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
that the preaching of the Gospell can not be so oppressed but that it shall rather be preached with great Constancie through out all the worlde And that Rome also shal fal and al the vngodly be pūnished He exhorteth therfore most ernestly that we haue not to do with Antichrist leeste also we be made pertakers of his damnation And to thintent there might waunt nothing that cōcerned a full comforte he addeth that thinge whiche maye chiefly confirme the mindes of al the godly euen in the greatest daungers howe they that die in Christ doe flitte streight wayes from the corporall death vnto lyse euerlastynge Whiche finisshed he tourneth to the description of the punnishement to be taken assuredly of the Antichristians Wherfore if the Bokes of the Gospell and newe Testament be to be estemed for the manifolde description of Christe and of saluation by him obteyned for the faythefull yf they are to be estemed of the comforte and preaching of the gospel this is doubtles a boke most gospel like as that which by a cōtinuall tenour to perillouse thinges annexeth consolation The Lābe standeth on mounte Sion S. Iohn therfore seeth the Lambe standyng vpon Moūte Sion Christ therfore slepeth not he is not ignoraunt of the perilles and conflictes of his churche but he standeth as prepared to ayde and succour his He standeth as a king inuincible whome nother the Dragon nor the olde nor the newe beast hath ouerthrowen For I haue tolde you oftener than ones especially in the .5 chapt that by the Lambe is vnderstande Christ For he is the lambe and price of our redemption vntill the iudgement but than laiyng a parte the office of an intercessour he shall be a moste seuere and also a moste holy iudge And Christ standeth not in the sande as did the Dragon but on a Mounte and that vpon mounte Sion Mounte Sion was a figure of Christes kingdome as appereth playnely in the .2 Psalme and the .2 of Esaye And the kingedome of Christe is the church aswell triumphante as militaunt therefore in the felloweship of Sainctes standeth Christ the ioye and glory of them that are in heauen and the life and helper of them whiche fight as yet in Earth Let vs beleue therfore that in the Antichristiane persecutiōs Christ wil neuer faile his faythfull as he is red neuer to haue fayled the olde Sainctes vnder the olde Romane Empire afflicted For this consolation serueth chiefly for vs which are vexed of Antichrist and serued for them also whiche suffered martirdome vnder the olde Romane Empire Nother is there any doubt but that they cōfirmed themselues herewith in the greatest persecutions With the lambe are 144000. But that same is moste full of consolation that the lambe is not alone but hath with him an hondreth and foure and fourtie thousande that is to saye a most ample church How so euer therfore the beaste rageth and sleyeth the confessours of Christ yet shal there be alwayes a church that shall neuer be plucked vp euen in the Earth He setteth a nombre certen for vncerten and yet certaine and determinate for that the nombre of them that shal be saued shal seme small in comparison of them which shal worshippe the beastes and perisshe Howebeit we vnderstande that the nombre of them shal neuertheles be greatest which shal be the body of the Church vnder their head Christ euen than also what time the Pope with all the limmes of Antichrist shall haue powred out all their furie Of this nombre of the electe I haue spoken in the 7. chapt where the selfe same nombre is set And as the Antichristians beare the marke of Antichrist in the righthande and foreheades so verely the shepe of Christ Thei haue the name of the father in theyr foreheads and which shal be the church the spouse of christ vnder their head Christ shal haue their marke also in their foreheades to witte the name of the father of the Lambe For Eius is to be referred to the Lambe And he speaketh not of an externall marke whiche should be printed on their foreheades but of the marke of their mindes The same is faith the signe of all Gods children And the fayth in the Father and the Sonne whiche are not without the holy ghost And howe shouldest thou beleue that almightie God is thy father vnlesse thou vnderstande the same to be obteined of the sonne This faith therfore is here vnderstande to be a christen not a Iewish or Turkishe fayth whiche yet confesseth God to be the father But sins they haue not the sonne as sayed S. Iohn in his Epistle they nother haue the father Therfore the true membres of the church of Christ the trewe shepe doe beleue that they haue a mercifull father through the sonne by whome they knowe that the father beyng pacified hath geuen all thinges of life and of saluation in his sonne They that seke not for saluation and all goodnes in the only mediatour the sonne of God haue not doubtles the right marke of the children of God in their foreheades At this daye all will be christiās but neglectyng Christ thei depēde wholy of Sainctes Therfore their faith is not the trewe marke of the children of God No they nother knowe the father nor the sonne And therfore they persecute those that cleaue wholy to the father by the sonne And seyng Christ is with his church what nedeth the church a vicar Certēly it can not be the true church whiche hath a vicar of Christe for than it waunteth Christe whom the trewe church can not waunte It was not enough for the Apostle to haue sayed that the church was vnited with Christe vnlesse he had added moreouer with many wordes howe he hath sene the churche affected and how she demeaned her self than verely when the beastes did afflicte her that euen we may learne therof what is the hope of Sainctes in greatest daungers of what sorte it behoueth vs to be in persecutions and temptations He heareth the voice of many waters First he heareth a voice from heauē as the voice of many waters Waters in the Scriptures many times doe signifie people We vnderstande therfore herby that the church shal be populouse and speaking to thintēt to dissemble nothing but frely to professe Christ And therefore he heareth also the sounde of a great thonder For the church getteth from heauen power to preache and shewe forth the Gospell grauely though the worldes bowelles burste And verely of the frāke constaunt preaching of the gospel Iohn and Iames are called with Marke the sonnes of thōder And cōcerning the preachyng of the gospell shall followe more afterwarde He heareth moreouer a melodiouse harmonie of menne singyng to their harpes singing as it were a newe song The which is chiefly referred to the sainctes in heauen singing eternall prayses to God secōdely to the sainctes liuing here yet in earth which also offer vnto God continually prayses thankes geuyng
Romanes into a reprobate minde to do those thinges which God alloweth not And so are the wordes of God prophecied by the Prophets and Apostles on this wise fulfilled Doubtlesse they be the wordes of God and not of men which are red of this matter in Daniell and in all this booke of reuelation The woman is the great citie Finally the Angell expoundeth what is signified by the woman sitting on the beast to wit that great citie of Rome the head and Lady maistresse of the worlde and the Romish church Popery and power stretching oute her selfe and her Kyngdome ouer the Kinges of the Earth Of whom already hath bene spoken enough To God be glorie ¶ He sheweth that Rome shall assuredly fall and addeth the causes of her fall The .lxxvij. Sermon The .18 chapter AND after that I sawe an Angell come down from Heauen hauing greate power and the Earth was lightned with his brightnes and he cryed mightelye with a stronge voyce sayeng she is fallen she is fallen euen great Babilon and is become the habitation of Deuilles and the holde of all vncleane spirites a cage of vncleane and hateful birds for all nations haue dronken of the wyne of the wrath of her whoredome And the kyngs of the earth haue cōmitted fornication with her and her marchauntes are waxed rych of the aboundaunce of her pleasures He pourseweth through out al the .18 chap. the destructiō of olde and new Rome also of Heithennes and Antichristianisme that with a maruelouse plentie euidence of speach euen so that ye would thinke that you sawe al thing presently And he vseth also a most godly order The some of the .18 chapter For first the Angell declareth the destruction of Rome with moste apte wordes Secondly coūsel is geuen to the godly how to behaue themselues in so great daungers Than is added the maner of the desolation that like as Rome hath gredely and cruelly spoyled and destroyed other nations euen so it shal chaunce vnto her also After this a lamentation is made wherein the Princes and marchaūts do mourne for the ruine of Rome where they also resyte the richesse and pleasures of Rome Finally the Apostles and Prophetes reioyce at the moste iust iudgement of God Agayne the Angell of the Lord cast a milstone into the bottome of the sea that so the most certaine vnrecouerable and moste weightie destruction of Rome mighte be signified Wherunto agayne are anexed the causes of so great euilles and the same finished with the prayse and gratulation of all the heauenly dwellers And most luckely doeth he imitate the holy Prophetes of God wherof two in a maner after the same forte S. Ihon imitateth the prophetes do describe the destruction of old Babilon Esaye in the .13.14 .21 chap. And Ieremy in the .50 and .51 And Ezechiell the ouerthrowe of Tirus in the .26.27 and .28 chapt For as the lot and end of all the vngodly is lyke so doeth the canonicall Scripture in painting out their destruction right well agree with it selfe The Apostles moreouer The maiestye of the holy tung although they spake and wrote to the gentyles in greke yet altered they nothing of their naturall phrase of speakyng and euen constrayned straunge tungues to serue the holy and not the Hebrew to serue vnto heathen langages For speakyng greke they obserued the naturall phrase of the Hebrew speach as first diuine and holy And where they coulde speake all langages yet ded they neuer speake and write any foreyne langage so but that in the same the Hebrew phrase might be perceyued The curiositie of the readers in the translations of the Bible Let some therfore beware at this daie that thei be not to deintie cared and followe the puretie of the latine speach so that in expressing the same they fal not in the meane whyle from the simplicitie of the holye tongue and lose not a fewe misteries They that be not froward had rather frame themselues to the holy langage and learne the phrases therof than to subdue the same againste the heare to straunge tongues and cōpell it to serue our delicate eares Moreouer we haue already admonished oftentimes what is the end vse of this treatise concerning the iudgemēts or pūnishments of God For the veritie and iustice of God is cōfirmed the afflicted receiue comfort and the wicked and all Gods enemies are made affrayde c. The vngodly deride the oracles of god But when S. Ihon published these thinges and prophesied of the destruction of Babilon which al men at that time by reason of the late subuersion of Ierusalem and most greuouse captiuitie of the Iewes which had lately chaunced vnder Vespasian ded clerely vnderstand to signifie Rome For right so had Babilon in times past vexed the holy Citie and natiō as nowe had Vespasian the Romane The godly in dede beleued thē to be true that they shulde vndoubtedly come to passe The vngodly as dotages laughed them to scorne The same had their elders done For when the Prophetes also prophesied the subuersion of Niniue Babilon and most mightie Monarchies they semed to them to be mad Notwithstāding euen as they had saied so came it to passe Therfore the faithfull beleue the Oracles of God howe long so euer they be differred which are prophesied to come how vnpossible so euer they appeare vnto the worlde For to God speakyng and willing nothing is harde The Authour of this oracle And going about to shewe the subuersion of Rome he prepareth his hearers and winneth credit to the prophesie whileste before all thinges he sheweth the authour of the Oracle or prophesie the very Angell of God And verely he cōmendeth highly the same Angel to vs to the end we shuld doubt nothinge of the veritie of those thinges which he speaketh For he sayeth howe he came from Heauen Wherupon we gather those things that he bringeth to be diuine and celestial the same is saied to haue great power lest verely we shuld thinke those thinges to be vnpossible which he sayeth shall come to passe For yf the Angel Gods minister be of so great power what may we thinke the Lorde to be which sente the Angel One Angell before the walles of Hierusalem killed an hondreth fourescore and fiue thousande menne of warre One Aungell in a night slewe all the firste borne of Aegipt Therfore seyng the most mightie Angel prophecieth the destruction of olde newe Rome we nede not to doubte but that it shall vtterly perisshe Moreouer the Earth was lightened with the glory that is to saye with the brightenes or light of this Aungell For this prophecie is nother darke nother will it be hidde but chiefly and most clerely preachrd through out the world Wherefore the same Aungell crieth with all his force We muste preach frely clerely agaynste Antichrist and that with a greate voyce For it behoueth these oracles of God wherein is treated of
shall discourse more at large of the distruction of Rome in the .17 chap. Wherfore within the space of .136 yeares Rome came seuen tymes into straungers handes and was sacked most cruelly and fell on the edge of the sworde and was led into captiuitie Councell how the godly shall demeane theÌ„selues in so great euils which hath long stricken with the swoorde and led away all nations prisoners This was the iust iudgement of God And S. Ihon annexeth a doctrine howe the godly shulde behaue theÌ„selues in so greate troubles and aduersities Here that is to wit whilest the Romanes reigne and rage also in those blouddy and cruel alterations and destruction of the Romane Empire the Sainctes shall nede to haue patience or perseueraunce and fayth These two vertues shal kepe the faithfull that they perish not also Of patience the lord speaketh in S. Luke the .21 chapt In your patience shal you possesse your soules Of faith speaketh blessed Iohn and this is the victory that ouercometh the world euen your faith Impatience and incredulitie hath led away many into the deniyng of the faith to idolatrie and to al vngodlines So learne we also how to arme our selues in our dayes against all vngodlines The lord deliuer vs from euill Amen ¶ Of an other beast which cometh vp out of the Earth that is to saye of Antichrist The .lviij. Sermon ANd I behelde an other beaâ—â— câ—â—â—â—â— vp out of the Earth and he had two hornes like a lambe and he spake as did the Dragon The Apostle S. Paule playnely testifieth What is th ende of this prophecie Rom. 15. such thinges as are written to be written for our learnyng that through the patience consolation of the scriptures we maye haue hope wherfore we must also applie therunto these things present For Christ the lord of all when he foresawe how greatly sathan should by his chosen membres the olde and newe Romane Empire afflicte the church would haue vs dilligently admonished of euery thing to the intent that al afflicted persones should hereof learne patience and conceaue comforte and hope and not be discouraged with the heauy burthen of euilles Like as he hath therfore diligently described the olde Romane Empire and shewed as it were pâ—yntyng with the fingar what mischief it should worke to the church admonisshed al to haue faith patience right so wil he from hence forth describe poperie or Antichristianisme in the which descriptioÌ„ he setteth forth before our eyes what so euer the sainctes shall suffer that beyng warned before they maye abide more manfully persecution and lesse yelde to mischauntes The secoÌ„d beaste cometh not forth tyll the first be taken awaye And in goodly order beginneth he to sette forth Antichrist after the Romane Empire torne and taken awaye For Daniel sayeth that a little and small horne shoulde arrise vp emonges the ten hornes and three of those hornes to poole downe plucke of and caste awaye and so to atteyne vnto greate power For he signifieth that the Romane Empire beyng diuided and brought now vnto decaie Antichrist shal arrise whiche should procure to himselfe a newe and countrefet Empire And S. Paule sayeth also that Christe shall not come vnto iudgement till Antichrist haue gone before and that he shall not come nother vnlesse this be firste taken awaye whiche hindereth and letteth that he can not come The whiche S. Hierome and other holy expositours do vnderstande of the Romane Empire 2. Thess 2. whiche muste be plucked vp and taken awaye and that then shall Antichrist arrise But the Maiestie of the Empire was distroyed aboute the yere of our Lorde .480 when Odacer inuaded Rome For from that time by the space of .300 yeres and more ther was no Emperour of the Weste after Augustulus And besides this vnder the Emperour Iustinian Rome was brente and layde waste of Totila Sins the whiche time the Bisshoppes of Rome haue begonne to loke a lofte and to thinke vpon a newe kingedome The secoÌ„d beaste of the Earth And therefore the Lorde sayeth that this beaste arriseth of the very earth The kyngedome of our lorde Iesus Christe cometh from heauen and bringeth to heauen Papistrie cometh nother of Christ nor of his doctrine but cometh out of the Earth that is to witte of euill meanes Ambition auarice treason and crueltie What ministers of the churche Christ ordeyned is easely perceyued by the Gospell of Iesu Christ That he forbadde them gouernement supremacie superiorite and maioritie as they terme it appereth of the .18 and .20 chapt of S. Matthew and .22 of Lukâ— Therefore do the Actes of Apostles and the doctrine of Peter testifie that Peter was a Minister and not Lorde of the Apostles muche lesse Prince of the citie or Empire of Rome For they lye lowde that saye howe Rome and Italy are the Patrimonie of S. Peter geuen him of the Lorde At the first the Apostles and Apostolicall men ministers of churches gouerned the churches equallye neyther ded one take vpon him more preheminence than an other Which thyng I am able to proue by many testimonies of auncient wryters yf nede requyred Aboute the counsell of Nice and a litle before that tyme when churches were greatly multiplied were ordeyned and custumably receyued Metropolitanes instituted in dede by a laudable but yet mannes ordinaunce that is to witte in a certen prouince or head citie was ordeyned a Byshop or Pastor which shoulde haue as it were theÌ„ ouersighte of the reste and shoulde serue for the calling of Synodes or assemblees Yet was it than dilligently prouided that he shoulde not be called Primate leeste any manne should thinke himselfe preferred before others in power but in order Nother was the Byshop of Rome at that tyme exalted aboue all others but there were dyuerse Metropolitanes whereof the byshop Rome was one The Niceyue counsell confyrmed that same custome and woulde haue it ratified Socrates in his ecclesiastical Historie the .5 boke the .8 chapt reciteth many Metropolitane churches in Asia S. Hierome to Euagrius and in an epistle to Titus sayeth playnely that in oulde tyme churches were gouerned by the common counsell of priestes or elders and that time Byshops and priestes were all one After by the custome of the church not of the veritie of the Lordes ordinauÌ„ce I rehearce Saincte Hieromes wordes Byshops were preferred before priestes yet muste they gouerne churches together And of that same custome Howe the Bisshop of rome came to his supremacie yea rather of the abuse of the custome Antichrist had his beginning For Boniface Bishop of Rome began fyrste to take vppon him dominion ouer the churches of Affricke But he was immediatelye repressed by the sixte Affricane couÌ„cell where at Sainte Austen is red also to haue bene After that began also the Byshop of CoÌ„stantinople to chalenge to himselfe the Supremacie for this cause chiefelie that Constantinople was than the courtelyke Palace and chiefe Citie of the Empyre Howe beit
shuld be ordeined bishop of Rome but a Cardinal He condemned moreouer the Greke counsell of the Emperour CoÌ„stantine against Images which he coÌ„maunded both to be had and worshipped These things writeth Antoninus in Chron. tit 14. Cap. 1. .5 After this that great Charles the sonne of Pipine sent for into Italie by pope Adriane Charles coÌ„fyrmeth al thinges taketh Desiderius King of Lumbardes and putteth downe the Kyngdome of Lumbardes This was done in the yeare of our Lorde .773 and also the two hondreth fourth yeare after that the Lumbardes were arryued in Italie And he confirmed and augmented the donatioÌ„ of Pipine his father As many Historiographers make relation Ihon Functius in Cron. addeth that through out the whole Realme of Fraunce Euen so was the masse obtruted to the Germaines at the coÌ„maundement of Charles the Ceremonies of the Romish church were instituted We haue nowe than the name of Antichrist of the nombre .666 We knowe who he is and whome we shoulde beware of I can not here omitte but at fewe wordes muste note the supputation of Sibilla concerning the originall of Antichrist to my iudgement very agreable to the fourmer accoumpte For the .8 bokes of Sibelles oracles taken out of the librarie of the honorable coÌ„mon welth of Auspurg were set forth by the moste godly and learned man D. Xistus Betuleius in the yeare of our Lorde .1545 and that in Greke And this Sibilla Erythreae or whatsoeuer she were prophesieth in the .8 boke that Rome shal fal and be burnt with fier The wordes of Sibelle in Greke are to this effecte The plague of God vpon the ones shall fall Prowde Rome vnto the grounde thou shalte be caste Vnto thy foes made first captiue and thrall And than with flaming fier be burnt at laste And this thing was accoÌ„plished at what time Totilas Kynge of Gothes fyred the Citie as we haue rehearsed before And shortelie after in the same Oracles are these annexed When Emperours that haue the worlde oppreste With bondage great from the east vnto the weste The numbre haue fulfilled of fiftene A King shall come in white hatte to be sene Which vnto Ponti his name shall nere annex As he that shall be called Pontifex To worldelie pleasures geuen shall he lyue And with his wicked fote rewardes will geue and the residue which are read there She byddeth accoumpte from the burninge of Rome fiftene Kinges After whome shall come a newe Kinge whome she describeth And it is manifest that Rome was taken spoyled and burnt vnder the Emperour Iustinian After ar accoumpted from Iustine the yonger to the Emperour Theodosius 15. After Theodose succedeth Leo the .3 whose name was Isauricus she calleth those kings delicatos that is geueÌ„ to pleasures Because the most parte of them were not very valiaunt but vnder Leo .3 Italie reuolteth from themperour And shortlie also the gouernement called the Exarchate was geuen to the pope of Kinge Pipine againste the Emperours mynde We se therfore that the supputations do agree For we haue also brought to kinge Pipine the yeares .666 And so a newe kynge ariseth whome Sibille nameth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 notable by reason of his whyte hat or myter For so she noteth the Byshop which in oulde tyme dyd weare on their heades whyte miters that shuld be a king She geueth him a name also For she sayeth how he hath a name nere vnto Ponti For adde to the worde Ponti fex and you haue Pontifex She annexeth certen notes or marks also that he shall regard earthly things and not heauenly and that he shal also prouide 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and geue rewardes with his vngraciouse fote And that is rightly spoken sins that after Domitian and Dioclesian none of all the Kynges saue the Pope hath offered his fote to be kissed whereby fooles thinke they receyue greate rewardes But omitting these thinges let vs retourne into the waye The blessed marter Ireneus speakyng of this Kyng in the same .5 boke In the beast comming sayeth he ther is made a recapitulation of all iniquitie and of all deceipte to the end that al Apostatical power concurring and concluded in him Antichriste is the sinke of al vngodlynâ—sse and wickednes might be throwen into a fournace of fyer And that he hath spoken this thing by the spirite of prophesie all men wil confesse that haue red the lyues of the Byshops of Rome but especially of Siluester the .2 Benedictus the .9 Gregory the .6 Gregory the .7 Vrbanus the .2 Paschalis the .2 Alexander the .3 Innocentius the .3 Gregory the .9 Boniface the .8 Clement the .5 Ihon the .22 to speake nothing of diuers others What in our dayes haue done Iulies ClemeÌ„tes Leos and Paules Spayne FrauÌ„ce England HoÌ„garie and Germanie and other Realmes speake which haue ben set together by the eares and intangled emongs theÌ„selues with most cruel wars The bloud of martirs shed speaketh which crieth vnto the Lord. What remaineth therfore but that we shuld take hede to our selues beware of this man of sin and cleaue to our redemer Christ our Lorde beseching him that he wold come shorty and delyuer vs from all euyll Amen Amen ¶ Christe standeth vpon Mounth Sion hauynge his churche and is deserbed by notes which and what shall be the shepe of Christe The .lxij. Sermon The .14 Chapter ANd I loked and lo a lambe stode on the mouÌ„t Sion and with him 144000. hauing his fathers name written in their foreheads And I heard a voice from heauen as the sounde of many waters and as the voise of a great thonder And the voyce that I hearde was as the harpers that play vpon their harps And they soung as it wer a newe song before the seat and before the foure beastes and the elders and no man coulde learne that song but the hondreth and .xliiii. thousand which were redemed from the earth These are they which were not defiled with wemen for thei are virgins These followe the Lambe whither so euer he goeth These were redemed from men beyng the first fruictes vnto God and to the Lambe in their mouthes was founde no gyle For they are without spotte before the trone of God Like as he hath hitherto mixed ioyefull thinges with sorrowfull A consolation and preachyng of the gospel and annexed a consolation to moste harde cruell chaunces so nowe he adioyneth also to the tirannie of the Romane Empire an exposition hauing bothe a consolation and an exhortation moste graue and weightie Vndoubtedly by the description of the Romishe tiranny and reigne of Antichrist it might haue semed that the Church and the preachynge of the Gospell had ben vtterly loste and that vngodlines should haue triumphed for euer he declareth therefore by a most excellent vision howe Christ shall reigne notwithstandyng in his chosen and shal ouercome and shal haue his churche continually and that righte famouse He describeth what the electe shal be He addeth
Therfore how so euer their hartes be made sorrowfull in perilles and aduersities yet their spirite reioyceth in the Lord. For no mā coulde learne that same songe saue thelecte For like as none of the heauenly dwellers can expresse or vnderstande the excellencie of the ioyes of the life to come and the praises of God excepte he dwell emonges the heauēly inhabiters be pertakers of the moste godly life so excepte any man liuyng yet here in Earth be regenerated he nother seeth how great is the felicitie of the faithful nother cā he iustely esteme the prayses which they offer vnto God Touching the newe songe I haue spoken in the .5 chapt And certenly to wordly men the thinges seme as they were newe whiche the faithfull bring forth of Gods worde The true markes of the faithful Nowe doeth S. Iohn describe also what maner ones the shepe of Christ shal be which shal continewe in the church of Christ dispising the furies of the beastes Vnto whome also the marke of his fathers name in their forcheades is expounded They are redemed from the Earth We shall perceyue moreouer what be the true markes of the faithful First they are redemed frō the earth Doubtles al we bearing the earthly Image of the earthly mā were solde vnder sinne for the whiche cause we are also subiecte to maledictiō But the lord hath bought vs with the price of redemption payed vpon the crosse so that now we are shapen newe after the Image of the heauenly man to with beyng adopted for the children of God Of the which redemption the Apostle hath spoken in the .1 Corinth the .7 and to the Roma the .3 in other places S. Peter also .1 Pet. 1. And for asmuch as the faithful knowe themselues to be bought and adopted by Christe to the heauenly inheritaunce they are addicte to serue their redemer only and inseperablely cleaue to him Morouer they are virgins They are virgins not defiled with women in expoūding the which thinges thauncientes torment thēselues leeste any thing here should seme to redounde to the derogation of holy matrimony wherby doubtles witnes thapostle in the .1 Corinth 7. and .13 to the Hebr. no man is defiled I am here asshamed to bring forth the trifles of the Papistes For who cā heare the vncleanest of al mē reasoning any thing of cleanes They wil hereby mainteyne colour that single life of theirs but al men see neuerthelesse excepte they be blinder than betelles what filthines hath ben cōmitted and is cōmitted dayly vnder the pretence of this vngraciouse most vncleane singlenes But the Lord speaketh nothing at this present of corporal mariage but rather spiritual For it is manifest that thapostles as the brideleaders of our sauiour haue brought the churche to our Sauiour a chaste virgin whiche hath not had to do with any straunge or foreine womā that is to saye which is not defiled with the participation of euill doctrine Reade Salomon reasonyng of that woman grauely in the .4 chapt of the Prouerb Reade moreouer thapostle in the .2 to the Corint 11. excedingly wel teaching that the faithful are an vndefiled virgin the spouse of Christ The faithfull therfore which liued vnder the tiranny of the beastes receyued no straunge doctrine of Idolles and of other prophane cultes nother do at this daye admitte the popish infectiō but kepe their maydenly mindes for their husbāde Christ beyng despowsed vnto him by faith most sincere These follow the lāb whether so euer he goeth They follow the lābe whither so euer he goeth That is to saie they care for no man but Christ they desire no man but Christ in him they repose al their ayde al their cōfort al their ioye al saluation to him alone haue alwayes respecte in him they know themselues to be complete which one and alone is to them al thinges Moreouer whither so euer Christe calleth the faithful by doctrine and exāple yf it be to very death and moste cruell butcherie they followe willingly and cherely Whereby it cometh to passe that in the world to come they cā neuer be seuered from him For where so euer Christ is there is also Christes minister as he him selfe hath witnessed in the .12 and .14 chapt of Iohn They are also redemed frō men Redemed from men deliuered verely through the grace of Christ that they should not follow this corrupte and vncleane world by all kinde of pollution For Christ by his spirite and worde calleth his out of this worlde that although in body we are cōuersaunte in the world yet should we with al our minde abhorre the worlde the thinges that are therin Furthermore for this intente hath he chosen and redemed his from the bondage of men or of the worlde First fruices to god that they should be first fruictes to God the father to his sonne Which place the moste godly and excellent learned man D. Fraunces Lamberte expounding in his cōmentaries vpon the Apocalipse it is manifest saieth he by the .23 of Leuit. the .15 of Numeri and .18 of Deuter. what firste fruictes be and that they were gathered for the Lord and went to the high priest But Christ is that high priest vnto whome the spiritual first fruictes apperteyne to witte the godly sanctified to God These things are confirmed of the Apostle which sayed that Christ gaue him selfe for vs to the ende he might redeme vs from all iniquitie and might purifie vs to him selfe an especial people a follower of good workes Therefore do the true faithfull singularly applie them to godlynes and that they maye be the first fruictes a most excellēt present of the lord sins they know themselues to be redemed for this ende that all the reste of the time of their life they might serue God In their mouth no gyle In their mouth is founde no gile He sayeth not no cōcupiscence or euil motiō to be founde in the hartes of the faithfull but denieth that there is any gile in their mouth For albeit that the faithful be troubled and vexed with the affectiōs of the fleshe yet so loue they the trewth that to their knoweledge they wil disceaue no man And chiefly do dissemble nothing that apperteyneth to the confession of the trewth and veritie nor vse any gile in the doctrine of the Gospell They be morouer with out spotte before the trone of god They be without spotte not by their owne vertue but by the sanctification of Christ which S. Paule also affirmeth in the .5 chapt to the Ephesi And he hath spoken it aptly before the trone For S. Austen sayed that our sanctification should at laste be made perfit in the world to come These I say be the trewe markes of the trewe faithful and of the trewe church of Christ Let euery man search here the secret corners of his harte consider dilligētly in his minde whether he be marked with these signes and
And in dede it were foloyshnes Babilon to expounde these thinges of the ould Babilon in Asia which was fallen long sins scarcely any token thereof beinge leste Rome we muste therefore vnderstande it of an other which is in her flowres and euen by a figuratiue speach we must vnderstande it of Rome Antonomasia For there is a greate Cozinnage as it were betwixte both Babilon was the first Monarchie Rome is the laste Babilon sore afflicted the people of God So doeth Rome greuouselye vexe the church of God Babylon burthened Israell wyth a greueouse captiuitie So Rome vexeth the church wyth more than a long captiuitie Babilon ouercame the people of God and burning the Citie of Hierusalem and destroieng the temple led away Israell captiue so Rome also hauing rased the citie of Hierusalē and subuerting the temple triumphed of Israell Babilon planted Idolatrie superstition and all abhomination auaunced maintained and set forth the same vnto al men but at the length when she woulde haue thought leest of it the people of God being sodeynely delyuered she was vtterly subuerted So is Rome also the mother nurse and reuyuer of all abominations in the church of the laste tyme wherein she shall perish at the last all those that beleue truly in Christe being delyuered And especiallie it is called great For howe greate and mightie the church of Rome is all we see and by experience knowe at this daye Nother am I the firste that vnderstand by Babilon Rome For many expositours reading the first Epistle of Saincte Peter in the end of the epistle do vnderstand by Babilon Rome Certes Oecumenius sayeth And here he calleth Babilon Rome for the excellencie and brightnesse of the Empire the which Rome obteined a long tyme sins But this the more auncient wryters expound more playnelie as Turtullian in his boke againste the Iewes which sayeth so Babilon with sainct Ihon beareth the fygure of the Citie of Rome therfore also great and proude in her kingdom and a murtherer of the saincts The same words in a maner he repeteth in the thirde booke against Marcion And no lesse playnely Saincte Hierome calleth Rome Babilon and that same Babilon wherof S. Ihon speaketh in the Apocalipse Read the epistle of Paula and Eustochium written to Marcella by the helpe of sainct Hierome Reade himself in the .11 questiō to Algasia Againe in the preface to the boke of Didymus of the holy ghoste to Pauliniane Also in the end of the .2 boke against Iouinian The same in the life of S. Marke Peter saith he in the first epistle vnder the name of Babilon doth figuratiuely signify Rome But S. Ihon wil expounde himselfe in the .17 chapter And we vnderstande that the Citie of Rome shall fall chiefly with all her vngodlynes And with the same also the Romish superstition and abomination through oute the worlde And the Aungell in dede sayeth she is fallen which is yet to fall And that by the propheticall maner of speaking Anadiplosis wherein that which shal assuredly come to passe is vttered as though it wer now done To signifie the certentie thereof that reduplication or iterating of the worde also apperteineth she is fallen she is fallen she is fallē she is fallē This is also repeated in the .18 chap. where it shal be shewed howe it is taken out of the Prophetes c. Notwithstanding both a desyre and Ioye also might seme here to be signified For such thinges as we haue longe and with a desyre loked for we receiue them nowe cumming and saie thou art come thou arte come at the laste longe loked for and nowe makest me glad For the sainctes with a great desyre loke and long for the distruction of that most wicked most vyle and most troublesome kyngdome of Antichriste The cause is shewed also of the destructiō of the commonwelth and church of Rome Why the Romyshe Church shoulde fal for that she hath caused all nations to drinke and hath made them dronken wyth wyne of wrath of her fornication And verelye the effecte of wyne in men is greateste Therefore doctrine is compared to it in the Prophetes Therefore Rome with her vncleane and corrupt opinions hath made all people dronken And it is called the wyne of the wrath For loke with whome God is angry he suffereth them to erre in the way of the Romish church For in asmoch as God hath reuealed the sincere doctrine of lyfe by his onely sonne and moste chosen Apostles and men receaue not the same God is iustely offended with them and geueth them ouer into a reprobate mynde that thei may followe shamefull errours As Saincte Paule also prophisied shuld come to passe in the .2 to the Thess 2. chapt This wyne is called moreouer the wyne of her fornication whereby she her selfe hauing firste played the harlot is become nowe also the Maistres of fornicatiō and as it wer bawde to al others This maner of speakyng is right well knowen euen oute of the Prophetes Rome ded not persiste in the doctryne of the Gospell and of the Apostles but inuented a newe and that contarry to the Gospel of the vycar of Christ in earth The deuilysh doctrin of Rome of the power of keyes of indulgences and pardons of iustification of works and merits of satisfactiōs cōfessions of worshipping of Images prayeng to saincts of celebrating masses and worshipping of the sacramēt of the aulter as thei terme it of monkery and vowes and such other innumerable This doctrine as Apostolicall auncient and chresten she drinketh of to all people and so plucketh them from Christ withdraweth them from the Gospell seduceth them from the oulde christianitie and destroyeth innumerable soules Therefore God powreth oute to her also of the cuppe of his wrath and bryngeth her also to destruction for euer He disswadeth all frō the fellowship of the Romysshe church And vpon this occasion he disswadeth all men from the felowship of the Romish church or papistrie that we haue nothing to do with the Romish religion vnlesse we will be part takers also of the euerlasting pūnishmēt He reasoneth therfore of the losse and punnishments and descrybeth greuouse and horrible paines yf happlie men might so be feared from that vngodlines The Angell therfore crieth and that with a loude voice Wherefore let al ecclesiasticall preachers learne that they must earnestly and tirribblie crye oute in this case that all flee the communion of the Romish or popish church I know doubtles what the common people beleue and saie that all shall be saued at the laste daye what religion so euer they be of and namelie yf any remaine an open papist But we can nother condemne nor absolue any man sette them in Heauen or cast them to Hell God liueth a rightouse iudge He alone knoweth who shal be saued or damned We ought therfore of right to credit his iudgements But where as he pronoūceth openly that the fauourers of the
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
cōmitted Italiā matters Totila therfore where themperour would not graūt his requestes determined to rase the citie of Rome The greatest parte of the walles in most places he made euen with the grounde setteth the Capitolle house on fire He commaundeth al Citizens with their wiues childrē to departe out of the citie The cōmons of Rome were dispersed in the townes of Campania The Senatours and nobilitie Totila kepte with him for pledges Than was fire put into euery house Thus Rome beyng fired in al places Totila lefte it vacant .13 dayes the fire brent clere The citie of Rome was .40 dayes in that solitarines that there was neyther mā nor woman in the same The citie ouerthrowē he remoued his campe towardes Lutania and Calabria Bellisarius came to the citie lefte vacant and soner than a man would haue thought fortifieth a parte of the citie with ditch walle rampare and turretes of wood For all coulde not be restored Totilas was with him but repulsed departed to Tibur Bellisarius is sent for into Grece by themperour Totila besegeth Rome and taketh it So in one yere Rome the head of the world the lady of al nations was taken thryse thus wryteth Auentinus Leonarde Aretine writing of the Italian war against the Gotthes in th ende of the 2. boke After this sayeth he Totila departing frō Rome with his whole armie lefte it vtterly desolate and vacant c. Who will saye nowe that S. Iohn hath not in fewe wordes comprehended the destructiō of olde Rome whiche the stories afterwarde haue plentifully described and finally howe after the same maner as it was prophecied it hath followed the prophecie after .451 yeres And that so euidētly to haue propounded in fewe wordes that you would thinke presently to beholde Rome both falling and burnyng New Rome also shall fall with her empire And like as in the storie of the gospel the lord intermireth a prophecie of the destruction of Ierusalem and of th ende of the world that euery mā might of this that he seeth the citie of Hierusalē right so as the lord had prophecied to haue perished nother that one stone hath remayned vpon an other gather by like trouth certentie that this world shal fall So maye we of this that we see tholde citie of Rome fallen so great an Empire which was thought shuld haue lasted for euer brought to naught gather also that new Rome with her shaddowe or image of thempire shal as sure as daye fall be brought to naught And firste in dede the Saracenes Turkes whiche ruled and yet raigne in the prouinces subiecte to the Romane Empire as in Asia Grece Aegypte Affricke Slauonie and base Hungarie and therfore be rightly accompted emonges the ten hornes doe hate worse than dogge or snake both Poperie it selfe and Rome and all that Imagerie Empire Yea stories also testifie that they haue oft times made inuasions and spoyled Rome it selfe What is done at this daye experience it self teacheth But whether the Turke or the christen Princes themselues conuerted to Christ by the Gospel shall spoyle this newe Rome destroye it vtterly and burne it with fire the Lord knoweth who semeth here to intimate some suche thing hereof This is certayne that Christ alone with his hand shal bring downe Antichrist and abolish him with his comming Certaine it is that the Earth and al the workes that be therin shal be brēt For thus is thapostolical doctrine and that al these things shal be in th ende of the world Reade Paule .2 to the Thess the .2 And Peter the .2 Epistle the .3 chap. Morouer there arrise in sondry kingdomes of the world learned men which ones being bounden to the See of Rome haue defended her her stinking idolle but after cōuerted to Christ beginne to hate both Rome the Romish churche which also they assaile burne with the fire of Gods word Therfore al the glorie dignitie and welth of the Pope poperie hath perished perisheth daily in the godly Al that be godly wise hate Rome romish wares Al crie out that this Sodome is worthie to be brente with fire fallyng from heauen Nother is ther any doubt but that a greuouse vengeaunce is prepared agaynst her And briefly is shewed a reason God hath put into the heartes of kyngs c. wherfore the Kings shuld rage so cruelly against the beaste and why these thinges are done in such sorte and maner as we haue hearde For God sayeth he hath geuē into the hartes of thē 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is that they should worke his will shuld do with one mynde and consent For where some referre 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his to the beaste that semeth to far of and straunge It is referred rather to the nexte to God I meane which put into the heartes of the kinges to do his wil I say of God For it is the mynde and will of God that the beast shulde perish that punnishment be taken of her for shedyng of innocent bloude The same God will procure that kinges shal not be at discord but at concord that being of one mynd and accorde they may execute Gods iudgemēt So we read in the Prophetes that God put in to the heartes of kynges Salmanaser Sinnacherib Nabuchodonoser Cyrus and others that they shuld do as they are red to haue done to wit in pūnishing the wicked and defending the godly And ther is also mention made in Histories howe Alaricke Kynge of the west Gothes was in dede disswaded by a seruaunt of God that he shuld not make such haste to distroy Rome but that he aunswered Ther is one that cōtinually troubleth me and sayeth go distroy Rome And he that put that mynde and wyll in to the hearte of Alarich Adolphe Genserych Odacer Theodoricke and Totila The same yf he wyll and when he wyll and in to what Princes he wyll shall put that they also shall doe their dewtie againste this newe Citie and churche of Rome The angel anexeth how God moreouer hath put into the harts of kings that they shuld geue their kingdom to the beast til the words of God be fulfilled The which the interpretours expound say howe God hath permitted that they shoulde cōceaue this coūsel in their mynds to deliuer the kingdome to the beast But I suppose it to be more playne yf we symplye confesse God to be authour of no sinne and that men sinne as compelled by no fatall necessitie but through their owne faulte and vice Therefore God woulde as by his woorde also he hath expressed and taught that kynges shulde deliuer their Kyngdomes to Christe the high Kyng which where it pleased them not but had rather for sondry causes of the flesh and the worlde delyuer their kyngdomes to the Pope and submitte themselues to the See as they call it Apostolicall God of his iuste iudgemente hath forsaken them and geuen them ouer as S. Paule wrote the
the glory of God and saluation of soules be preached with lowde voyces howe so euer the worlde prohibiteth and persecuteth the same And lette them obserue those thinges whiche thinke that menne maye be restreyned by proclamations fire and sworde that they shall not with voyce moste clere preache agaynste Antichrist The fooles are disceaued They houe fought and contended herin these sixe hondreth yeres and more nother could any man though he raged neuer so fiersely brynge this preachyng a slepe It breaketh out many times and pearseth farre euen at this daye also through out the whole worlde therefore the glory of this Angel is yet euer shal be shinyng and bright and his voyce and preachyng most strōg though the Popes guttes burste Now followeth the prophecie of thaungel She is fallen she is fallen Babilon the some wherof is Rome shall perishe neyther shall any steppe of her be lefte This vttereth he prophetically as he did also in the .14 chapt She is fallen she is fallen greate Babilon She is fallen he sayde for shal falle puttyng the time paste for the certentie of the thing for the time to come whereunto the doublyng also apperteineth Likewise spake the Prophetes Macrobius marueleth at the wonderfull breuitie of Vergill And emonges other things in the first chapt of the .5 boke of Saturnalles wilt thou heare Virgill sayeth he speakynge wyth so muche breuitie that breuitie it selfe can be no more straitely hampered and drawen together And feldes where Troye was beholde howe in very fewe wordes he hathe supped offe a mightie greate Citie And hath lefte no ruine at all Hitherto Macrobius These thinges shal we more trewly and more rightly applie vnto our Prophetes moste eloquent in their tunge chiefly to S. Iohn For what could be thought more briefe than that which he sayed she is fallen she is fallen great Babilon For S. Iohn both expressed the greatnes and maiestie of the citie and swallowed it vp whole no ruine at al lefte for he signified that both olde and newe Rome although it seme stoute inuincible and eternall yet shal it fall and so fall that nothing thereof shal be lefte Which shortely after he setteth before our eyes more expressely by a certen Chria whilest the Angel takyng vp a milstone and casting it into the bottome of the Sea addeth thus or with such a violence shal Babilon that great citie be ouerthrowen shal be founde no more Therefore was there neuer any thing is or shal be in the worlde so mightie or vnpregnable whiche the inuincible power of God can not bring to naught when he will and when the fatall howre is come Olde Rome is loste and that mightie monarchie decayed there is fallē also the superstition and Idolatrie of the heythen that hath reigned many yeres newe Rome shal perish also with her Imaginarie Empire the kingedome also of the Pope or Antichrist which hath longe a sotted and plagued the worlde shall falle and fade with smoke Morouer by a figuratiue speach taken out of the prophetes And it is made the habitatiō of deuilles he sheweth the maner of the destruction by consequēces and is become the habitation of Deuilles c. For so hereby he signifieth that it shall be destroyed that the place whiche was before much frequented of men shal be now the habitation of wilde beastes and deuelles delighting in wildernes as our lord also testifieth in the .12 of Matth. And he alluded to the wordes of the Prophetes Esaye in the .13 chapt And Babilon the beaultie of realmes shal be ouerthrowen as the Lord subuerted Sodome and Gomorrha it shal not be inhabited but beastes shal there take there rest and the satires or heerry shal there leape The same thinges are repeted also in the .50 of Ieremie And in the .51 he sayeth babilō shal be in heapes an habitation for Dragons a wōder and a hissing that no mā may dwel there Not much vnlike things are red in the .26 of Ezech. of the subuersion of Tyru◠And that olde Rome was destroyed I shewed before and for the space of fourtie daies and more inhabited of no man And that we see it inhabited agayne it letteth nothing the veritie of Christes prophecie For Fraunces Petrarche an Italian and emonges the best learned Italians not hindermoste in a certen epistle to a frende expoūding these wordes of the Apostle S. Iohn emonges other thinges sayeth thou art verely become such already for how much better is a wicked man and of desperate doynges than a deuill verely thou art become the habitation or rather kingdome of Deuelles which by their craftes albeit in mās shape raigne in thee c. Petrarche liued and wrote these thinges aboute two hondreth yeres sin◠And in an other certen epistle speakyng of olde and newe Babilon she was sayeth he worste of al others and at that time most filthie and this nowe is no Citie but an house of findes and spretes and to be shorte the sinke of all sinne and shame and that helle of the liuyng signified longe before by the mouth of Dauid than it was founded or knowen And the selfe same agayne what so euer thou haste red of Babilon in Assiria or Aegipte what so euer thou hastered of the foure Labyrinthes or Mazes finally what so euer thou haste red of the waye to hell of the darke wordes there and laques of fire and brimstone compared to this hell it is a fable here is that prowde and terrible Nimroth here is Semiramis with her quiuer here is vnmercifull Minos here is Rhadamante here is Cerberus deuouryng al thinges here is Pasiphae put to the bulle amōgrelle kinde as Virgill sayeth a yonge of double shape Minotaurus by name a monstrouse monymēt of vnlaweful lust Finally here mayest thou see what so euer is confused what so euer is blacke what so euer is or may be fayned horrible hugly c. These things hath he many other moe like these writtē in other epistles But what thinke you wold he write nowe yf he sawe the courte of Rome at this daye whiche is doubtles many wayes more corrupte than it was than Briefly S. Iohn signifieth after the sentence of Christ kyng and iudge that Rome both olde and newe together with gētilisme and Antichristianisme shall perish vtterly and neuer be restored agayne The causes before ones or twise rehersed he repeteth and beateth in againe The causes of the ruine of the citie empire vngodlines idolatrie seducing of al people nations whom they haue cōmpelled by tourmentes to receiue impietie Where crueltie tirāny and bloud also hath place I spake of the wine of whoredome before in the .14 cha and elswhere so that it nedeth not to repete the same againe with tediousenes And herunto is added an other new cause and the marchauntes of the Earth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the power or plētie of her pleasures were made rich And he saied of the power of pleasure
and all maner vessels of moste preciouse wood and of brasse and of Iron and Synamon and odours and oyntmentes and frankensence wyne and oyle and fyne flowre and wheate and cattel and shepe and horses and charets and bodies soules of men And the Apples that thy soule lusted after are departed from the. And al things which wer deinty and had in price are departed from thee and thou shalt fynde them nomore The Marchauntes of these thinges which were waxed rich by her shall stande a farre of for feare of the punnishment of her weping and waylinge and saieng alas alas that great Citie that was clothed in silke and purple and scarlet and decked with golde and preciouse stone and pearles for at one howre so great riches is come to naught And euerye shyppe gouernour and all theye that occupy ships and shipmen which worke in in the sea stode a farre of and cryed when they saw the smoke of her burning and said what citie is lyke vnto this great citie And they caste duste on their heads and cryed wepyng and wayling and saied Alas alas the greate Citie wherein were made rich al that had shyppes in the Sea by the reason of her wares for at one houre is she made desolate A lamentation wayling ouer Rome In the fourth place of this chapter followeth the weping or waylinge or lamentation of Rome brent and destroyed The coppie is plentifull and maruaylouse by an euident Hipotiposis settinge all thinges before our eyes And our Lord God hath alwayes a familier manner that what tyme he wyll euidentelye shewe before and fixe in the heartes of all men the ouerthrowe or destruction of a nation Kingdome or Citie he wyll commaunde his Prophetes to syng an elegie or lamentable song And in such kynde of lamentations is shewed not onely the subuersion but also the causes of destruction and maner of desolation are rehersed the end also or vse is declared leest others be made lyke vnto that nation and become partakers of the destruction We haue manifest examples in the wrytinges of the Prophetes especiallye the lamentations of Ieremye and the whych agree better to this place the dolefull dittie of Tyrus songe of Ezechiell in the .27 and .28 chapters And verely it appeareth that S. Ihon hath borowed many thinges from thence Nother is there any matter here to busy our selues much aboute The some of all is this Rome shall fall and perish vtterlie that there shoulde be nothing lefte eyther of the Empyre or of that See much lesse of the riches and pleasures The which was partlye fulfilled in oulde Rome and partlye shall be fulfilled in the newe at the daye of iudgement Howbeit nother Christ himself Kings and marchātes mourne nor the Apostle is brought in bewayling the subuersion of Babilon but wicked persōnes are induced which are firste to be cōsidered For they be Kynges and Princes of the Earth marchauntes or gouernours of ships or mariners which haue all cōmitted whoredome with this strumpet and by her companye haue bene made rich And verely ould Rome was furnished with the amities of Kynges and agayne the presidentes sent of them to gouerne Prouinces semed euery one to be Kynges and Princes And for asmuche as the riches of Rome were great and all states were wonderfully set a ryot the marchauntes there gote exceading much gaigne Moreouer ther was sayling to Rome oute of the Easte South and Weste I meane out of Syria and Aegipte or Affricke and out of Spayne it selfe and vttermoste partes of the worlde But what tyme Rome beyng destroyed lay ruinouse and the Empyre was rente in pieces they coulde not but lamente whose lucre and pleasure was lost Newe Rome hath also besydes those temporal The marchaunts of new Rome euen peculier marchauntes and Princes of her owne For the prelates of the church be Princes And in the church of Rome all the Sainctes of God knowe howe to occupie the traffique of marchaundyse For what holy thing is not to be boughte in that seat Marchaūdise is practised in forgeuenes of sinnes in pardons and satisfactōs in ecclesiastical benefices in worshipping of Images and Sainctes in masses in burialles in sayeng diriges for the dead and almoste in all spirituall matters Hereof cometh an vnmeasurable gaigne and the greateste occasion of pleasures Other marchaūtes bye their ware very dere the Romish Cananites pay not one denier or farthinge for their wares but sell the same for an vnreasonable price Nother suppose I that euer there was any marchaundise lyke vnto this in all the worlde nor yet a more gaynefull lucre of a thing of naught Erasmus hath also touched these thinges in the prouerbe to aske tribute of a deade man And where as before the day of iudgement the Lorde Christ shall destroy Antichrist with the spirite of his mouth and that gaigne begynneth to be minished we see howe euery where emonges these spirituall marchaunts complaints and grudgynges arryse Than what maner of lamentation and wayling thinke ye that wyll be where the same Lorde by his coming shal vtterly abolish the same Antichrist and they must go in to fyre euerlastinge Agayne we muste somewhat also consider the mourning To mourne of it selfe is no sin For the beste and holyest men haue lamēted their dead and their calamities destructiō of cities and realmes For Abraham mourned The lamētations also of Ieremye remaine ouer the citie of Hierusalē The faithful mourned with a great mourninge for Stephen in the Actes Howebeit in the lamentation they kepte a meane and referred all thinge to the glory of God and saluatiō of foules The vngodly and worldly men do not mourne after this sort They neuer remēber the sines of men for the whiche the righteouse Lorde punnisheth the world nother do they referre the euylles of them and theirs to the glory veritie and iustice of God or amēdment of maners therefore are they not sory that God is offended nor requyre forgeuenes of sinnes but it greueth them that occasion of sinninge is taken from them that their pleasures and lucre is past And nowe wayle Princes marchaūts and mariners not for the fauoure of God loste not of true compassion or loue of their neighbour but for loue of themselues for the losse of earthly things for the destruction of goodly auncient strong and preciouse things but chiefly for their lucre loste and pleasures taken away The Apostle maketh mention of eyther grefe in the seconde to the Corrinthians the .7 chapter And surely this sorrowe and mourning is nothing els but a descriptiō and a shaddowing of a moste certen and greateste destruction and that of men vngodly And ful well and pourposely doeth he set forth the wayling both in the behauiour of the mourners also by their woordes To their gesture apperteyneth that they wepe wayle crye oute and caste dust on their heads To their wordes are referred these thinges wo wo alas alas that great citie c. The whiche
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
noÌ„bre the seueÌ„th laste Therfore ar al things figured spiritually not carnally to be vnderstand and taken Doubtles the matters are excelleÌ„t vnderstand euen after the letter howbeit we must thinke of spiritual matters and greater alwayes than the speach of man can atteine to For we know as taught by the doctrine of the Prophets Apostles to be alwaies true that is said that the eye hath not sene nor the eare hath not hearde nor ascended in to the hart of man those things which god hath prepared for them that loue him 1. Cor. 2 The chiefe articles of this place of the gâ—orye of the blessed And the chefest poincts of this place be these First he sheweth that the world shal be renewed SecoÌ„dly he signifieth that the Saincts shal be glorified blessed And declareth in general what that same fiticitie shal be And incoÌ„tineÌ„tly he confirmeth these things by many reasons moreouer he describeth the place the courte Palace of the blessed and lykewise the glory and felicitie of Saincts The which in the beginning of the .20 chap. he finisheth vp excedingly wel vnder the figure of a râ—uer â—ree of lyfe And lyke as he hath for the most part borowed al his things out of the bokes of prophets the which S. Ihon also with his reuelation lighteneth so hath he also at this present borrowed these out of the .65 and .66 chapt of Esaye And .37 of Ezâ—chiel and the laste chapters of the same Of the renewyng of the world he speaketh plainely Of the renewyng of the world as doeth also thapostle S. Peter in his later Epistle the .3 chap. that al thinges verely shuld be purged by fire not wholy abolished adnichilated but should doubtles be purified from all corruptioÌ„ for Aretas he signifieth not sayeth he thextinguisshing of the creature but a renewyng for the better Therfore sayeth S. Iohn expressely that he sawe a newe heaueÌ„ a newe earth wherunto he addeth by exposition that the first heaueÌ„ the first earth are vanisshed awaye to wit they are chauÌ„ged in their qualities so that the corruptible thinges are now gone created for corruptible vses For euen so is the Sea no more also doubtles subiecte to corruptioÌ„ but chauÌ„ged into better S. Austen and his scollar Primasius suppose that the troublesome state of the world signified not seldome in the scriptures by the Sea about th ende of the world shal cease Reade the .17 chap. of the .20 boke De ciuitate dei ExpouÌ„ding this place he reasoneth likewise at large of this innouatioÌ„ of the world in the same .20 boke De ciuitate dei .18 chap. other places I thinke mere in this matter to put awaie al curiositie if any hid thing appere therin that it be reserued vnto that daie in the which we shal see al thinges euidently And I suppose that these things coÌ„cerning the renewyng of heaueÌ„ earth ar not therfore spokeÌ„ that so ther shuld any place be prepared for vs which we shuld inhabite again in these inferiours partes vnder heaueÌ„ for we beleue that we shal flie vp into heaueÌ„ go mete the lord in the clowdes according to the doctrine of thapostle 1. Thess 4. but for the our mindes are thus confirmed that the faithful shal vndoubtedly be renewed glorified For if heauen and earth made for man be renewed purefied who wil doubte now that men themselues shal be moste chiefely clarified For coÌ„sequently now S. Iohn declareth Sainctes muste be glorified that the Sainctes shall both be renewed glorified placed in blessed seates signifieth yet generally what the glory of saincts shal be After he will declare more at large and seuerally all those thinges moste dilligently For he heareth an Angel sayeng come I wil shewe thee the bryde the wife of the lambe c. The same now figuratiuely he nameth a citie that in dede holy new Hierusalem And a citie signifieth aswel the place habitatioÌ„ as them that dwelle in the place I meane the citezens themselues This citie therfore is not only the place of the blessed but also the very coÌ„munion of sainctes in olde time prefigured in the citie of Hierusalem But he putteth a greate difference betwixte this of our newe and that visible and corporall Hierusalem HierusaleÌ„ For he calleth ours holy that other in the lande of Palestine was prophane polluted with the bloud of Christ prophetes and Apostles for the same cause destroyed vtterly Ours is also called newe For the coÌ„munion of Sainctes shal be renewed at the same daye And therefore by interpretation followeth coÌ„myng downe from heauen not that the habitation of Sainctes after iudgement shall againe be in earth but that the glory and renewyng shal be grauÌ„ted from heauen of the diuine maiestie power As also S. Iames is red to haue sayde euery good gifte and euery perfit gifte is from aboue commyng downe from the father of lightes And S. Paule also in the .4 to the Galath sayde that the free church is the heauenly HierusaleÌ„ The same in the .1 Corinth the .15 The firste man sayeth he of the earth earthly the seconde man the lord himself from heaueÌ„ Such as that earthly was suche are they also that be earthly and suche as that heauenly was such are they also that be heaueÌ„ly And as we haue borne the Image of the earthly maÌ„ so shal we beare also the Image of the heauenly Therfore sayed S. Iohn most rightly that the churche of Sainctes commeth downe from heauen to witte froÌ„ heauen receauing her glory For againe by a demonstration prepared of God sayeth he as a bryde garnished for her husbande For the Apostle in the .2 to the Corinth the .5 We know sayeth he that yf our earthly mansion of this tabernacle be destroied we haue bildyng of god a mansion not made with hande euerlastyng in heauen And anone he that hath prepared vs for the same is God He remoueth from his sainctes al corruptioÌ„ but geueth and teacheth to be purified with al giftes of the body that so they may be garnisshed worthely and maye dwell in the euerlastyng bryde chamber with their brydegrome Christe Wherefore this garnisshynge consisteth in the abolishinge of all corruption and mortalitie and in the gifte of vncorruption immortalitie and glory Of the purefying and deckyng of the bryde speaketh the Apostle S. Paule also in the .5 chapter to the Ephesians And in this worlde beginneth the purgyng and trimmyng and finally at the ende is finisshed most perfitly For than shal the church haue nother spotte nor wrincle al corruption verely wiped awaie and al glory receyued And here learne by the waye that the Sainctes are prepared of God therefore saluation to be of mere grace And he procedeth to declare yet more playnely What shal be the eternall felicitie what the glory shal be whereof in this worke he hath ben occasioned to speake oftener than ones Blessednes chiefely