corrupte doctrine of heresies or sectes and troubles euer sins the time of S. Iohn vnto the last iudgemēt It is extended through out the .8.9.10.11 chapt A consolation euen euāgelical Neuerthelesse before the trompettes come forth for a consolation as it were by a little digression is placed a remedy which the faithful in al ages may vse in that pestiferouse corruption to kepe safe their soules the integritie of the same For many times in this boke are broughte in moste strong consolatiōs in maters of most difficultie For al the .10 chap. shall serue also to this Argument And the remedy that he sheweth is this that we muste flee vnto Christe redemer of of mankynde intercessour propiciatour And that we shall be safe vnder his defence that we muste offer vp to him our prayers continually And verely the Lord in the Gospel reasoninge of the greatest daungers of the Deuill prepared for the company of Apostles and beyng at hand Yet addeth he by and by that whiche mighte comforte their sorrowfull mindes I haue prayed for thee Peter that thy fayth should not faile c. Beholde we are saued in greatest distresse thorow Christes protection that we should not fainte in fayth Howbeit as euery where the Euangelicall and Apostolicall letters do intimate our continual prayers which we offer to God through Christ must be ioyned to our truste in Christ And in fewe wordes the intercession of Christ at the righte hande of God and effecte and maner of the prayer of the faithfull are here set forth to beholde But we shal declare euery thing in order He spake in general vnder the .vi. seale of corrupt doctrine in the seuenth he wil declare the same particularly and most aboūdantly And whileste the seuenth seale was opened there was silence in heauen almost halfe an howre Of this silēce the expositours write diuersely But as I thinke the hearers are excited by this silence to a diligent and attentiue hearyng For silence hath an admiration and an expectation of matters moste weightie Salomon sayeth in the .9 of Ecclesiast the wordes of wise menne are hearde in silence When weightie matters should be proclaymed and set forth the crier is woonte to proclayme silence And in dede they be matters of great importaunce that followe which vnlesse we obserue with great attentiuenes we shal perish in sectes and seductions Those spirituall wickednesses be more daungerouse than corporall perilles And nowe whilest in silence they loke for with an admiraration what should come the last seale beyng opened behold there appere seuen Aungelles trompetters of these we shall speake afterwarde Nowe is placed set forth a remedy to be taken in so great euils as I sayed The whiche A remedie agaynst all kinde of sectes trōperies and troubles to the intent it might be more liuely and maye be printed more depely in our brestes is set forth to be sene with a moste godly vision Before the seate and in the compasse almoste of the seate appereth a golden Aultar And there came an Aungell and standeth at this Aultar the same hath in his hande a golden censer into this the Sainctes put their offeringes He offereth thē before the seate and the smoke of the odoures ascendeth vp from the hande of the Aungel before God Christe is the golden Aultar We sayed in an other place that the golden Aultar of incense was the Lord Christ him selfe whiche is bothe Aultar and sacrifice and priest as S. Paule witnesseth to the Hebre. The same is called an Aungell to witte the same of whome both Esaye maket mention in the .9 Malach. 3. Chapt. and also Malachie saying beholde I sende mine Aungel which shal prepare the waye before me and sodenly the Lorde shall come vnto his temple whom you seke for and the Aungel of the couenaūt whō you desire beholde he cometh saieth the lord of hostes The fourmer Aungell that is to saye messenger or Ambassadour was Iohn Baptiste whiche prepared the waye for the Lord. Marke 1. He to witte the later Aungel came immediately after the preachyng of Iohn and made complete that euerlasting couenaunt The same nowe appereth on the right hande of God in Heauen what christ doeth at the righthand of the father And two thinges of him are vttered Firste that he stode before or in or vpon the Aultar We may here Imagine nothing corporally but we must thincke that by this maner of speakyng is signified the priesthood of Christ He appereth alwayes in the sighte of his father for vs As S. Paull hath taught the .8 to the Romains and .9 Chapter to the Hebrewes He pleadeth therfore the cause of his church before God and is aduocate for the faithfull The same morouer standeth before the Aultar the same standeth in the middes of the seate For he is coequall with the father after his deitie after the which he standeth in the seate and after his humanitie is of the same substaunce with vs according to the which dispensation he is red as Bishop and very man to stande before the Aultar The latter which is to be obserued is this that christ holdeth in his hande a golden censer For he hath taken our very nature without sinne that he might make intercession for vs and offer vp our prayers to God the father Christ offeceth vp our prayers And leeste any man should doubte that he receyueth our prayers and offereth them to God finally that the true office of the Church might also appere offeryng vp al thinges by Christe there is added to him are geuen many odours But to what ende that he might geue them vpō the golden Aultar and that before the seate as though you should saye that he might bring them into the sight of God And because of a further declaration leeste we should not know the trewe odours whiche please God and whiche the faithful offer vnto God through Christ The trewe odoures be the praiers of saintes ones or twise he addeth that those odoures be the prayers of Sainctes And he meaneth by Sainctes not those that dwel in heauen but vs in the earth which are sanctified with the spirit of our God with the bloud of Christ baptisme faith and worde Iohn .13 Philip. 4. And the prayers be inuocatiōs and geuyng of thankes And he saieth expressely of al Sainctes leest any should feare that he and his prayers offered by Christ were excluded Yf thou beleue thou arte holy and thy prayer is of God accepted What the prayers of Sainctes be it appereth in the Lordes prayer which we offer vp to the father in the name words of Christ hallowed be thy name thy kyngedome come and the residewe which all fight with those sectes and corruptiōs of trewe doctrine Ireneus alledgeth this place in the .31 and .32 chapt of the .4 booke And by this meane he calleth Eucharistia whiche is geuing of thankes the sacrifice of Christians For the mainteyners of papistrie do
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
painefulnes And thei serue God in the temple as God is wonte to be serued in the Temple For they kepe holy dayes they are glad reioyse be mery prayse and so they offer vp sacrifices and are refresshed with heauenly repaste And this ioye shall be euerlastyng and perpetuall which is signified by daie and night Otherwise in the blesse euerlasting there is no mighte at all nor anye chaungeable course of time Hereunto is added that he that sitteth in the seate that is the diuine maiestie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will dwell in them that is to witte God wil be al in al or he wil leane ouer them and as it were a tente or tabernacle will ouershadowe them defende and kepe them and geue him selfe whole to be inioyed of them as moste familiar and frendely to them Moreouer they shall honger no more nother shall they thirste For all infirmitie and miserie is taken awaye from the blessed soules and bodies glorified They are filled with al good thinges without any lothsomnes with a most ioyeouse fulfillynge Nowe the sunne falleth not vpon them nor the heate whiche phrase of speache betokeneth that they are put to no trauel nor paine but are deliuered at ones from all displeasure and all paynefulnes and to be at moste pleasaunt reste Agayne is set in the cause of so greate felicitie Christ the lambe that is to saye Christ mediatour and redemer in the middes of the seate that is very God For he as both Ezechiel in .34 chapt and the lord also him selfe in the .10 of Iohn Wittenesseth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to saie wil fede them Christ fedeth and quikneth like a sheperde and as a Captaine of life will leade them to the fountaines of liuely water that is to witte will quicken them for euer preserue all his in that felicitie He vseth in this treatise wordes of the prophetes most accustomed and vsed euery where that climyng vnto higher thinges we might after some sorte esteme heauenly giftes Hereunto he ioyneth as yet a notable benefite and the Lord will wipe al teares from their eyes Which wordes he hath borrowed of Esaye For Sainctes in this world tourmoyled with sondry euils haue shed most plentiful teares but in the world to come the Lord comforteth them gladdyng them with ioye euerlasting nother geuyng thē at any time any occasion of grefe Iacob 16 And therfore he sayed in the Gospel verely I saye vnto you ye shall wepe and lament but agayne the world shall reioyse and ye shal mourne but your mournyng shal be tourned into ioye And your harte shal reioyse and your ioye shal no man take from you We shall heare the like thinges vnto these also in 21. of the Apocalipse c. Against the cōtemners of the blessed lyfe Hereof they perceiue howe shamefully they transgresse which haue alwaies in their mouth if I should contene this life present for religiōs sake who shal tel me what is that other other life to come perauenture if I neglecte this in an other world I shal get nothing For here we haue a most manifest testimony that as most assured saluatiō is prepared of God in heauen for the faithful so is it also moste ample and great in so much that the Apostle in an other place sayeth that th◠afflictions of this time present are not egall to the glory which shal be reuealed to vs. The Lord graunt vs that we maye acknowledge these thinges ¶ Whilest the .vii. Seale is opened and the Aungels with trompettes come forth Christ the intercessour of his church offereth vp before his father the praiers of his faithful The .xxxvij. Sermon ANd when he had opened the .vii. The .8 chapt seale there was silēce in Heauen about the space of half an houre And I sawe seuen Aungels standyng before God to them were geuen seuen trompettes And an other Aungell came and stoode before the Aultar hauing a golden censer much of odoures was geuen vnto him that he shoulde offer of the prayers of al sainctes vpon the goldē aultar whiche was before the seate And the smoke of the odoures whiche came of the prayers of al sainctes ascended vp before God out of the Aungels hand And the Aungel toke the censer and filled it with fire of the Aultar and caste it into the earth and voices were made and Thonderinges and Lightninges and Earthquake I suppose ther be no bokes in the world of whomsoeuer The excellency of the bookes of holy scripture or when soeuer they were written which maye cōpare with the bokes of holy scripture as concerning the sincere veritie pure simplecitie and plaine order Nother perauenture that maye seme any maruell to any man knowing that the same are written in dede of men but inspired of the holy ghoste There be edifices most skilfully builded of men and framed and cōtriued in a most goodly order But what beaultie wil you iudge them to haue in case ye compare them with the creation of the worlde and with that most beaultifull order whiche we see dayly in all thinges created and chaungeable course of times the moste excellent workes of men haue nothyng in them yea seme vile in case you compare them with the workemanship of God the creatour A recapitulation But for the moste bright order and most playne treatise this boke of the Apocalipse hath emonges others moste notable an excellent and wonderfull prayse S. Iohn promised a some of the matter signifiyng that he wold speake of those thinges which shuld be done in the church from his time vntil the iudgemēt And the faithfull doe knowe to what ende they should take those thinges not to thintent their curiositie might be mainteined or satisfied but that they sufficiently warned before shuld not fal but take hede to themselues hold faste the true saluatiō And forasmuch as there is muche talke emonges men whie God doeth thus or permitteth that and whie he prohibiteth not these or those thinges S. Iohn hath exhibited to vs a most holesom visiō by the which we may learne not to talke against God not to contende with him but to acknowledge al his iudgments to be rightuouse iust Which thing verely both al the Sainctes in heauen and also angelicall spirites do acknowledge and attribute to God al glory And thus hauing prepared the mindes of the Auditours he cometh to the thing it self and declareth the fatall destenies of the church Vnder the .vi. seale he toucheth generally the corruptiō of doctrine which sins it is more perillouse more pestilent than al daūgers of mans body or outwarde perilles he reasoneth yet more fully therof and nowe particularly vnder the opening of the .vii. seale reciteth howe farre the same stretcheth For he declareth how many how great what maner of sectes heresies and troubles shall arrise in the church howe hurtful they shal be to the churche And this place conteyneth an Historie of the
189 Chosen affiāsed to the lamb 563 Chosen people lyuely temple of God 305 Christians worldly 124 Christ described 21.124.162.32 283.577 Christ hath all power c. geuen him .161.165 is king of kings and Lord of lordes .522.581 is owner of all kyngdomes .338 sunne of god .87 God mā 87 very God 36.96.16.137.163 168.661.675 is very mā 162 163.42 his power .43 is a lāb 162.440 greter thē Aungels saints c. 163.177 Lord of angels .16 was slain from the beginnyng .382 figured by Aungels .356 by Eliachim .43 is head of the Churche .36 prelat of the Churche .47 an aultar 197.236 a mighty Angel .284 236. offreth vp our prayers sitting on the right hand of God 237. of the same substanse wyth the father coequall .41.42.668 670. is not authour of corrupting the treuth thogh he opē the sixt seal .205 cast out of the church by the Pope Mahomet shall return with glory .283 is not fought against but the lāb 521 author of thapocalyps .688 very God lord of angels .689 author of saluatiō .218 begottē in vs .350 no creature .125 our best apparil .108 king priest 35. trew .112 holy .111 a lyuely foūtain .252 word of God .579 most necessari to be known 159 Christ hath charge of seuē cādles 50.51 receiueth things of the father how .166 shal be subiect to the father .339 must be honored 449. is not al or sufficiēt to sum 210. is set forth in thapocalyps 9. hath the kei of Dauid .112 is the trew māna .84 fiedeth leadeth quikneth 232 receiueth power reineth .340 openeth the bouk 158. knoweth our wurks 64. nieds no vicar .35 hys beginninge .125 his cumming of ij sorts .223 his cūming to iudgemēt .24 his image setforth 33 his body suffred .268 hys humain body in one place .34 godhed euery wher 34 Church descrybed .350 is the citie of God .121 is both mother and doghter .366 is figured by the moon .207 bi a womā 348 is belouid of God .116 dwels when Satās seat is .73 shal be in the midst of troubles .305 hydeth it selfe .209 flyeth into wildernes .353 is emong the gentils .365 shal be alwaies in the world .183 hath alwaies in this lyfe that may be reprehendid .79 traueleth and bringeth forth ij wais .350 remoued whē 57. the garnishinge therof .510 glorye therof is to cum .648 chief enemies therof .347 hystory therof discoursid 183 Churche old of Rome distinguisshed 542 Church of Rome church of Rom c. 496 Churchs fallible notz peas and tranquility 194 Churchs how they wer gouerned at the beginning 387 Circes of Rome 512 Citie great or heuenly 648. c. Citye great diuyded into thre 501 Citye great is the romish church 510 Citye of God and name therof 121 Cityes greatest commendacion 650 Citizens of the kingdum of God who 109 Clamitat in celis vox sang c. 198 Cleannes fygured by fyre 266 Clergye compared to locuste 256. Clergie innumerable 255 Clergie authors of warres 260 Clermont counsel 613 Clothed in whyt what they be 229 Cloud in the script 285 Columnz erecting 120 Comfort excieding in thapocalips 12 Comfort in tribulacion 27 Committing of hordum in the script 507 Commocions 524 Commotions and theyr causes 206 Commodities of thapocalyps 12 Condemned are iustly condemned 589 Confessing of beleuerz bp Chryst 109 Cōfessing of trespas is beginning of repentaunse 56 Confusion of Romishe Religion 512 Congregacions how they may be kept 115 Consolacion of the faithfull 305. 306. Consolacion in affliction 62 Consolation in the Apocalyps 12 Consolation foloeth humility 40 Constancy 73 Constantin emperour abhorred Rome 383 Constitucions of man nied not 299 Constancie and continans figured by a square 655 Constantinoples destructyon 275 Constans in faith 113 Constitucions of men 69. 100 Contemners of the blessed lyfe 232 Contencion for tryfles oght not to be 29 Contracting of matrimony 563. Conuersacion is our garment 108 Copz and gorgious things in the church 510 Corn prospering or perishing cūmeth by God 190 Coronacion of a Pope 511 Corrupt doctryns hystorie 234 Couetous ryche men are poore 128 Couetousnes of the Romains 393 Could nor hoot 126 Coulor pale sign c. 190 Counsel can not iudge the Pope 406 Councels generall iiij 268 Counsel holsum 129 Counsel of Clermont 613 Counsels of God insearcheable 380 Counsels to condemn impuritye nied not 80 Countenanse of Christ 38 Cowl of our lady 132 Creaturs al submit thē to Christ 178 Creatures are not to be worshypped 175.177.678 Creatures of Gods beginnyng 125 Croun 183 Croun of lyfe what 69 Croun token of a kyngdum 349 Croun for honor glory victory 118.110 Crosse foloeth Godes worde 303 Crueltie of Rome 508 Crueltie of Antichrist 324 Crueltie of the Romainns 369 Crueltie figured by Lyons tieth 262 Crying for vengeaunse 198 Comfort in persecution 204.333 326 Comfort gospellyk 234 Comfort againste Antechryst 285 Cumming of Chryst of ij sorts 223 Curius inquirie of Gods iudgements 144 Curiositie in serching Gods coūsels repressed 380 Curiosity repelled by reurrense submission vnto God 152 Curs banished 670 Cursing of the Pope 399 D Damnacion eternall described 455 Damnacion euerlasting 628 Damnacion eternall for seducing 584 Damned are iustly damned 589 Damned parsons 641 Dauid is called Christ 357 Day last or end of the world 575 Death of ij sorts .605 spirituall 103 Death after this death 70 Death for trewthz sake 69 Death of Christ 22.172 Death geues vp the dead 627 Dead ryse again 626 Decay and spiedy ruin compared to sand 367 Decius Traianus 194 Decretals .404 decrees and decretalles 100 Defectyue reason 277 Defence figured by egles wings 364 Degrees of punishment 585 Decking of the church 510 Delais of returning to God 224 Delay of Gods help 118 Deliuerans in persecutiō 364. c Deniall of God 460 Denyall of Christ and hys gospel many wayes 76 Denyall of Christs name 114 Derth and famin 189 Descending of Christ from heuē 284. Desert of man 248 Deuill author of ill .185 a sclaunderer .356 vanquished 591 bound .596 cast out how 595 608. where he reygneth .362 his four names .359 c. wourshiped 279 Dioces 403. c Dioclecian 194 Dionysius Alexandrinus of the authoriti of thapocalyps 6 Dianaz temple 48 Disciplin 133 Diseaseas of churches howe they shold be holpen 104 Dispair of ill men what causeth 210.211.212 Dispair remoued 278 Disposition or order of thapocalyps 347 Disputacions clamorus 264 Dissemblers .541.66 Iewls warm 126 Dissentiō in the church no news 52 Distroyers of the earth of diuers sorts 344 Distroyer Popes name 265 Destruction of reames thrugh reuolting from trewe religion 271 Diuersitie of opinions 98 Diuinitie of Christ 64 13◠Do as ye would be doone vnto 383 Doctryn resembled by wynd by leuen 214 Doctryn holsum figured by air 253 Doctryn euangelicall shal be restored 297 Doctryn newe is not to be loukt for 118 Doctryn of Christ perpetual 99 Doctryn corrupted 205 Doctrin peruers figured bi smoke 253 Doctryn new 447
117 Ten hornes 524 Ten tymes for often 68 Ten number for many 518 Tents of saints for the churche 611. afflicted 616 Testimony of christ 125. 572. c. Testimony is syncere preaching 322 Thanks geuing for victory 340 Thanks geuing praiers 237 Theft and his parts 281 Third number for strength 495 Thirst for ardaunt desyr 640 This is my bodi figuratiu spiech 45 Thoghtz knowen only to God 96 Thomas an Inglish preacher 604 Thousand yeres 593. 601 Thretningz of Christ 57 Threatningz against the impenitent 82 Throon signifieth c. 141 Throon of God 136 Thunders .vij. preachers 288 Thunderbolt of the Pope 399 Thyatira described 86 Title of thapocalyps 13 Torment maketh not martyrz 77 Torments of the wicked perpetuall 582 Totila brent Rome 528 Tradicions of men 97. nothyng niedful 118. 673. 99. 100. 390. bring darknes 207 Traian persecutor 194 Translators of the script 533. c Transubstantiacion is called god Mayzim 609 Treading vnder foot 309 Trew religion corrupted 205 Treuth figured by pillers 286 Treuth of Christ 112 Treuth neglected all misery foloweth 190 Treuth of the Gospel most heynous to impugn 584 Treuth is not to be kept in sylēs 368 Treuth alwaies preached 183 Treuth had euer sum patrons 600 Treuth in Polycarpz opinion 63 Tribulacion of diuers sorts 229 Tribut of a dead man 550 Trinitie 163. described 145. distincted into persons 14 Tries sign men 243 Trouble in churchs 51 Troubles and tumultes authors 206 Trumpets vse 241 Trustines of the Thyatirenians 88 Tryall or temptacion of Saints 68 Tumultes 206 Turks imagin bankets in heuen 136 Turks aid pernicious 275 Turkes receyue the religion of Mahomet 270 Turkish emperours beginning 273 Turning to God proffitable 3◠Two number 312. c Tym certain for vncertain 310. 326 Tym past for tym to cum 535 Tym tyms and half a tym 314 Tyranny of Antichrist 513 Tyranny of the Bish of Rome 425 V Valentinians heretiks 244 Vandals inuade Rome 527 Vengeauns of God figured by fyer 467 Vengeauns of God against Papists 464. 468 Vengeauns is desyred ij waies 200 Vengeauns reioysed at 553 Vertew we haue hoolly of God 153 Verteuz rewarde 108 Vertuous lyfe necessary hatred only of papistry other heresye is not inough 277 Vial a cup. 169 Vicar of Christ 253. niedeth not 35 Vicar Christ neuer appointed 389 Vicar of Christ no trew church hath 441 Victory of Christ and christians 358 Victory of the faithfull 136. 119 Victory of preachers is spiritual 317 Victories and felicitye of thys world 274 Victory of ouer the world 100 Violent vocacion 129 Virgins 443 Visions vtilitie 2 Visions of thapocalyps diuided 11 Visions godly terrible to weak naturs 40 Vision second 138. 140. third 347. fourth 470 Vnbeleuers 642 Vnderstanding of man is weak 228 Vncleannes hated of God 82 Vncleannes of hordum peruers doctryn 512 Vnction or anointing 316. c. Vngodlines or wickednes must be hated not permitted or winked at 90 Vnity of God with man 135. 136 Vnitie of faith shal neuer be vniuersall as sumthink 606 Vniuersall Bishop 251 Vntil put for euer 604 Vocatiō of ministers diuers 300 Vocation violent 129 Voluptuousnes 538 Voluptuousnes of Rome 551 Voluptuousnes of the papists 308 Vomiting out of mungrels 127 Voyce of Christ 37 Voyce lowd or low to prais god withall 176 W Wagis of euery one 343 Walles of the heuenly citie 650 Wantunnes figured by wemens lokz 262 Wantūnes vnclennes 81. look mor in fornication and adultry Wars occasioned by the Deuell 185 Wars are bicause men receiue not the gospell 186 Wars moued by Popes 484 Wars betwen Popes Emperors lasted 200. yeres 419 Wars of heretiks 243. 244. c. Wars of the holy land 611. 612. 613. c. did hurt 598 Warfar and victory of Christiās 119 Warm lewk 126 Warnings that God vseth 134 Was and is not 515. 518. Water of lyfe 638. c. 668 Water into blud grace into punishment 319 Water in abundans sign a sea of all illes 365 Water for doctryn 483 Waters kingdūs dispersed 524 Waters sign people 442 Watching exhorted 497 Weak in faith ordred a right 51. 52 Weapons of preachers Gods word 317 Wel of lyfe 638 Welth of Rome cōpared to Euphrates 492 Wemen prophets 91 Whyt aray 108 Whyt color 182 Whyt stoon is remission of sinnez 84 Wicked oght to be hated with a holy hatred and in no wis nourished or wenkt at 79 Weping of the ignoraunt 159 Will frye 129 Wil of man what it helpeth to saluacion 694 Wildernes figure of the Gentils 353 Wildernes for heithennes gentilesm 508 Wildernes Christ is in 213 Winning of brethern how 115 Winged locusts 263 Wishing perteined only to ministers 19 Witnes of Christ 125 Witnesses Apostles 573 Witnesses figure ministers 313 Witch craft .280 of Rome 557 Wo wo wo. 249 Wo third 336 Woman Pope 507 Womā figure of the church 348 Woman precher prohibited 91 Worde of God beginning of repentauns 105 Word of god Christ al one 579 Word of God is tryed gould 130 is sweet and better 302 Word of God and faith are not without the holy ghost 219 Word of God contemned cause of all misery 190 Word of God broght in doubt by the Pope as by the Deuell at the first in paradise 390 Word of Christ contemned 38 Word of Christ what 114. how it is kept 114 Word of paciens and of the crose 117 World figured by the sea 473 World is not euerlasting 500 World shal be renewed 631 Worlds end at hand 295 World frail as glas 147 Worldlinges 124 Wounds of Antechrist healed 395 Wrytings 636 Wryting of the scripturs to what end 567. 31. Wryting why it is vsed 45◠Wullen cloth of Laddicea 123 Wunders and monsters 435 Wurks taken for heel conuersacion of men in words dieds both 104 Wurks of the faithfull 462 Wurkes shall we be iudged by 625 Wurks good of God il of the Deuell 373 Wurks of mens hands 279 Wurks of Christ in opposition to the wurks of men 100 Wurks must be preached in the church 640 Wurks of euery man rewarded accordingly by God 96 Wurinwud 245 Wourshipping signified by falling down 168 Wourship God only 340. 450. 573. no creature 175 Wurship of God is not ingould siluer 510. c. is partly praies 168. externall and in spirit 153 lawfull and vnleful 645. of Idols 644. c. of aungels and Saintes 678. of the Deuel 279 Wurthynes of saints 108 Wurthines figured by wynges 263 Wurthines we haue all of God 153 Wyn new in old bottels 126 Wyn fat figure of hel 468 Wynd in the script 214 Y Yers thre and a half 310 Z Zeal godly 55 Zeal feruent against heresies necessary 86 Zeal and feruentnes remedy of warmnes or neutralitie 133 FINIS RITHMI E VETVSTO CODICE DESCRIPTI Romanum quendam cognomento Lefranco taxantes PRopter Sion non tacebo Sed ruinas Romae flebo Quoadusque iusticia Nobis rurfus oriatur Et vt lampas accendatur Iustus
And with many wordes and also moste dilligently and goodly is treated here of the openyng of the seales who verely might be thought worthie to open to the churche the secret iudgementes of God and to execute and minister his holy workes that is to saye to whome the kingdome is geuen and gouernement of the diuine prouidēce For an Aungell and that not of the cōmon sorte but a stronge and worthie one with a loude voice crieth to make vs all attentiue and that we shoulde note diligently who he is that shoulde both open the boke and vnloose or vndoe the seales And he holdeth longe in suspence the hearer beholder or reader before he will shewe him to the intent verely to cōmende him to vs exceadingly No man sayeth he in the whole vniuersal world neither emonges the Aungelles sainctes in heauen nor emongs earthly men and vnder the earth was founde whiche coulde eyther open or vnseale the boke To Christ alone belōgeth the kingdome and the power of gouernemēt is taken from others Let vs obserue that there is none that can open the boke and open the seales besides Christ alone Whie than is the administration of thinges attributed or communicated to sainctes none can open to vs the counselles and iudgements of God no man can gouerne those iudgements workes of God that he worketh in the world saue only Christ the lord whie than are so great benefites sought for of Sainctes and be imputed to them if eyther the sicke be restored to helthe or that a mortall man do receiue any other gifte or benefite ▪ many will saye I receyued this in dede of gods benefite but through the meditatiō and power and merite of this or that saincte vnto whome God graunted this that he should rule ouer suche a disease and might heale suche as calle vpon the name of the Saincte or the name of God by the Saincte These are here confuted now by the wordes of the Lord and S. Iohn saying that no man in heauen or in earth is founde whiche coulde open the boke Yet neuerthelesse aboute the Throne sate the xxiiii Elders representinge the Type of all Sainctes in glory not one of al thē was found which could open the boke Therfore be thei a great deale madder which do attribute the gouernement of things in the church to the Pope a most corrupte and filthie man Only Christ receiued al power in Heauen and in Earth as we shall incontinently more fully vnderstande S. Iohn wepeth The weping of S. Iohn for that he vnderstode a weightie matter to consiste in the openinge of this godly boke and yet sawe he no man at al which coulde eyther open or vnseale it Neyther did he as yet fully vnderstande the matter And he bare the figure of them which vnderstande not the iudgementes of God nor know not that al thinges are through God his prouidēce holyly gouerned by Christ For in them nothing els remaineth but mourning and heauines Certenly withoute Christ and his opening wherby he reuealeth to vs the diuine misteries and iudgements no man can rightly iudge of the same For vnlesse we vnderstand the seales to be opened by Christ and that al thinges are done by his order whiche loued vs and gaue him selfe for vs what thinge shall be lefte in vs but sighinge But he rehersed three thinges to open rede and loke vpō No man liuing openeth for that no man is mete for so great a charge saue only the sonne of God No manne readeth or vnderstandeth fully the iudgements of God but the sonne and to whom he hath reuealed so muche as any man hathe No man loketh on it that is to saye can beholde the workes and iudgementes of God but he shal be offended excepte he be indewed with the spirite purified with the same Therefore we must axe grace of him that we maye vnderstande so muche of Gods iudgementes as shal suffice and may iudge wel of the same Aretas Bishop of Cesaria an expositour of this boke neither any sayeth he of those that lacke fleshe nor any of them that are in the fleshe nor yet of suche as are deperted leauing their fleshe behinde them hath receiued a perfit knoweledge of godly matters And by and by after nother only is there any which could open it but also not so much as loke vpō it that is to saye coulde not loke attentiuely on the iudgments of God and so forth And the cōtexte of the whole place proueth sufficiently that S. Iohn speaketh here of the iudgmēts verely but chiefly of the gouernement of thinges The Lord Iesus be glorified for euer Amen ¶ Here is liuely described the Lambe in the throne of God receiuing the boke of the hand of him that sitteth and opening it The .xxvij. Sermon AND one of the Elders sayd vnto me wepe not Beholde the Lion whiche is of the tribe of Iuda the roote of Dauid hath obteyned to open the boke to lowse the seuen seales therof And I behelde and lo in the middes of the seate and of the foure beastes and in the middes of the Elders stode a lābe as though he had bene killed whiche had seuen hornes and seuen eies which are the seuen spirites of God sent into all the worlde and he came toke the boke out of the right hand of him that sate on the Throne By Christ all thinges are gouerned Forasmuch as Iohn had wept that no man was worthy so muche as to loke on the boke of him that sate on the seate muche lesse to open it One of the .xxiiii. Elders comforteth hym His name is not expressed wherfore it semeth to be required both vaynely and curiously Notwithstanding there be some of the expositours which suppose hym to be the patriarch Iacob Verely for that shortly after his oracle or prophecie is recited And so the authour descendeth in a moste goodly order vnto the description also of the sonne of God by whome the celestial father as al the scripture euery where approueth gouerneth al thinges Hitherto hath he described hym that sitteth on the seate and before that the holy ghoste Wherfore these are holsome and moste profitable doctrines for the churche wherby the true faith is confirmed The comfort of this elder and verely the heauenly most Godly doctrine tendeth to this ende that we should vnderstande that all the complaintes weping grudging and the sondry tourmoylinges of our minde can not be quenched appeased quieted vnlesse we see and beleue that to Christ as here is moste playnely and manifestly set forth is geuen of the father al power in heauen and in earthe and therfore to be constituted like as the only redemer so also the head Prince and gouernour of al whiche vnder the seale of fayth and veritie shoulde gouerne all thinges that are by God his prouidence ordeyned and euen now dispiseth them and reuealeth vnto vs so muche of God his iudgmentes as do suffice vs. This if we beleue with a
faythful and syncere minde we shal haue quiet consciences in al the workes of God euē suche as are harde to indure and seme to some men most vnreasonable For we know that he by whome all thinges are gouerned is of our nature and kinde yea euē our owne brother and such verely as fauoureth vs with al his harte hath suffered death for vs and loueth nothynge better in all the world than man Moreouer whiche hath ouercomen death sonne the Deuil and Hell and hath ouercomen them for vs. Who wil nowe than suspecte his gouernement permission or operation Thou haste a brother in the Princes Courte whome thou arte assured to fauour thee from the botome of his harte thou hearest saye howe he hathe geuen vnto him of the Prince the gouernement and iudgement of the whole countrie woldest thou sticke or be lothe to submitte thy selfe vnto him naye rather thou doest truste and hope to obteyne any thing of thy brother Therefore let vs remembre The kingdome and power is geuen to Christ howe the Scripture not here only but euery where doeth teache that Iesus Christe the Sonne of God and in dede of the same substaunce with vs after his humanitie in diyng for vs to haue deserued to haue a name geuen him whiche is aboue all names and that althinges shoulde be subiecte to his gouernment what so euer be in the worlde visible or inuisible For so S. Iohn testifieth in the .1 Chapter And S. Paul also to the philipp 2. Coloss 1. and to the Hebrewes the .1 Chapter He is sayed at this present to haue ouercomen or obteyned to open the boke and lowse the Seales therof Therfore by the knoweledge of him and through faith in him we obteyne that with a ioyefull minde we maye loke vpon the boke the iudgementes and all the workes of God and quietly and patiently to beare the openyng therof and gouernment of al together c. A most gallaunt ful descriptiō of Christ But to the intente we maye iudge more rightly of Christ gouernour of all although he hath already described him right liuely yet now he procedeth to paincte him out in his that is to saye moste godly and goodly coulours that we should not be nothing affrayed of his gouernement nother that we should not with quiet mindes most willingly submitte our selues wholy to his gouernment First is sayed that a Lion of the tribe of Iuda hath ouercomen Christe a lion of the tribe of Iuda to wit that same Christ of oures to haue ouercomen the Deuill sinne death the world hell and al power of the aduersarie And he ouercame in diyng and so atchieued the high dignitie and was made Lorde of all The Deuil is also called a Lion of S. Peter Salomon and the Prophetes call tirannes Lions 1. Peter 5. Our Authour therfore calleth Christ a lion not of the common sorte but of the tribe of Iuda For he alludeth to the prophecie of the patriarch Iacob whiche is in the .49 of Genes he prophecieth there that Schilo shal come with plentie and good lucke whiche like a lion that hath taken his praye nether is there any manne that can driue him from it can defende those that be his whom he hath caught out of the dragōs clawes so that no hostile power dare ones hisse against him Christ therfore is declared a victour or cōquerour greatest Christe is only moste inuincible most mightie and most inuincible Which belongeth to him alone Yet shal you finde Kings which are euery houre ouercomen of wicked lustes whiche wil suffer them selues to be called inuincible Briefly this first note in the description of Christ sheweth that Iesus Christ gouernour of al is that very same whom the patriarches prophetes haue prophecied to come into the world a prince most inuincible Secōdly Christ is called the rote of Dauid wherin he appereth to haue alluded to that saiyng of Esaye in the .11 Christe the roote of Dauid chap. Than shal a budde come forth of the stocke of Iesse a flour shal ascende out of the rootes therof Namely Marie the daughter of Dauid of whom that most sacred floure Christ sprang came was the stocke of Iesse And of the very rotes of Dauid or of the virgin I meane of the most true humane nature Iesus Christ was borne very man into the worlde For he toke no where the Aungelles nature but the sede of Abraham He is therfore our brother Hebr. 2. of the same substaunce with vs after his humanitie These things do comfort vs exceadingly and confute heretikes most strongly which faine that Christe hath not a very humane body We haue more herof in the .1 of Matth. and .1.2.3 of Luke Christe is in the mids of the seate After it is expresly spoken of the same our lorde that he is in the middes of the Throne in the middes of the .iiii. beastes and in the middes of the .xxiiii. Elders and is therfore exēpted out of the nōbre of creatures out of the numbre of Aungelles and out of the numbre of Sainctes For he is greater than these to wit of the same substaunce with the father in glory power equal For the father is in the middes of the Throne from thence procedeth the holy ghost euen there is founde also now the lambe Christ not only very man but also very God Christ is very God And is a distincte person For the blessed Trinitie knoweth not any cōfusiō The father is God the sonne is God the holy ghost is God yet are al three but one God the father in his subsistence the sonne in his and the holy ghost in his not makyng three Gods but three proprieties and persones in one indiuisible and eternal essence And where as Christ is mentioned to be in the middes of the beastes and in the middes of Elders he is doubtles signified after the diuine nature to be euery where to be the life and preseruation of all creatures also in the middes of his chosen and of his Church Therfore like as we beleue Iesus Christ to be very mā so let vs also beleue him to be very God of the same substaunce with God the father Therfore let Seruiet perishe with Arrius and Mahomet and as many as denie Christ to be the sonne of God coequal with the father in al thinges Furthermore he is now also called a lambe Christ is a lambe not that he is a shepe of nature but for that by a lambe is prefigured the innocent redemer of the worlde and the only holesome sacrifice of all faithfull A lambe is a token of innocencie and from the beginning appointed for sacrifices Abel offered vp a Lambe after the lawe was offered a dayly sacrifice in the morning a lambe and at euening a lambe For christ is the expiation of them whiche were in the beginning of the world and which in the ende shal be The Paschall lambe in the .12 of Exodus
the Apostolical maner fewe thinges were taught of Christe and of our redemption Let vs praye vnto the Lorde that he would vouchesafe to illumine our mindes Amen ¶ Here is described adoration and prayse geuyng or an Himne songe vnto Christ of the beasts and Elders The .xxviij. Sermon ANd when he had taken the boke the foure beastes and .xxiiii. Elders fel downe before the lambe hauynge Harpes and golden Vialles ful of odours which are the prayers of Sainctes and they sange a newe songe saiyng Thou arte worthy to take the boke and to open the Seales therof for thou waste killed haste redemed vs by thy bloud out of all kinredes and tongues and people and natiōs and haste made vs vnto our God Kinges and Priestes and we shall reigne on the earth We haue hearde Christ is the true only monarche that the lambe hath receyued the boke of the hande of him that sitteth in the Throne that he might open it and lowse the seales of the same that is we haue vnderstande that Christ is the only and eternall Sauiour and Lorde vnto whome all power is geuen in heauen and earth that he than only and euermore saueth that he reuealeth to vs the misteries and iudgementes of God that he finally gouerneth and disposeth al thinges in the worlde It followeth moreouer how al the creatures of God behaued them selues towardes this sonne of God the monarche and gouernour of al thinges This thing is set forth with a maruelouse figuratiue and plentiful speache in the Tipe of the .iiii. beasts and xxiiii Elders c. Certenly that we might of their gestures wordes and workes vnderstande what it is mete for vs to do in the iudgementes of God For this example is verely manifolde and euen of sixe partes suche as you shall hardely finde propounded in any other matter An exāple manifolde whereby we learne how to behaue oure selues towardes the gouernour of al thīgs And in this matter is of very greate force First in dede we haue hearde in the .iiii. chapt that the foure beastes cried out before the Throne of him that sate holy holy holy lord God omnipotent Seconde we vnderstande that the .xxiiii. Elders fel doune worshipped cast away their crownes and sange an Himne Nowe followeth the thirde degree of this example For as firste the beastes and Elders did these thinges seuerally so now ioyntly with one accorde the beastes and Elders fal downe together before the lābe Let vs therefore fall downe also in all the iudgementes and workes of God before the lambe gouernour of al and let vs worship For although it be not here added and they worshipped yet are they to be vnderstand for this intent to haue fallen downe that they might worship For to fal downe is to worship Whiche thing is also perceiued by this that foloweth The lābe is worshipped For they offer praiers to the lambe that is to witte singe an Himne whiche is a parte of godly worshippinge Morouer it foloweth immediately that euery creature sang an Himne to him that setteth in the Throne and to the lābe c. And verely two thinges especially and diligently S. Iohn treateth in this example For first he painteth out gallauntly the behauiour of the beastes and elders After he annexeth the Himne prayse geuyng or songe And so much as apperteyneth their behauiour Afore al thinges they fal downe before the lambe as euen nowe I sayed Christe is very God to be worshipped with the father in the same glory And this place is of efficacitie enough to proue the deitie of our Sauiour Christe For these thinges ought to be conferred with those whiche are written vpon the same wordes in the .iiii. chapt The .xxiiii. Elders fell downe before him that sitteth in the Throne and worshippe him that liueth for euer and euer And now it is sayed that the selfe same elders haue fallen downe before the lambe wherupon it followeth that he that liueth for euer and the lambe be worshipped with like glory culte and honour And that the sonne is coequall with the father to be worshipped for euer Wherby now is opēly perceyued the abominable and detestable errour of Arius and Seruetus Seruetus renewed the blasphemy of Arrius confuted at this present not only of the beastes but also of the whole cōgregation of Sainctes in heauē Idle men reason subtilly and peruerte wraste gods worde after their wonted giantly boldenes at their pleasure we wil rather followe the examples of all sainctes and creatures in the worlde and will worship the lambe with hym that sitteth in the throne blessed for euermore Agayne there are obiecte to vs the Elders liyng prostrate on the pauement holding in their hādes harpes and vialles Harpes vialles An harpe in the Psalmes and holy historie is an instrument of musicke cōsecrate to prayses diuine Of the vialle of what shape or fashion the cuppe was the writers of vesselles treate muche I vnderstande it to be simply a cuppe or a bolle suche as we reade there were many in the tabernacle and temple appoincted bothe for drinke offeringes and also for swete odours and incense Neuerthelesse these thinges in the holy heauenly dwellers be not to be taken corporally but spiritually after a suffiguration For what the spirite of God vnderstode the reuealer of secrettes S. Iohn him selfe addeth which be the prayers of Sainctes Therfore is signified that Sainctes offer prayers to God whiche are muche more acceptable to him Musicke incense prayer than the swete melodie of Musicall instrumentes is to man or pleasaunt sauour of swete gumes or of incense Aretas the expositour in that they haue Harpes sayeth he it sheweth a concorde and agrement in geuynge God thankes And herof we learne agayne what we should do in the contemplation vnderstanding of the iudgementes and workes of God The lord is to be praysed blessed because he is good and his mercy indureth for euer But if thankes must be geuen to God if his workes and iudgmentes are to be praysed why do certen men expostulate with God blamyng or bringing in suspicion his iudgemētes let vs learne moreouer that Organes and those corporall incenses do no longer become the churche of God Of this place S. Ireney in the 4. boke agaynste heresies The true sacrifice of Christiās in the .33 and .34 chapt sheweth that the prayers and thankes geuyng of Sainctes be the same oblation whiche Malachie prophecied to be offered vp through out the whole worlde And shortely after Tertullian followed the same exposition agyynst the Iewes and in the iiii boke agaynste Marcion whom other doctours of the Churche haue followed But those pleasaunt sophisticall triflers I meane the popisshe diuines do as it were triumph in those thinges yet leade they in the meane time a shadowyng and a most vaine triumphe For they applie these thinges to their sacrifice wherin they fayne them selues vnder the some of bread wine to offer
includeth captiuitie We were prisoners and seruauntes of sinne of death and very bondeslaues of the deuil and hel And the sonne of God came and toke flesh and shed his bloud for so also is the maner of redemyng vs expressed of the elders and he hath wasshed vs from our sinnes and beyng purified he hath raunsomed vs from the power of death hel sinne and Sathan that nowe we be of God Therfore they saye expressely thou hast redemed vs to God We be therfore of God the deuil hath no more power ouer vs we are the freemen of Christ deliuered through his bloud 1. Peter 1. Hebrewes 9. And for asmuch as we be nowe of God to witte iustified frely by his grace through the bloud of Christ as the apostle sayeth also in the 3. chapt to the Romanes we ought to serue God verely in the newnes of spirite not the flesh and the deuill in the oldenes of the letter and of our fleshe Whiche the same Apostle discourseth more at large in the 6. to the Romanes Whome also he hath redemed they declare by the waye Who are redemed men verely of euery tribe c. In the which rehersal he doeth Imitate Daniel in the 7. chap. and signifieth an vniuersalitie For the lord hath died for al but that al are not made pertakers of this redemptiō it is through their owne faulte For the lord excludeth no man but him only whiche through his owne incredulitie and misbelefe excludeth him selfe Of redēption followeth an other effect of Christes death Righteousnes foloweth iustification and redemptiō for that it maketh men iustified to God kinges and priestes For they that be iustified worke rightuousnes I haue expounded this place concerning the priesthood and kingdom of Christians in the firste chapter where you maye haue it The Sainctes adde moreouer that they shal reygne vpon earth to wit through the vertue of Christ not corporally How sainctes raigne vpon earth as the Millenaries do imagine and the Turkes followyng the same imaginyng corporal thinges in this worlde and ioyes in Paradise terrestriall For the whole scripture promiseth better thinges Neither must the godly be so geuen to corporal thinges that they should hope for nothing aboue corporal matters The Sainctes speake here of the last iudgement wherin it shal appere to the whole world and to al that dwel vpon the earth that the Sainctes which some time semed to the world to haue ben wicked vngodly peacebreakers heretickes and parricides and for the same cause haue ben slaine be iust holy kinges and priestes of God So I saie they shal reigne vpō earth The which thing is declared more at large in the .iii. and .v. chapt of the boke of wisedome Let the Sainctes I saie consider these thinges when they be oppressed of the wicked for the veritie and rightuousnes through the permissiō of Christ gouernour of al in this world let them neuerthelesse glorifie the Lord God and praise him without ceasyng To him be glory for euer ¶ Here is described the commendation and Hymne sayed vnto Christ of the Aungels and al creatures c. The .xxix. Sermon ANd I behelde hearde the voyce of many Aungelles aboute the Throne about the beastes and the elders I hearde thousande thousandes saiyng with a lowde voice worthie is the lambe that was killed to receiue power and riches and wisedome and strength and honour and glory and blessing And all creatures which are in heauen and on the earth and vnder the earth and in the Sea and all that are in them hearde I saiyng blessing honour glory and power be vnto him that sitteth vpon the seate and to the lambe for euer more And the .iiii. beastes sayed Amen And the .xxiiii. Elders fell vpon their faces and worshipped him that liueth for euer more In the fourth place nowe come the Aungels of God also to the Elders and to the beastes The Aungels also prayse Christ I meane to the most excellent creatures of God and together with them prayse with an hymne God and the lambe doubtlesse for an example to vs that as I ofttimes saie and repete we might vnderstand what thing becometh vs also Of Aungels Dauid in .c.iiii. Psalm speaking emōgs other thinges which maketh sayeth he his Aungels spirites Of Aungels and his ministers a flame of fire He testifieth therefore that the Aungels were made or created of God By their substaunce he calleth them spirites by a parable a flame of fire which is pure bryght moste swifte pearsyng and burnyng Therfore after their sorte and meane the Aungelicall spirites be altogether suche whome by their office he calleth ministers Reade 24. sermon folowyng to witte of God and manne For S. Paull also to the Hebr. brynging this same place of Dauid be they not al sayeth he ministring spirites whiche are sent forth into ministerie for them which be heyres of Saluation verely vnderstandyng men These thinges teach vs to iudge rightly of Aungels and that no man should worshippe ministers or any be they neuer so excellent creatures for theyr godly giftes Nother in dede can the Aungels or Sainctes abide them selues to be worshipped Here doubtles they attribute all glory to God and to the Lambe to God three and one that all we should doe the like Here is also declared the place wherin the Aungelles were about the Throne about the beastes and about the Elders Therefore they garded al these places rounde about as it were a garde Daniel in times paste sawe thinges not muche vnlike these in the .7 chapt Certenly they stande like ministers and seruitours ready to do seruice Aungels are sayed also to be about the godly vpon earth to attende vpon the saluation and ministerie of men In the .34 Psalm Dauid singeth he beyng afflicted called vpon the lorde and the Lorde hearde him and from all his troubles he deliuered him The Aungel of the lord pitcheth his tentes about them which feare him the lord he deliuereth thē And not much vnlike things you maye reade in the .91 Psalm And thou shalt here note that those that be afflicted do cal vpō the lord and not the Aungels And that the lord doeth heare and deliuer and for the workyng therof vseth the ministerie of Aungels as his ministers And like as no man that is wel in his witte doeth reuerence cal vpon and worshippe the sonne for that God by the same geueth great benefites to men So no mā honoureth calleth vpon and worshippeth Aungels for that God vseth their ministerie in deliueryng of men The nūbre of Angels Now also he putteth the nōbre of Aungels but a certaine for an vncertayne thousande thousandes for innumerable He alludeth in the meane time to that saying of Daniel in the 7. chapt Thousande Thousandes serued hym and ten hondreth thousande assisted him Of a greate and innumerable armie we are woonte to esteme the power of kinges What than shall we thinke of the power of our God
like Aungels and so the seruice of Deuils as Deuils in dede But where as the seuēth numbre is the numbre of fulnes conteyning in it self al times for there be seuen dayes of creation and rest there be seuen worldes or ages certenly seuen Aungelles appere before God for that they betoken all battels that shall be foughten to the ende of the world For to these seuen Aungels are geuen seuen trompettes and the Aungels already had the trompettes and euen prepared themselues to blowe the on set The vse of trompets Where chiefly the vse of trompettes is to be searched for The same is most plentifully described of Moses in the .10 of Nombres The vse of trompettes was diuerse as it is also at this daie First by the sounde of the trompet the people of Israel were called together to consult of the cōmon welth Agayne at the sounde of thē the Senate of princes of the people did assemble Moreouer they were warned by the trompet when who should remoue their tentes Furthermore the trompets blewe vnto battel what time they ioyned to fight as maye be sene in the .20 of Deuter. The people moreouer were called together with trompettes on the holy dayes to publicke and diuine seruice Sounde with the trompet in Zion call the congregation sayeth Iohel gather the people There was more ouer a feaste of trompettes and a Iubiley hauing the name of the blowyng and sounde of trompets as appereth in the .25 of Leuit. Finally the preachyng of the veritie was figured by the sounde of trompettes neyther might any other blow the same but priestes For it forceth much to whom you cōmitte or deliuer the signes publicke Of this sundry vse of trompettes none shall agree better to our mater than the warlicke For this world hath a shape of warre In it are the campes of good men and the campes of euill the tentes of Catholickes and tentes of heretickes The chiefrayne of these is Sathan and of those Christe the Captaine and Emperour of these is the Deuill of the other the sonne of God And now the Aungels sounde their trompettes and blowe the onset not that the good Aungels and God him selfe is the Authour of heresies and of heretickes whose original is referred to Sathan and sinne but soūding their trompettes they geue in dede warnyng to all men and signifie that most greuouse warres shal arrise in the worlde and euen in the church it selfe But diuerse men are diuersely moued and worke in warre accordyng to their natures The trewe catholikes beyng warned by the trompet take heade to themselues praye and finally taking in hande spirituall weapons prepare themselues vnto battel and māfully fight for Christ and for maynteinyng and defending the veritie Heretickes sectaries and menne of corrupte mindes accordyng to theyr mallice takyng to them also Armour runne sorth and fighte agaynst Christ and the veritie defende lies and such as be weakelynges they take spoyle beate downe and distroye The good shepardes are the trompets of God and of Christ the Deuill bloweth vp Archeheretickes and beginners of sectes Of the good and of their fight we shal heare in the .11 and in the chapt following Neuertheles in euery cōflict we must vnderstād that the sainctes slepe not nor be any where idle but to doe their duetie euery where It was nowe in dede enough for the lord to shewe vs the heretikes sectaries sighting to declare how much they maye hurt that we might watche more dilligently and beware of all corruption The firste trompet or fight The first Aungel soundyng the first trompet denounceth vnto vs the first conflict All and singular battels haue some thing like and diuerse It is like in that all heresies doe impugne Christ and would haue the trueth of the Gospell eyther extinguisshed or wrasted out of the true sense And that same is singular or diuerse that at an other time Sathan assayling other doctrines hath spred abroade in the Churche sundry heresies Therefore whilest the Aungell soundeth the trompet that is to saye proclaymeth warre he warneth the Sainctes to watche Therfore as he is yet blowing through Gods permission accordyng to his iuste iudgement by the meane and suggestion of Sathan ther was made hayle and fyre mixed with bloud the whiche beyng so tempered was sente or fell vpon the Earth For S. Paule acknowledgeth spiritual policies in the heauenly spirites And the Scripture in a certen place doeth figure rightwell the sounde and holesome doctrine by the heauēly dewe and showre that maketh the earth fruictefull most rightly therfore S. Iohn cōpareth the false and hereticall doctrine to hayle For that destroyeth the fruictfull places of the earth and marreth vtterly the plētiful fruicte of the earth Wherfore like as els where the peruerse doctrine is called darnell leuen chaffe c. so is it here called haile But this hayle is tempered and of a wonderful mixture For it hath fire and bloud ioyned with it These thinges muste be expounded after an allegorie not after the letter Haile is water congeled with colde Hayle is corrupte doctrine And water they haue called the wisedom of the scripture haile therfore shal be false wisedom Yet fire is put vnto it The pretense of the scriptures and inspiration of the holy ghost wherunto is added bloud the euil affection of man to witte the vice of Ambitiō wrath contention hatred and like affections Of these is compounded an haylie doctrine hurtfull doubtlesse and pestilent For when false doctrine ruleth or depraueth the Scriptures and wicked affections of teachers are ioyned with all a pestilent doctrine arriseth Such was frō the beginnyng the doctrine of the Nazareans or Mimeorites and of the Hebionites cōtending that iustification came not by the only faithe of Christ but by the law Our men fought sharpely to wit S. Paule thother Apostles against this perniciouse doctrine And frō the beginning many corrupt with Philosophie Diuinitie corrupt by Philosophie others blinded with mens traditions haue brought forth most corrupt opinions Histories beare witnes herof And Tertulliane not without cause called Philosophers the patriarches of heretickes For S. Paule most diligently warned that the godly shuld be ware of Philosophie They that haue not kepte thēselues from it haue set more by Philosophie I know not what traditions they in stead of the heauenly dewe swete showres haue cast into the church great heauy haylestones And haue verely hurte the church very much For the .iii. part of trees was burnt and also al grene grasse This nūbre is intimated in foure trōpets and in fixe likewise And it semeth to signifie that a greate parte of men inconstaunte and vnstable are seduced lofte geuing thēselues to be distroyed of wicked men agayne the best part of the saythful to be saued The lord him self knoweth the numbre exactely It is enough for vs to know these thinges which he hath reuealed vnto vs nother to searche curiousely any further That men
lyuing for euermore as he that is life of himselfe and geueth life vnto all This creation verely and viuification is not communicated to others As also he alone knoweth the harts of meÌ„ that hereof we may learne to sweare by the name of God alone not to adde to him any creatures which know not the heartes neither are lyfe of themselues but are lesse than he adde also lesse than men as they that are made for men Next after God there is nothing greater than man Therfore let not maÌ„ sweare by any other thaÌ„ by God For al the geÌ„tiles sweare by a greater yf thou swearest by the sainctes or by the Gods thou shalt sweare by men egal verely and not greatter God alone is greatest and best Therfore must we sweare by the name of God alone lyke as the scripture teacheth elsewhere in the .6 and .10 of Deuter. 23. of Exod. 23. of Iosue 4. and .5 of Ieremy .45.65 of Esay and else where But seyng that is in dede God himselfe howe sweareth he sayest thou by him that lyueth for euermore that is by god he sweare doubtles by him self as in many other places of the scripture Or els he sware after the dispensation and assumptioÌ„ of the humane nature after the which he sayed my father is greater than I which notwithstanding in his deitie was neuerthelesse coequall with the father And the same that I now rehersed A faithfull doctrine of taking othes is the most simple and most trewe doctrine of othes and fourme of swearyng And yet ther be some which vnderstaÌ„d that doctrine wel enough but neuerthelesse for the fauour of men would sweare gladly by Sainctes and therfore demaunde whether thei may not ioyne Sainctes to god especially in this sense vnlesse I perfourme this I wil not be accoÌ„pted in the nombre of sainctes I aunswer that they maye not aswel for that we haue no expresse maner of swearing which obediently to the honour of God we ought simply to follow also for that they which require and prescribe this fourme would haue vs to sweare by the names of Sainctes in heaueÌ„ and so to acknowledge that we are holpen and punnished by their vertue and power Which if ye do and acknowledge ther is no doubt but thou doeste greuousely transgresse thy sincere religion Certes if thou confesse God here before men he will also confesse thee before his father and his Angels yf thou deny him he will also deny the. c. An othe is as it were thy confession wherby thou confessest whome thou doest acknowledge and beleue to be thy chiefe filicitie the reueÌ„ger also of euil rewarder of good Yf thou shalt therfore ioyne Sainctes vnto god himselfe and match them together and say so help me God and his Sainctes These so coupled with God thou shalte graunt to be thy Gods which can both helpe and hurt the. Therfore take hede what thou doest Reade S. Austen in the 145. Epistle to Publicola What Christ did sweare Howbeit we must see moreouer what the Angel sware by this custome and solemne woordes For in this one thynge consisteth the whole somme of the matter The Angell in the 12. chap. of Daniel ded sweare Because for a time times and halfe a tyme and in the wyndinge vp to scatter the hand of the holy people all these thinges shall be fully done So this our Aungell here sweareth that there shall be no more time but in the dayes of the voyce of the seuenth Angell when he shal begynne to blowe his trompe that the misterie of God shal be fulfilled but here let no man vnderstand that all time vtterly and that euerlastinâ—nes it selfe should be abolished and that there should be nothing more after the iudgement but there shall not be alwaâ—es suche a time as nowe is and suche as the wicked inioye in this worlde supposing that the courses of times shal be alwayes that the worlde shal continewe alwayes that they shal alwayes flourishe in honours and pleasures oppressyng the Godly This shall not be sayeth he nother shall there be any more suche a time that shall perishe and be subiecte to chaungeable courses For aboute the laste iudgement shall perisshe or be renewed all these thinges that shall perishe and lyfe and glory euerlastyng shal succede I meane the time of eternitie with al ioye moste replenisshed Therefore sayeth he not simplely that there shal be no more time but addeth in the dayes of the voyce of the seuenth Aungell that is to witte at the laste iudgement that the misterie of God should be made consummate perfit and fully complete What this secret The mistery of God what it is or misterie of God is the Apostle expoundeth and sayeth 1. Corinth 15. Beholde I tell you a misterie we shall not all slepe and the residewe whiche are red there the misterie of God therefore is nothyng els than that the ende of all corruptible thynges is at hande and the happie and euerlastyng worlde shal succede for that Christ shall than come to iudgement that Antichrist by him shal be abolisshed that he with the whole body of the wicked shal be distroyed the dead reysed vp agayne the wicked to euerlasting perdition the godly to eternal life for that death sinne and al corruption must be taken awaye from the godly and be troden vnder fote and al miserie imposed to the wicked that they may be tourmeÌ„ted world without ende And for asmuch as many times menne doubte thereof as I haue sayed nowe ofte Christe hath sworne that all these thinges shall assuredly come to passe and that the godly shal be consummated with al glory and that the wicked shall be consummate with all kynde of tourmentes And this is that great misterie of God for the whiche the very Sonne of God beynge incarnate dead and reysed agayne from the dead ascended into Heauen that he might conuaye vs thither to him hauyng subdewed Hell Sathan Antichrist and all vngodlynes Therefore as in the. 6. chapter was sayed to the Martirs that they should reste for a little season till the nombre of chosen be fulfilled so here we heare also that the misâ—erie of God shall at length be fulfilled c. The whiche is spoken to this ende also that the godly shoulde be of quiet mindes and patiently abyde deliueraunce Yf therefore this consumation be differred lette vs abyde patieÌ„tly and constantly confirmed in Christ and his Euangelicall veritie as also the Apostle of Christe S. Paule hath taught vs out of the Prophetes in the .10 chapt to the Hebrewes Moreouer for a further declaration is added The prophets also haue shewed this misterie as God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is hath euangelized with a good and a lucky message hath preached to wit by the seruauÌ„ts his prophetes touchyng the ende of the world the last iudgement of the euerlasting punnishment of Antichrist and al wicked of the glorifiyng of the godly c. Nother sayed he
world intollerable thei haue oppressed the godly bragged of their victories and haue boasted of theyr owne felicitie with full chekes and as we shall heare in the .18 chapt of this boke that beaste hath sayed I sitte as Quene am no widowe and shal neuer see any sorrow For voices are hearde from Rome al Empires are oures It is knowen what maner of thinges Augustinus Steuchus an Italian and chiefe champion of the Popes holines hath set forth in this cause against Laurâ—â—ce Valla about the donation of CoÌ„stantine And dayly are hearde the brags reioycings of the papistes of the euerlasting coÌ„tinuauÌ„ce of the See of Rome of her victories oppression of the preachyng of the Gospell that the same hath her power stretched through out the world c. But in that day what time verely our lord Iesus Christ shal abolish al power rule authoritie shal haue made al his enemies his fote stoole accordyng to the scripture in the .110 Psalme And in the .1 to the Corinth the .15 Ther shal be hearde againe the voyces of the gladde and ioyeful singing trewe and eternal triumphing songes in heauen For Angelles and sainctes shal sing together wherfore the voices shal be greater more durable thaÌ„ the voices of Christes enemies which last but a smal season The songe of the Elders Nowe also he rehearseth the songe or triumphaunt dittie and reioycyng the kingdomes of this worlde are made our lordes his Christes and he shal raigne for euer more AmeÌ„ He sheweth two thinges that all kingedomes are made the fathers and the sonnes and that he shal raigne for euermore Al kingdomes were before also our lord Iesus Christes but the same appered not so plainely to al men what time the bisshop of Rome also vsurped the same to him selfe oppressed theÌ„ which did only celebrate the name of Christ But in that it shal truely appere and that to all fleshe that al kingdomes were euer and yet remayne of one the eternal God Christ therfore ouercometh the veritie ouercometh the gospel ouercometh the churche ouercometh they that are vanquished shal be led to hel Mahomet with his the Bishop of Rome with his There is added that Christ shal raigne for euer more Antichrist in dede hath raigned and the wicked haue reioyced in this worlde but a very shorte time but nowe shall the godly reigne with christ for euer more Nother doeth he now diuide the kingdome of the father the sonne but sheweth it to be comon where he sayeth that the kingdomes are made that is to saye it is openly declared that al kingedomes are of God the father and the sonne and that he shal reigne with his electe for euermore So you may see that the place of S. Paule maye not be expounded after the lettre which is writteÌ„ in the .1 to the Corinth the .15 chapt of that the sonâ—â— must be subiected shall deliuer the kingdome to his father For he shall deliuer the kingdome to witte the church that is to saye shal bring and present it to the father and in his membres shal be subiecte to the father with whom not withstanding he him selfe shal reigne for euer Thaffirmatiue vocable is annexed Amen Leeste any man should doubt one whitte of these celestial misteries Howbeit he doeth more playnely expounde afterwarde what those voices are that were spokeÌ„ in Heauen whilest he annexeth the narration of the .xxiiii. Elders and of such thinges wherwith they praysed God And here the most goodly beautifull order of this boke semeth to me worthie to be obserued In the beginning of this visioÌ„ he brought in the same elders teaching vs by their exaÌ„ple himnes what we should do the same therefore he bringeth againe also in the ende of this vision that we might be instructed againe by their wordes doynges not only concernyng the last iudgement of what sorte it shal be most rightouse doubtles as al his iudgementes are which the whole visioÌ„ approueth but that also we shuld vnderstaÌ„d what becometh vs what we shuld do verely that we should worship god submit our selues whole vnto him beleue stedfastly that both the iudgement shal assuredly come that also it shal be most iuste A geuynge of thankes The himne or prayer which they offer vp vnto God is a kynde of prayse For it is a thankesgeuyng or reioysing for victory For in such sort they geue God thanks that neuerthelesse they celebrate god highly and reioyce to themselues and to al godly for their saluatioÌ„ For they geue god thanks for their saluation And coÌ„mend his iustice and veritie which he sheweth in this his iudgement rewarding the good with good things and the euil with euil Therfore like as they rise out of their chayres and fal downe before almighty God euen so aught we also both nowe and euer to do Whereof is spoken more in the .4 chap. Here we should learne humilitie and that God alone is to be worshipped that to him alone al praiers or inuocatioÌ„s or geuing of thaÌ„ks must be offered the which thing is cleane repugnauÌ„t to the popish doctryne We se now the very thankesgeuing than the which no better can be found They geue thankes vnto God Let vs therfore thanke him also And also coÌ„mend exalte him whylest they call him the Lord and God almightie and also they celebrate his maiestie where they say which arte and which waste and which arte to come They allude to the wordes of God spoken in oulde tyme to Moses in the .3 of Exodus By the diuersitie of tymes the eternitie of God is fygured But of this kynd of speach I haue spoken more in the first chapt Christe in iudgement receyueth power and kingdome And nowe they declare wherefore they geue thankes for thou haste receiued thy great power and hast reigned God verely neuer laide asyde his power that he nedeth to receiue it agayne but what time he sheweth not the same and permittith very much to the vngodly that they by their power can infringe preuayl against gods word he semeth to haue layde it away Therfore now that he oppresseth the wicked and as a iudge auauÌ„ceth the godly maintayneth the veritie and destroyeth lying he is truly sayed to haue receyued his great power Lykewise now is he said to reigne not because he reigned not before but forasmoch as the lord hath reigned in the mids of his ennemies so that some time it was doubtfull and vncertayne whether Christe reigned or Antichriste yea that he hath had the vpper hand and Christ hath ben oppressed now that Christ hath broken al the power of his aduersaries he is said most truly to reigne And very wel Erasmus admonissheth in his annotations vpoÌ„ the newe Testament that the translatour had tourned more aptely Ebacilensas yf he had sayed thou hast obteyned a kingdome For the latin men saye Regnauit He hath reigned whiche hath lefte reignyng
greued and oppressed the more feruently and lowder they crie and that also they be called clamorouse criers What the Aungell preacheth Moreouer he compriseth in a briefe some what thinges are to be set forth in the preaching of the gospel chiefly in the laste times First he sayeth feare God The feare of God is the beginning of wisedome therfore not to feare God is the beginnyng of foolishenes The feare of God of al errours The feare of God hath nothing comon with the feare of the world The godly man is not affrayed of God as a gilty seruaunt feareth his maister and that more punnisshment than his maister whō he hateth rather For the feare of God hath the reuerēce and loue of God It attributeth to God the supreme Maiestie imbraceth faith and hath a faithful care wherby it awayteth vpon God worshippeth prayseth and professeth the same Doubtles because we more feare men than God we feare more the Pope and the mallice and hatred of him and his therefore do we not execute iustice vprightly nor professe the trewth frankely nother yet set forth the gospel But the lord in the Gospel sayeth feare ye not them which maye kill the body haue no power ouer the soule rather feare ye him which condemneth both body soule to hell fire Certes the feare of God is not only the beginnyng but also the bonde of al vertue Hereafter we shall heare that the feareful shal be caste into hel with the beaste with the false prophet Therfore let God be our feare like as Esaye teacheth in the .8 cha Let vs feare God for our sinnes committed Here fewe are affraide but many are affraide to speake the trueth to mainteyne godlines and to rebuke wickednes Secondely the preachyng of the Gospell comprehendeth the honour of God For he sayeth and geue him honour the honour of God And thou doest not seperate the sonne from the father For he in the .5 of Iohn sayeth thus the father hath geuē al iudgement to the sonne that al shuld honour the sonne as thei honour the father He that honoureth not the sonne honoureth not the father which sent him And in very dede the father cā not be honoured but by the sonne For we honour him when we beleue him to be true receyue Christ the sonne of God as the only rightuousnes perfection of al faithful By faith therfore chiefly we honour God than reuerēcyng him only by faithful obedience walking in his commaundementes S. Iohn in his Canonic he that beleueth not the sonne sayeth he maketh God a liar see howe ye maye highly dishonour God which beleueth not the testimony which God hath testified of his sonne And this is the testimony that God hath geuē to vs eternal life this life is in his sonne He that hath the sonne hath life he that hath not the sonne hath not life We are therefore forbidden els where than in Christ alone to seke life al goodnes But the papistes honour the Pope and his cōstitutions his Sainctes also and honour not God alone They in graue in theyr cuppes Soli deo gloria to God alone be glory but yet in the meane season thei persecute thē whiche will not ascribe the glory dewe to God alone vnto their folish trifles But the Gospell wil crie out that to God alone al glory is dewe Hereunto is added a spurre The iudgemēt of the sonne of God whiche maye pricke them to feare glorifie God for the houre of his iudgement is come The Gospel therefore in the latter dayes shal beate into men the last iudgement This hath a wonderful effecte to obteine of men amendement of life And it is pourposely sayed it is come and not the houre of his iudgement shal come For so is the certentie of his iudgement expressed and we are warned to loke for that same daye euery moment The Apostle vsed the same argument in the .17 chapt of the Actes to them of Athens and to the Corinth the .2 Epist 5. chapt Lette vs remembre O bretherne that strayte iudgement let vs amende our faith and maners and al thinges that agree not with the gospell For certenly we shal die certenly we shal be iudged But then when we shal promise our selues peace shall come sodayne destruction Watche To worship God Finally the Gospell teacheth to worshippe God alone Than doe not the faithfull worshippe Idolles to whome so euer they be erected They worship not the Pope ouerwhelmed with wickednesse much lesse doe they kisse and by kissinge worshippe his vngraciouse and stinkyng fete They worshippe not the God Mauzim of the wafer makers Daniel 11. the God in the boxe which is worshipped in palaces churches as shutte vp in the pixe They worshippe not Sainctes but God alone Therefore lifte vp your hartes vnto heauen and worshippe We haue here in Earth wōderful workes which maie moue vs to worshippe this God alone He is maker of heauen and Earth and of the See Who is greater who is mightier Therefore worshippe him the trewe God Matth. 4. He annexeth here fountaynes of water for that the miracle and benefite of waters is greate For if we consider the originall sprynge substaunce pleasauntenes and commoditie of fountaynes we shal be compelled to wonder God be praysed ¶ An other Angell preacheth that Babilon shall fal and an other diswadeth all men from the felloweshippe of the religion of the beaste The .lxiiij. Sermon ANd there followed an other Aungel saiyng she is fallen she is fallen euen Babylon that greate Citie for she made all nations drinke of the wine of her whoredome And the thirde Angell followed them sayeng with a loude voyce yf any man worship the beast and his Image and receiue his marke in his forehead or on his hand the same shall drinke of the wyne of the wrath of God which is powred in the cup of his wrath And he shal be punished in fyre brimstone before the holy Angels and before the Lambe and the smoke of their tourmente ascendeth vp euermore And thei haue no rest day nor night which worship the beast and his Image and whosoeuer receyued the prynte of his name Here is the patience of Saincts Here ar thei that kepe the cōmaundements and the faith of Iesu For the comfort of the faithful flocke of Christ †The Romysh Churche shall fal is brought forth an other Aungell a type of all godly preachers which preacheth with great constancie that the kyngdome of Anti-Christ shall fall howe soeuer it promiseth to it selfe euerlastingnesse And hereof the Sainctes gather that persecutions shall with all be finisshed with all other abominations through out the worlde For where for the continuall persecutions of the wicked all the Saincts cannot but be maruelouselye sadde They muste nedes verely hereof receyue no small ioye and comforte that they here howe they shall not indure alwayes and here it is sayed that Babilon shall fall
his wrath And nother is smoke with out fire nor fire without smoke c. Morouer smoke hurteth the eyes and maketh them blinde So in Esaye the .6 The temple of God which Esaye seeth is filled with smoke And at this present not only apeareth the presence of god and of his wrath to be signified but also to be figured that the iudgementes of God be vnsearchable so that the things which he him selfe reuealeth not to vs we can not atteyne to For his maiestie is infinite and his power passeth al thinges Primasiu Bisshoppe of Vtica in Affricke expoundyng this place Thinke sayeth he that same to be signified by smoke that all menne can not penetrate the secrettes of Gods iudgemētes and that the eyes and mindes of mortall men shal at the contemplation of the plagues inflicted dasel gropyng in darkenes which nowe he determineth to vtter and vnto the finall ende of the same he affirmeth the smoke to abide still in the temple Thus sayeth he Now followeth that semeth to expounde the same No man could enter into the temple and no man coulde enter into the Temple c. But certayne it is by the veritie of the euangelicall Apostolical doctrine that the soules passing out of the body before th ende last iudgemēt go right into the blessed seates and haue there the fruition of the ioyes promised of god so true Therfore is an other thing signified to wit that before th ende of all thinges the saincces can not clerely see al the iudgemēts of God For here we see by a glasse there face to face shal know God him self the veritie maner of his iudgementes Primasius nother coulde any man enter into the tēple that is could penetrate the secret til the seuen plages of the seuen Angels were finished Wherfore the Psalmographer This sayeth he is labour before me til I may enter into the sanctuarie of God may vnderstande the cōclusion of matters c. Here is signified therfore that Sainctes before the iudgemente shall not knowe the secret misteries of Gods iudgementes Let it than suffice vs that he him selfe hath vouchsafed to open to vs for the reste let vs beleue that the lorde is iuste in all his wayes and holy in al his workes To him be glory ¶ The three fourmer Aungelles powre out their vialles vpon the Antichristians and all the vngodly The .lxix. Sermon The .16 chapter ANd I hearde a greate voyce out of the temple saiyng to the seuē angelles go your wayes powre out your vialles of wrath vpon the Earth And the first went powred out his vialle on the earth and there fell a noysome sore botche vpon the men whiche had the marke of the beaste and vpon them that worshipped his Image And the seconde Angell shed out his vialle on the Sea and it tourned as it were into the bloud of a dead mā and euery liuing thing died in the Sea And the thirde Angell shed out his vialle vpon the riuers and fountaines of waters and they tourned to bloud and I hearde an angel of waters saiyng lord which arte and waste thou arte rightuouse and holy because thou haste geuen such iudgementes for they shed the bloud of Sainctes and Prophetes and therfore hast thou geuen thē bloud to drinke for they are worthie And I hearde an other Angell out of the Aultar saiyng euen so lord God almightie true and rightuouse are thy iudgementes After he hath spoken in generall of the rightuouse iudgementes of God he procedeth nowe particularly by the seuenth nombre and declareth at large the plagues of God The plagues of Aegypt which in this world also he inflicteth to the wicked but chiefly the Antichristians This place aunswereth to the same or at leest hath many thinges like to it whiche in Moses boke of Exod. from the .7 chapt to the .12 For in all those whole chapters are described the ten plagues of God wherewith for sinne he plaged kynge Pharao and the whole realme of Aegypt These plagues are comprised in goodly verses of D. Musculus our worshipfull Godfather The water tourneth into blood The frogges defile al that is good The duste brought forth the scrallyng lise Than came the flie a newe diuise The pestilence botches and hayle A huytaine Locustes and darkenes did assayle At last was slayne and quite forlorne Al that in Aegypte first was borne These plagues are expounded also in the .150 Psalme In the .15 chapt of Exod. the Lorde sayeth yf thou wilt heare diligently the voyce of thy God The cure of plages and wilt doe that is right in his sight and wilt kepe all his statutes I will sende vpon thee no disease whiche I sent vpon the Aegyptians for I am the Lorde healyng thee We learne therefore of the treatise of the plagues of God to feare God and to walke in his cōmaundementes Nother is it repugnaunt to this sentence of God that we reade howe Iob and other holy menne and walknng in the cōmaundementes of God were vexed with greuouse diseases For these are priuate and are not chiefly inflicted for sinne but for the exercise of fayth and increase of vertues Men for the moste parte ascribe the causes of plagues to the starres and to other matters The true cause of plagues and therfore do not tourne to the Lord strikyng them in amendement of life most euill but we are taught by the treatise of Moses which we alledged out of Exod. and by this present disputation of S. Iohn that God himselfe punnisheth the sinnes and wickednes of men although he vse the seruice of menne and elementes vnto whom as to the nexte causes men impute the euils receiued whiche they suffer iustely of God for their sinnes A voyce out of the Temple For the whiche cause at this present is hearde a voyce not out of the ayre or from the Earth but from the Temple of the Lorde trewe iuste and holy commaundyng the Angelles to come out and powre their vialles vpon the heades of menne The wicked therefore are plagued of God him selfe But a vialle is no other thing I spake of the worde in the .5 chapt but the iuste iudgement of God or vengeaūce of men deserued Angelles powre out their vialles so ofte as men are punnisshed with plages through meanes of God appoincted And that voice which is hearde from the temple is great For no man can resiste God nor infringe his decree When he commaundeth al creatures do obeye The firste Angell shedeth his vialle But whilest this first Angel executour of gods iudgemēt powreth out his plague vpon men there fell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a noysome sore botch vpon men This plage aunswereth to the sixte plage of Aegipt And that botche signifieth a canker a fistula and swelling sores or boyles but chiefly the pockes of Iude which others cal the disease of Naples some the French pockes the pockes first and some the Spanish verely
aboundauntly which neuerthelesse in the meane season persecute Christes church moste greuousely The Lorde sende peace And nowe where the godly might maruell ¶ God is righteouse in his iudgementes why God so suffereth the worlde to be shaken and tourmoyled with mutuall warres the Angelles preuent the marueling and complainte and shewe not onlie the cause but also praise the iustice of God in these iudgements And he bringeth in two Angels as mete and sufficient witnesses of this businesse Angels gouernoures of things The one he maketh ruler of waters the other speaking out of the aulter He semeth here in to followe Daniell which also in the tenth chapter sayeth that Angelles as gouernours were set to rule ouer Prouinces Not that God doeth not worke and gouerne al things in waters in all elements and Regions but for that he vseth the trauell of Angelles as his ministers But where the Papistes gather hereof that Sainctes rule ouer elements diseases limmes cities and euery part in man it is folish and superstitious and smelling of Idolatrie For the maner of Angelles and of blessed soules is cleane diuerse moreouer the Scripture attributeth vnto them farre other things than it doeth to these Thou shalt read nothing of the blessed soules as hauyng any thyng to do with men here in Earth in the whole Scripture But in sondry places of the Scriptures you shall reade that Angelles are set to be mens kepers and to serue them with dyuers ministeries Agayne ye read not that the godlie haue for this cause geuen any godly honour to the Angelles no we shall heare in this booke howe Saincte Ihon woulde haue worshipped an Angell but was prohibited of the Angell ones or twyse Chap. 19. and .21 Moreouer here the Angell rendreth a reason why the water is tourned into bloude and commendeth here in Gods iustice For turning his talke vnto God thou art inste sayeth he O Lord which arte and which wast c. He pronounceth him righteouse as he that will do no man any wrong and therefore calleth him also holy In the mean time he signifieth his euerlastingnes and that he geueth being vnto all thinges where he sayeth which arte and which waste c. Of this phrase of speache is spoken in the first chapter And the true righteousnes geueth to euery one his Therefore the Angell sayeth Therfore Lord thou arte righteouse and declareste thy righteousnes to the world in that thou hast geuen them bloude to drinke which haue shed the bloude of the Prophetes that is of preachers for preaching of the truth And not their bloud only but haue shed also the bloude of thy holy faythful I meane whom for the true professing of the faithe they haue vexed and at laste slayne Therfore are they worthie that they theÌ„selues shuld agayne drinke the bloude of them and theirs that is shulde fall by mutuall warres tumultes and slaughters verely before recited The Angel speketh oute of the aultâ—r These thinges are confirmed by an other Aungell which speaketh from th aulter and not without cause from the aulter For we heard before in the .6 chap. that vnder the aulter the soules of them that are killed crie out and say how long is it that thou auengest not our bloud on them c. Therfore nowe is the talke vttered out of the Aultar to the ende we should vnderstaÌ„de that God forgetteth not the bloud of his sainctes but reueÌ„geth it in iuste and dewe season Now here in also coÌ„mended as it were by the waye the omnipoteÌ„cie of God that the vngodly maye vnderstande howe in the time of affliction and vengeaunce there shal be no power able to resiste the almightie To him alone be glory Amen The .iiii. and .v. Angelles shed theyr vialles The .lxx. Sermon ANd the fourth Angell powred out his vialle on the Sunne power was geuen to him to vexe menne with heate of fire And the men raged in great heate and spake euill of the name of God whiche had power ouer those plagues and they repented not to geue him glory And the fifte Angell powred out his viall vpon the seate of the beast his kingedome waxed darke they gnewe their tungues for sorrowe and blasphemed the God of heauen for sorrowe payne of their sores and repented not of their dedes The godly esteme not their afflictioÌ„s sent by the iuste iudgement of God as the punnishmeÌ„tes of sinners The afflictions of the godly and vngodly but as exercises of the fayth how so euer they acknowledge themselues to be iustely afflicted for their sinnes committed yet here they commende neuerthelesse the grace of God conuertyng the punnishementes of sinners into the exercises of fayth To the vngodly punnisshementes are plagues whiche nother they can suffer patiently nor glorify God but rather blaspheme him suppose that they suffer vnworthely Therfore are the plages of god to theÌ„ most greuouse where neuerthelesse much more cruel things are for theÌ„ prepared to wit that they should suffer in an other worlde euerlastyng damnation Therefore the plagues of this worlde infliâ—â—ed to the vngodly are as it were certen preparatiues and preambles of more greuouse tourmentes Drought the iiii plage The fourth Angel poureth out his viall on the sunne and to the same was geuen power to plague men with heate or fire This plage do many expounde allegorically vnderstandyng by the sunne Christ exhilaratyng the consciences of the faithfull and the fame to be darkened in the mindes of men chosing rather the darkenes of Antichriste than the light of Christ and therefore do the consciences erryng and seduced with errour burne with sondry lustes desperations wherby they be driueÌ„ at the length to sondry blasphemies Which exposition as I do not vtterly reiecte so after my iudgemeÌ„t the sense shal be more playne yf we vnderstande the fourth plague to be an heate and great drought a barrennes of the Earth and scarsetie of Corne finally an intollerable thurste afflictyng both men and beastes and laste bredyng and ingeÌ„dring hoate diseases For so we haue red in the threatenings of the lawe I will geue an heauen of brasse and an earth of yron In the time of Helias for contemnyng and reiectyng the worde of the lord God plaged Israel with a sore drought as you maye see in the .3 boke of Kinges the .17 and .18 chap. Ieremie also describeth the like drought and heate in the .14 chapt Agayne the lorde defended Israell with a pillar of a cloude by the daye and a pillar of fire by night Moreouer we haue hearde heretofore in the Apocalipse the sunne shall not fal vpoÌ„ them nother any heate And iustely is this world plaged with burnyng heate as the which offendeth greuously burneth with sondry lustes and also by wicked proclamations prohibiteth the coulyng refressyng of Gods worde Theffecte of this plague is greate For the effecte of this plage followeth And meÌ„ sayeth he burned with great heate At the first
the .x. hornes which thou sawest ar .x. kings which haue not yet receyued the Kyngdome but shal receiue power as kings at one houre with the beaste These haue one mynde and shal geue their power and strength to the beast These shal fight with the lambe the lambe shall ouercome them For he is Lorde of all Lords and King of al Kings and they that are on his side ar called chosen and faithful The Angell expounder of misteries procedeth to declare to sainct Ihon the misterie of the beaste exhibited and of her iudgement that by partes And at this present vttereth thre thinges what is signified by seuen heades Whie he sayed of the beaste he was and is not and what the ten hornes do betoken He expoūdeth seuē heads two wayes first by seuen mountaynes vpon which the woman sitteth 7. Heades ar .7 hilles whom in the ende of the chapter he calleth the great Citie to witte great Rome which all surname Septicolle as standing vpon seuen mountaynes Moreouer the beaste hath seuen heades because be had many times seuen Kinges Whereof I spake also in the 13. chapt At this present he rekeneth so the seuen Kinges that there is no doubte but that it is Rome whereof he speaketh Which I suppose be the Lordes chief intent in these matters For he coulde not speake more expresselie vnlesse he should haue expressed the name of Rome also but the name of Babilon we hearde expressed before Fyue sayeth he are fallen to witte syns the deadlie wounde was geuen in the death of Nero in the space of .14 peares For immediatlie after Nero beganne Galba to reygne who beyng slayne Otto reigned which after he had kylled himselfe Vitellius succedeth which was also kylled of the Flauianes For after him Flauius Vespasiane was Emperour after whome Titus the beste Prince of all And these fyue fell with in .xiiii. yeares He addeth and one of those is that is to witte reigneth nowe verely the sixt in order Domitiane the son of Vespasiane and brother to Titus a moste vngraciouse man which persecuted the faithful and had cōdemned S. Ihon into exile An other sayeth S. Ihon is not yet cōmen namelie Cocceius Nerua For after he came to the Empire and lyued most vertuously and most righteouslye ordered the Empire he taried not long For when he had reigned one yeare thre monethes and nine daies he died And thus moch hytherto of the seuen Kynges and of the seuen heades of the beaste These thinges so certayne appertaine not so much to the expositiō of this place as to the consolatiō of the faithful which here may clerely perceaue how Empires consist in the hand and prouidēce of God almightie which knoweth his and hath a care of the godly although thei may seme by reason of their greuouse persicutions and cruel tourmentes to be of God neglected The beast was and is not Consequently he expoundeth wherfore he saied of the beast he was and is not verely for the eight king of Romanes Vlpius Traiane For he is the eight from the Empire wounded in Nero Traiane was of the seuen that is to say was adopted of Nerua the seuenth Emperour And hytherto the Romane Empire was gouerned firste in dede of Caesars after of the noblest Citizens of Rome But of this Traiane which succeded Nerua the writers of Histories say that he was the first straūger that ruled the Empire For he was a Spanyarde The Empire therfore was or hath ben in the handes of the Romanes nowe it is so nomore For a Spanyard succedeth so that the Empire nowe semeth that it might be called Romish Spanish And for as moch as Traiane persecuted Christ and his membres he also went into perdition And let no man thinke that this was the only and sole cawse wherfore S. Ihon sayed howe for Traiane it was sayed he was and is not For he hath pronounced expressely and he is the eight as though he shoulde signifie that there be other causes also for the which it was saied that the Romane Empire was and nowe is not whereof is spoken before Ten hornes are ten Kinges Hereafter foloweth also the exposition of the ten hornes And the same hornes are here resited which are spoken of in the seuenth of Daniel and in the .13 of the Apocalipse Nother is there any cause whie ye shulde superstitiously sticke to the tenth numbre For in the .14 of Num. the Lorde sayeth how he hath bene nowe tempted ten tymes of the Israelites for many tymes Here is signified therefore how the Romane Empire shall be dispersed into many Kingdomes For whether you saye kynges or kyngdomes the matter is all one Doubtelesse the Romane Empire beginning to fal to decay there sprang vp kynges in the East and Weste which inuaded the Romane Empire Persians Gothes Vandalles Lumbardes and I wote not what others at the last in Spayne Fraunce Hongarie I speake not of Affricke and Asia were founde diuerse kinges the Romane monarchie ceased Of these kinges the Angel warneth vs for diuerse causes These sayeth he haue not yet receyued the kingdome For whilest S. Iohn wrote the Apocalipse Domitiane ruled and the Romane Empire was yet mightie and stronge and so remayned stille certen ages When therfore dyd they receaue their kyngedome They receaue sayeth he power as kynges at one houre with the beaste namely the seconde For these thinges can not be vnderstande of the first and olde Romane Empire And Primasius expoūding this place admonisheth The kings receyne power with the beast that an houre here is taken for a time present Therfore at the same time the beast that newe Empire groweth vp and increaseth and the kynges receyue might and power For the decaye of the olde Empire was the strength of kinges and of the newe Popishe Empire And in dede themperour Phocas commaunded the church of Rome and the Bisshop therof to be head of churches Whiche gaue a certen beginnyng to the Popes dominion as also in the .13 chapter I haue recited which he obteyned at the lēgth more fully vnder king Pipine and other Princes of Fraunce and Germany but Nauclerus speakyng of the Empire of Phocas in the .21 Generation The enemies sayeth he of the Romane Empire by the slougthfulnes and cowardise of Emperours made stronger had taken awaye in the Weste countrie with the Ilandes Germany Fraunce Spayne Hungary Slauonie and a good parte of Italy and thereto a greate parte of Affricke and in the East partes Cacannus of Thracia King of Hunnes inuaded the Iberians Armenians Arabians Dardanes and the middle partes of Macedonie and Grece And the Persians in a maner possessed all Assiria the Sarracens destroyed Egipt fye for shame our strength hath so fayled vs through riot couetousenes and voluptuousenes that the Romane Empire stode than only in name Hitherto he The same thinges haue we discoursed more at large in the 13. chapter of this worke 2. Thess 2. And verely Daniel sheweth howe
is repeted of the marchauntes and saylers Moreouer are touched here also the causes of destructiō The riot voluptuousnes pleasures of Rome the riot and voluptuousnes wherin Rome flowed And likewise are rehersed the welth riches maiestie pride and pleasures of either Rome And here by the way are warned what all worldely men maye loke for in case they addicte thēselues to the pleasures voluptuousenes of this world which was at Rome and is vnmeasurable Nother haue we red in any stories that natiōs haue long continued which haue ben geuen or vanquisshed of worldly pleasures To builde to eate to drinke to be clothed and to haue seruauntes men and wemen is lawefull but a measure muste be kepte in these as in al other thinges the benefites of God muste be acknowledged those may not be more set by than vertu but at Rome in the world passing ouer godlines meane these thinges are only regarded desired and beloued In buildinges and householde stuffe al thinges were sumptuouse vnmeasurable They are of golde which might haue ben well of earth or tinne of siluer where wood or iron might haue serued And when wood was chosen it was not euery wood by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thynen that is to saie most excellenste was chosen Thynen appereth to be named of Thyia a tree to the which Theophraste attributeth great honour reporting that the famouse bildinges of olde temples were made therof a certen immortalitie of mater incorrupt induring on houses against all wethers c. Plinie hath this in the .13 boke the .16 cha In seruice also they vse men like beastes nother haue they any beastes for their owne vse but most chosē Thei haue horses mules exceding fine They haue their horselitters Cochees charettes right notable al thinges glister with golde preciouse stones purple and al thinges are wrought and diuised for pride sumptuousnes What shall we saie that the wholt bandes of their men go al in silkes veluet wearing their maisters colours The lord himself of al sitting on the shulders of his Belphouiers is borne on high and is caried on mens bodies as the most noble charette In the meate and drinke of these menne all thinges are moste delicate exquisite and variable Their drinke is costely straunge and immoderate The apparell of their body is also ouersumptuouse Their garmentes glister with golde and are stiffe with pearle Their cōmon garment is of Crimosin satten They vse also oinctemētes and apples of desire which maye both be vnderstande of the fruictes of trees and also of Pomanders conteinyng musche and smellyng swete and of odoriferouse sauours Th ende of pleasures Finally in al thinges is to be considered what the ende or windyng vp is of riot pride and voluptuousenes and howe vnstable is the fauour and frendeship of men Here all things perish ones nothing remayneth safe And they perish verely in one houre that haue ben prouided for many yeres They flee from vs in daunger whiche haue receyued great gayne at our handes Yea they stāde a farre of and out of daunger and lamente the dollefull chaunce no man commeth nere to helpe or deliuer vs. Euery mā is afraide of his owne skinne Let vs learne therfore to truste in God to despise pleasures to put no confidence in fleshe and frendeshippe of men For whilest thou art fortunate thou shalt haue many frendes yf the world beginne to froune on thee they wil al forsake thee in whom thou puttest thy trust and leaue thee in the breres And this is the chiefe ende of all these thinges as I shewed at the first Rome shall fall and be made desolate for euer The lord our God restrayne al euill Amen ¶ The reioycyng of Sainctes for the ouerthrowe of Babilon the drownyng of the fame and the causes of drowning or destruction are rehersed The .lxxx. Sermon REioyce ouer her thou heauen and ye holy Apostles and prophetes for God hath geuen your iudgement on her And a mightie Angell toke vp a greate Milstone and caste it into the sea saiyng with such violence shall that great citie Babilon be caste and shal be founde no more And the voice of harpes and musiciās and of pipers and trompettes shall be hearde no more in thee no craftes man of what so euer crafte he be shal be founde no more in thee and the sounde of a Mille shall be hearde no more in thee and the light of a cādel shal shine no more in thee and the voice of the bridegrome and of the bryde shall be hearde no more in thee for thy marchauntes were princes of the Earth and with thine in chauntementes were deceaued all nations and in her was founde the bloud of the Prophetes and of the sainctes of all that were slaine vpon the Earth In the fifte place of this chapter the Angell of the Lorde exhorteth al the sainctes of Heauen to reioyce The reioycynge of Sainctes for the destructiō of Rome and that for the ouerthrowe of Babilon And this reioycyng of Sainctes is set agaynst the wayling of the wicked For as they lamente for the causes of pleasures taken from them so the Sainctes reioice ouer vngodlines oppressed and the glory of God reuenged We are verely forboden in the Prouerbes of Salomō and in the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles that we shuld not be glad of the calamities of our enemies nother that we should saye euill or do euill to our enemies Whiche thing is perpetuall and commaunded to all men neuer to be altered by any dispensation but we must obserue in the meane time that men doe reioyce diuerse wayes Menne are glad many times of the destruction of their enemies and that of hatred mallice which is not done without sinne Others are glad agayne of the calamities and plages of the vngodly yet bearyng no mallice towardes them whiche are in this miserie vnto whom thei wold doubtlesse haue wished a better state if they might haue ben perswaded to haue tourned but they reioyce rather ouer iustice reuenged and the godly deliuered from the tiranny of the wicked Whereof we reade that the prophet sayde in the .58 Psalme The rightuouse shal reioice when he shal see vengeaunce he shall wasshe his fete in the bloud of the vngodly to witte he shall pourge his affections and euill maners That the Sainctes reioyce at the destruction of the wicked what time he shall see the bloud of the vngodly spilte which he beleueth to be done for a documēt lest we should follow our euill affections that our bloud shuld be shed also of the moste iuste God by his ministers and a man wil saie verely there is a rewarde for the rightuous verely god iudgeth the earth Therfore are the rightuouse glad reioyce when they see vengeaunce And it is not sayde that they couet or wishe for vengeaunce Vengeaunce is mine sayeth the lord I wil rewarde When the lorde therefore rewardeth
acceptable And like as in the beginnyng they sange Alleluia so in the ende also they repete the same By this repetition declaring that the prayses whiche also we powre out to God in Earth be to God most acceptable And by and by is added a sentence whiche might seme to be put to eyther of S. Iohn or of the diuine heauenly dwellers themselues Wherby is signified that the burning of the vngodly shal be perpetual and shal neuer haue ende as likewise Esaye hath sayed in the .30 and .46 chap. And the lord himself in the .25 of Matth. and .9 chapt of Marke The smoke â—ose by For when he sayeth smoke he vnderstaÌ„deth that there is fire there vnderneth Lette vs ernestly thinke of these thinges so oft as the pleasures and coÌ„modities of Antichrist do flatter vs. For this perpetual fire is prepared for all vngodly especially AntichristiaÌ„s And thaÌ„ seuerally he bringeth in praisyng God the .xxiiii. Elders and foure beastes by the whiche the vniuersalitie of creatures is vnderstande Touching the which thing see what is sayde in the .4 and .5 chapt of this boke And first not only they knele but also fal downe to th ende we should vnderstande what we ought to do in earth And thei worship God that sitteth in the throne nother Aungelles nor spirites nor yet any creatures Furthermore with two wordes he shaddoweth their himne For they singe Amen and Alleluya For they coÌ„firme God to be iuste and his iudgementes to be rightuouse and that iustely he puÌ„nisheth the whore And therfore that he is to be praised Nowe coÌ„meth also a voyce out of the trone A voice coÌ„meth out of the throne to witte from God him selfe but by the ministerie of an Aungell For it followeth singe prayse to our God Beholde he sayeth our God Therfore he accompteth himself here in the nombre of them which haue God coÌ„mon with men Therefore he was an Angel which recited those thinges of God Therfore that the sainctes do now they are commaunded to do For in the middes of the prayses this voice is hearde from God by the Angell And he coÌ„maundeth to prayse and that the true and only God He sheweth moreouer who should praise him all the sainctes that is al the feare God whether they be great or small By this commaundement therefore is signified that God is delighted with the prayses of holy menne and liketh them Wherof we now that dwell in Earth learne to praise the lord without ceasyng and with a sincere hart We learne that no maÌ„ is excepted of what so euer degree or age sexe or condicion he be of Agayne an other Himne is annexed The diuine prayses are greatest as it were an example of obedience For God by the Angell commaundeth the sainctes to prayse Now therfore they obey God and offer to him praises And howe great these prayses were he sheweth by a double comparison and by a maruelouse breuitie and euident maner For he sayeth how the voices of the singers were shrille as the gusshing and noyse of many waters also like the clappyng or crackyng of greate thonders Yf suche breuitie and perspicuitie were founde in Homere or Virgill it shoulde haue many maruailers thereof whiche would extolle and commende the elegancie But no man marueleth no man setteth forth or commendeth the holy Scriptures and elegancie and efficacitie of the same wauntyng example And agayne is annexed an Hymne the beginnyng whereof as of the fourmer is also Alleluya And like as in the fourmer himne the Sainctes haue celebrated that God doeth iustely punnishe the wicked so in this they preache that God raigneth and shall seme euen freely to saue the Sainctes They commaunde therefore to prayse the Lorde The reason for bicause sins he is omnipotent he raigneth He hath verely raygned euermore but sins so many thinges haue ben permitted by him to the vngodly many haue thought that the vngodly and chiefely Antichrist hath reigned but now sins he hath oppressed him and auenged his glory and his seruauntes it is made manifeste to all menne that God alone raigneth for euermore They alledge also an other cause whie God should be praysed ye rather whie the godly shuld be glad and reioyce for the mariage of the Lambe is come For as much as that time is nowe come wherein the lambe him selfe will bryng in the children of God his wel be loued spowse those I meane whome by his bloudshed he hath redemed to ioyes euerlastyng Of the mariage shal be spoken a little after at large Prayse and glory be to our redemer Christ Iesus the Lord. Amen ¶ Of the mariage of the Lambe and of the makyng ready of the Lambes wife The .lxxxij. Sermon AND his wife made her selfe ready And to her was grauÌ„ted that she shuld be arayed with pure and goodly silke For the silke is the rightuousenes of Sainctes The sainctes celebrate the Lord with prayses reioycinges and Himnes There be causes innumerable yet two notable aboue others The first for the Lord hath iudged the whore and auenged the bloud of Sainctes The second for the mariage of the lambe is come They reioyce therefore at the iustice of God whereby he hath punnished the vngodly and at his mercy or grace by the whiche he geueth to the godly a blessed lyfe But here muste we speake of the mariage Ther is very much mention made in the holy Scriptures both of the oulde and newe testamente Matrimony and mariage of matrimonie and mariage The which may not be expounded after the letter but by an allegory leest with the Turks and mahometistes we fall in shameful and moÌ„strouse absurdities For spiritual things are figured by corporal matters Of the spiritual this is the some God the father the louer of mankinde wil saue men by his son This thing is declared by a parable of wedlocke and mariage And in matrimonie there is a contract or makynge sure there is coupling or handfaste makyng of eyther partie and finally mariage In the contracte not onely the yong man and the mayde ar affiauÌ„ced The contract or makyng sure but also the whole maner of the mariage to com is appoincted and an order taken For the lawyers say that affiauncyng is a promesse of the mariage to come This contracte was made at the beginning of the world where God promiseth that he wyll delyuer mankynde by his sonne and receiue him into glory Hereunto appertaine all the promises of Christe of the remission of sinnes and euerlastinge lyfe Moreouer the duties of the spouse are prescrybed She promeseth to be obedient and other thinges c. Christe the sonne of God the father brydegrome affiauÌ„ceth to himselfe al the chosen through his free grace he promiseth them his righteousnes all heaueÌ„ly gyftes and eternall lyfe He taketh vpon him moreouer al the infirmities of the bride and pourgeth her filthines And the bryde is affiauÌ„ced to him by faith as it is with Osee and byndeth her selfe wholly to
whome the lord executeth greatest affaires They take vpon them for the moste parte the shape of men and very oft appeare vnto men serue kepe and doe good vnto theÌ„ accordyngly as God vseth their ministerie Hebrew 1. For the Apostle speakyng of Angelles as I tolde you in the .29 Sermon be they not al sayeth he ministring spretes which are sent forth to serue for their sakes whiche shall be made heyres of saluation And these thinges doeth the Scripture make playne by sondry examples Genes 18.19 Three appered to Abraham in mans likenes whiche were Aungelles instructyng him two deliuered Loth him self out of the handes of the Sodomites and brought him out of the fire Genes 32. whole armies of Aungelles inuironne Iacob defendyng him agaynst the force and violence oâ— his brother Esawe Exod. 34. The Lorde sente his Angell before Moses and the children of Israell to leade them through the wildernes into the lande of promission 4. kings 6 4. kinges 19. Firie charettes compassed about Helizeus An Angel leuied the siege of Hierusalem slayeng an hondreth foure score and fiue thousande of the Assiryans Daniel hath Angelles familiar with him Likewise the fathers and other Prophetes An Aungell deliuereth Ioseph out of all care Math. 1.2 the same deliuereth the wise menne from the treason of Herode by and by he commaundeth to conueye awaye Christ into Aegipt Matth. 4.28 Angelles minister to Christ in white garmentes they testified that the Lorde was risen and ascended into heauen Actes 1.5.10 and .12 The same bryng the Apostles out of prison one of them deliuereth Peter out of Herodes prison An Angell is sent to Cornelius an Italian captayne Angelles many times talke with Paule Oftentimes they imploye great benefites vpon men They declare themselues through God to be of greate power And whileste menne obserue those thinges †Whie Iounwold haue worshipped the Angel they would worshippe Aungelles as euen at this present where the Apostle S. Iohn vnderstande that Christ him self by his Angell did open to him so great misteries for the profit of churches whilest he maruayled at his brightnes and godly giftes he would by and by haue worshipped this his Angell the bringer of misteries not that he intended or pourposed to reuolte from God and couered in stead of God to worshippe an Angell for nother is it lawefull ones to Imagine suche a wickednes of so greate an Apostle He woulde therefore haue worshipped and honored the Angell with Dulia as they terme it and as Thomas of Aquine expoundeth it not with Latria that is to saye to worshyppe and honour God as God but the Aungell somewhat lesse as an excellent messager of God Howebeit herein he offended to the ende that al menne should vnderstande that they sinne howe many so euer doe worshippe and honour Aungelles or excellent creatures with godly worshippe As all the worshippers of Sainctes doe at this daye in Papistrie Nother haue they any other shifte to colour their errour but that same distinction that God is worshipped and honoured with worship latrical and Sainctes and Angelles with worship dulical and the virgin Mary with honour hiperdulical and I wote not what thinges els which I am both ashamed and loth to reherse And it appereth that S. Iohn here was intangled with the same errour S. Iohn erreth whom otherwise we must nedes coÌ„fesse to haue sinned by Apostasie and would haue worshipped the Angell for God or with God Which are both two wicked and vnworthie such a manne But in ease he worshipped God and would neuerthelesse haue worshipped the Angel also what thing els did he than offende in the worshippe dulicall And verely God hath permitted so worthie a man to erre as he did also Peter and Thomas to the intent he mighte heale ouâ— infirmities that is to witte that by their errours we might learne to beleue more rightly and to honour God more purely For this present place teacheth openly and other like examples of errours that all the sayinges and doynges of Sainctes are not to be allowed without any differente For now here followeth the facte of an Angel most excellent that is to saye a godly confutatioÌ„ of the errour That noâ— Aâ—â—gellâ—s 〈◊〉 Sa 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shâ—uld be worshipped First he sayeth not lightly do not as thou haste pourposed but greuousely condemning his facte he sayeth with a certen vehemencie see thou doest it not We haue a like phrase of speach here in Swicerlande what time signifiynge in any wise to be ware we saye Long vnd thu das nitte Loke thou doest it not Wherefore we haue learned by the testimonie of the angell that now nother Angels nor sainctes are to be worshipped For seyng the Lord himself sayeth of Sainctes thei shal be as the Angelles of God I see not whie they shoulde not match the Sainctes with Angels And we haue verely learned that they maye be worshipped nother with culte latrical nor dulical And to worship is with a minde to honour to fal at the fete to bowe downe and knele As I haue sayed els where After thangel sheweth reasons whie he ought not to worshippe for I am thy fellowe seruaunt He sayeth not seruauÌ„t but fellowe seruaunt to witte of the same office with thee vnder the same lord and maister For Angelles serue God after their maner and so doe menne serue God after theyr maner yet are all seruauntes and that the seruauntes of one maister And it is agaynste reason that one seruaunt should honour and worship and other of his fellowes beyng of the same state and creation It is therfore an vnworthie matter that the faithful should worship the Apostles Prophetes or Martirs muche lesse doeth it become them to honour their dead bones And leeste any man should saye how thangel in dede in respecte of the moste excellent Apostle S. Iohn confesseth himself to be his felowe seruaunt but that there is an other consideration to be had of other men which come not nere the dignitie of blessed Iohn therefore sins we be much inferiour we maie worship Angelles and Apostles our superiours The bretherne of Iohn and Christ he preuenteth and sayeth and of thy bretherne And who be the bretherne of the Apostle S. Iohn the Angel him selfe aunswereth and sayeth whiche haue the testimony of Iesu The testimony of Iesus is the gospell the very fayth fixed on the gospell comprehendyng with a faythfull minde Iesus Wherfore al the faithful of Christ be Iohns bretherne therefore is the Angel their fellowe seruaunt also And therefore none of the faithful ought to worship any Angel or Apostle the lorde him selfe also in the .12 of Matth. calleth all that obeye his worde or preachyng ChristeÌ„ fraternitie bretherne And here is dilligentely to be noted that by faith we are made the bretherne of Christ of Angelles and Apostles This shuld the Monkes and Freres haue beaten in and set forth and not the fraternitie of our Lady
the Lorde himselfe saieth in the gospel no man hath knowen the sonne but the father nother hath any man knowen the father saue the sonne and to whome the son hath pleased to reueale Besydes this we se here vnperfitly and the glory of the diuine maiestie is so great as euen nowe I sayed that mannes capacitie is vnable to conceyue such a glory No man therefore saue God alone knoweth his name 6. The vesture of our Iudge was sprinckled with bloude A blouddie garment Whereby is signified victory and slaughter of his enemies which shall anone be added aboute the ende of the chap. And he toke this note of our iudge out of the .63 chap. of Esay He alludeth to cōquerours returning from battayle whose garments armours are imbrewed with the blud of the slaine And betokeneth the iuste seueritie of the Iudge and greate slaughter of the enemies 7. The name of the iudge is nowe expressed The name of the iudge the worde of God which is vtterly vnknowen to the vngodly And the Iudge is called the worde of God For the son is the word and speach of God the expresse marke of the diuine substaūce in whome the father himselfe is expressed and of whome as of the worde the true messager of the hart we vnderstand the wyll and mynd of the father These holy wordes of the gospell are knowen In the begynnyng was the worde 1. Ihon. Hebre. and the worde was with God c. Therefore Christe the worde was made fleshe the Lorde God and Iudge of all 8. To the Iudge is added an Army not of Angels only The Army of the Iudge is whyte with whom he ofte repeted in the gospell that he wold come vnto iudgement but of al the faithful or saincts which at no time no not here ar sequestred from their head For first at the soūde of the trumpe blowē vp the Archangell the Sainctes arryse and the liuing also with the dead are chaūged and are taken vp to mete Christ in the Ayre Here here in the clowdes and bryghte Ayre appeare with Christe the happye and blessed victours By and by the vngodly ryse also and those that lyued at that day are chaunged with them that ryse agayne to payne and confusiō But they se the Saincts with Christe in heauen and in glory and fele incontinently vnspeakeable tourmentes They come to passe doubtlesse and are fulfilled which thinges are described it the .3 .5 chapt of Wysedome Saincte Ihon therfore sayeth that this Armie is in Heauen not in Earth He sayeth howe they followe Christe For the same sayed the Apostle also in the firste to the Thessalonians the .4 Moreouer he addeth that they wer clothed and appeared not naked and expresseth the kynde of garment They were clothed sayeth he in silke whyte and cleane For sainctes in Christe obtayne righteousenesse and glory are made cleane and are glorified Sanctifieng glorifieng And this sense hath Sainct Ihon himselfe a little before opened to vs sayeng silke is the iustifications of Sainctes 9. Oute of the Iudges mouth procedeth a two edged and sharpe sworde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A sworde oute of the iudges mouth which cutteth on eyther syde It is not sharpe on one syde and blunte on an other it cutteth on both sydes indifferently Whereby is signified a iust sentēce pronounced of Gods mouth againste the wicked For againste them the sentence of God is a sworde pearsing euen to their heartes Wherefore it is also called sharpt The iudgemente of our iudge is streighte and seuere but yet iuste and righteouse What that sworde is in the gospell is declared verely that heauy and immutable sentence get you hence in to fyre euerlasting Math. 25. Whereupon it foloweth in the words of the Euangelist that with the same he may stryke the heathen to witte that he may damne and put to perpetuall tourmentes all vnbeleuers ¶ He shall rule them with an Iron rod. 10. And he shall rule them with a rod of Iron By the same kynde of speach in a maner he sayeth the same that he sayde before For they that woulde not receyue or acknoweledge with repentaūce the staffe of instruction and discipline postorall shal fynde in iudgement and fele the Iron sceptre wherwith he shall breake them all to shyuers lyke potters vessell Nother shall any power resist or preuayle againste him And this maner of speaking is taken out of the Psalme .110 For Saincte Ihon vseth gladly the wordes of Scripture to the ende to make his booke more cōmendable or more pleasaūt and acceptable 11. He treadeth the wynefatte of the wyne of wrath c. Agayne he sayeth the same that he ded before He nedeth the winefa◠but by an other parable nowe vttered the same taken out of the scriptures to witte out of the .63 chapter of Esaye The effecte or some is he wyll powre out his wrath vpon the vngodly and punnyshe them moste extremely with his almightie hande whereunto all things geue place geuing their heads a blow See what is sayed here of in the .14 chapter of this boke 12. Againe is shewed the name of this iudge ¶ King of kings and Lorde of Lordes in the name is maiestie power of all others greatest He hath the name written on his garment and on his thigh By these is declared the true humanitie of Christe after the which he is exalted as the Apostle saieth in the second to the Philippians And to him is geuen a name which is aboue al names Here he is called King of Kinges and Lorde of Lords very God Lord monarke and iudge of all men For so do the other Apostles speake also in the .2 .17 of the Actes And there might seme in this name of the Iudge as it were a cawse to be shewed wherefore he is here appoincted Iudge ouer all Because he is Kyng and Lord of all To whome be glory for euer Amen ¶ The description of the iudgement wherin punnishment is taken of Antichristians and vngodly The .lxxxvi. Sermon AND I sawe an Angel stand in the Sunne and he cryed with a loude voyce sayeng to al the foules that fly by the mids vnder the heauen come gather your selues together vnto the supper of the great God that you may eate the flesh of Kyngs and of high captaynes and the flesh of mightie men and the flesh of horses and of them that sit on them and the fleshe of all free men and bonde men both of small and great And I saw the beast and the Kinges of the Earth and their warriours gathered together to wage battayle against him that sat on the horse and againste his soldiours And the beast was taken and with him that false prophete that wrought miracles before him with which he deceaued them that receyued the beastes marke and them that worshypped his Image These bothe were cast quicke in to a pond of fyre burnyng with brimstone and the
and fraternities of Sainctes vnlesse they had ben the Apostles of that great abominable Antichrist The testimony of Iesus Christe Moreouer the Angell him selfe expoundyng agayne his owne wordes sheweth what is the testimony of Iesu Christ For the testimony of Iesu is the sprete of Prophecie And the sprete signifieth reuelation or vnderstandynge and prophecie the propheticall and Apostolical doctrine And therefore the sense is the testimony of Iesu Christ is no other thing but the reuealyng of the doctrine of prophetes and Apostles in the minde of the godly through the holy ghost and fayth And therfore the Apostles in the gospel are called witnesses and the gospell a testimony And to testifie is to preach Of the whiche exposition such an argument maye be gathered the cause of thy worshippyng Iohn is doubtles that excellent reuelation and prophecie vnto thee by me reuealed But yf I should therefore seme worthie to be worshipped for that there is in me an excellent sprete of Prophecie by the like reason shalt thou worship al thy bretherne in whome is the same sprete of prophecie to witte the testimony of Iesu the true fayth But where thou seest and thy selfe art compelled to graunt the same to be very absurde I perceiue it to be absurde if thou shouldest worship an Angell The laste and strōgest reason Worship God whie he would not be worshipped is this worship God It is taken out of the authoritie and Lawe of God perpetuall and immutable reuealed in the .6 of Deuter. and repeted of our sauiour Christ in the .4 of Matth. if we would obeye the lawe of God al culte and worshipping and inuocation of Sainctes had ben long sins bannished and exiled out of the church Furthermore ther be other places also Angels are not to be worshypped nor called vpon which commende the ministeries and vertues of Angelles teachyng neuerthelesse to honour and call vpon God himself Reade the goodly Psalmes .34 and .91 And yf any man liste to haue also the consente of the fathers let him reade S. Austen sayeng that Angelles must nother be worshipped nor called vpō nother ought there sacrifice to be made vnto them nor churches erected The chiefe places be of the true religion the .55 chap. against Maximine an Arriane Bishop first boke leafe .77 De ciuit dei .8 boke laste chapt 10. chapt 16.19.20 To God be the glory ¶ The description of Christe the Iudge commyng to the laste iudgement The .lxxxv. Sermon AND I sawe heauen open and beholde a white horse and he that sat vpon him was called faithful true and in rightuousenes dyd he iudge and make battaile His eyes were as a flame of fire and on his head were many crownes he had a name written that no man knewe but him selfe And he was clothed with a vesture dipte in bloud and his name is called the worde of God And the warriers which were in heauen followed him vpon white horses clothed with white and pure silke And out of his mouthe went a sharpe sworde that with it he should smite the heythen And he shall rule thē with a rod of yron and he trode the winefatte of the fearecenesse and the wrath of almightie God And hath on his vesture on his thighe a name written kynge of kinges and Lorde of Lordes Hitherto we haue hearde many thinges of the sondry pūnishementes of the vngodly Of the last iudgemēt and because it is manifeste that God taketh punnishment of the mischeuous and wicked at sondry times and diuersely but most fully and most seuerely in that same laste iudgement and from thence forth euermore and S. Iohn hath ones twise thryse begonne to treate of the laste iudgement as in the ende of the .11 and .14 chapt And yet hath euer differred suspended and reserued to an other place at the last thinkyng it time to set before al mens eyes a description chiefely necessarie at the length he taketh it in hande and nowe finissheth it vp as a matter of all other greateste He annexeth therefore to a plentifull treatise of the tourmentes of the vngodly a moste full and euident description of the iudge moste rightuous and greatest and of that laste iudgement and moste straite of all others wherein moste fully and seuerely the paynes shal be executed vpon al Antichristians and vngodly for euermore This place which is the fourth of this chapt and this treatise stretcheth vnto the .21 chapter The elocution is great smellyng of the propheticall maiestie and Apostolicall perspicuitie and efficacitie You shall finde not a fewe of this sorte in the prophetes especially in the .24.25.26 and .27 chapt of Esaye And verely this doctrine is very profitable and necessary to be learned and vnderstande moste dilligently of all and singular faythfull A profitable necessarie doctrine of the laste day of iudgemēt as the whiche with muche dilligence and moste plentifull abondaunce was set forth to this ende of the Prophetes and Apostles but chiefely of the Lorde Iesus Christe him selfe bothe in the Gospell and also in this moste godly reuelation For vnlesse thou be kepte in thy duetie for feare of the iudgement and Iudge to come it is no maruell though thou runneste madde and perisshe with this folishe and wicked worlde In the treatise of the laste iudgement is sene the ende of al menne life and death felicitie and miserie payne or tourment and vnspeakable and heauēly rewarde He that remembreth these thinges well abhorreth wickednes and walketh in holy feare before God And we haue learned of the doctrine of the Gospell That daye is knowen to no man that the same daye of the restoryng of all and oppression of the vngodly and also of all vngodlines is knowen to no mortall man but to the father alone and therefore to inquire of the houre and momente thereof to be most folishely done much more wickedly Notwithstandyng the good Lord hath shewed and signified tokens whiche when we shall see to be fulfilled and accomplished we might lifte vp our heades knowyng that our redemption draweth nere Beholde your redemption sayeth he not your tourment For he speaketh of the godly lokyng for their redemption frō heauen at the retourne of our sauiour and redemer our lord Christe whiche shal also inflicte to his enemies reuēgement as S. Paule sayeth in the .2 Thess the .1 Therfore let vs not here be curiouse which search for things vnsearchable but rather let vs watch and praye after the holesome precepte of our sauiour iudge and reuenger let vs haue our loynes gyrded and let lightes burne in our handes let vs loke for him stedfaste in faith and and soūde in holy hope Let vs rather take hede that the care of this world possesse not our hartes and beware of drōkennesse and surfettyng and that we be not of the nombre or cōuersation of them whiche in the dayes of Noe and Loth regarded worldely thinges only dispised heauenly laughed them to skorne