this verse of the Psalter to be song Super aspidem Basiliscum ambulabis conculcabis Leonem Draconem As if he should haue sayd behold here is that proude Antichrist that the Scriptures witnesseth shoulde treade vnder his féete the most noble state of Emperours in the fare of the world apply vnto him selfe that verse which the Prophet ment of the sonne of God and sauiour of the worlde Christ Jesu Call I say further to your remembrance that you haue séene this power shewe him selfe as proudly towarde God as he hath done to princes of the earth that he hath called hym selfe the heade of the vniuersall church Christes Uicar in earth that he hath taken vpon him for money and bryberie to sell remission of sinnes to dispence with most horrible vices against the lawe of God to deliuer from hell to dismisse out of purgatorie to commaunde the Angels of heauen to alter the ordinances and institutions of Christ That hath suffred his parasites to proclaime that he hath a diuine power in him aboue the nature of man that he can not erre that he is another God in earth that he is neyther God nor man but a monster betwéen both These properties I say cal to your cōsideration and compare them with the discriptions of Antichrist made by the Prophets and Apostles and then dout if you can whether the man of sinne the sonne of perdition be come into the world or no and consequently whether the end of the world and the comming of the last dreadfull iudgement be euen at hand or no. The thirde testimonie is taken out of the words of Christ Luke 17. where he sayth As it vvas in the dayes of Noe so shall it be also in the daye of the sonne of man they did eate and drinke they married vviues and vvere married euen vnto the day that Noe vvent into the Arke c. Likevvise also as it vvas in the dayes of Loth they did eate they did drinke they bought they solde they planted they builded vntill the same day that Loth vvent out of Sodome and sodeinly it rayned fire and brimstone from heauen and destroyed them Euen thus shall it be in the day that the sonne of man shal be reuealed c. Why you will say vnto me it is no offence to eate to drinke to marry to plante to buy to sell to builde and those things haue bene vsed in al ages True it is that you say neyther doth Christe this to reproue those things in them selues but in those words he noteth the great securitie that was among men at those dayes and the excessiue delight that they had in these pleasures ornamentes of the world reposing suche confidence in them as though the world should for euer haue continued and as if there had béene none other heauen to haue rested in but this And in the trust hereof dyd they neglect the preaching warning calling to repentance vsed by Noe and Loth euen vntill Gods wrath came vpon them and euen in like maner doth Christ signifie that it should be in the ende of the worlde And when I praye you was there since the worlde was first made so great securitie in sinne such contempt of godlinesse such confidence in worldlye prosperite suche feasting banquetting and daintie feeding such gorgeousnesse in apparell such sumptuousnesse in building suche vnseasonable marrying such planting such building such buying and purchasing suche raking and scraping together of worldly pelfe as if men did determine to abyde still vpon the face of the earth or as if euerie man did striue to passe other in riot sensualitie whē they haue consumed them selues with monstrous excesse in all pleasure then not contented with that they haue by hooke or by crooke they pull from other euen from the ministers of Christe euen from the church of God euen from the prechers of the Gospell and poore seruantes of God which euen among the heathens haue alwayes had their honourable portion left vnto thē Wherfore howe they doe estéeme the true worship of God in these days men do shew when they declare suche impietie towardes his ministers And when they are reproued for these enormyties it is so farre off that they doe repent and amende that they scoffe and ieste they rayle and slander they taunte and reproue as if they were at defiance with God and his messangers or as if they had made a couenant with death and with hell to be out of their danger But when they say peace peace all is sure then sodainly as Paule sayth shall destruction come vpon them as the Deluge did vpon the sonnes of mē in the dayes of Noe and fire from heauen vpon Sodom in the time of Loth. For euer before the horrible plagues of God obstinate securitie and contempt of Gods calling hath gone before as a messanger and shewed it self in the lyfe of men The fourth testimonie of the spéedy comming of the last daye is the wordes of Sainte Paule 2. Tim. 3. Knovve you this sayth he that in the latter dayes shall be perillous times for men shall be louers of them selues couetous boasters proude blasphemers disobedient to parents vnthankfull vngodly vvithout naturall affection truce breakers false accusers ryotous fierce despisers of them that are good traitors headie high minded louers of pleasures more then louers of God hauing a fourme of godlines but denying the povver thereof Who would not thinke that Saint Paule did in spirite foresée the maners of this time and these dayes into which we are falne and those wicked vices wherwith the world is now ouerwhelmed What state of men is there in which most of these vices doe not shew them selues and that in such maner as neuer in any age the like what slacke and corrupt gouernment in Magistrates what stubbournesse and disobedience in subiectes what pryde and selfe liking in the riche and wealthy what spite and enuie in the poore and beggerly what loosenesse and wantonnesse in youth what couetousnesse and waywardnesse in age what cockering and euill ensample of life in parentes what dnnaturalnesse and vnkyndnesse in children what headynesse and fiercenesse in maisters what negligence and vntruth in seruantes what craft subtiltie and deceyte what counterfayting and dissymuling what false and vniust dealing almost in all men Trueth and sinceritie is banyshed cousoning and falshoode is estéemed wisedome and christian simplicitie is counted péeuishe follie A man would in these dayes maruell to heare of that playne dealing that in old time hath bene I haue hearde that the gyuing of a mans hande should haue assured his heart and tyed his fayth and trothe but nowe all the bondes that mans wit can deuise will scantly hold that whiche one couenanteth with another If there were no other argument but the ripenesse that sinne and wickednesse is nowe growen vnto it should sufficiently proue that the glory of this world must shortly fall decay There is an olde saying of much credite among the ewes
what vnestimable power is he which hath a thousand thousand that is an infinite number of Angels and Archangels of powers and principalities and dominions attending on him at his commandemēt to execute what soeuer iudgement he shal appoint them The Bookes that are laid open doe descriue vnto vs the detection of al mens faultes and the opening euen of their secret thoughts and déedes For the iustice of God hath kept as it were a perfite register of al things euē of our idle thoghts words so that our consciences shall be at that day straightly burdened and charged with them al. Not muche differinge from these wordes of the Prophet is that discription of Christes comming whiche S. John vseth in his Reuelation And I savv heauen open and behold a white horse and he that fate vpon him vvas called Faithful and true and in righteousnes he doth iudge and make battaile his eyes were as a flame of fire on his head were many crownes he had a name vvriten that no man knew but himselfe And he vvas cloathed in a vesture dieped in bloud his name is called the vvorde of god And the armies that vvere in heauen follovved him vpon vvhite horses cloathed vvith vvhite and pure raynes In this discription the white horse issuing out of heauen is the pure and sincere doctrine of the Gospell sent from God in these latter dayes before the last appearing of Christ For by the preaching of the Gospell as by an horse or chariot Christ is caryed He that sitteth on this horse is Christ himselfe beeinge faithful in all his promises and verie trueth it selfe who commeth to iudge the world in righteousnes and in battell by force of trueth to ouercome Antichrist and all his enemies His eyes like flaming fire declareth his wrath and vehement displeasure against the aduersaries of his trueth He hath many crowns vpon his head to declare that he is king of kings and Lord of Lordes that al power both in heauen and earth is giuen to him and that it is in his power with the crown of glorie to rewarde all his faithfull seruants that haue constantly fought vnder his banner against the deuil Antichrist His garment dieped in bloud signifieth that the conquest of his enemies consisteth in his passion sheading of his most precious bloud for thereby sinne was taken away and the power of Satan ouerthrowen The armies of heauen follovving him on vvhite horses and apparelled in vvhite and pure reynes Be the number of his saints and faithfull professours of his Gospel which in this vale of miserie haue constantly fought against the enemies of his trueth The sworde that issueth out of his mouth is the woorde of God and principally that two edged sworde of his sentence at the latter day by which he shal pronounce on the one side Goe ye blessed of my father inherit the kingdome that hath bene prepared for you since the foundation of the vvorlde and cōtrariewise vnto the wicked ones on the left hand depart from me ye cursed into euerlasting fire vvhich is prepared for the deuil and his Angels By this discription of the last iudgement left vnto vs by the holy Ghoste in the scriptures of god we may know that at that day we shal not haue to do with a common fraile man but with a most dreadful Lord terrible Judge y knoweth the verie secretes of mens heartes and iudgeth according to perfite righteousnes Whom as Augustine saith neither fauoure can peruert nor mercie bend nor money corrupt nor satisfaction and repentance at that day can aswage Whose beautie and brightnesse is such as darkeneth euen the starres of heauen whose might is so great as it melteth mountaines and the whole frame of the worlde before him whose wisdome is so perfect that by it the wisell of the worlde are intrapped in their owne craftinesse whose puritie is so excellent that in respect of it all things are vncleane whose iustice is so exquisite that the verie Angels are not able to abide that straight measure of it Before this God I say before this Judge shal the whole worlde at that day appeare and yéelde a most straight accompt of all things that euer they haue done spokē or thought Oh dearely beloued let vs followe therefore the counsaile of that good father Ephrem the Syrian Preparemus nos sine macula inueniri in terribili illo Christi examine c. Let vs prepare our selues that in that dreadfull examination of Christe we may be found without spot For then al our thoughts wordes and déedes shall be reproued and conuinced of corruption yea our idle talke our lose and vncomely gestures and all our smallest offences shall be layde to our charge Yea those things wherein in this lyfe we did put our greatest pleasure and glory shall then be vnto vs our greatest griefe and torment Let vs therefore in time repent and before hande enter into a straight account with our selfe for as the same father addeth omnia dura aspera amara occurrent hijs qui poenitentiae tempus perdiderunt All thinges shall be harde grieuons and vnpleasant to them that léese the time of their repentance in this life In that day sayth Bernarde for the wicked to hide them it shal be vnpossible though they desire the mountaines and rockes to fall vpon them and to appeare before the Judge it shall be vntollerable For in so great distresse their owne consciences shall torment them and the secretes of their heart shall vexe them while their owne heartes shall force them to be their owne accusers and with trembling spirits they shal stand looking for that moste grieuous and dreadfull sentence Goe you cursed into euer lasting fire If there be any so obstinat wicked and forlorne in sinne as he trembleth not at the cogitation of these things Let him imagine that whiche shall be most certemly true that he heareth that hydeous sounde of the last trumpe and voyce of the Archangell summoning all fleshe to the iudgement seate of God that he séeth the heauens melting with fire and the whole world burning about him that aboue him he seeth the sonne of God comming with the glorious armie of his Saintes and Angels that before him he seeth layde open the booke of all his wicked thoughtes wordes and déedes that within him he féeleth the worme of his conscience gnawing with perpetual torment that beneath him he séeth hell mouth readie to swallowe him that he séeth in euery quarter the Angels of God gathering together his electe and reiecting him as a wicked reprobate that on his right and left hand he beholdeth cruel fendes watching vpon the sentence of the iudge to carie him to that place where shal be perpetual flame without quenching wéeping and gnashing of téeth without ending darkenesse without light griefe without ease sorow without comfort where death shall be wished for and neuer obteined where shall be nothing but lothsomnesse horror stench
take some bye path that shal lead vs to eternall perdition This light of Gods worde we may not carie in our mouthes nor set on our heades nor hange on our girdles but we must carie it in our hands that is it must appeare in our liues and shew it selfe in our workes and doings according to that Christ saith Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good vvorkes and glorifie your father that is in heauen And surely if we haue the right vse to féede the lampe it will vndoubtedly burne and with faire light shew it selfe that is if through Gods good spirit working in vs by his holy worde we come in a right and true faith in the promises of God certeinly it will shine in our life and with great brightnesse set foorth the glorie of god This oile because the holy virgines lacked had not in readinesse when the Lorde came sodainely in the night the doore of eternal life was shut against them they excluded vnto perpetuall darkenesse where is wéepinge and gnashinge of téeth We ought therefore according to the direction of this true light euery man carefully to walke in his calling and as good and diligent seruants with al obedience doing those things that the Lorde hath appointed as to looke for his comming because as is before declared he wil come sodainely at that houre that we thinke not we must be ready to open whensoeuer he knocketh He knocketh by the preaching of his holy worde and calling to repentance he knocketh by signes and tokens from heauen he knocketh by troubles and afflictions he knocketh by sickenesse lastly of al he knocketh by death Whensoeuer he knocketh to come in and dwel in our hearts if we open not it is dangerous but if we open not when he knocketh lastly by sicknesse and death vndoubtedly he then passeth from vs for euer and leaueth vs as the possession of Satan to eternal fire prepared for him his Angels But it is exceding perilus to defer y opening of y gates of our hearts vntil that y last pinch for litle know we whether God will suffer vs then to be hable to open séeing we haue so often before either negligently or stubburnly and obstinately refused to open wheÌ„ he hath by al louing meanes tenderly and mercifully called and knocked to come in Our last preparation is to pray Uigilate saith Christ orate VVatche and pray least you enter into tentation The worlde is flattering the fleshe is fraile the deuil readie and continually As a roaring lyon going about seeking vvhom to deuoure Séeing then our enemies be so strong and we so weake féeble it behoueth vs continually to cal for helpe where it is to be had But euerie good thing and euerie gratious gift commeth from aboue from the father of lightes This father of lights is y eternal God y father of our Lorde Jesus Christ of this father therefore we must by most earnest and continual prayer desire assistance and the strength of his holy spirit to helpe vs that we be not caried away from the carefull cogitation of our dueties by the allurements of the deuil the flesh and the worlde Woorthely saith that good father and Martyr Ciprian Incumb amus gemitibus assiduis c. Let vs be earnest vvith continual gronings and often prayers for those are the heauenly armour that make vs to stand strongly valiantly to coÌ„tinew those are the spiritual weapons that do defend saue vs. And againe Let vs aske vve shal receiue and if there shal be any delay or tarying because vve haue grieuously offended let vs knocke and the doore of Gods mercifull goodnesse shal be opened especially if vve knocke at the doore vvith prayers groninges and bitter teares vvherein also vve must abide and continvve Let vs therfore continually lifte vp the handes and armes of our harts vnto God as Moses did his armes in the battaile betwéene Israel and the Amalachites and then in that strong battaile that is within vs betwéene the spirit and the fleshe vndoubtedly the spirit shall vanquish ouercome but if we faynt and holde downe our handes surely our enemies wil waâ— euery day stronger then other and so at the last giue vs the ouerthrowe Let vs not fainte therefore but praye continually vnto God in the name of Christ Jesu our lord Thus if we doe as men wel prepared we shal abyde warily watchefully and constantly lookinge for the last comming of our good Lorde and Christ to iudgement And then he that commeth to the wicked as a dreadful and terrible iudge shall come to vs as a bountifuf Sauiour and redéemer as in whose merite and Passion we haue alway put our whole trust and confidence though that daye be to the wicked so terrible as before I haue descriued yet it shal be to vs the daye of our chiefest ioye and comfort and therefore our Sauiour Christ willeth vs when the signeâ— of that day beâ—come to lift vp our heades because our redemption is at hand For then we shal not onely be deliuered from all those afflictions troubles dangers which in the continuance of this fraile world we haue suffered but also we shall be by him adiudged to the fruition and enioying of that heritage whiche he hath purchased for vs by his bloud wherefore the greater that the maiestie of his comminge is the greater confirmation shall it be to our fayth For therin we shal both acknowledge the trueth of his worde who long before hath tolde vs it shoulde be so and also we shall euidently sée that he is that mightie Lorde and God that according to his promise is able to performe all that he hath sayde and vtterly to vanquish subdue and treade vnder foote all these powers whatsoeuer that are enemies to his electe and chosen flocke The worlde they sée destroyed before them death ended and consumed sinne confounded Satan and all his powers euen at the last cast and looking presently to be throwen into that lake of fire that is prepared for him and for his angels WheÌ„ we haue then nothing to feare howe should we not be in moste perfite ioy All those things bréed comfort to the godly that cause terrour to other Though the examination account be verie streight though Satan shall lay before vs the booke of our own consciences to accuse vs we shal easily disburdeÌ„ our selues by acknowledging the things and by coÌ„fessing that there is in our selues no iustice in confidence when we dare that day stand in iudgement and that oure whole trust and confidence is in the innocent death of that immaculate Lambe that dyed to take away the sinnes of the whole worlde and for assurance thereof we shall shewe acquittances of his most blessed promises and vpon them with the hande of our fayth lay sure hold For he hath sayde God sent not his sonne into the vvorlde to iudge the vvorld but that the vvorlde shoulde be saued by him He that beleeueth in him is not iudged And agayne So God loued the vvorld that he gaue his only begotten sonne that vvho so euer doth beleeue on him should not perishe but haue lyfe euerlasting And agayne He that heareth my vvorde and beleeueth in him that sent me hath life euerlasting and commeth not into iudgement but passeth from death to life And if Satan shall lay any false thing vnto vs or charge vs with the weaknesse of our fayth to oure vnestimable comfort we shall sée on our right hande as it were the fruites of our faith shewed in christian charitie which the iudge him selfe shall not onely testifie to be done but acknowledge them to be done vnto him selfe by saying I vvas hungry and ye gaue me to eate I vvas thirstie and ye gaue me to drinke I vvas a stranger and you interteyned me c. So often as you did one of these things to the smallest of your brethren I acknovvledge it to be done vnto my selfe And therefore we shall ioyfully looke for that blessed and comfortable sentence Come ye blessed of my father and enter into the kingdom that is prepared for you before the beginning of the vvorlde there shall we still beholde as Basile sayth the numbers of Angels the assembly of our first Fathers the seates of the Apostles the thrones of the Prophetes the scepters of the Patriarkes the crownes of the Martyrs the prayses of the iust Yea there shall we possesse suche ioyes as neyther eye hath séene nor eare hath hearde nor tongue can tell nor penne is able to expresse vnto which endlesse ioyes our Lord and Sauiour Christe bring vs to whome with God the Father and the holie Ghost be al honour c. FINIS Iohn 14. 15. Matt. 16. Act. 17. Rom. 14. 2. Cor. 5. Dan. 7. Zach. 14 Mat. 25. 26. Iohn 5. Apoc. 1. 2. Pet. 3. 1. Cor. 15. 2. Pet. 3. Mat. 5. 2. Tim. 3. 1. Cor. 15. Matt. 24. Act. 1. Mat. 24. Mar. 13. Luke 19. Matt. 24. Mar. 13. Luke 19. Dan. 7. Dan. 7. 2. Thes 2. Luke 18. Zach. 9. Matt. 24. 25 26. Mar. 13. Luke 19. 2. Thes 1. Phi. 3. Act. 1. Dan. 7. Mat. 19. Esay 66. Apoca. 19. Mar. 13. Matt. 7. 1. Tim. 4. Gen. 49. Deut. 18. Mat. 24. 25. Mat. 13. Luk. 12. 21. 1. Pet. 5. 1. Cor. 16. 1. Thes 5. in Gen. c. 2. In Gen. ca. 6. Luke 13. 1. Cor. 7. Mat. 5. Mat. 25. Lib. 1. epi. 1. Lib. 4. epi. 4. Mar. 13.