the foure trompes and greatest conflictes in the churche there remayne three trompettes which haue now a little preface set before them wherby the mindes of the hearers might be excited And S. Iohn sayeth howe he sawe an Aungell flying thorowe the middes of heauen and hearde him criyng wo wo Wo to the inhabiters of the earth wo to the inhabiters of the Earth and that for those thinges which should chaunce vnto men than when the other three trompettes should be blowen Therfore vnto euery trompet is Ioyned an wo. Whiche we expresse very well in dutche by owe owe owe. For the Grekes saye and S. Iohn wrote in Greke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And it signifieth verely that the times of the fourmer conflictes were sharpe but yet that suche as follow shal be a great deale sharper and crueller For I tolde you in an other place that this vocable wo compriseth the euilles bothe of this life present and also of the life to come aswell of body as of soule Therfore shall the times of Papistrie Mahometrie and of the last iudgement be most daingerouse Som read an Egle for an Angell The complutensian copie hath an Egle where we reade an Aungell fliyng thorow the middes of heauē perauenture because he founde it so in Aretas Yea and the cōmon translation commonly called S. Hieromes hath an Egle for an Aūgell And therfore Primasius readeth it so likewise which semeth to haue followed
disturbers sediciouse iniuriouse against God his saintes and agaynst al men Therfore they wisshe with all theyr hartes to be eased of this burthen The Lorde Iesus forgeue them this sinne ¶ The enterprises of Antichrist in wedyng out the preachers to be vayne howe great shall be the rewardes of Preachers and of the punnisshement of the wicked The .xlix. Sermon ANd after three daies and an halfe the spirite of life frō God entred into them And they stode vpon their fete and greate feare came vpon them that sawe them And they hearde a great voice from heauē saiyng vnto them come vp hither And they ascended vp into heauē in a clowde and their enemies sawe them And the same houre was there a great Earthquake the tenth parte of the citie fell and in the Earthquake were slayne names of mē seuen thousand and the remnaūt were feared and gaue glory to God of Heauen Hitherto hath he spoken of the wicked ioyes and gladnes of Antichrist and the vngodly men of the last age The ioyes of the wicked not to be long conceiued of the slaughter of the holy prophetes of god They wil thinke how they shal reigne for euer in those their errours superstitions and pleasures and suppose by theyr murtherynge to haue put to silence the preachyng of the gospel to them most displeasaunt But consequently the Lord sheweth that their hope is most vaine their attemptes to be frustrate and their ioyes shorte yea and quickely to be tourned into mourning miserie For first he declareth that the prophecie or preachyng shal be repared of God by newe prophetes and that to the greatest griefe and terrour of the Antichristians whiche loked for no such thing After he sheweth howe great rewardes are prepared and geuē to the preachers oppressed in this world and intreated with greate vilanie Finally he signifieth that the wicked shall not liue in continuall pleasure but that God will disturbe their ioyes bringyng miserie vpon them euen in this world Which although he beginne at the laste in this world to punnishe in an other worlde will more aboundantly augmente their tourmentes euerlastyng And all these thinges shall nede no greate exposition so that we marke dilligently what thinges haue ben done a fewe ages past and what be done also at this daye And al these thinges apperteyne to the consolation and comforte of Sainctes The prophecie shal be oft restored which semed extinguisshed First that the free preachyng of Gods word agaynst Antichrist shal be restored whiche semed to him selfe to haue ouercomen and oppressed all prophecie he declareth by these wordes and after three dayes and an halfe the spirite of life from God entred into them He signifieth by that nombre of dayes as I tolde you before a very shorte time as though he shoulde saye they shall not longe in ioye their false and blouddy pleasures For God shal reyse vp other Prophetes in the place of those that are dead And he speaketh as though God should reyse vp the selfe same prophetes whiche Antichrist had slayne and that he would obiecte them agayne to the wicked in their owne bodies Howbeit they shal be reised agayne in their bodies at the laste daye but nowe shall other preachers succede in the place of those that reste vnto whom God shall geue that spirite of his which he had geuen to the others that are dead Therefore he calleth this the spirite of life for as much as those which were slaine for the same doctrine seme as it were to haue liued agayne Verely for lickenes of doctrine Iohn Baptiste Helias and the prophet Ieremie semed to haue ben reuiued in Christ as is red in the .14 and .16 of Matth. And here is expressely saied that the same spirite did not procede of the Deuill or of men as it is sayed at this daye of many but of God For he with his spirite which is one inspireth his ministers and directeth the same by his worde that the latter wholy aunswer to the fourmer in doctrine and seuere rebukyng of sinnes c. For the liuely effecte of that spirite followeth and they stode vpon their fete that is to saye they liued againe Their doctrine semed ouerthrowen and troden vnder fote but Gods worde standeth agayne vpon his fete and runneth moste swiftely We saye in Dutche of suche as be restored to expounde the effecte that same also appertayneth that the Antichristians seyng other preachers succede in the roume of thē that were slaine beyng stricken with feare knowe not whether to tourne them By the waye therefore is signified that the course of the worde shall be fortunate and the whiche these menne can not stoppe by any meanes howe so euer they rage and murther All these thinges shall be better vnderstande by the Histories of later times and of suche thinges as are done yet at this daye And to the intente that omittyng the eldeste thinges I maye touche those of latter time the Bisshoppes of Rome had thought they had wonne the fielde in the counsell of Constaunce when they had burned Iohn Husse and Hierome of Prage but within a shorte time after many godly and wel learned men sprange vp in Boheme and in other cuntries in whom those slayne appered to haue takē againe the spirite of life In Italy Laurence Valla taught to his greate prayse and also Hieronimus Sauanorela c. In Germany taught many godly men as in Fraunce also in Englande and other nations Thirtie yeres paste through the grace of God was brought a light into the world by Mirandula Reuchline Erasmus Luther Zwinglius Oecolāpadius Melanchthon and innumerable others in whom the spirite of life vttering it selfe after euery mans talente set forth the Scriptures detected the Romisshe wickednes and rebuked the vices of all states but especially of the clergie The Romish are affrayde of this spirite and fill the eares of themperour kinges with complainctes and accusations crie out that we should all with our bokes be distroyed burned Howebeit the power of God neuerthelesse maketh the prophetes to stāde on their fete and their preachyng to runne a pase howe so euer these rage in their furie persecute gods veritie preached through out the whole world To God be the prayse and glory In this cōsolatiō are mixed also rewardes prepared for the faithful ministers Great rewardes prepared for the godly ministers whō the Antichristians slaiyng do first excōmunicate that they maye sende them as it were boūden might as it were addicte thē to Deuils of thē to be tourmented with euerlastyng punnishmentes And hitherto haue all preachers bē thought which haue spokē agaynst the church of Rome haue suffered therfore at the Popes hāde to haue perisshed both body and soule their bodies I saye consumed with fire and their soules throwē downe into hell For they were condemned as heretikes and enemies of God and the church and euen as the plagues of mankinde so taken
as they haue liued which liue no more But with the Grekes it is otherwise at the leeste wise in these wordes To our iudge most iuste most mightie and most rightuouse be prayse and glory for euer and euer Amen ¶ The thankes geuyng of the Elders is expounded the Temple is opened in heauen the arcke appereth and there were made lightenynges c. The .li. Sermon ANd the heythen were angrie and thy wrath is come and the time of the dead that they shoulde be iudged that thou shouldest geue rewarde vnto thy seruauntes the Prophetes and Sainctes and to them that feare thy name smal and great and shouldest distroye them which distroye the Earth And the Temple of God was opened in Heauen and there was sene in his tēple the Arche of his Testament there followed lightnings and voices and thonderinges earthquake and a great hayle I shewed you Of the last iudgemēt howe the Elders did so geue thankes vnto God for their saluation that withall they extolled Gods rightuousenes and excellēt veritie which he sheweth in his iudgement most rightuouse wherein he rewardeth the godly with iust rewardes and plageth the wicked with deserued punnishmentes And vnder this figure of speache they teach vs that both the iudgemēt shall assuredly come and that the same in al thinges shal be most holy and iuste Would God they would dilligently consider these thinges with thēselues which iudge them to talke of tryfles that make mention of that horryble and most dreadfull day of iudgement For we loke for thinges more terrible than any toung beit neuer so eloquent is able to expresse The tyme of wrath is come He rehearseth the wrath or tyranny of infidelles againste the faythfull cruelly and continually executed and so verely that God semed to many to be a blocke and nother coulde nor wolde be angrie But the iudgement ones made the elders extoll Gods veritie and say the wrath is come Doubtles the holy Prophetes of God haue alwayes threatned punishmentes testifieng that God is angrie both with the sinners and with sinnes but where the wrath of god appeared not immediately the Prophets appeared to feare men with vayne terrours and as it were make them affrayde of their shadowes but now say the elders the veritie hath appeared and the wrath of God is come And the wrath of God sheweth it selfe in the iuste vengeaunce of God The tyme of the dead is come Moreouer they extoll in that also the veritie and iustice of God for that the tyme of the dead is commen that they be iudged Hitherto whylest the worlde florished they semed to tel fables and grandames tales which spake of the resurrection of the dead and the lyfe to come For the resurrection of the dead was contemned of Philosophers and men of this worlde But the elders reioyce also that the same tyme is come and that the dead are reuiued that is that the bodies of the dead are rysen agayne and cummen to iudgement Whereof the Apostle speakynge we muste all sayth he appeare openly before the iudgement seate of God that euery one may receiue such things as are done by the body according as it hath done whether it be good or euyll .2 Corrinthi the .5 chapter God in the iudgement wel requyre the hyre Furthermore they moste highly commend Gods iustice and veritie when also they declare exactely howe God by his iust iudgement rendresh to euery one that is his He declareth therfore what he rewardeth whome he rewardeth First he payeth wages or hyre For rewarde is promysed of God vnto good workes For in the .13 of Ieremy the Lorde saith refrayne thy voice from weping for there is a reward for thy worke And the Lorde sayth also in the gospel be glad reioice for your reward is great in heauē And agayne the sonne of manne shal come in the glory of his father with his Angelles and than shall he render to euery one after his doinges So the Apostle sayed that euery one muste ryse in his owne body that euery one may receiue such thinges as are done by the body whether it be good or euill Whylest this world florisheth and the wicked reioice in their voluptuousnes and the godly are afflicted and afflicte themselues with continuall mortifieng the flessh iudgeth that these lose both labour and cost but the other to be very happie Which thing is also declared in the third fourth chapt of Malachie But at the laste iudgement it shall finally appeare that the godly haue not laboured in vaine nother that the wicked haue contemned God vnpunished and dispysed godlines For God rewardeth euery one after the qualitie of his worke the which he calleth wages Neuerthelesse the godly abuse not in the meane time this sayeng acknowledgeing it to be of fre mercie that they haue beleued and wroughte with good fayth that good worke of theirs therfore to be accepted of God because they be in Christ Whereof I haue written in the .3 boke the .10 chapt Of the grace of God iustifieng shewing that of reward desert cannot be proued Secondly thei declare to whome he geueth reward To whome rewarde is geuen I say to two sortes of men to good I mean euil Againe he raccompteth many kyndes of good men First he calleth these the seruaūts of god as thei that be subiecte to the empyre of god alone and obey him in al things By and by he nameth thē prophets techers of churches Of whose state mo things ar spoken in the .11 chap. These some to be more vnfortunate than any others in this world and ar accompted of many as great offēders which being taken out of that way all clearenes shuld seme to come againe Therfore be thei iustlie raccompted in the rigister of them which receiue a reward of the lord to wit in recōpence of their trauell Now into this accompte come also the saints that is to sai al godly which being sanctified through fayth with the spirit bloud of god haue lyued an holy life keping thēselues from al worldly pollutiō Moreouer in the godly reward nōbre of holy saincts are reckened such as fear the name of the lord that is thei that be very holy and religiouse in dede Finally leeste any man should thinke any of the faithfull excluded he addeth to small and greate that is to saye vnto men of al ages state and sexe c. The lorde distroyeth thē whiche distroyed the Earth After he cometh to the euill and addeth and shouldest distroy them that distroyed the earth These thinges seme borrowed of the prophetes with whom is much mention of the distroyers of the earth whom the lord should distroye at the length And vnder the name of distroyers S. Iohn vnderstandeth first Tirauntes Kinges and Princes that be persecutours of the church Also menne of warre and souldiours whiche by vniuste warres distroye all thinges with sworde and fire Secondely he vnderstandeth vniuste
iudges moreouer oppressours of the poore which afflicte widowes and the fatherles more ouer whiche in vsurie thefte disceiptefulnes extorsion and euill meanes are hurteful to all men and by their vnsatiable couetousenes brede a darth of al thinges Finally which by whoredome and aduoutrie defile breake holy matrimony Laste heretikes distroye the earth suche as infecte men with corrupte doctrine that dwell vpon the Earth into the which numbre come also seditiouse persons and traitours and other wicked men Perdition is not to abolish These shall the Lord distroye with euerlastyng perdition wherby they cease not to be that perish but become muche more miserable whilest they are vexed with tourmeÌ„tes that neuer shall haue ende Vnthriftes and prodigall persons are sayed to be loste yet in perisshyng thus they cease not to be but procede dayly to be more miserable which is perdition it selfe God openeth Heauen to his that they loke vp to him Furthermore S. Iohn doubteth this doctrine of the reâ—arde of the godly that whiche before he treated vnder the fourme of a thankeful prayse and a ioyouse triumphyng he propoundeth now consequeÌ„tly the same as it were to be sene with the eyes by a vision celestiall And gallauntly he endeth this vision with the opening of the Temple which he began with the opening of Heauen For the louing lorde openeth to his seruauntes heauen it selfe to be sene of the eyes of our minde to the ende we should no where doubte of the glory prepared for vs in Heauen nother should saie who hath sene those celestiall thinges that are promised vs For like as the blessed fathers the Prophetes and Apostles haue had very many visions of this sorte effectuall trewe and godly So maye euery one of vs with the eyes of our minde through trewe fayth loke into Heauen it selfe I knowe well that the worldely men passe nothing vpon such visions as of whom the Lord in the Gospell hath sayed the world can not receiue the spirite of trueth for that he seeth him not nother knoweth him Let not vs care for their contempt Let vs see therfore The temple of god open in heauen what is prepared for the seruauntes of God in an other worlde Firste S. Iohn sawe heauen open now in heauen it self he seeth also the very temple of god open to witte to all the godly By the Temple of God he vnderstandeth the secretes of God the inwarde priuie partes of Heauen whereinto he will receyue to the fruition of him selfe al beleuers But in that diuine temple of heaueÌ„ was sene the Arche of his Testamente Arcke in the Temple For God made a conuenaunte or leage with the faythful that he would be theyr God their fulnes and a most pleÌ„tiful Sea of al goodnes a most aboundaunt and moste sufficient plentie of all thinges The confirmation testimony and declaration wherof is the Arke of coÌ„uenaunte the very sonne of God in whome dwelleth all fulnes of deitie and in whom we be made perfit For he is the Arke in whom are layde vp al celestial treasours ful of grace and veritie This Arke of good thinges and of eternal felicitie appereth in heaueÌ„ For the sonne of God is in the throne of God The liberall and bountiful father celestial wil powre out this Arke vpon his children graunting to them through Christ his only sonne all heauenly giftes that we mighte be partakers of al Christes benefites euen to the deitie wherin he excelleth his bretherne Hereby it appereth howe Moses prepared the Arke after the example of the same whiche he sawe in Heauen and the figure whereof was the Arke of the conuenaunt c. Otherwise we shal heare in the .21 chapt of this boke that there is no temple in heauen c. These moste beautiful thinges to be sene and moste pleasaunt to be hearde the sonne of God hath set forth to be sene and hearde of vs. Consequently he addeth that punnishementes are prepared for the wicked and expouÌ„deth the same also diuersely and propouÌ„deth the same to be sene Hitherto were made in the worlde lighteninges And lightninges were made voices and thonderinges c. The holy ghost shining to the world and drawing through the doctrine of the veritie mouing and fearing but the madde worlde would not vnderstande no nor so muche as heare the maner and waye of saluatioÌ„ therfore the diuine iustice requireth that they should be talked with all in an other langage and therefore by the iuste iudgemente of God are made now lightenings c. And by this heape of wordes he signifieth the horrible punnishement that God will take of the wicked And he appereth to haue alluded to the burnyng of Sodome also to the wordes of the godly Prophet it shall raygne vpon sinners snares of fyre brimestone and spirite of tempeste in the .11 Psalm Therefore is this vision concluded as the story of S. Matthewes Gospell and these shall goe into euerlastyng punnishement and the iuste into life euerlastyng We haue in these eight laste chapters the thirde parte of this boke and an notable abridgement of the Ecclesiasticall storie froÌ„ the time of S. Iohn vnto the worldes ende wherwith we are instructed in the trewe fayth and are admonisshed of all perilles and traysons whereby the trewe fayth is assailed to the intent that beyng watcheful we maye beware of all corruption and craftie seducing and may be made safe To God be praise and glory ¶ The description of the churche and of the red Dragon fighting agaynst the Church The .lij. Sermon ANd there appered a great tokeÌ„ in Heauen a woman clothed with the sunne and the Moone vnder her fete vpoÌ„ her head a crowne of .xii. starres And she was with childe and cried trauailing in birth payned ready to be deliuered And there appered an other token in heaueÌ„ and beholde a great red Dragon hauing seueÌ„ heades .x. hornes and seuen crownes vpon his heades and his tayle drewe the thirde parte of starres of heauen cast them to the Earth And the dragon stode before the woman which was ready to be deliuered for to deuoure her childe as sone as it were borne And she brought forth a maÌ„childe which should rule all nations with a rodde of yron hyr sonne was taken vp vnto God and to his seate And the woman fled into wildernes where she had a place prepared of God that they shoulde fede her there a thousande two hondreth and .lx. dayes The fourth parte of this boke exhibiteth to vs the thirde vision which others that diuide the seconde into two The order dispositioÌ„ of thinges of this boke make the fourth The lord hath often times and much made mention in the seconde vision of the persecution and fight of the faythfull with Antichrist and wicked enemies of God especially in the .6.9 and .11 chapters He procedeth therefore nowe in the thirde vision and that aboundantly to discourse of the same conflicte and
to sette forth the thyng it selfe as it were to be sene with the eyes The argumente of the 12.13.14 chapt in the three chapt next followyng the .12.13.14 He repeteth all thinges more depely and describeth liuely dilligently the partes of this conflicte and after also the fight it selfe Therfore after the church ones described which abideth the brunte of this warre he describeth also the Dragon that moueth the warre he declareth howe busily he watcheth againe leeste any man should be discouraged he addeth howe vnluckely not withstanding he fighteth Christ verely ouercoming him finally god impeching defeating his enterprises and yelding him vanquished to the faithfull Nowe he decribeth the chiefe instrumentes whiche Sathan vseth in assaultyng and persecutyng the church to witte the olde and newe Romane Empire and herein filthie Papistrie wherin Antichrist is also liuely paynted By and by not withstanding he annexeth to these vnlucky thinges for the consolation and comfort of the godly that the lambe standeth neuerthelesse on Mounte Sion a conquerour hauyng his churche with him howe so euer this worlde rageth and be neuer so madde and cruell that the gospel is preached in dispite of Antichrist and al men warned to beware of Antichrist where also he beginneth to reason of the iudgement of God agaynst the wicked that he mighte prepare him awaye to those thynges whiche he will speake in the .5 parte touchyng the paynes or punnisshmentes of the Antichristians which treatise he beginneth in the .15 Hitherto therfore he treateth of the fighte or conflicte of the churche and of the wicked namely of Antichrist all the whiche the father of all murther and of al iniquitie the Deuil inspireth These things are taken out of the .iij. chapt of Genes Therefore like as this whole boke is taken out of the scriptures and expoundeth excedingly well the olde scriptures so these thinges also whiche are by and by in the beginnyng rehersed seme to be taken out of the .3 chapt of Gene. Where the lorde sayeth I wil put emnetie betwixte thee meanyng the Serpente and the womā betwixt thy sede and her sede her seade shal breake thy heade and thou shalt bite his heele For you shall reade in the ende also of this chapt And the Dragon was angry with the womā and went his way that he might make warre with the residewe of her sede And he describeth aboue al things the partes of this conflicte A tokē appered in Heauen her which was assayled by warre and the whiche moued the warre to witte the churche and the Dragon And he sayeth how a token of these thinges appered in heauen For he would not only saye or wryte but also set them forth to be sene of the eyes and in maner to paincte to the intente all thinges more playnely might be sene And where he sayeth those tokens were great he admonisheth that thei were and be thinges of moste weight and matters of greatest importaunce The woman the churche Firste he describeth the church of God of all times vnder the tipe or figure of the woman Nother is it a straunge or rare thing sins at the first beginninges of thinges the womā beganne to represent the tipe of Christes spowse the church as is to be sene in the .2 of Genes And so hath the Apostle expoūded the tipe in the .5 chapt to the Ephes That I nede not nowe to recite that Esaye hath oftener than ones vnder the tipe of a woman figured the churche of God reioyce thou barren sayeth he which bryng forth no children c. Finally that S. Paule to the Galath 4. chapt hath set forth Sara a figure of the church whiche Salomon also in his canticles discoursed at length in describyng of his spowse The churche than is that woman coupled with Christ her spowse in true fayth and continual loue After he applieth certen thinges seuerally to the Virgin Marie vnto whom not withstanding the thinges that go before and followe after doe not altogether agree whiche thing bothe Methodius and Primasius doe shewe and other expositours also with great accorde This woman is clothed with the sunne The womā is clothed with the sunne The scripture calleth Christ the sunne of rightuousenes and lighte of life S. Paule commaundeth the churche to put on Christ He therfore is the light the life and rightuousenes of the churche by Christe is couered the nakednes of the church Christe is the ornament and beaultie of the church through him it shineth in the world The Moone is subiect to alterations is variable the moone vnder her fete and receyueth sondry colours she increaseth and decreaseth and although it shine yet appereth it alwayes ful of spottes and borroweth her light of the Sunne Therefore all courses and alterations of times and what so euer is mutable and corruptible in this world al affectiōs also infirmities the church treadeth vnder her fete all the light that she hath she hath it of Christ the light of her rightuousenes increaseth decreaseth finally she gathereth alwayes some spottes of the nature of flesh which she can not leaue but by death Therefore she shineth in dede howebeit the church feleth some obscurenes as the Lorde hath sayed also euery braunche bearyng fruicte he pourgeth that he maye bryng forth more fruicte And he that is wasshed is al cleane and nedeth no more but to wasshe his fete Furthermore a crowne is the honour of the head A crowne of twelue starres signe of a kingedome Christ is the beautie comelines and king of the church In this crowne are no precious stones but starres For in Christ are and beaultifie and lighten the church the Patriarkes Prophetes the twelue Apostles whiche haue light of the crowne and powre out the same into the church Hereby therefore is signified the doctrine of the ministers as in the first chapt of this boke Nother is the shinyng ministerie the smallest portion emōges the most excellēt things of the church A woman with childe nere her trauell Moreouer that woman hath in her bealy which in a certen phrase of speache is as much to saye as that woman was with childe and had not only a great bealy as we saye but after the maner of women trauelyng cried out and labouryng was full of payne that she might be deliuered Whiche properly apperteyneth not to the virgin Marie but to the churche For the primitiue churche of that first promesse of the blessed sede conceaued in her minde an hope moste assured that at the length the sonne of God should be borne of a virgin to witte the sede promised whiche should breake the Serpentes head Therefore did the church with an ernest desire and with moste feruente prayers couet and wisshe that Christ might ones be ingendred in and by the excellent mēbre of the same the holy virgin Moreouer Christ is begotten in his faithfull when through his vertue they be regenerated For S. Paule my little Children
heauen or whether they be holden with a slepe and loke for the resurrectiō of the bodies to the intent they might than awake and together with their bodies enter into heauen vnto all the which things the celestial oracle aunsweryng forth with sayeth he that is by by cometh vnto soules that same felicitie In the latin copies this place is poincted thus blessed are th◠dead which dye in the lorde Forthwith nowe sayeth the spirite that they maye reste from their labours In like maner readeth the Spanish or Complutēsian copie But Aretas and the Greke copies and also the exampler of Paris is thus poincted that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should be the ende of the sentence as Erasmus noteth After followeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is yee verely certēly sayeth the spirite The sense is therfore that the faithfull beyng dead shal streight wayes immediately atchieue saluation For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which word S. Iohn vseth signifieth from the very instaunt from that houre immediately incōtinētly This suffereth no space betwixte but expresseth that which we are wonte to note by the dutch phrase beyng admonisshed therfore by a diuine oracle and confirmed by a writte brought from heauen let vs al be assured that the soules of al faithfull do flitte from the bodily death into life euerlasting These thinges are confirmed and made playne also by other places of Scriptures innumerable I wil chouse out only a certen fewe and those also the testimonies of our sauiour whiche is the light of the worlde and the worde of life In the .3 chapter of S. Iohn he sayeth expressely that the faythfull are so deliuered frō death by his crosse as in times paste by the sight of the brasen Serpent the Israelites were deliuered from the deadly sting of venemouse poison And playne it is that they were deliuered incontinently and most fully In the .5 of Iohn the same sayeth he hath passed from death to life Let this place be waied dilligently and it shal appere the same alone to satisfie in this matter In the .6 of Iohn he sayeth openly and I will reyse him in the laste daye But he reyseth not the bodies only at the laste iudgemente but in euery mans laste daye that is in the death of euery one he preserueth the soules that they should not perish or be tormented c. We haue in the gospel examples moste clere to witte of Lazarus the beggar which was by and by after his death caried vp of thaungelles into the bosome of Abraham and of the thiefe whiche hearde of the lord this daye shalt thou be with me in Paradise and of Stephen saiyng Lord Iesus receyue my spirite but especially of our Sauiour saiyng on the crosse father into thy handes I commende my spirite c. By these are quite ouerthrowen what thinges so euer the monkisshe and Antichristiane doctrine hath buylded of purgatory of trētalles and of the miserable state of soules in an other world Whereof they made a moste shamefull gayne They are also confuted which beleue that soules be mortall moreouer that soules slepe in another world Where they cā not so muche as here in this infirmitie slepe Therefore you wil saie it is madnes to thinke that soules slepe beyng quitte of the burthen of the body But cōcernyng the maner of the blessednes of Sainctes they reste from their labours Blessednes reste frō al labours Saluation therfore is a moste ioyeful tranquillitie Awaye go at ones diseases sickenesses griefes affections sorrowe famine thirste colde briefly all thinges that vexe or trouble men Rest and tranquillitie ioye and blesse come in place And sins the dead reste from theyr labours who can beleue that they be vexed with tormentes but leeste any man should neuer so little doubte herof he annereth a confirmation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yee or certenly verely sayeth the spirite the dead shal be quiet from al their griefes Let no mā therfore doubte Theyr workes follow them And he addeth an other thing that the workes of sainctes followe thē that is to saie after that the sainctes be departed hence than are they rewarded in another world if they haue done any thing wel if they haue suffered harde thinges For there is a rewarde prepared for vertues The which the sainctes do hope for and receyue without boasting of their owne deserte and not in contēpte of the merite of Christ For they acknoweledge that God in his sainctes crowneth his owne giftes And this is spoken of the rewarde of workes for the consolatiō of them which suffer many things in this world So sayed the lord in the Gospell your rewarde is plentifull in heauen And the Apostle affirmeth euery where that rewardes are prepared for them that are crucified here with Christ And here let vs marke dilligently that these thinges are spoken also of the spirite of Christe vnder the religion of an othe For the worlde dispiseth religiouse persones suche as suffer for religiō and obiecteth that they lose their labour and coste Cōtrarywise the spirite by an othe auoucheth that rewarde is prepared for vertue Followe them Lette vs marke also this that is sayed theyr workes and not other mens also followe them and are not by others sent after them Let no man therefore disceaue him selfe let no man thinke that after his death there should be sente to him into purgatory by soule priestes a fardell of other mens merites Those are not good workes which ar done by priestes freres besides and against Gods worde but prouocations of Gods wrath And be they not in the gospel shut out of the kingdome of God which runne to others to bye them oyle The Scripture in an other place Lette vs doe good whilest we haue time the time wil come that no man can worke Let vs watch therfore and of faith do good workes in dede ¶ The Iudgement of the Lorde is described vnder the paraboles of haruest and vintage The .lxvi. Sermon ANd I loked and beholde a white clowde and vpon the clowde one sittyng like vnto the Sonne of man hauing on his head a golden crowne and in his hande a sharpe sickle And an other Aungell came out of the Temple criyng with a lowde voyce to him that sat on the clowde Thruste in the sickle and reape for the corne of the Earth is ripe And he that sate on the clowde thruste in his sickle on the Earth and the Earth was reaped And an other Aungell came out of the Temple whiche is in Heauen hauyng also a sharpe sickle And an other Angell came out from the Aultar whiche had power ouer fire and cried with a lowde voyce vnto him that had the sharpe sickle and sayde thruste in thy sharpe sickle and gather the clusters of the Earth for hyr grapes are rype And the Angell thruste in his sickle on the earth and cutte downe the grapes of the vineyarde of the Earth and caste them into the greate wine fatte of the
wrath of God and the wine fat was troden without the citie And the bloud came out of the fatte euē vnto the horse bridelles by the space of a thousande and sixe hondreth furlonges The vengeaunce of god agaīst the Antichristians Now goeth he to the description of gods iudgement especially agaynst the Antichristians and agaynst al the vngodly This parte might be ioyned with the matter followyng and chapters followyng as that which is of the same argument And it apperteyneth to the consolation and confirmation of the faithfull persecuted of Antichrist There be that thinke how there shal neuer be any iudgement Howe so euer therefore thei oppresse their neighbours they thinke neuer to fele any displeasure of that matter Moreouer the faythfull are tēpted also whilest they see the wicked florish and thēselues to wither dayly Therefore they thinke also that the lorde carieth ouerlong Ye more they expostulate with the lorde and saye whā shal there be an ende of iniuries if Christ wil come to iudgement whie doeth he differ it so longe and to so great molestyng of his The lord therefore sheweth nowe that the iudgement shal certenly be and shall be than what time all thinges shal be ripe to witte whē the iniquities of the Amorrheans shall be complete and the measure of iniquitie filled When wicked menne therefore are waxed ripe the Lord will come to iudge In the meane time we muste abide in cōstancie and patience As husbande men tary for haruest and vintage If any through impatiencie reuolte he is not allowed of the Lorde as the Apostle alledgeth out of the Prophete in the .10 chapt to the Hebrewes And as we maye haue a desire and a longyng after haruest and vintage so maye we not expostulate with God because he tarieth longer thā our wishe is likewise we ought not to contende with the same whie he cometh so late vnto iudgement And like as haruest and vintage are certenly loked for and come so without all doubte God will punnish the wicked and saue the godly And these are verely as it were tastes of all that followe plentifully and are more expressely declared and are annexed to the fourmer matters for that they apperteyne to the consolation of the godly And to the intent al thinges might be more manifeste by parables brought in be setteth forth al thinges to be sene before our eyes And he vseth in dede two parables borrowed out of the Prophetes and doctrine of the Gospell For the prophetes ful oft do figure the iudgemēt of God by haruest and vintage Certes in the .3 of Ioel the lorde sayeth I will sitte in the vale of Iosaphat to iudge al natiōs Thruste in the sickle for haruest is ripe c. And it is also most knowē what is red touchyng the same matter in the story of the Gospell We muste therefore wryte out these thinges more inwardely into our hartes and feare God and abide his redemption in patience First is treated the parable of haruest than the parable of vintage Haruest bothe two shewe that the Lord wil be iudge and that in his moste dewe time agaynste all those whiche eyther thinke there shall be no iudgemente or expostulate with the Lorde that he commeth so slowely and late c. And firste in dede is described the owner of the haruest the Lord him selfe and iudge Iesus Christ He is sayde to be like vnto the sonne of manne not for that he is not now the very sonne of man and for that he shall not come vnto iudgement in the very humane nature whiche he hath ones taken of vs and neuer put it of for he is verely the sonne of manne The description of the Iudge Iesus christ and remayneth on the right hande of the father and shall verely come in the humane nature to iudge the quicke and the dead but he semeth to haue alluded to Daniel to haue expressed his phrase of speach saiyng I loked in the mightly vision and lo there came one in the clowdes as it were the sonne of manne c. Where we reade also the description of the iudgemente agaynst the beaste And therefore he hath here made mention also of a clowde and I sawe a white clowde and one sitting on the clowde c. Moreouer the Aungelles in the actes saie so he shal come as ye haue sene him goe vp into heauen And they sawe him taken vp and a clowde to receyue him and conueye hym out of theyr sight Therefore shall he come agayne in a clowde vnto iudgement We reade oftentimes in the Psalmes that God sitteth on a white clowde By the waye therefore is signified the deitie of the iudge Therefore is this iudge very God and very manne the Sauiour of the faythful the reuenger and iudge of the infideles We are sent therefore by S. Iohn to the .7 chapt of Daniel A golden crowne on his head Then he weareth a Golden crowne on his head not that there is any corruptible golde in Heauen but for corruptible men so he speaketh that they maye vnderstande their iudge to be the hygh kynge and maye gather thereof that no man is able to resiste the power of this kyng For otherwise our Lord hath no nede of any corruptible golde A sharpe sickle Finally our lord here hath a sickle and that right sharpe Wherby is signified his iudgement excedyng strayte and distruction of the wicked In the .3 of Matth. The iudgemente of the Lord is cōpared to a fanne of blessed Iohn He addeth that the axe is layde at the roote of the tree wherby he signified that certaine iudgement was at hande or rather destruction Corne ripe to the sickle Now followeth an expositiō of the proceding of the iudgement he perseuereth in the parable For he speaketh as if a seruaunt retournyng home out of the feldes did shewe vnto his Maister whiche loked for the houre of haruest that the Corne was now ripe the hardenes of the grayne is a token of rypenes and that it is time to be reaped For els it is no nede to admonish him that knoweth al thing of any thing that he remēbreth not much lesse of the howre of iudgemēt which none of thaungels knoweth but the father alone Therefore we ascribe this wholy to the parable and we vnderstād that a certen houre of iudgemente is appoincted whiche when it shal come the godly with out delaye shall be deliuered the vngodly condemned An other Angel sayeth he came forth For before we hearde how diuerse came forth This crieth with a lowde voice as one that wil tel of a matter most greate and certayne to be declared in the church with excedyng great out cries to the cōforte of the faithfull which ought nothing to doubt of the iudgemēt to the terrour of the wicked which seme to contēne the same And this criyng angel cometh out of the tēple For we hearde before that S. Iohn sawe a temple
fulfilled For on those laste and most corrupte ages the Lorde wil powre out his plague and that the plagues of his iuste wrath and shall powre them out most fully to the ende and shall execute his ful wrath against the vngodly for euermore Yet now he suspendeth a while that narration begonne of the Angelles masters of the plagues The ioyes triūphes of the godly and placeth or sendeth before the greate ioyes of the blessed Martirs triumphes songe of praise reioycynge and thankes geuynge And this Ioye is interlased here in the treatise of punnishementes for the consolation of the faithful that they should knowe themselues deliuered from punnishmentes And if it fortune whilest the wicked are punnisshed that any displeasure touch thē also as it can not be chosen but the wicked beyng plaged some discōmoditie must also arrise vnto the faithful that thei maye vnderstande yet that the daungers of the discōmodities must with the excellent aboūdaunce of ioyes be recompensed For hereby is signified how the godly reioyce whilest the lord executeth his iustice To be also the chaungeable course of thinges that those that haue ones wepte in the world should now be glad and ioyefull accordyng to the saiyng of our sauiour in the .16 of Iohn Morouer it behoued by the testimony of all Sainctes to be declared to the Sainctes that dwell in Earth that the iudgementes of God be rightouse and true whiche thing vnderstande questions and sondry mutininges agaynst God do cease First he seeth them which ouercame Antichrist and haue had nothing to doe with him as we saye in dutch for this I suppose be signified by that plentiful rehersal of certen membres the declaration wherof is setforth before in heauen not in some dortour or no where as some men gather He sawe I saye in heauen the blessed soules stande vpon a glassy See A glassy See mixed with fire mixed with fire And in an other place I haue tolde you that the See figureth the worlde by reason of the rage and vnstablenes therof Certenly Daniel so taketh in the .7 chapt And it is called glassy because of the frailetie and bricklenes For worldely thinges shine but they are soone broken Whereupon it is sayed that wordely things are as brickel as glasse whiche whilest they shine breake And not with out cause is fire mixed with worldely thinges For the Sainctes whilest they be conuersaunt in Earth fele alwayes in a maner the fire of affliction Whereof spake S. Peter 1. Pet. 4. And they stande vpon a glassy See mingled with fire For cōquerours treade vpon the worlde and vpon al the tourmentes mockeries of the world as triūphyng ouer all worldely thinges The Prophet in the .66 Psalm bringeth in the Sainctes singyng a ioyeful songe vnto God and emonges other things saiyng thou hast brought vs into snares thou hast layde tribulations vpon our backe thou haste set men in our neckes We haue passed through fire and water thou hast brought vs out into a place of reliefe Therefore do there followe alterations in an other world Wherfore Aretas expoūdyng this place the glassy See sayeth he semeth to intimace nothyng els than by the Sea verely the multitude and by the glasse the brightnes by fire the puretie of them which are worthie that blessed life And certenly the same wordes in diuerse respectes maye signifie diuerse thinges and make the sense agreable Hitherto we haue hearde that the sainctes are in heauen where they triumphe ouer the world vanquisshed but nowe we shal heare more clerely what they do in heauen and how they singe vnto the lord a songe of thankes prayses which fully agreeth with the Psalm 66. The harps of God And he attributeth to the blessed martirs harpes as he did to the Elders These he calleth of God as you would saye diuine and celestiall mete to set forth the prayses of God For a celestial Iubeley is signified whereof is spoken in the .5 chapt He addeth moreouer to expresse the musicke and they singe And declareth also the maner of their singyng The songe of Moses the lābe the songe of Moses the seruaunt of God and the songe of the Lambe Therfore this songe of the Sainctes is reioycyng ditty triumphaunt and of thankes geuyng For like as in times paste Marie with the cōpany of virgins Israeliticall at the appoinctement of Moses sange a songe when the Israelites were deliuered out of the bondage of Aegypte and Pharao was drowned in the red Sea with his whole armie whereof you maye reade more in the 14. and .15 chapt of Exod. So the blessed soules in Heauen prayse God whiche hath deliuered them from Sathan Antichrist and the worlde And the songe of the Lābe is the christiane thankes geuing by the which the vertue of Christ and his redemption is praysed of the Sainctes For like as the olde fathers after the eatyng of the Paschalle lambe made a iubiley gaue God thankes So the blessed Sainctes nowe infraunchised with the full libertie of the children of God geue thankes vnto Christ theyr deliuerer Finally reciteth the order and fourme of their songe Kinge of Sainctes God is highly commended herein which is called the Lord God almightie Kynge of Sainctes as for whome the Sainctes warre by whome also they be gouerned and whiche defendeth mayneteyneth and kepeth the Sainctes And he is called holy in whome is no spotte no iniquitie And before all thinges they prayse his workes whiche they call greate and maruelouse These are manifest in Heauen and in Earth They declare the power wisedome iustice of God Therefore they inferre by and by that the wayes that is the considerations of God which he followeth in gouerning and doyng of thinges be trewe and iuste For he disceaueth not he doeth no man wronge Therfore God is iuste in punnishing the Antichristiās and deliueryng his For although he seme to neglecte his yet kepeth he fayth to the godly as a kynge that neuer neglecteth his Now they alledge what it becometh all men in the Earth to do also it is reoson that al men feare thee and glorifie thee in all thinges nother to accuse and murmure at thy iudgementes There is added an other reason for he alone is holy without sinne and with out spotte None of all the creatures hath this Although many gentiles nowe cōtemne God yet shal they ones come and worship shal knowe their owne filthines and the holines and rightuousenes of God For the iustice and iudgement of God whiche are not yet reuealed and therefore are contemned shal be ones reuealed that all the godly of al natiōs may attribute glory to the rightuouse God These thinges verely prepare also the reader and hearer to the treatise nowe followynge concernynge the iudgementes of God and pūnishmentes of the vngodly The lord open the eyes of our mindes that we maye see these thinges with fruicte plentifull ¶ The seuen Angelles are described coming forth to execute the seuen
plagues The .lxviij. Sermon ANd after that I loked beholde the Temple of the Tabernacle of testimony was open in Heauen and the seuen Angelles came out of the Temple whiche had the seuen plagues clothed on pure and bright linnen and hauynge their brestes gyrded with golden girdels And one of the foure beastes gaue vnto the seuen Aungelles seuen golden vialles ful of the wrath of God which liueth for euermore And the teÌ„ple was ful of smoke for the glory of God and for his power and no man was able to enter into the Temple till the seuen plagues of the seuen Angelles were fulfilled The fruictes of the treatise of Gods iudgementes He retourneth now to the description of the iudgementes of God from the which he had made a little digressioÌ„ This treatise hath much fruicte For the iudgementes of God be the punnishmentes or paynes of the wicked the testimonies of Gods rightuousenes and veritie Againe the godly are herwith confirmed in their hope For they see that one Iote doeth not fall from the wordes and threateninges of God although he be of longe suffering winketh at them long and euen semeth to fauour and to spare the vngodly The godly therefore perceyue that their hope is not vayne They learne also to feare God and to praye continually leeste beyng dronken with the pleasures and felicities of this world they reuolte froÌ„ God to vngodlines Finally the wicked are feared with paynes are prouoked to repetaunce which whilest they refuse they fele vndoubtedly plagues as Pharao felte The description of the seuen Aungelles But before the Angelles powre out the cuppes of plages receyued they are most gallauÌ„tly and dilligently described And is shewed from whence they came out that is what is the originall of the iudgementes of God They come out of the temple set open and that out of the temple of the Tabernacle of witnes which is in heaueÌ„ For Moses sawe a temple on the mounte and that also in heauen after the similitude whereof he was commaunded of God to make the tabernacle of witnes Therefore was the tabernacle of witnes facioned and builte after the shape exhibited and sene in heauen which the blessed Apostle to the Hebrewes calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to wit the very example or patron For it was sayed to Moses see that thou makest euery thinge accordyng to the Patron which was shewed thee on the Mounte Which thing Moses did accordingly But such thinges as came forth of the Tabernacle of witnes made in earth semed to the Israelites iuste and holy Herof were ared the oracles and aunswers of God which it was not lawefull to speake agaynst Therfore when we heare nowe that the very iudgementes of God agaynst the wicked world Thangels come forth of the teÌ„ple paynes and punnishmentes come out of the trewe temple it selfe the patron I meane and that celestial who should herafter doubte that al the iudgemeÌ„tes of God wherwith he plageth the vngodly be sacred holy And whilest the vngodly are plaged that we muste thinke nothing els but that a sentence as it were an oracle is comen or pronounced from heauen whiche it is vnlawefull to gayne saye to conclude the diuine iudgementes do procede out of the very trâ—ne of God wherefore they can not but be moste holy Otherwise we shal heare in the .21 chapt that there is no temple in heaueÌ„ These be therfore Tipes and figures not matters trewe and permanent but after they haue signified this for the which they were instituted passyng and fadyng awaye Hereunto also apperteyneth the apparell of Angelles Aungelles clothed in brighte white lineÌ„ that hereof â—oe maye also esteme the iudgementes of God They are sayed to be clothed in pure lynen or cleane and white or bright 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wherby is signified that the iudgementes of God are vnspotted and bright For we haue hearde that these thinges which S. Iohn sawe were signes Therfore we maye not Imagine carnal thinges in heauenly matters but spiritually to expounde suche thinges as in the signe seme to be as it were corporall The garment in this worlde is chaunged with the state of thinges For they vse white garmentes in victories and triumphes blacke at burialles and mourninges red in battel Here is signified therfore that the iudgementes of God are most pure that God ouercometh and triumpheth ouer the vngodly At the resurrection and ascention of our lord Angelles appered in white garmentes shyning bright to signifie the glory of Christ Now is the very breste girded with a girdel and that in dede with a golden girdell Golde is a token of purenes In the breste is the seate of affections The girdell byndeth moreouer prepareth for the iourney Therefore it betokeneth that the iudgementes of God are prepared and in a readines the same to waunt affections that is to saye not to be pronounced or done of enuie or mallice loue or fauour but to be iuste moderate and vpright One of the beastes geueth vials And one of the beastes gaue vnto the seuen Angels reuengers punnishers seuen bolles the same ful of gods wrath Now although God nedeth not the helpe of creatures nother receiueth any thing of them as wauÌ„ting any thing yet sins he made not his creatures in vaine doeth thinges in order al creatures doubtles for I sayed in the .4 chapt how by the beastes the vniuersalitie of creatures is signified bestowe their labour agaynst the wicked and what so euer they haue of God and they haue al thinges at his wil and coÌ„maundement they imploye willyngly and franckely to execute the iudgementes of God Thus fire fallyng from heauen vpon Sodome and the cities aboute it did minister the plage or cup of Gods wrath to the Aungel reuenger So the water ouerwhelmed Pharao and his hoste So the Earth opening swallowed vp the company of Chore Dathan and Abyron c. Thus the Armies of the gentiles imploye themselues to take punnishement of the vngodly The walles of Iericho fall the hayle distroyeth the Chananites Thus God without any difficultie punnisheth his enemies seyng al creatures are ready to ayde and assiste And the viall or cuppe is of golde For againe is signified the iustice equitie of Gods iudgementes And where God is called a reueÌ„ger liuyng for euer his eternitie and maiestie is signified whiche neuer the transitorie thinges of this worlde and humane infirmities shall ouercome In the sight of the liuyng God all the wicked shal fall and perish euerlastingly After this the Apostle seeth The temple ful of smoke the temple filled with smoke for the maiestie of God and for his power That smoke is a signe of Gods presence it appereth by many places of the Scripture but chiefly in the .8 chap. of the .3 boke of Kinges Than is it also a token of Gods wrath For Aretas smoke sayeth he is a tokeÌ„ of Gods wrath according as it is sayed smoke ascended in
harlot and for that cause was called an harlot Furthermore olde Rome had power to do these thinges She sâ—teth vpoÌ„ many watâ—rs for she sate vpon many waters that is had dominion rule ouer many people and sondry nations Ye alâ—o the kinges of the Earth haue coÌ„mitted whoredome with her whâ— lest they haue submitted themselues to the Romanes bonden themselues in leage The princes â—â—miâ—te whoredom and receyued of them superstitions and Idolatrie For the children of Israell were also sayed to haue committed whoredome wyth the Aegiptians for that they had ioyned amitie with them and were become fellowes in prophane religions And so newe Rome the Popes kingdome stretcheth farre and wide and the Kinges and Princes of the Earth committe whoredome with her Therefore doeth the worde of the Lorde calle it filthye whoredome whiche the Romisshe name an holy bonde and obedience There is added and they that dwell vpon Earth are made dronkeÌ„ For he signifieth that beyng infected with errours yea rather asotted cleane out of their wittes they haue ben madde in Idolatrie and yet rage in their superstitions like droÌ„kardes and can not for furie receaue the preaching of the gospel Touchyng this wine of fornication and whoredome and of that dronkennes I haue spoken in the .14 chap. And it is aptly spoken that dwellers vpoÌ„ Earth are made dronkeÌ„ not so much for that menne dwellyng vpon Earth are made dronken as for that earthly meÌ„ and choked with earthly desires shall become faithfull worshippers of the Romish See Thirdely he expoundeth the maner of the vision The maner of the vision thus I was caried awaye in sprete Wherfore with his body remayning in Patmos in spirite he sawe a womaÌ„ sittyng on a beast and distroyed with fire Such be many visioÌ„s and sightes in the prophetes And he noteth also the place wherein he sawe the beaste not in heauen nother in the temple or tabernacle or in a fruictful place The beast in the wildernesse but in the wildernesse Esaye calleth the gentiles and heythenes wildernesse And verely tholde Romanes and newe with their superstitions haue had no place in the church but are without the church God forbidde thaÌ„ that we should acknowledge the churche of Rome to be head of al faithful churches And at this daye many of them which are called most holy and most reuerent differ nothing from the gentiles their titles and hipocrisie only excepted Wherof is spoken before in the .11 chapt Fourthly and laste he exhibiteth this vision or tipe of olde and newe Rome and the ruine and destructioÌ„ of them both and with all describeth most dilligently the wickednes of eyther of them And first must the beaste be considered after the woman sittyng on the beaste The beaste representeth the figure of olde Rome the woman of the newe and of Poperie And the woman sitteth vpon the beast For the image of the beast hath succeded and hath placed her seate in olde Rome For Daniel also affirmeth that Antichrist shal pitche his seate or palace betwixte two Seas The beast is rose coloured to witte the Hadriatical Sea called commonly the goulfe of Venise and the Tyrrhene or Tuscane Sea And the beaste is rose coloured it is of a red and bright colour like Crimosine For Rome hath ben moste cruell and blouddy and swimmyng altogether in the bloud of al meÌ„ but especially of Christians How much bloud shed Marius Sylla Pompey Iulius and others after histories Plinie hath reported Rome hath with sworde fire distroyed the whole world The ten persecutions of Christians before the Empire of Constantine are most commonly knowen Howe the beaste was full of the names of blasphemie I shewed in the .13 chapt Rome abounded with chapelles and Idolles Dayly it blasphemed God Christe the gospell and rente the church a sonder Of the .7 heades and ten hornes is spoken also in the .13 chapt And certen thinges shall followe in this same chapter playne enough And thus muche hitherto of the olde beaste here followeth of the woman sittyng vpon the beast ¶ The same matter is yet still treated of and the vision is expounded The .lxxiiij. Sermon ANd the womaÌ„ was arayed in purple and rose colour decked with gold preciouse stone and pearles and had a cup of golde in her haÌ„d ful of abominations and filthinesse of hyr whoredome And in hyr forehead was a name written a misterie great Babilon the mother of whoredome and abominations of the Earth And I sawe the woman dronken with the bloud of Sainctes with the bloud of the witnesses of Iesu And when I sawe her I maruailed with a greate wonder And the Angel sayde vnto me wherefore maruailest thou I wil shewe thee the misterie of the woman and of the beaste that beareth her whiche hath seuen heades and ten hornes The beast that thou seest was and is not and shall ascende out of the botomlesse pitte and shal go into perditioÌ„ and they that dwel on the earth shal wonder whose names are not written in the booke of life from the beginnyng of the worlde when they beholde the beast that was and is not And here is a minde that hath wisedome He describeth excedingly well and liuely and setteth forth to be sene of the eyes of all men that same woman before named the great whore About th ende of the chapter he expouÌ„deth himselfe sayeth and the woman which thou sawest is the great citie The womaÌ„ is the greate citie lady of kinges great verely as she that beareth rule ouer the kinges of the Earth He meaneth therefore the very citie of Rome and euen the popish and Romish church and the pope himself with al his creatures and chapplaynes whiche make a great and strong citie rulyng ouer al kinges and princes of the Earth For who knoweth not that Rome the prelates of the church doe rule euen aboue magistrates and princes consider what is done in the courtes of kinges princes and by whose aduise and counselles the princes of the Earth are chiefly gouerned And in callyng papistrie a woman he alludeth to the .5 and .7 chapt of the Prouerbes of Salomon who also likeneth craftie disceiptful philosophie worldly wisedome to a faire woman full of sondry craftes and giles The apparell of the woman And now also he painteth out gallauntly and euideÌ„tly the apparell or clothing and very whorish behauiour of this woman She is furnisshed with no good qualities inwardely wherby she maye coÌ„mende her selfe to the world to her louers therfore she excelleth in outwarde deckyng of herselfe where she is inwardely full of all abominations for all the world like vnto the Phariseis and hipocrites whom the lord saieth are without liâ—e shinyng tumbes of marble but within replenisshed with all corruption and filthines and euen stinkyng And hereby is signified chiefly that the church of Rome and kingdome of Antichrist setteth forth it self altogether with worldly furniture to witte
that gaue them good counsell till the wrath of God was kindled and fell vpon them when they leest loked for it We see al tokens that are sayde shuld come before the daye of our Lord to be fulfilled Let vs watche therefore and these thinges on this wise coÌ„sidered let vs see and heare with great and dilligent attentiuenes what maner of iudge of al shal come and what that iudgement shal be of the godly most wished for to the vngodly horrible and with treÌ„bling to be feared Heauen open First S. Iohn in the vision seeth heauen open For by a vision to the ende all thinges might be more euident he not only telleth so great a matter but setteth it also before that eyes to beholde and that he sayeth he sayeth of the reuelation of Iesu Christ leest any should obiecte and saye arte not thou a madde fellowe to talke thus of matters vnknowen For what is he that knoweth who or what that iudge shal be or els what that iudgement shall be Therefore he telleth these thinges from the iudge Christe himselfe and by an heauenly reuelation For other places of the Scripture shewe that the Lord shal come in glory and Maiestie therefore with a great and most shining brightnes of light with fire and excedyng great clerenes For so it is sayde in the .24 .25 of S. Matth. in the .7 of Daniel And the .2 Thess 1. chapt Therefore by the openyng of heauen is signifsed that the whole world shal be lightned with glory and brightnes and that the same daye shal be most shining and clere Others vnderstande that the iudgement can not be fully perceyued but of the celestial reuelation Whiche as I confesse to be moste true so thinke I heare some greater matter to be signified The iudge commeth forth from iudgemeÌ„t Than followeth the description of the iudge as of a noble and stoute warriour consisting of many partes The godly vnderstande hereby that the kepar watcheman reuenger of the church slepeth not whom the wicked belie not to perceiue what wrong thei do to the godly nother to care for the superstitiouse Christians as they terme theÌ„ They see moreouer that they erre if they thinke Christ at any time ouer fauourable and to winke ouer long at the calamities of his seruauntes For now he commeth forth a iudge and reuenger There be many excellent descriptions of Christ in this boke as in any other but this is most elegaunt liuely whiche I haue accordyng to my smalle talent expounded by partes Thou shalt euer thinke of greater thinges til it shal be geuen to beholde them presently with our eyes Our iudge coÌ„meth on horsebacke that on a white horse He rideth on a white horse not that he nedeth the helpe of corruptible horses in heauen but thus he speaketh after the maner of men that we might imagine greater thinges CoÌ„querours ride on white horses Here is signified therfore that our iudge shal be a coÌ„querour a triumpher Others suppose by the white horse to be signified his most pure humanitie I vnderstand rather the white clowde For the same toke him vp from the eyes of his disciples what time he ascended into heaueÌ„ of mounte Oliuet In the same he shall come agayne to iudge And like as Kinges are caried on horses and charettes so the Psalmiste ascribeth to God clowdes as horses and charette 2. Our iudge is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 faitful true Faithful Faithful 〈◊〉 true to his faithful True in al his promesses towardes the godly vngodly They are disceaued shall see themselues to be disceaued at the iudgement so many as haue contemned the promesses threateningâ—s of God as vaine esteming thinges after the successe of this world iudge the wicked to be happy and fortunate and the godly to be wretched and miserable Hereof hath the Prophete Malachie reasoned in the .3 and .4 chapt And seyng the iudge is faythful true he iudgeth and fighteth in rightuousnes to witte geuyng euery man his owne rewardes to the good and punniâ—hmentes to the euill This kyng doeth not iudge and fight as the kinges of this world are wont followyng vanitie and corrupte affections And Christ is saide to fight when he rewardeth the vngodly after their demerites thapostle we must al sayeth he be manifest before the iudgement seate of Christe that euery man maye receiue such thinges as he hath done by his body according to that he hath wrought be it good or euill .2 Corinth 5. His eyes like a flame of fire 3. The eyes of the Iudge are like a flame of fire For as no man can escape or hide him from the iudge or iudgement as he searcheth the secretes of all nother can there be any thing hidde from his sight so are his eyes terrible and fearefull against the vngodly Psal 16. Rom. 2. The godly agayne are by the sight of the lord fulfilled with all pleasure ioye and gladnes Flamyng and firie eyes are attributed also to Christ in the first vision where you maye see more And the Scripture euery where testifieth that the iudge knoweth al thinges eueÌ„ the secrettes of hartes Thou doest folishly therfore whiche thinkest thou hast wonne the felde and to haue sinned vnpunnisshed wheÌ„ thou haste escaped the knowledge and iudgement of man There remaineth an other iudgemeÌ„t wherin al the doynges of the wicked shal to their vtter shame and coÌ„fusion be reuealed before all the world The sinnes of the godly are couered by him through whose benefite thei be iustified Rom. 4. and absolued from payne and crime also 4. Our Iudge hath very many crownes vpon his head for he alone gouerneth al realmes nations As also Daniel hath signified in the .7 chapt He alone might trewely be called Affricanus Europeus and Asiaticus Parthicus Persicus Germanicus Gotthicus and others Whiche our kinges haue ful fondely chalenged to themselues affectatyng so the Monarchie where Christe alone is the true Monarke for euer This iudge mightie Prince shal strike of the triple crowne from the head of the Bisshop of Rome More there shall be none so mightie a king in the whole worlde that shal be able to resiste him and make warre agaynst him A name vnknoweÌ„ 5. Our iudge hath a name writteÌ„ which no man knoweth saue he himselfe This shal be more playnely opened anone Christe hath a name vnspeakeable for he is the true God eternal incomprehensible and Almightie This name knoweth no man but him selfe For firste the Maiestie of God is greater than that it maye be comprehended of any creature agayne the name of God is agreable to no man but to him alone for the name of God in this signification maye not be coÌ„municated For he is very god besides him none which thing Esaye repeteth ofte He is the Sauiour Kynge Monarch and Iudge which thinges al belong properly to him alone and are not common to others Moreouer
he propoundeth maye haue the more perspicuitie he not only declareth the matter in words but setteth them forth by visions as things present to be sene with the eyes and that to the faithful For to the vnfaithfull al these thinges although moste godly diuine seme starke trifles and fables But the wisedome of God shall laugh at them also when she seeth her time as she threateneth in the Prouerbes of Salomon And also soluteth certē questiōs which are wonte about this matter to be moued What shal become of them that he nother Christiās nor Antichristians And he sayde how the beaste with the false prophet and all his adherentes should be caste at the laste daye into hell but where the firste parte is nother Antichristiane nor yet Christian but rather of their owne sense and arbitrement to be a rule and lawe to themselues such as be verely the Nestoriās Iacobites Georgians c. Or those that be heythen yet or gentiles moreouer Iewes and Turkes some man might maruaile and demaunde what shal be done with them or what shal come of them S. Iohn maketh aunswere and the remnaunte were slayne with the sworde of him that sat on the horse c. Agayne where a godly man might maruaylle how they should be condēned which borne emongs the Turkes heretikes Iewes and gentiles neuer hearde the Christian veritie S. Iohn preuenteth this imagination and by the beginnyng of the .20 chapt sheweth with what a Maiestie perspicuitie and euidence the veritie of Christes gospell was notified to the world with what a maiestie the veritie of Christ was set forth to the world howe also al force and power was takē awaye from the deuill and that by the space of a thousande yeres wherein the preachyng of the gospel thondered continually so that they be vtterly inexcusable so many as haue not receyued the gospell of Christ For the preachyng of the gospell was not obscure but most clere manifest nor shorte and contracted but published by the space of a thousande yeres it was not receyued of a fewe little ones but of al people and natiōs vnder the sunne Therfore is it a grosse ignoraunce of the Turkes Heretikes Iewes and gentiles For although in times paste the veritie semed to haue ben notably knowen now it is not so yet certayne it is that the maiestie of the gospel hath ben so great in the worlde that there is nowe also mention with al men therof and by their owne mallice they hide their eyes which vnderstande nothyng of Christ Therefore is that sayeng of the Apostle euen nowe of force also yf our gospell be hidde in those that perisshe is it hidde vnto whome the God of this worlde hath blinded the mindes of them which beleue not that the light of the gospel should not shine vnto them c. 2. Corinth the .4 They that are condēned are iustely cōdemned chap. Wherupon we now gather that none of them whiche are damned in the world are damned with out deseruyng Which thing the Apostle also S. Paule hath touched in the Epistle to the Romanes in the .1 and .2 chapt Here therefore is a profitable and necessarie place treated of the famouse preachyng of the gospell through out the world the course thereof induryng a thousande yeres And this treatise procedeth in this order First is thangell described after his worke or effecte is declared And laste is the sealyng of the time Touchyng the description of the Angell first in dede he is named an Angel The angel signifieth the order or state apostolicall and commeth forth abroade howebeit the whole state Apostolicall is hereby vnderstande in the which shineth excedingly S. Paule the doctour of gentiles nother is it maruaile that the order of Apostles is signified by an Angell For an Angel signifieth a messager ambassadour or an Apostle And therefore the prophet Malachie called Iohn Baptist the vauntcurrour of our lord an Angel beholde I sende my Angel before thee c. And ministers of the church are oftener thā ones in this boke called Angelles But in case the worthines nobilitie of the name please the ministers let the Angelicall puretie and excellent faith please them also An ambassadour doeth and sayeth nothing saue that which he hath receyued in cōmission of him that sent him so also let the ministers set forth nothing saue that which he hath receyued of the Lord in the Scriptures ¶ The angell came downe frō heauen Secondly this excellent Aungell is sayde to come downe from heauen not that the bodies of Apostles came from heauen but for as much as their vocation and office was geuen them frō heauen For the sonne of God which came downe from heauen chose the Apostles and sent them forth into the worlde Which thing is declared in the .10 of Matth. and .20 of Iohn Marke .16 and Luke .24 And S. Paule sayeth to the Galathians that he was called and ordeyned an Apostle nother by men nor of men but of God through Christ Wherupon it appereth howe greate is the authoritie of Apostles For they be not they which speake but the spirite of Christ and of the father which speaketh in them Therefore he that dispiseth their doctrine despiseth God the father the sonne They lie moreouer that saye how the gospell is a newe doctrine forged of wittie men Reade the .1 chapter of the fourmer and later epistle of S. Peter Thangell holdeth in his hande the keye chayne After this the Aungell is sayde to holde in his hande those two excellent instrumentes the keye and chayne Let vs see what is mente by the same Doubtles by these two instrumentes S. Iohn vnderstādeth nothing els but the free trewe holy liuely preaching of the gospel by the which it came to passe that both hell was locked from the faithfull the deuil was holden and kept faste boūden in chaines that he coulde not hurte the godly so much as he would and seduce whom he liste For so hereafter S. Iohn will expounde him self And the keyes Keyes of bindyng lowsing the apostles receiued of the Lord in the .16 of Matth. and .20 chapt of Iohn They open by the preaching of the gospel the botomlesse pitte and helle it self to the vngodly when they shewe vnto them their damnation in hell for their vngodlines They shutte vp helle from the godly whilest by the preachyng of the gospell they open heauen and bring the faythfull to the ioyes celestiall I haue spoken of the keyes at large in an other place A chayne is the signe of captiuitie Chayne By the preachyng of Gods worde the Deuill is taken and bounde Whereof it cōmeth to passe that the common painters haue painted the Deuil bounden with chaynes to certen notable preachers By thinges that followe this keye He taketh the dragō and significatiō of the chayne is better declared whilest the effecte of the Apostolicall preachyng is expounded For he addeth and
yeares to rage Therfore these things ar spoken by a cōparison and not absolutely And the thing it selfe or experiēce teacheth that they are not to be vnderstand absolutely and after the bare lettre Although therfore that Sathan hath in these thousand yeares also blowen his poyson vpō many and hath troubled the world yet this is nothing in comparison of those thinges that haue followed after the thousand yeares euen vntill this day and shall followe hereafter vnto the worlds end In oulde time also he raigned fully emongs the Gentiles through Idolatry But a thousand yeares fell downe their temples and Idolles with all other instrumentes of vngodlynesse We reade truely Certen articles of religiō assayled howe there were in the Apostles time that affirmed that men are iustified by the lawe and workes Whereupon sprange vp the doctryne of satisfaction and merites But the same doctryne was confuted by the Apostle Saincte Paule aboue other Apostles Saincte Austen also and after him Bede moste constantlie haue defended the doctrine of grace and redemption by Christ The same continued safe by the space of a thousande whoale yeares But afterwarde Freres getting the vpper hande the doctryne of satisfaction and mannes merites ded preuayle whereupon was vtterly obscured the doctrine of Iesu Christe conserning the free remissiō of sinnes imputing of righteousnes Ther grewe vp an opinion with certen of Sainctes makyng intercession or prayeng in heauen for their worshyppers The relicques began to be worshipped ouer soone Neuerthelesse such as wer illumined claue fast to the onely intercessour Christ and honored not relicques But after those thousande fatal yeares many attributed more to Saincts than to the very holy one of Sainctes We see what is done at this day The writings of Monkes and Freres testifie how much the worshipping of creatures hath increased within these .iiii. hondreth yeres or there aboutes Who wyl deny that exceding many haue ben deceaued of Heretikes But who can gather thereby that the Gospell hath bene vtterlie loste that Sathan hath raigned fullye The Byshoppe of Rome hath ascended in to the toppe of Mounte Zion and will be called the head and Pastour generall of the whole catholique church Howbeit the Easte most constantlie resisted and so ded other partes of the world also At the lengthe after a thousande yeares he made his boaste most impudently that the fulnesse of power was geuen him which he got by hoke and croke and after vsurped the same Mahomet seduced many yet neuerthelesse the Patriarchall churches persisted and the Easte honoured Christ lykewise South and North so that the thousande yeares agayne had their lighte nother hath Sathan in these raged so much as he hath since those yeares were complete Doubtelesse since the Turkes begāne to rule and raigne al matters of religion grewe euery daye worse and worse And the warre into the Holy land ded very much hurte to religion and gaue greate courage to the Saracenes and vngodlye whereof I shall speake afterwardes And Images beganne to be sette vp in temples and to be defended But the Histories testifie that the same was done with greate difficultie and hardlie could the vse of them be obtayned all good men moste constantlie resisting And what time they were now admitted yet were not the Idolaters so starke mad as we se they are nowe and haue ben certen yeares paste Wherefore it is rightly sayed howe after a thousand yeares Sathan shulde be loosed from his chaynes which before also moued the vnbeleuers yet fynally rageth more furiously S. Ihon assigned to Antichrist a certen numbre of yeares to wit .666 Whereof we myghte vnderstande the name of Antichriste But therefore it foloweth not that the Deuyll was than quyte lowsed or the lyght of the Gospell vtterly extinguisshed For the Apostle in his time speakyng of him The misterie sayeth he of iniquitie nowe worketh Antichriste therefore hath his seedes he hath his beginnyng he hath his rysing vp his growyng and increaces But after a thousand yeares he went to worke moste impudently and most boldly which before also had vttered his maliciousnes but nowe moste venemously of al he speweth oute his poyson oppressing Kynges and all that speake neuer so little againste him We knowe moreouer that in these thousande yeares paste the Deuill hath raygned in many by murder periurie and innumerable and vnspeakeable euilles But if ye consider what hath ben done sins those thousande yeres and what is done at this daye you will saye those ages of the thousande yeres to haue ben Golden and Siluer worldes and oures nowe for these fiue hondreth yeres to be of brasse Iron leed The corruption of the last age and claye Lactantius in the seuenth booke of Instit the .15 chapter towardes the laste ende of the worlde sayeth he the state of worldly matters muste nedes be altered and iniquitie preuayling to incline to the worse so that these our times in the which iniquitie and mischiefe is growen to the highest degree yet in comparison of that vncurable euil maye be accompted fortunate and in maner Golden ages For iustice shall than ware so thinne vngodlines couetousenes wilfulnes and luste shall be so common that if there shal be than happly any good menne they shal be a praye to the wicked and euery where vexed of the vnrightuouse And euil menne only shall be welthie and the good tourmoyled in all vexation and miserie All righte shall be confounded and lawes shall perisshe Than shall no man haue any thinge saue that whiche is eyther euil gotten or euill kepte Goldenes and violence shal haue all There shal be no faith in men no peaxe no humanitie no shamefastnes no trewth And the remnaūt which are red there By all the whiche our dayes nowe seme to be paincted liuely But what is that whiche is annexed He muste be loused a little season that the Deuill must belowsed for a little season semeth this a little season whiche continueth nowe fiue hondreth yeres And this place we expoūde so as that same in the gospel vnlesse those dayes were shortened no fleshe should be saued For it is euidently by stories that nother the Deuil nor Antichriste hath inioyed that his kingedome longe quiet For euermore and in all ages haue sprong vp some holy and learned menne which beyng illumined and comforted or God like Enoch and Helie haue resisted the vngodly and vngodlines and haue maineteyned the true religion Wherby consciences afflicted of Antichrist haue receyued comforte God of his mercy so temperyng matters that the chosen shuld not despeyre into great temptations errours and darkenes Therefore both Sathan and the Pope could inioye these matters but a small season For immediately after the thousande yeres sprange vp the Waldois whiche constantly impugned the Pope and his vngodlines The lord hath reysed vp certen kinges emōges whom be the Friderickes Germane Emperours Lewis of the house of Bauier many others The Popes also haue ben at dissention emōges themselues
whilest many haue ben chosen and euery one of them wil be the vicar of Christ and so teare al that ecclesiasticall body of theirs with Schismes There rise vp agaynst these preachers erneste vehement Wycliffe Husse Hierome of Prage and diuerse others What is done at this day hath ben now these 30. yeres and more agaynst superstitions and idolatrie agaynst the Pope and al his clergie the Papistes themselues crie out and al partes of the world can testifie Therfore is the Deuill lowsed a little season The Lord Iesus treade him vnder our fete shortely ¶ What those thousande yeres shall be and of the certayne felicitie of soules after the death corporall and of the firste resurrection and seconde death The .lxxxviij. Sermon ANd I sawe seates and they that sate vpon thē and the iudgement was geuen vnto them and I saw the soules of them that were beheaded for the witnesse of Iesu and for the word of God which had not worshipped the beaste nother his Image nother had taken his marke vpon their foreheades or in their hādes and they liued and raigned with Christ a thousande yeare but the other of the dead men liued not agayne vntill the thousande yeres were finisshed This is the first resurrection Blessed and holy is he that hath parte in the first resurrection On suche hath the seconde death no power but they shal be the priestes of God and of Christe and shal raigne with him a thousande yeres By these S. Iohn declareth him selfe Here is declared what those thousande yeres shall be expoundyng what those thousande yeres shal be Not suche doubtles as very many emongs whom are accompted also the Millenaries or Chiliastes do Imagine with themselues in the whiche they saye there should be tranquillitie vpō earth and in the which yeres the sainctes here in Earth shal raigne corporally with Christ in moste exquisite pleasures and ioyes For S. Iohn himselfe confuteth this opinion whilest he sheweth how the sainctes should be beheaded of the beaste and of his Image and that the others which remayne in death should not liue agayne or receyue the gospel of Christ It is manifest therefore that the beaste his Image shal be in those thousandes yeres It is euident that the Gospell of Christe shall by those thousande yeres so shine that Sathan shoulde be so strayte tied in chaynes that neuerthelesse all should not receyue the gospell nother shuld there be quiet tranquillitie but that the Sainctes for Christes veritie should suffer persecution of the beaste and that many shuld not beleue the gospel but rather withstande the same and perisshe Yet that the Deuill in the meane time shall not haue so great power as he hath obteyned sins the thousande yeres were finisshed nother that the gospel should in those thousande yeres be so darkened as it was after corrupted and depraued And he toucheth with all certen opinions righte notable and necessarie and openeth the same to witte what should be the state of them which eyther are killed for Christ or reiecte Antichrist verely for that their soules do not slepe til the iudgemēt but liue with Christ in heauen He treateth moreouer of the first resurrection and seconde death Thus vnto them that maruaile where the soules of the dead shal become and what they shal do immediately after the corporal death he aunswereth and so much as is requisite to know declareth The soules of thē that be beheaded Therefore S. Iohn seeth seates and those that sitte on them And who be those that sitte he addeth by an exposition and sayeth and the soules of them that are beheaded For by an exposition it is taken as though you should saye they that sat on the Heauenly seates were the soules of them that are beheaded Soules are not beheaded but bodies the soules remayne in their state and life Wherefore he sayeth the soules of them whose bodies were beheaded or slayne And here lette vs note that S. Iohn speaketh not of the bodies reassumpted chaūged or reysed againe at the last iudgement but of the soules deliuered from the bodies of the martirs For he speaketh of soules lowsed frō the bodies before the Iudgement accordynge as euery one in his time liueth here in this worlde and is called from hence by death For Aretas also Bishop of Cesarea expoundeth this of the soules of Martirs yet thinketh he not neuerthelesse that no man should be saued vnlesse he die by the tirauntes sworde For he addeth this moreouer or verely he nameth to be beheaded tropically which haue mortified their membres that are on Earth Hitherto he And we also haue shewed before that first and chiefly the holy martirs are rewarded with eternal life secondely all they that haue honoured God truely and haue done penaunce and crucified their flesh with al the concupiscences thereof Beheaded for Christ And he sayeth expressely that the sainctes were beheaded not for thefte murder and mischiefe as also Saincte Peter teacheth 1. Peter 4. But for the worde of God and testimony of Iesu Christ The word of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the very sonne of God our Sauiour and the testimony is that holesome gospell and the very preachyng and professyng of the same lyke as by the conference of Scriptures we haue declared before They are rekened moreouer emonges the Sainctes whiche haue not worshipped the beaste c. And suche are the Martirs beheaded or slayne for that they haue worshipped God but the beast and his Image would they not worship Howbeit al are not slaine that reiecte Antichrist and therfore particularly as a peculiar membre he rehersed thē also But what it is to worshippe the beaste and his Image and to receyue his marke c. I haue declared before at large in the .13 chapt Nowe lette vs see what their state is that shede their bloud for Christ and abhorre Antichrist with all his inchaūtmentes they liued sayeth he Of the state of soules after death before the iudgemēt to witte by fayth in this presente worlde As S. Paule sayde also I liue not I nowe but Christe liueth in me And of that same life followeth life euerlastyng in an other worlde Wherefore S. Iohn hath annexed and they raigned with Christe a thousande yeres to witte all that whole processe of time Not for that they raigned not liued with Christe afterwarde but for that their soules hitherto or to the iudgement haue not slept but haue liued rather in Heauen a blessed life The whiche also from the beginnyng he declareth by an other notation For he seeth a seate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 set and the soules sitting in them And by a figuratiue speache he signifieth that certen seates and honourable places are prepared in heauē for the blessed soules as also the Lorde him self sayeth in the gospel In my fathers house are many mansions and nowe I goe to prepare you a place He calleth the seates thrones alludyng to the royall Trones of
kinges But of these celestial seates we must conceaue greater diuine and spiritual matters They sitte in thē not for that they doe nothing els but sitte on a cusshion but they raygne triumphe rest liue and haue fruitiō of the comforte ioye and glory euerlasting This I saye is the maner of the soules and spirites to sitte He addeth moreouer howe to those soules was geuen iudgement verely for that they ar exempted from iudgement and come not into iudgement euen as our sauiour sayeth but haue passed frō death to life It is also declared in an other place in what sense the saincts are sayed to sitte vpon the seates and iudge the world where it is manifeste in dede that all the iudgement of God is geuē to the sonne It is euident therfore by this vnfallible place of scripture that the soules of saincts slepe not after the death of the body vntill the laste iudgement but to liue in Heauen with Christe But at the iudgemente they shall retourne to their bodies reysed agayne and together with their bodies shal be receyued into blessed seates And this is the state of the faythfull From this hope lette vs neuer suffer ourselues to be withdrawen In my Decades I haue discoursed more at large of the soules separated from their bodies and haue shewed that they do not slepe A towle errour of Iohn the 22. pope And here I can not refrayne but must nedes set forth and recite that whiche D. Iohn Funceius a learned man dilligent and one that hath red much sheweth in the .10 booke of his Chronologie vnder the yere of our Lord .1332 in these wordes aboute this time the moste holy father Pope Iohn the .22 of that name felle into this heresie which also he professed opēly and taught that the soules sawe not God before the laste daye For so had his father taught him deceaued by the visions of Tantalus which were cōmonly caried abroade in writyng And Pope Iohn sent two preachers to Paris to witte a couple of Freres one of the order of preachers an other Minorite whiche might professe his errour there But one Thomas a preacher of Englande resisted the Pope stoutely whome the Pope committed to pryson And the Kinge of Fraūce called a Synode in his palace in the foreste Vitinian where all that were assembled subscribed agaynst the Pope Than the kinge sent Ambassadours to the Pope exhortyng him to recante his errour and that he would deliuer Thomas out of prison Which inlarged the prisonier and also as it is sayde following the admonitiōs of his frendes at the houre of death repented So much Funccius It is a shame therefore for some which at this day in so great light of the gospel dare renewe that moste folishe errour affirmyng that soules separated from their bodies lie snoring I know not in what dormitorie or dortour nother to fele any thing till at the daye of Iudgement they be ioyned agayne to their bodies and rife agayne The remnaunt of the dead liued not againe S. Iohn addeth and the remnaunt of the dead liued not agayne til the thousande yeres were accomplished Not that they liued afterwarde but that they reuiued neuer at all As the Scripture speaketh in an other place Michol Dauid his wise remayned barren vntill the daye of her death not that she had childe after her death But whom doeth he meane by the rēnaunt of the dead surely all we that descende of Adam are dead As S. Paul right wel declareth in the .5 chapt to the Romanes But we haue hearde how some through faith haue receyued Christe and so beyng quickened haue shed their bloud for Christ and would not worshippe the beast nor his Image Now is added to this membre but the remnaunt of the dead whiche are nother regenerated through fayth nor would bestowe their life for Christe but had rather worship the beast and his Image these I saye for their vnbeliefe liued not For without faith there is no trewe life in this worlde A double life double death We speake nothing here of the vital or naturall life And we saye that life is double or of two sortes to witte the one spiritual which is of faith and of the sprete of God and of Christ whiche is by fayth receyued and liueth in the hartes of his and his life in him For the Lorde him selfe sayeth he that eateth me he shal liue also for me Thother life is euerlasting to witte of an other world in the whiche we shal see God as he is and shall be as he is liuyng in God and with God for euermore Cōtrariwise death is of two sortes spiritual wherby wauntyng Christe and his sprete and voide of fayth we liue in sinne The Apostle speakyng of this death sayeth that a widdowe liuyng wauntonly beyng a liue is dead And the Lord also to the disciple that wold retourne home and burie his parētes sayeth suffer the dead to burie their dead There is also a death euerlastyng that is euerlastyng wretchednes and miserie whiche followeth the spiritual Yet see what we haue sayde of double death in the .3 chapt of this boke in expoundyng the Epistle to them of Sardis Wherefore S. Iohn here signifieth that there shall be many in these thousande yeres which shuld not receyue the gospel with a liuely faith and therfore should remayne in death as the Lorde sayde in the .8 of Iohn Therfore they erre shamefully which suppose that al nations in the whole vniuersal world shal come ones to an vnitie of fayth and most assured peace in this life And S. Iohn himself agayne expoundyng himself sayeth This is that firste resurrection Whiche I praye you by the which menne receyue Christ by the true fayth Of the firste resurrectiō and the seconde and rise from sinne in the newnes of life Of this thapostle speaketh muche in the .6 to the Romanes The same to the Ephes out of Esaye awake sayeth he that slepeth and rise from the dead christ shal shine vnto thee Therfore be they not pertakers of the first resurrection so many as nother acknowledge their sinnes nor be regenerated nother are quickened by fayth in Christ nor rise againe with Christ in the newnes of life The seconde resurrection is that vniuersall resurrection of al flesh wherein shall all menne arrise in dede but with vnlike state for the faithfull rise vnto life euerlastyng the vnfaythfull to death euerlastyng Whiche the Lord him selfe also hath repeted out of the .12 chapt of Daniel in Iohn the .5 chapt Theffecte of the first resurrectiō And he sheweth by occasion and after an Apostolicke maner a threfolde fruicte or effecte of the first resurrection First sayeth he blessed and holy is he which is pertaker of the first resurrection He is bleste sayeth he happy and heyre of celestiall and eternall life Holy that is to saye purified sanctified and iustified For fayth in Christe doeth sanctifie and make blessed Than in such
tabernacle of his palace betwixte two Seas to wit the Hadriatical Sea called now the goulfe of Venise and the Tirrhene or Tuscane Sea in the mounte of desire of holines that is to saye in the pleasaunt and holy hille We haue hearde certenly that the palace of S. Peter is preferred both before mounte Zion and also Sinai There sitteth the most holy in the seate of holines There is moste full remission of al sinnes There is the mouther supreme head of al churches There is the high courte and iudgemeÌ„t from wheÌ„ce maie no maÌ„ appeale There sitteth the king of kinges and high Bisshop whiche so farre excelleth in brightnes and Maiestie the Emperour and other kinges as the sunne doeth the Moone and Starres There is thought to be perfit holines and al the treasures of Christ and of his Sainctes Therefore saide Daniel rightly that Antichriste shall dwell in the noble and holy hille namely in the seuen hilly Rome as we hearde also in the .17 chapt Finally he prophecieth also of the ende of this most puissaunt prince Antichrist sayeth and what time he shall come to his ende no man shall helpe him For Christ comming to iudgement shal thrust him out of his seate And Daniel in the .12 chap. followyng describeth the iudgement To Christ alone be glory Lette vs consequently procede to adde to a fewe thinges concerning the paynes of the vngodly and the euerlastyng condemnation of the Deuil and his membres S. Iohn and fire came downe from heauen and deuoured them And the prophet Amos in the .1 chapt calleth Gods vengeaunce fire as the others do also Wherfore S. Iohn signifieth that the vengeaunce of God shall falle vpon all the enemies of the church In times paste also fire commyng downe from heauen burnt vp Sodome and Gomorrhe and also consumed the enemies of Helias And although corporally fire doeth not alwayes falle from heauen yet shall the persecutours of the church neuer escape vnpunnisshed in that they haue vexed the Sainctes of Christ Doubtles yf we will beholde and coÌ„sider what was done in that holy warre and what chauÌ„ceth dayly we will saye that the vengeaunce of God is most present bothe agaynst the Turkes and the Papistes But if any man vnderstande that aboute the ende of the world fire shall rage and consume the wicked as also S. Peter mentioneth of fire and burnyng out of the prophetes .2 Pet. 3. I will not be agaynsâ— it Laste of all he toucheth also the euerlastynge damnation of Sathan and all his membres For where the Lorde sayde in the Gospell yf the blinde leade the blinde bothe shal falle into the ditche it followeth that both Sathan the deceauer and the people of him seduced shoulde be caried together to helle where S. Iohn nowe placeth and as it were ioyneth to gether the deuil Gog and Magog the Saracenes Turkes briefely all nations deceaued the Beaste and false Prophet and all the Antichristians We see therefore that the iudgement of God is rightuouse the which to describe he retourneth nowe agayne And we admonisshed before by this speache they shall be tormented daye and nighte c. The perpetuitie of damnation to be signified From the whiche the Lorde our God deliuer vs to whome be glory for euermore Amen ¶ The Iudge and laste iudgement is described with the resurrection of the dead The XC Sermon AND I sawe a greate white seate and him that sat on it froÌ„ whose face fled awaye both the Earth and heauen and their place was no more founde And I sawe the dead both great and smal stande before God and the bokes were opened an other boke was opened whiche is the boke of life and the dead were iudged of the thinges whiche were writteÌ„ in the bokes according to their dedes And the Sea gaue vp her dead whiche were in her and death and helle deliuered vp the dead which were in them and they were iudged euery maÌ„ according to his dedes And death and hel were caste into the lake of fire This is the seconde death and who so euer was not fownde written in the booke of life was caste into the lake of fire The order or disposiâ—ioÌ„ of this place S. Iohn had begonne to speake of the vniuersall and laste iudgement about the ende of the .11 chapt And resumed the same to be finisshed in the .19 chapt Where we hearde that Antichrist shuld be throweÌ„ downe out of his seate and glory into helle Where chaunced a question to arrise of theÌ„ which although they cleaue not to Antichrist yet are they not ioyned with Christe what shal become of them at the last iudgement That same when he had soluted and shewed the equitie of Gods iudgementes he retourneth as it were with an after songe to the description of the generall and laste iudgement and compeÌ„diousely describeth thesame and that more generally now than before in the .19 chap. Where he semeth chiefly to haue treated of the destruction of Antichriste yet so that he shewed after a sorte also what should happeÌ„ to the other vngodly Now he handleth more generally the self same iudgement shewing that al shal be iudged herein and setteth forth the same wholy as it were paincted to be sene of our eyes For after his wonted maner he expouÌ„deth al this matter by an heauenly vision that he might not seme only to tel the thing to our eares but also to shewe it forth to be sene of our eyes to thintent it might be more depely printed in our mindes And al these thinges are most certen and vndoubted as I also admonisshed you before reuealed of the iudge Christ him self But the iudge and Lord himself can be ignoraunt in nothinge of this matter Nother can we perceyue that S. Iohn hath hitherto ben deceaued or abused in any thing that he hath set forth to vs but hath hitte rightly al and singular poinctes as we see that caÌ„ testifie his prophecies to be fulfilled whie than should we so muche as doubte ones of suche thinges as are spoken of the iudgement Therefore let vs credite these thinges and not be emonges the mockers whom the Apostle S. Peter prophecied should come saye where is the promesse of his commyng The consideratioÌ„ of the laste iudgement is of greatest in iâ—portaunce doubtles this matter is of greatest importaunce the foundation and rote of our faith Here are to vs expouÌ„ded not a fewe articles of our sincere and catholicke fayth chiefely these I beleue that Christ shal come to iudge the quicke the dead I beleue the coÌ„munion of Sainctes the resurrection of the fleshe and life euerlastyng Let vs therfore be dilligent in hearyng and marking these thinges leeste we be accompted of their nombre which heare with out any fruicte the misteries of the kingedome of God but lette vs rather prepare our selues to goe mete the iudge to the ende we maye with the wise virgins enter with the brydegrome to the mariage and ioyes
of God by no merite of manne For the same Apostle in the same Epistle to the Rom. the .6 chapter The rewarde sayeth he of sinne is death and where on the contrary side he shoulde haue sette and the merite of rightuousenes eternal life for this membre he placeth rather and the gifte of God is life euerlastyng And addeth incontinently through Christ Iesus our Lorde Therefore S. Iohn sayeth rightly that eternall life happeneth to the faithfull frely that is by the very grace of God SaluatioÌ„ coÌ„meth to vs freely And of this vocable freely through the merite of Christ and by no deserte of man For if we coulde by our workes rightuousenes deserue eternall life than Christ had died in vaine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for naught There was no cause why he shuld die seyng we might of our selues haue beÌ„ saued There is no effecte nor merite of Christes passion such effecte verely as it is in very dede that by the bloud of Christ alone we be purified For if there were or had ben an other meane of saluatioÌ„ Christ neded not to haue ben incarnated haue suffered And that this vocable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ought after this waye and maner to be expouÌ„ded many other places of Scripture proue In the .10 of Matth. the lord saieth frely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 haue you receiued freely geue The lord wil not haue his Apostles to receiue any recoÌ„pence for the gifte of healing But speaking of the ministerie he sayeth the workeman is worthie his hire In the .15 of Iohn the lord sayeth they haue hated me without cause 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doubtles without my desert or vndeserued of my parte In the .2 Corint 11. thapostle saieth that he preached the gospel to the CorinthiaÌ„s frely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for he toke no rewarde or recoÌ„peÌ„ce therfore And in the .2 to the Thessal the .3 chapt nother haue I taken sayeth he bread of any man for naught 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be shorte where S. Iohn sayeth that life is geuen to the faithfull free 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he claymeth al things of our saluation to the grace of God and merite of Christes passion and plucketh it from mans merittes And the same affirmeth Esaye also in the .55 chapt rebukyng folish menne spending their monie aboute thinges of naught Here ought therefore to cease the faires of indulgences and pardons and holy thinges in the church Let the Pelagians kepe silence Whâ—t is required of them that be iustified frely Howbeit leest any by the free preachyng of the grace and merite of Christ agaynste the deserte of man should gather that the blessed life chauÌ„ceth to Idle folkes slepers and ceasing froÌ„ all good workes and that God alone worketh and we worke nothing but only to suffer the operation of God in vs and for the same cause nothing to be required of vs he preuenteth and first the lord sayeth that he will geue to them that are a thirste to drinke of the water of life There is required of vs therfore fayth and a ferueÌ„t desire of godly thinges not that faith is oures but is geuen of God For by thirste to signifie the faythful desire of a godly maÌ„ the Lord himselfe is authour in the .5 of Matthewe pronouncyng them blessed which honger and thirste for rightuousenes And also in the 6. of Iohn the Lorde him selfe vnderstandeth by drinkyng to beleue Faith therfore is required of vs that is that we shuld thirste for the water of life The which self thing also the lord graunteth by his spirite and word as els where we haue declared And he sayeth howe he that is freely iustified must fight also nor fight only but must ouercome Therfore the dueties of charitie be required wherof is spokeÌ„ in the .2 and .3 chapt of this boke Wherein is most frequent mentioÌ„ made of this fight and victorie And God will than acknoweledge such as labour thus valeauntly for his childreÌ„ to them will he shewe him selfe a father and take them for the heyres of all their fathers possessions They are bastardely childreÌ„ which beyng idle bragge of faith prayse God with their mouth wordes and deme him with their dedes Ye see therefore that bothe muste be preached in the church that we be iustified and beautified frely so beyng iustified must worke good workes wherunto notwithstandyng as to their merites they ascribe not saluation but to the mere grace of God through Christ WhereupoÌ„ consequently and on the contrary parte he reciteth who be excluded from the felowshippe of the blessed life and of the blessed compilyng a register of sinnes and of wicked men such as he hath compiled also about the ende of the .9.21 and .22 chapt And such as the Apostle hath in a maner recited to the Corinthians And we suppose that in S. Iohn his time these sinnes were moste common nor sufficiently knowen Who are excluded froÌ„ the true felicitie as apperteyned Many also at this daye iudge more lightly therof than trewe godlines permitteth And we doubte not but that in this register whiche in eight kindes or membres is comprised are conteined al other like sinnes and wickednesses But we vnderstande that helle fire is assuredly dewe vnto them for their sinnes committed whiche nother haue any faith at all nother can by any meanes be perswaded to repente and tourne vnto God For in the firste Epistle to the Corinth the 6. chapt Ye were sayeth he suche but ye are purged by the bloud of Christe and with the sprete of our God Therefore yf we haue ben suche at any tyme lette vs repente or in case we be fallen into these sinnes agayne lette vs rise vp and tourne to the Lord which calleth vnto him sinners and promiseth pardone and grace But wo be to the vncurable walkyng alwayes and without repentaunce in the waye of iniquitie And we shal touche seuerally eight partes of this register Fearefull Firste are placed the fearefull But the Lorde him selfe was affrayde and euen quaked for feare of death the Sainctes of God haue feared also and often fled for feare yet are they not for this cause condemned in the Scriptures Therefore an other feare is ment to witte that same immoderate feare by the which compelled we do for feare of menne that thing whiche God hath prohibited and we our selues conuicte in our owne consciences vnderstaÌ„de that we sinne in so doyng or what time through carnall feare we leaue vndone that thing whiche God hath commaunded vs briefely when we more feare men as princes or leagefellowes or enemies or any other men what so euer they be than our lord God him self And therfore the Lord himselfe in the gospel sayde feare ye not them which kille the body and can not kill the soule c. Matth. 10. The same in an other place sayeth he that denieth me before that aduouterouse generation I will denie him also before my father in heauen
excuse themselues before God and men and prouyde rather to saue their soules How be it all these thinges thei wype away as it were with one word and say we worship not the signes but the things signified Than yf the signes were taken away wold ye returne to the Idolles on pilgrimage do ye not thinke it done in a maner to God himselfe that you se done to the Idolles do ye not punnish am Image breaker as a traitour againste the diuine maiestie For he shal not seme to haue cut a sunder wood but to haue defiled God himselfe Therfore ye acknowledge somewhat more in this wood than wood alone For you thinke that some diuine thing is hid therin and therfore is this wood accompted of you no comoÌ„wood Which thing you declare also by sundry tokens otherwise Moreouer the geÌ„tiles excused themselues after the same maner saieng that thei worshipped the thinges and not the signes But this semed not a sufficieÌ„t excuse vnto godly men as it is to be red in Lactancius and Athanasius in their bokes againste the gentiles But God hath at one word cofuted you and saied who hath requyred these thinges at your handes yf any will exhibite to me worship let him worship after the prescripte of my moste Holy lawe They worshippe me in vaine teaching the doctrines of men These things haue I declared somwhat more at large to the intent that such as wil yet hear any reason and in whom the word and lawe of God hath any place might know auoide that grosse and mortall sinne of Idolatrie And lyars comprehend men that are lighte of their tung Lyars sclaunderers taletellers whisperers deceauers couetouse persons theues vsurers bribers and al maner of hypocrites and slipperie persons For as God is veritie so loueth he veritie simplicitie constancie integritie This vice of lyeng reigneth at this daie farre and wyde For there is the leeste or rather no faith at al in the earth The Lord be merciful to vs. And touchynge the lake or ponde burnyng with fyre and brimestone and of the second death I haue spoken before in the nynetene and twentie chapters And els where And he signifieth that all these and the lyke shall be caste downe of the Lorde into the euerlastinge fyre of Hell For he putteth here part for inheritaunce as also in the eleuenth Psalme he shall rayne vpon the vngodlye fyre and brymstone and this is part of their cuppe And in the .24 of Mathew And shall put his part with hipocrites And we say also he hath noâ—e obtayned his righte or he is puÌ„nished as he is worthy Like as Sainctes therfore obteyne the Kyngdome of Heauen by inheritaunce so are euerlasting tourments in steade of inheritaunce to the vngodlie To the Lorde the righteouse Iudge be prayse and glorie Amen ¶ Here is set foorth a goodly picture a discription or figure of the blessed seate and of the heaueÌ„ly lyfe and glory euerlasting The .xciij. Sermon AND there came vnto me one of the seuen Angelles which had the seuen vyalles full of the seuen laste plagues and talked with me sayeng come hither I wil shew the the bryde the lambes wyfe And he caried me away in spirite to a great and an high mouÌ„tayne and he shewed me the greate Citie holy Hierusalem desceÌ„ding out of heauen from God hauing the brightnesse of God And her shyning was lyke to a stone most preciouse eueÌ„ a Iaspar clere as a Cristal and had great and high walles and had twelue gates and at the gates twelue Angels names writteÌ„ which ar the twelue tribes of the children of Israell on the East part three gates and on the North syde three gates and towarde the South three gates and on the west syde thre gates and the walle of the Citie had twelue foundations and in them the names of the Lambes twelue Apostles S. Iohn retourneth to the description of the citie celestial A description of the heauenly citie whiche in the beginnyng of this chapter he had attempted He hath inferred certen thinges in place righte necessarie touchyng the certayne hope of the faythfull whiche after he hath finisshed he semeth afterwarde to vnlocke and set open Heauen that the godly with the eyes of fayth mighte as it were loke herein and see clerely what is the hope and glory of Sainctes to come For vnder the tipe of a moste beautiful citie he setteth forth a picture or description moste euident of the blessed seate or palace citie of God or of the euerlasting countrie and church triumphant We shal not here faine and forge to our selues thinges earthly and corporall but spirituall and celestiall For the sprete of God will haue vs by occasion of temporall thinges with our mindes to ascende to eternal and by temporal thinges more excellent Therefore are al thinges figured with amplifications Hiperbolies and ful of other figures We shall therefore imagine in these farre greater thinges as we are wonte to do what time we reade or heare such thinges as our lorde hath taught vnder the parables of weddynges and feastes And firste is declared vnto vs The shewer of the heaueÌ„ly visioÌ„ who is the shewer of this godly and wonderfull vision that is to saye who is the opener of the misteries verely an Aungell of God and the very same whiche before in the .17 chapter to the same Iohn sayde come I will shewe thee the damnation of the greate whore c. For it is the same God whiche punnissheth the vngodly and geueth rewardes to the godly and denounceth vnto menne by his ministers those his rightuouse iudgementes Moreouer sins we see them to be moste certen and partely also accomplisshed whiche he shewed before of the iudgemente of Rome who would not gather that the same shall be also moste certayne whiche the same nowe vttereth and sheweth of the euerlastynge glory of the faythfull And gatheryng a some of the thinges whiche he will shew him he setteth before and exhorteth him to follow him sayeng come I wil shewe thee the bryde the wife of the laÌ„be Of her hath ben ofte times spoken before He signifieth the congregation of Sainctes coupled by fayth to our Sauiour Christe And not only sheweth to Iohn and in the same to vs al the spowse but the glory also geueÌ„ her of God The meanyng therefore is this come I will shewe thee what shal be the glory of the church of Christ in the life to come what shal be the state of the life euerlasting Certes he speaketh also very many thinges of the churche but chiefely of her glory in the world to come The maner of the reuelatioÌ„ ThaÌ„ toucheth he also brefely the maner of reuealyng For he addeth and he toke me vp in sprete into a greate and high mountayne Therefore like as in the fourmer visions he was caried awaie in sprete his body remayning in Pathmos and as we haue red and admonisshed before that suche maner of visions and rauishmentes
happened to Ezechiel euen so sayeth he nowe also that he is caried awaye in sprete in minde to haue sene the thinges which the Angel shewed Wherfore if we will also reade or heare these thinges to any profit we must lifte vp our mindes and be caried vp in our sprete and thinke that al these thinges must spiritually be vnderstande Aretas rightly sayeth he in the mountayne was shewed the heauenly life conuersation of the Sainctes For with them is nothing earthly lowe or abiecte but all thinges loftie and high This he Certenly what time in the Gospell the Lorde Christe would exhibite to his disciples a certen taste and saye of the glory to come he conueyed them vp into a Mounte and was transfigured before them which thing S. Matthewe affirmeth in the .17 chapt to haue chaunced to Peter Iames and Iohn And now he annexeth the vision it selfe and generally and briefely describeth or shaddoweth the blessed seate and glory of the life to come afterwarde he amplifieth the same more largely particularly and as it were by partes and so enlarged and beaultified he setteth it forth as it were to be sene of the godly The citie of God the great citie And he calleth the heauenly countrie and habitation of sainctes the great Citie For it is the citie of the great king and in it shal dwell an innumerable nombre of the blessed and of Aungelles thousandes infinite and shal haue the fruition of greate glory nother is there any feare leefte the place should not suffice so great an hoste of men and spretes or that it shal be ouer strayte Great is the citie of God which is verely able to receyue all good men aboundantly In the gospel of Iohn the Lord sayeth in my fathers house are many mansions and so forth the .14 chapt The selfe same place is called holy Hierusalem For like as no filthines shal there be espied so shal there no vncleane persone there appere Of the heauenly Hierusalem is spoken before Thomas of Aquine sayeth She is sayde to haue descended from heauen for that what goodnes so euer the holy church hath she acknoweledgeth her selfe to haue receyued it of the grace of God But of this matter I haue spoken in the laste Sermon Hauyng the glory of God And the citie of God I meane heaueÌ„ hath the seates of God and the blessed the glory of God that is to saye the diuine maiestie and brightnes and what great thing so euer the minde of manne can thinke or imagine or in all thinges the vnspeakeable excelleÌ„cie of God such as nother the eye hath sene nor the eare hath hearde nor yet hath ascended into the harte of manne 1. Corintb the .2 chapt These thinges hath he sommarely and generally touched hitherto And coÌ„sequently he declareth by particulars and at large that celestâ—all glory and blessed seates The citie of God most ample large For what thinges so euer are â—mple what so euer are in cities commendable the same aâ—â— playnely founde in this our citie moste excellent as the largenes strength maiestie surenes excellencie beaultie pleasauntnes and plentie of thinges These thinges I saye and al other like do woÌ„derfully excelle in the citie of our god and in our fathers house and where as these thinges are on this wise set forth and amplified moste liberally yet semeth there nothing at al sayde in case a maÌ„ consider the vnspeakeable maiestie of the glory celestial To what ende these things are spoken But al these things are alledged of the lorde by S. Iohn to this ende verely that we should be taken with the desire of so worthie a life and shuld thinke in our tribulations and troubles that the afflictions of this present worlde are nothing beyng compared with so excellent souerayne glory finally that al are maddâ— which beginne to doubte of the eternal hope of the faythfull Vâ—ry many thinges of this sorte are red also in Ezechiel in â—â—t 40. chapt and after We will touche euery parte of this treatise vsyng neuerthelesse a succincte breuitie leest we should be tediouse to any man And verely he toucheth the principal and moste commendable thinges of Cities and in them sheweth that the citie of God excelleth The light of this Citie In cities and houses the chiefest prayse is if all thinges be light and clere for darkenes is horrible vnpleasaunt Therfore is an excellent light declared to be in the citie or house of the lord There is added a parable whereby is shewed the excelleÌ„cie of this light It is like a most preciouse stone suppose a Iaspar as it is coÌ„monly called or a Chrysolithe or some like stone moste brighte And S. Iohn him selfe addeth more as it were a Iaspar stone like a Christal This is a newe maner of speakyng but it hath a maruelouse grace if we vnderstaÌ„de it rightly For a Iaspar is grene a christal is bright He semeth therefore to saye howe that celestial brightnes is continually grene whithereth neuer that is to witte that the heauenly light is euerlasting in it self after a sorte waryng grene and in growyng grene wareth bright and reioyceth all heauenly dwellers For herafter followeth for the glory of God hath lightened her the Lambe is her light This brightnes and most ioyeful light the Lord in the gospel of Iohn promiseth in sondry places and the whole blessed life of this not the leste parte is called coÌ„monly blessed light light euerlastyng or light of heauen It semeth to haue ben prefigured in the golden caÌ„delsticke of the tabernacle c. For if it were not harde for our Lord God to geue vnto precious stones wonderfull colours brightnes yf he illumine this world full of naughtie men wyth moste goodly lyghtes the Sunne Moone Starres what a lighte I praye thee maye we thinke to haue in heaueÌ„ where no man shal dwell but the beste and of God most derely beloued Of this light muche mention is made with Esaye and in the Psalmist the walles of the citie Walles in Cities are moste notable and excellent in case they be high thicke and strong able to abide all force of enemies and defende the Citezens from al iniuries and to kepe them in peace and securitie The heaueÌ„ly walles therfore are both great or strong and also high or vnpregnable Hereby is signified that the protection of Sainctes in heauen shal of God be most safe and sure so that the Saintes shal be inperfit securitie and exempte from all feare There shall no man trouble or take awaye their ioyes as the lord in the .16 of S. Iohns gospel hath affirmed For there shal be perpetual securitie and gladnes in heauen moste perfit and euerlastyng Moreouer in the walles are placed gates The gates of the citie by the whiche meÌ„ go into the citie In the wall therfore of the heaueÌ„ly couÌ„trie shal be twelue gates that is to saye a most large entryng into eternal
life shal be opē on euery side And we beleue that there is no other waie to heauē no other porte or gate or any other dore or posterne to remaine than the only sole Christ Iesus our lord as he himself hath taught in Iohn the .10 .14 chapt But for asmuch as he hath appoincted Angels or prophetes Apostles also porters of heauen to whō he hath cōmitted the keyes of the kingdome of heauen these do bring the chosen and lette them into the heauenly countrie many gates verely are red to haue ben and be And for a further declaration is added that in euery gate was an Angel Twelue Angels in the gates in nōbre twelue And we haue hearde in the beginnyng of this boke that Angelles are gods ministers and pastours of churches sent of God for the saluation of mē I meane that thei might bring them by the worde of veritie and holy ministerie through fayth into life euerlastyng Morouer we reade how the soule of pore Lazarus diyng was caried by Angelles into the bosome of Abraham Whie than should we maruell that Angelles stande at the gates For by the true and only gate Christ they bring in the faithfull into the heauenly countrie And agayne for a further declaration is annexed In the gates are writtē the names of the childrē of Israell and in the gates were names written whiche are the names of the twelue tribes of the children of Israell For the Lord would signifie that he vsed the industrie of Patriarches and Prophetes of all tribes in openyng heauen vnto mē and againe that all the chosen of al tribes appertayne to the felloweship of felicitie We shal see therfore in heauē the Patriarches and Prophetes and all the Sainctes whiche before the cōmyng of Christ are written in the registers of the heauenly like as the Apostles also sawe Moses and Helias talking with Christ in the Mounte Wherfore not without great cause wrote the Apostle to the Hebrewes you are cōmen to the moūte Sion and to the citie of the liuing God to the celestiall Hierusalē and to the multitude of many thousande Angelles and vnto the congregation of the first borne which are written in heauen And the reste which is red in the .12 chapt The situation of the gates And he toucheth also the situation of the gates For he assigneth three vnto euery parte of the skie Nother doeth he this without consideration For our sauiour himselfe sayeth in the gospel that they shal come from the East and from the Weste and shal reste with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the kingdome of heauen Aretas also searcheth here the misterie more dilligently and supposeth that no man shal enter in by these gates saue he whiche both acknowledgeth the eternal trinitie of God and also vnderstandeth the misterie of the crosse of Christ For he sayeth howe the twelue tribes are diuided by the Trinitie of the fourefolde figure of the worlde c. Wherupon Aquinas also who so euer are saued saieth he they are iustified by the fayth of the holy Trinitie publisshed in the foure quartes of the world by the Apostles preachyng The foundations of the Citie Now sheweth he also that the foundations of this citie are most sure and vnmouable For the walle of the Citie sayeth he hath twelue foundations Touchyng the foundation of the churche and our saluation haue spoken expressely Dauid in the Psalmes Esaye also in the .28 chapt our Lord and sauiour in sondry places of the Gospell Peter moreouer in the Actes and first epistle likewise the Apostle S. Paule whiche sayde any other foundation can not be layde thā that which is layde whiche is Christ Iesus 1. Corinth 3. Howe than are layde here twelue foundations doubtles Christ remayneth one and a sure foundation Howebeit in as muche as in placyng and reuealyng him the Lord hath vsed the ministerie of the twelue Apostles for this cause the citie is sayde to haue twelue foūdations Not that the Apostles are in dede the foūdations of the church and our saluatiō but in this that Christ that trewe foundation was by the twelue Apostles made knowen to the faithfull and as it were layde vnder whereupon the beleuers haue buylded themselues by the Apostles fayth Whereupon he sayeth pourposely in those twelue the names of the lambes twelue Apostles For the gospel also whiche is bothe in very dede and vnchaungeably Iesus Christes alone is called also of Iohn Matthew Marke Luke of Peter and Paule bicause it hath ben preached by them And we vnderstande hereby not only the church whiche was before the commyng of Christ of Patriarches and Prophetes beyng receyued into heauen to reioyce in God but also the church Apostolical I meane that al men in the whole world whiche haue beleued the Apostolicall doctrine shal liue with al the Sainctes in that heauenly countrie all the whiche we shall bothe see and with them also shall glorifie God for euermore Primasius Bisshop of Vtica dissenteth not much from this our exposition Whether thapostles be foundatiōs of the church expounding how the Apostles are called foūdatiōs For thus hath he lefte written where we know that the church hath one only foundation that is to saye Christe we ought not to be moued that here he sayeth she hath twelue For in Christ haue thapostles deserued to be the foūdations of the Churche of whome the Apostle an other foundation saieth he can not be layde besides that which is layde Christ Iesus In him are also the Apostles sayed to be light sins he sayeth vnto thē you are the light of the world where Christ alone is the true light which lighteth euery man commyng into this world Christ therefore is the light illuminyng and they the light illumined And after a fewe wordes the same Authour Here it behoueth sayeth he to acknoweledge the twelue Apostles to be foundatiōs yet called in the only foūdation Christ Iesu Hereunto apperteineth also that he hath not concealed the name of the Lambe The Apostles therfore be foundations but in one foūdation Iesu Christ And christ alone without the Apostles is rightly called the foundation but the Apostles without Christ could by no meanes be called the foundations of the churche These thinges Primasius Which Aretas Bisshop of Cesaria declareth more briefly and playnely and sayeth they are in dede called foundations for that thei haue layde the foundations of the christen faith and gates for that by them that is to witte by their preachyng there maye be founde nowe that maye bring them to the christen fayth Thus much he Doubtles the Apostle S. Paule in the .2 to the Ephes calleth Christe the foundation of Apostles and Prophetes whiche verely in preachyng they haue layde and to the whiche they haue leaned and by the which also they are saued To him be glory ¶ Yet agayne is described the seate of the euerlastyng countrie in heauen The XCiiij Sermon AND he that talked with me had
the Lord God almightie and the lambe is the temple in that our heauenly coūtrie The vse of temples is this The Lord first instituting the tabernacle after the temple wold haue it testified that he wil be present in the middes of his people a father Lord and defender And therfore ar thei saied in the scriptures to come vnto the Lord which came either to the tabernacle or temple of the Lord. The temple moreouer was erected for preaching and praier and the externall seruice of God for receauing of the Sacramēts or offering vp of sacrifices But the Saincts in the heauēly coūtrie haue no nede of all these things Therfore thei nede no tēple Therfore is no temple sene in heauen For the Lord god nowe sheweth himself to them to be inioyed of the same the saincts ar now with him wherfore thei nede no tokē of his presēce We ar taught by doctrine what God is what is his wil and that we be saued by the lambe but now that we se god himselfe face to face and that saluatiō is cōmen by the lambe of God what nedeth there a temple in heauen By praier we require life and ioyes euerlasting now since these are happened to the electe what nedeth any house of prayer The Sainctes nowe withoute any temple offer vp eternall praises vnto God And seing that sacrifices and sacraments haue no further place in the euerlasting coūtrie I se not why there should be any temple in Heauen We rest and kepe in Heauen an euerlasting Sabboth This place moreouer proueth that Christ is very God coequall with the father as to whome he is ioyned inseperablie in all glory Nother is the Holy ghoste seperated from the father and the sonne which els where is saide to dwell in vs for the which cause we are called the temples both of God and of the Holy ghost of the Apostle in the first to the Corinth the .3 and the second Cor. 6. The eight place of this description is repeted of the lyght celestial The lyght of the citie God and that not without great cause yea and the same light is agayne cōmended in the .22 chap. For in buildinges there is nothing more excellent than light Otherwise without light all things are blynde Furthermore he sayeth not that the Sunne and Moone shulde be nomore but that the Citie of God shoulde not nede those lightes He sheweth the reason for the glory of God hath lightned it And the glory of God is the diuine celestial and vnspeakable brightnes of his vnapprochable light which he inhabiteth and according to his good pleasure cōmunicateth to the chosen The Lorde Christe which here is called the lambe for the misterie of redemption illumineth the blessed For by him we ar clarified and inioy that eternall moste beaultifull and celestial light S. Ihon hath borowed this place out of the .60 chap. of Esay where we read The Sunne shall not be there for the lighte of the daie And the brigtnesse of the Moone shall not shyne there but the Lord shall be to the thee a perpetuall light and thy God shall be thy brightnes Furthermore the seates of the blessed are thoughte to be fixed aboue the Sphere of the Sunne and Moone and also the brightnes of Saincts to excell farre the light of the Sunne and starres The same hath Esay testified also in the .24 and .30 chap. To God almightie and light eternall be praise and thankes geuing which hath prepared so great things for vs and geueth vs giftes such as no tung can exprsse He sheweth in places mo than one ¶ Who be Citizēs of this Citie who are partakers of that light or who be Citizens of this celestiall citie and what is the state of the Citizens All nations people saued are citizens of the eternal coūtrie Here ar two things to be noted First that the gentiles are made inheritours of glory and that without any choise For here excelleth not the Iewe nor the Greke nother Romane nor Barbarian Agayne yet not all without respect and confusely obteine euerlasting light but the saued only that is to sai whom Christ hath saued and redemed from sin the Deuil Antichrist and from the curse and the world And Christ saueth thelect and faithful They therfore shal in dede be partakers of the light These ar the citizens of the countrie euerlasting But what is their state and inhiritaunce Thei shal walke in the light of God the father the lambe that is to say they shall haue the fruition of the light and of God himselfe to their ioiful swetnes and fill For it is a figuratiue speach to walke in the light for that which is to inioy light Verely in the .88 Psalme is red with a figure not much vnlyke Lorde thei shall walke in the light of thy countenance And againe Thou shalt make knowen vnto me the fote path of lyfe the fulfilling of ioyes is in thy sight gladnes in thy right hand for euermore Kinges are in the courte of heauen But especially the places in heauen and in that Palace diuine are for Kings Kinges ar gouernours and captaines of the people as they be which are called Kynges and Princes gouernours Magistrates rulers aswel of the politique as ecclsiasticall gouernement Doctours maisters teachers Artificers and Parentes For their dutie is vertuouslye to gouerne their subiectes scollers or childrē to kepe them vnder awe or discipline to chastise and directe them to the dueties of life and all godlines This yf they do they shall haue a worthie place prepared in Heauen For Daniell saieth also in the .12 chapter But the teachers shall shine as the brightnes of the firmamēt and they that bring many to righteousnes as the starres euerlastingly O therefore O happie are you yf ye bringe many to execute the office of righteousnes But wo be to you Princes and teachers and maisters and Parentes yf herein you be negligent There is prepared for you in hell a place moste horrible and myserable as also Ezechiell hath testified But yf Kynges haue their place and the same right honourable in Heauen wherefore do the Anabiptistes teache naye whie doe they lie that a Christiane can not execute the office of a Magistrate For here are Kinges mentioned to be in heauē not only as men but as thei were kinges that is as they were good kynges and executed their office duely and not forsaking their place haue liued a priuate life For it followeth they shall brynge their glory and honour vnto it And what is that glory and what is the honour it followeth agayne and they shal bring the glory and honour of nations into it that is to saye they shal bryng into heauen with them the very nations their people and subiectes whō they haue holpen in trewe godlines and saluation in teachyng correctyng defendyng alluryng or drawyng c. And these be their glory and honour for S. Paule in the .2 to the Corinth the .1
purged by Christe liue hoale sounde for euer more And by those allegories hath he hitherto figured by partes those blessed seates To what ende these are writteÌ„ prepared for the faithfull in that euerlasting countrie vnder the Image of a moste noble citie which after he hath shewed vs he semeth as it were to haue opened heauen it selfe and set forth the eternall felicitie to be sene in a maner with mortall eyes and eueÌ„ to haue poincted with the fingar to no other ende than that we should be stronge and constant in the fayth of our lord Iesus Christ should neuer thinke ones who hath euer sene those blessed seates whereunto we are called by the deniyng of all pleasures what yf thou shouldest dispise the pleasures presente and shuldest obteyne none in time to come This thought is wicked Faith teacheth thee otherwise But what sayest thou more desirest thou to know and see such things as God hath shewed thee Thou hast sene enough and abouÌ„dantly at this present The lord hath sheweth thee aboundantly enough of life and pleasure celestial at this present Indeuour now only that the deuill the world Antichrist troden vnder thou mayest aspire and be lifted vp into those heaueÌ„ly seates Moreouer beware thou be not more curiouse than is mete or requisite and that thou sekest not to knowe mo and more exacte thinges of the heauenly towre and perpetuall ioyes than the Lord himself which only knoweth these things hath to thee reuealed Let this euident demonstration of eternal life suffice vs. I beleue neuer none hath disputed better or more rightly more elegantly and more euidently of the blessed life thaÌ„ here S. Iohn hath done Let vs therefore repose our selues in God let vs beleue his wordes let his reuelation suffice vs and let vs desire to be ioyned with him in this heauenly courte in all felicitie and eternal life most perfit A â—ome collected of the doctrine of the blessed life And now S. Iohn recollectyng the chiefest poinctes of this matter and concludynge this place of eternall life he finissheth this euerlastyng felicitie in seuen membres whiche we will but touche only for that many thinke we haue spoken hereof already sufficiently and plentifully enough And to beginne with al there shal be no curse no execration no malediction nother warre nor famine nor diseases nor yet any suche thing There shal be no more curse as is recited of Moses emonges the curses in the 27. and .28 of Deuter. Not that all are accursed whiche are subiecte to the same For Iob and other holy menne were tormented with sickenes but that commonly the accursed vnbeleuers and wicked are plaged there with Not that they should be exercised and profit in godlines but that thei shuld first be afflicted here so by certen degrees passe vnto greater tormentes What than The seate of God in the citie The second membre inseweth but the Trone of God and of the Lambe shal be in that citie To witte the kingdome of God shal be there and God shal raygne and al blessyng no malediction in the chosen Therefore what ioyefull thinges so euer the Prophetes Christ and the Apostles haue spokeÌ„ of the kingedome of God the same shal be in heauen and the blessed shal haue the fruition thereof And agayne are ioyned together inseperablely the father and the sonne in the vnitie of essence which neuerthelesse in the distauÌ„ce of persones are excedingly wel not diuided but discerned These misteries of the blessed Trinitie are knowen vnto the faythful His seruaÌ„tes shall serue him Here followeth the third membre Some may maruaile what the blessed shal do in the world euerlastyng Therefore S. Iohn sayeth and his sâ—â—uauntes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall serue him God I saye and the Lambe they shall worshippe him in honouryng praysing magnifiyng him for euer Therefore shal they wholy addicte themselues to godly worshippyng Whiche thing shall in dede be to him great pleasure As also S. Austen sheweth in an other place Fourthly they shal see the face of God They shall see the face of God S. Austen treateth much of seyng of God to Paulina and warneth godly that we shoulde not here Imagine to our selues carnall thinges Moses in the .33 of Exodus And Philippe the Apostle in the .14 of Iohn haue accompted it for the highe felicitie to see God as he is and as it is commonly sayde face to face And there is vndoubtedly in this sighte and fruition highe felicitie and ioye euerlastyng and moste complete howebeit in this present world as the lorde sayde to Moses it chaunceth to no maÌ„ The holy fathers haue in dede sene God but by a shape and so farre forth as he hath vouchesaued to reueale and shewe himselfe to them to be sene Like as Tertullian sheweth in the boke agaynste Praxeas but with full eye to see the full glory of God with ioye inestimable is than firste graunted vs what time beyng deliuered from miserie and purged froÌ„ corruption we shal also in body be clarified than at the laste as S. Iohn sayde also in the .1 of Iohn the .3 we shall see him as he is Iob moste rightuouse speakyng of this vision of God Iob. 19. sayde when they shal haue put aboute or clothed to wit the father sonne holy ghoste this namely my body with my fleshe I shall beholde God out of my flesshe whome I shall see to my selfe and mine eyes shall loke vpon and no other The which is my only desire Of this seyng spake Paule also the Doctour of Gentiles and sayde nowe we see in a glasse 1. Corinth 13. euen in a darke speaking but then shall we see face to face c. And of this vision S. Austen hath also disputed in his booke De ciuitate dei aboute the ende Fiftely they shal haue the name of God in their foreheads The name of God written in their foreheades eyther because they shal be the children of God as we haue hearde in the Epistle to the Philadelphians in the .3 chapter of this boke And verely in the couÌ„trie celestiall it shal be manifestly knowen to all who be the children of God In this world they are commonly taken for the children of the deuill which in very dede are the childreÌ„ of god But this shal clerely appere in an other world to the great glory of the chosen And verely the brightnes of God shal shine from the foreheades or countenances of the electe as in times past the brightnes of the lord shone from the face of Moses Christe Or because al Sainctes shal knowe one an other sins the vertue of God resteth in their countenaunces which sense I perceyue hath pleased Primasius Or for that they shal be priestes before the Lord for euermore as the prophetes haue taught of the chosen In olde time the high prieste bare the very name of God in his forehead in a plate of golde bounden to his