what vnestimable power is he which hath a thousand thousand that is an infinite number of Angels and Archangels of powers and principalities and dominions attending on him at his commandemēt to execute what soeuer iudgement he shal appoint them The Bookes that are laid open doe descriue vnto vs the detection of al mens faultes and the opening euen of their secret thoughts and déedes For the iustice of God hath kept as it were a perfite register of al things euē of our idle thoghts words so that our consciences shall be at that day straightly burdened and charged with them al. Not muche differinge from these wordes of the Prophet is that discription of Christes comming whiche S. John vseth in his Reuelation And I savv heauen open and behold a white horse and he that fate vpon him vvas called Faithful and true and in righteousnes he doth iudge and make battaile his eyes were as a flame of fire on his head were many crownes he had a name vvriten that no man knew but himselfe And he vvas cloathed in a vesture dieped in bloud his name is called the vvorde of god And the armies that vvere in heauen follovved him vpon vvhite horses cloathed vvith vvhite and pure raynes In this discription the white horse issuing out of heauen is the pure and sincere doctrine of the Gospell sent from God in these latter dayes before the last appearing of Christ For by the preaching of the Gospell as by an horse or chariot Christ is caryed He that sitteth on this horse is Christ himselfe beeinge faithful in all his promises and verie trueth it selfe who commeth to iudge the world in righteousnes and in battell by force of trueth to ouercome Antichrist and all his enemies His eyes like flaming fire declareth his wrath and vehement displeasure against the aduersaries of his trueth He hath many crowns vpon his head to declare that he is king of kings and Lord of Lordes that al power both in heauen and earth is giuen to him and that it is in his power with the crown of glorie to rewarde all his faithfull seruants that haue constantly fought vnder his banner against the deuil Antichrist His garment dieped in bloud signifieth that the conquest of his enemies consisteth in his passion sheading of his most precious bloud for thereby sinne was taken away and the power of Satan ouerthrowen The armies of heauen follovving him on vvhite horses and apparelled in vvhite and pure reynes Be the number of his saints and faithfull professours of his Gospel which in this vale of miserie haue constantly fought against the enemies of his trueth The sworde that issueth out of his mouth is the woorde of God and principally that two edged sworde of his sentence at the latter day by which he shal pronounce on the one side Goe ye blessed of my father inherit the kingdome that hath bene prepared for you since the foundation of the vvorlde and cōtrariewise vnto the wicked ones on the left hand depart from me ye cursed into euerlasting fire vvhich is prepared for the deuil and his Angels By this discription of the last iudgement left vnto vs by the holy Ghoste in the scriptures of god we may know that at that day we shal not haue to do with a common fraile man but with a most dreadful Lord terrible Judge y knoweth the verie secretes of mens heartes and iudgeth according to perfite righteousnes Whom as Augustine saith neither fauoure can peruert nor mercie bend nor money corrupt nor satisfaction and repentance at that day can aswage Whose beautie and brightnesse is such as darkeneth euen the starres of heauen whose might is so great as it melteth mountaines and the whole frame of the worlde before him whose wisdome is so perfect that by it the wisell of the worlde are intrapped in their owne craftinesse whose puritie is so excellent that in respect of it all things are vncleane whose iustice is so exquisite that the verie Angels are not able to abide that straight measure of it Before this God I say before this Judge shal the whole worlde at that day appeare and yéelde a most straight accompt of all things that euer they haue done spokē or thought Oh dearely beloued let vs followe therefore the counsaile of that good father Ephrem the Syrian Preparemus nos sine macula inueniri in terribili illo Christi examine c. Let vs prepare our selues that in that dreadfull examination of Christe we may be found without spot For then al our thoughts wordes and déedes shall be reproued and conuinced of corruption yea our idle talke our lose and vncomely gestures and all our smallest offences shall be layde to our charge Yea those things wherein in this lyfe we did put our greatest pleasure and glory shall then be vnto vs our greatest griefe and torment Let vs therefore in time repent and before hande enter into a straight account with our selfe for as the same father addeth omnia dura aspera amara occurrent hijs qui poenitentiae tempus perdiderunt All thinges shall be harde grieuons and vnpleasant to them that léese the time of their repentance in this life In that day sayth Bernarde for the wicked to hide them it shal be vnpossible though they desire the mountaines and rockes to fall vpon them and to appeare before the Judge it shall be vntollerable For in so great distresse their owne consciences shall torment them and the secretes of their heart shall vexe them while their owne heartes shall force them to be their owne accusers and with trembling spirits they shal stand looking for that moste grieuous and dreadfull sentence Goe you cursed into euer lasting fire If there be any so obstinat wicked and forlorne in sinne as he trembleth not at the cogitation of these things Let him imagine that whiche shall be most certemly true that he heareth that hydeous sounde of the last trumpe and voyce of the Archangell summoning all fleshe to the iudgement seate of God that he séeth the heauens melting with fire and the whole world burning about him that aboue him he seeth the sonne of God comming with the glorious armie of his Saintes and Angels that before him he seeth layde open the booke of all his wicked thoughtes wordes and déedes that within him he féeleth the worme of his conscience gnawing with perpetual torment that beneath him he séeth hell mouth readie to swallowe him that he séeth in euery quarter the Angels of God gathering together his electe and reiecting him as a wicked reprobate that on his right and left hand he beholdeth cruel fendes watching vpon the sentence of the iudge to carie him to that place where shal be perpetual flame without quenching wéeping and gnashing of téeth without ending darkenesse without light griefe without ease sorow without comfort where death shall be wished for and neuer obteined where shall be nothing but lothsomnesse horror stench
you know nothing can be more sodaine for it is done in the twinkling of an eye Therfore Derely beloued you must be assured that in a moment yea euen in the twinkling of an eye when you be in most securitie the last day shall oppresse you And therefore no man is hable to assigne the day the moneth or the yere as some presumtuously haue taken vpon them For Christ himselfe saith it is not knowen to the Angels of heauen no nor the sonne of man in that he is man but to his Godheade nothing is vnknowne The wisdome of God hath kept this secret from all men thereby to stirre vp the faithful alway to be in a readinesse For such is the frowardnesse of our corrupt nature that if we vnderstand of any delaye we abuse the patience and long sufferance of God to our owne further condemnation We ought therfore so to frame our selues in al godlinesse as if euery day should be the last daye of the world or at the least the last daye of our life And although the houre day or yere of Christes last comming be to vs vnknowen yet hath he giuen vs certeine tokens whereby we may assuredly know when it approcheth or draweth nigh For thus he writeth Learne a parable of the figge tree vvhen his branche is yet tender and the leaues sprong ye know that sommer is nigh So likevvise vvhen ye shall see these thinges come to passe be ye sure that it is nere euen at the doores And truely dearely beloued there is nothinge mentioned there by Christ to come before the last day or by the holy Ghost in any other place of the Scriptures but it is euidently euen to the eye of al faithful people fulfilled so that for any thing that we know to the contrarie we may loke for it euen this yere euen this moneth euen this day euen this houre and I beséeche almightie God déepely to impresse this cogitation into our hearts that we may saye with S. Hierome VVhether vve eate or vvhether vve drinke or vvhatsoeuer vve doe vve may seeme to heare this voyce of the Archangel continually sovvning in our eares Surgite mortui venite ad iudicium Aryse ye dead and come to iudgement In the Gospel Christ first noteth these signes and tokens that shall appeare before the later day in the sunne the moone the starres and planets in the ayre in the water in the earth in the Church in the state of principalities and kingdomes in the life behauiour of meÌ„ which if I shoulde stande to rehearse particularly and for proofe adde the testimonie of times and witnesse of histories in this latter age an whole day would not suffice for the declaration thereof Haue we not had within this few yeres aboue an hundred eclypses of the Sunne and of the Moone haue we not sene many Cometes and other strange and wonderous fierie impressions in the ayre haue we not had many horrible tempestes of winde rayne hayle snowe thunder and lightening â–ª to the great hurt of man and beast What shal I say of the greatdeluges of water at Naples at Rome in Germanie in Flaunders in England snowe hath fallen twentie Cubites déepe the Sea about Pontus hath bene frosen to the thickenesse of thirtie cubites Earthquakes in Italie diuers in Gréece in Asia in Barbarie in Spaine in England many other places As for monsters both by sea and by land of men of beasts a marueilous number â–ª â—â—â— mainie of which are recorded and put in writing with the note of their times places signes and of these maner of figures before spoken sundrie haue lighted here with vs in this Realme so that we can not say but God forewarneth vs by the as deepely as he hath done aâ—â—e Nation But these things are passed away with sleight consideration because they haue causes Incident to nature whereby they may be thought to come But christians ought not so lightly to let flippe those signes and forewarninges which our mercifull Lord and gracious Sauiour the trueest Prophet that euer was hath giuen vs to stirre vp our faith and expectation of his last comming that our maister when he commeth sodainely may not finde vs as lewde seruants sléeping in securitie and contempt of God and godlynesse and so being taken be cast into that place where shal be weping and gnashing of téeth for euer to continue in y portion of hypocrites Who is ruler of that nature and disposer and gouernour of those seconde causes vnto which they attribut these extraordinarie euents is it not our Lord and God maker of heauen and earth who guydeth al things that be done not onely by nature but suchs also as séeme to vs to fall by chaunce For if a sparowe fall net or a little worme of the earth créepe not or a rude Asse wander not without his certeine prouidence much more ought we to beleeue that so strange thinges as I haue spoken of before are not disposed by any other power to fall in these or those dayes but by his onely to veryfie the promises threatnings and forewarnings that his sonne our Sauiour hath giuen vs of his last coÌ„ming to iudgement By the like contempt and misinterpreting of those signes and wonderous tokens that God sent before the destruction of Hierusalem the stubbourne Jewes by gods iust iudgment hardened their heartes and foaded foorth themselues with vaine hope vntill the very daye that the wrath of God in most dreadful maner did light vpon theÌ„ with the vtter destruction of their citie and desolation of their people There appeared a Comet and other firie impressions but they assigned the causes to nature as we doe A man seuen yeres together neuer ceased crying VVo be to Jerusalem vvo be to Jerusalem and they imputed it to madnesse The great brasen gate of the temple which twentie men might scant open beeing fast barred and locked without handes sundrie times rushed open and they saide it was a signe of Gods fauour and of great prosperitie to come vnto them but in the end as I haue said they were surprised with most miserable desolation Christians should beware by their folly For surely I thinke that the ende of the people of the Jewes and the destruction of their citie and Temple is a type and figure of the last day and of those things that shall then happen in the Church as I coulde more largely declare if time would suffer me But because this kinde of signes is so neglected with mante and finde such shiftes in mans reason to auoid the signification of them for the assured proofe of the approching of the last daye I will rest onely vpon thrée or foure places of the worde of God which shall bring so euident testimonie thereof as no maÌ„ that hath anie sense of a true christian and is not altogether caried away with the loue of the worlde and luftes of the flesh can with safe conscidence denie it The first is Daniel To
and is called dictum domus Eliae the saying of the schole of Elias and is attributed to the sonne of the widowe which Elias raysed from death to lyfe The summe of it is that the worlde should remayne sixe thousande yeres that is two thousand before the law two thousand vnder the lawe and two thousand vnder Messiah The first foure thousande we sée by iust computation fulfilled before Christe of the last two one and more then an halfe is passed nowe if we call to our remembrance that Christe him selfe hath promised that for his electe sake because of the excéeding trouble miserie and wickednesse the latter dayes should be shortned we shall easily gather that the world hath not many yeres to continue and howe fewe we knowe not for howe much or how litle he will abridge them we are vncerteine Nowe séeing the proofes be so euident that the last day can not be farre of for séeing the figge trée leaues be spreade Sommer must néedes be at hande the nexte is the more to moue our dull hearts diligently to consider howe and in what maner it shall be The story thereof Christ briefly comprehendeth Mat. 25. VVhen the sonne of man sayth he shall come in his glory and all the holy Angels vvith him then shall he sitte on the throne of his glory and before him shall be gathered al nations and he shal separate them one from another as the shephearde deuideth his sheepe from the goates and he shall set the sheepe on the right hande but the goates on the left so forth as there foloweth Christes first comming was with al méekenesse lowlines simplicitie according to the saying of the Prophet Behold thy king commeth to thee meeke and sitteth vpon an Asse He came then to saue sinners and therefore he shewed him selfe altogether in mercy and gentlenesse but his latter comming shall be with great power maiestie and glory for then he commeth as a dreadfull Judge to reward in iustice the vnrepentant sinners that contemned his great mercies offered at his firste comming But let vs examine the maner of his comming somewhat more particularly After those signes and tokens that goe before his comming whereof I haue already spoken there be other also ioyned with the verie time of his latter appearing The sun shall be darkened the moone shall lose her light the starres shall fall from heauen and the povvers of heauen shall be moued the earth shall burne the firmament shall melt away and the last trumpe shall blowe and the voyce of the Archangell shal be heard summoning as it were all people aud sounding in their eares Surgite mortui venite ad iudicium arise you dead and come to iudgement whiche voyce S. Hierome thought he hearde euer ringing in his eares Then shall the sonne of mā appeare in the cloudes with great Maiestie as is sayde and the dead shall rise and they that be lyuing in the twinckling of an eye shall be changed and caryed into the ayre to appeare before the Lorde who commeth to iudge the worlde in ryghteousnesse This maner of Christ his comming beside his owne wordes in sundrie places of the Euangelistes is witnessed by S. Paule 2. Thes 1. VVhen the Lord Iesus Christe shall be reuealed from heauen vvith the Angels of his povver in flaming fire rendring vengeance vnto them that knovve not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Iesus Christ The very place whence he shall be reuealed giueth a great authoritie and maiestie vnto his comming to iudgement from heauen saith S Paule that is from the seate and habitation of the eternall and euerliuing God where is al power wisdome and iustice From thence saith he in another place doe we looke for our sauiour the Lorde Jesu And the Angell to the Disciples at the ascention of Christ VVhy stand you saith he gasing vp into heauen this same Iesus vvhich is taken from you into heauen shal so come euen as you haue sene him goe into heauen And therefore all christians in their beliefe confesse that Christ is ascended vp into heauē from whence say they he shall come to iudge the quicke and the dead In the witnesse of the Apostle aboue rehearsed the power and ende of his comming is noted vvith the Angels of his povver saith S. Paule and to this end That he may be reuenged on them that knovve not God nor haue not beleeued his Gospel Which thing muste néedes be most terrible to the wicked as it is in the same place more precisely noted But of all other the Prophet Daniel most gloriously discribeth the maner of his comming I beheld saith he til the thrones vvere set vp and the Auncient of dayes did sit vvhose garment vvas vvhite as snow and the haires of his heade like pure vvool his throne vvas like firie flame and his vvheles as burning fire There issued forth before him a firie streame a thousand thousande ministred vnto him and ten thousand stoode before him the iudgment was set and the bokes were opened c. First the Prophet sayth the Thrones vvere set vp whereby it may appeare there be moe Thrones then one that this Judge shal haue a great number of assistances to be as witnesses of his iustice against the wicked and these shal be the number of his saintes as it is witnessed in sundrie places of the Scriptures Verely verely I saye vnto you saith Christ That vvhen the sonne of man shal sit in the throne of his maiestie you that haue follovved me in regeneration shal sit also vpon twelue seats iudgig the twelue tribes of Israel This iudge is noted by Daniel to be An olde man vvith his haire as white as vvool Therby to signifie the reuerence wisdome and experience y is in him that he cā not let passe any thinge by ignorance errour or follye his garmentes as white as snowe declare vnto vs his securitie vprightnes and integritie in iudgement not respecting any person nor being corrupted with fauour hatred or money The firie stream e y issueth forth before him the flaming throne that he sitteth in signifie the dreadfull force and pearsing strength of his iudgement which no creature is able to resist As fire consumeth all things is consumed of nothing so doth the straight iudgement of God consume all the wicked of the earth For God as the Scriptures saye is a consuming fire And the Prophet Esay saith The Lorde shall comme in fire and his chariot shall be like a vvhirle vvinde that he may recompence his vēgeance in his vvrath and his indignation in a flame of fire For the Lord shal iudge all fleshe with the fire and vvith his svvorde The assistance of an infinite number of saints and Angels set forth vnto vs the wonderfull maiestie and power of the sonne of God in iudgement for if one Angell in one night were hable to destroye 185000 ▪ of the host of Senacherib of