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.
whom when it pleased God in a vision to declare that state of the worlde that should be euen to the end thereof by the figure of the foure beastes he described y foure Empires that should follow one the other before the ende The Babylonians by a lyon whiche should be destroyed and eaten vp by the Beare of the Persians and that consumed and wasted by the foure Leopards of the Gretians and that rent and torne and trampled vnder foot by the terrible monster of the Romanes after which there is no mention made of any other Empire but onely that litle horne that grewe out of the Romanes Empire to great might and power by which is ment the king dome of Antichrist that shall fight against the Saints of God in the latter ende of the worlde Which kingdome of Antichrist now this many yeares hath shewen it selfe in the power of the Turke and of the Pops Now derely beloued waigh these things The Empire of the Babylonians continued not long after this vision but was subdued by the Persians The Empire of Persia continued 231. yeares and was conquered by Alexander and the Gretians The Gretian empire in Alexander and his successours deuided into foure kingdomes prospered about 300. yeres and after great and longe warres was consumed by the Romanes which in growing declyning hath now continued aboue a thousand yeres and an halfe and is come euen to the last pinche euen to the féete and toes mixed with brasse and claye as the same Daniel descriueth it Chap. 9. to note the weakenesse and small strength thereof in the ende For who séeth not nowe y the empire is almost nothinge and consisteth onely of a fewe free Cityes in Germanye For all the residue it hath left vnto the worlde as all men may sée the power of the Turke and of the Pope which both haue rysen and continued very neare about one time For Mahomet in Arabia and the Pope in Rome beganne their vsurpation within twelue yeres together Nowe immediately in the ende of the Romane Empire and power of Antichrist Daniell describeth the comming of Christ to iudgment And I beheld sayth Daniell vntill the thrones vvere set vp and the ancient of dayes did sit and so forth in suche sort as you shall after heare in the description of the laste iudgement Seing therefore experience of times hathe taught vs the trueth in the former part of this prophesie touching the rysing succession and decaye of other kingdomes we must néedes beléeue if we haue any Christian fayth in vs y the same spirit of God will performe the like trueth in the residue and that the ende of the worlde and the last iudgement shall folowe vpon the decaye of the Romane Empire and by the comming of our Sauiour Christ vtterly destroy and pull downe the power of Antichriste The seconde testimonie of the holy Scriptures for the aproching of the last daye in S. Paule to the Thessal Let no man deceiue you sayth he by any meanes For the Lorde shall not come except there come a falling avvay first and that the man of sinne be reuealed first the sonne of perdition what doth S. Paul meane thinke you by falling avvay vndoubtedly a great and wonderfull reuolting and falling from the fayth of Christ Nowe call to your remembrance that within a meane number of yeres after Christes ascention all the thrée partes of the worlde submitted them selues to the fayth of Christ as the hystories do euidently declare All Asia euen to the vttermost partes of the Indians All Affrike euen to the extreame borders of the Aethiopes All Europe without exception of any part Adde also the Iles about the mayne land among which we of this Realme of England are Conceiue wel in your mynde this general profession of Christian fayth that then was ouer all the earth and then viewe and consider in your myndes the state of Christianitie at this day and vndoubtedly you shal perceiue a maruellous reuolting and falling from the fayth of Christe to haue bene nowe a good many yeres The furthermost partes of Asia eastward fallen againe eyther to heathenishe Idolatrie or to such superstition as doth not much differ from it All the residue of Asia together with a great part of Affrike adde also no small portion of Europe vnder the Turke reuolted to the wicked blasphemie of Mahomet so that the countries of the world that nowe professe Christe are not the tenth part of them that before time haue bene christian Yea and among them that professe the christian religion in Europe for the more part a number of yeres haue bene caried away with the superstition and idolatrie of the Antichrist of Rome In so much that if Christe doe nowe come in comparison of the multitude of miscreants he shal find true that he spake in the Gospel vvhen the sonne of man shall come doest thou thinke he shall finde any fayth in the earth Seing therfore we sée now y general apostacy and reuolting from the fayth nowe in our time fallen out the want whereof principally S. Paul accounteth in his time to be the staye of Christes comming we must néedes be persuaded that it can not be farre off As touching the latter part of S. Paules wordes to the Thessal Of the reuealing of the man of sinne the sonne of perdition vvhich is an aduersarie and is exalted aboue all that is called God so that he as God sitteth in the Temple of God shevving him selfe that he is a God because the full discourse for the profe of the comming of this Antichriste woulde require a long processe and more then this time woulde beare for the tryall thereof call to your remembrance this briefe note That since the declination and decay of the Romane Empire for the space of certeine hundred yeres you haue séene euen in the church of God euen in Italy euen in the seate royall of the Empire of Rome a certeine power which vnder the pretence of holynesse hath aduanced it selfe aboue al kings and princes of the earth that hath claymed the full power of both swordes and to that purpose hath shewed it selfe in open procession the one day in his pontificall ornaments and the next in armour like a prince that hath also auaunted that he hath al power immediately from God and all kings of the earth by mediation from him that hath put the same in practise by deposing princes altring of titles at his pleasure in Arragon in Naples in Sicilie in Englād in Fraunce in the Empire it selfe and welnere in al places of Christendome that hath had Emperours Kings and Princes to holde his bridle to goe at his stirrop to kysse his féete to stande at the gates of his citie whole dayes together bare-footed and coulde not haue grace to come to his presence that hath driuen the noblest Prince in the earth to put his head vnder his féete and he in the meane time with outrageous blasphemie caused
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