¶ The opening of the wordes of the Prophet Ioell in his second and third Chapters rehersed by Christ in Mathewe .xxiiij. Marke .xiij. Luke .xxj. and by Peter Actes .ij. concerning the Signes of the last day Compiled by Robert Crowley in the yeare of our Lord. M.D.XLVI And perused againe by the same ANNO 1566. POST TENEBRAS LVX ¶ IMPRINTED AT LONDON by Henry Bynneman for Iohn Charlewood dwelling in Barbican at the sygne of the halfe Eagle the Key ANNO. 1567. Signes and Tokens of the last day REpent repent I say repent Your misse it amende Christes prophecie Doth shew plainely This world shall shortly ende Darke is the sunne Bloud is the moone From heauen are fallen the stars Earthquakes are séene Pestilence famine Rumors tel nought but wars I do intend Small tyme to spend To proue these rumours true For at eche porte Where is resorte We heare them dayly new But I know well That the Gospell Meaneth some other thing By this warre then That mortall men Should be giuen to fighting For since men were Of such number That wars might be maintained Ech Emperie Hath sought glorie And hath the rest disdained But the wars that Christ saith shall at The last day be so great Are not the same Wherof the fame Of histories doth treate I dare be bolde This warre is holde With that swerd that Christ sent Among vs when He said all men From other should dissent I came saith he Not to giue ye Peace but to send a sword Among you all Wherwith you shall Fall at vtter discord The parents shall Make the childe thrall And the childe them againe To them shall bée Great ioy to sée Eche other of them slayne No maner kinne Shall auaile in That case no man shall misse To haue them that He kepeth at His charge his enimies Thus doth he say That men shall slay Eche other cruelly For this great fight Passeth the might Of our great chiualry Our men of might When they do fight Can neuer hurt the soule But these men quell Them into hell That Satan may them coule These men are they That vse alway To iudge such men holiest As they do sée On the earth to bée Counted as the highest Yea they do thinke That the poore stinke Before the face of God Bicause they sée That pouertie Is counted the Lordes rod. They do pretende For to dèfende The faith with might maine Wherfore all they That will say nay With the sword must be slaine This is their trade They will perswade Men that worldly wealthis The rewarde that Christ fayleth not To giue them that are his They say further Will Christ suffer His church to be trode downe No no they shall Raigne ouer all Both in citie and towne The wicked bée Faine for to flée From place to place eche day For feare of his Righteous iustice To this who dare say nay But thus say they We flée away From persecution And yet all we Know it to be Iust execution For they professe Christes faith no lesse That execute the thyng Than those men did That first preached The christian liuing How can they then Persecute men That professe Christ also Vnlesse they should Be found so bold To say both yea and no. But there be some In christendome That are malefactours And these will say We runne away From the persecutours When they halfe wood Flée from the good Shepherdes that will not sée The tender lambes Kilde and their dams That Christ bought on the trée All this they teach And to vs preach These things men must beleue Yea this may not Be sticked at To these things mē must cleue Alas the while How they begile The silly soules that can By this meanes know Little I trowe Of the faith christian For Christ saith that His secte shall not Shed bloud but shall suffer All tiranny And vilany And be no reuenger Wherfore I dare Say that the warre Wherof Christ prophecied When eche brother Should slay other Is euen now fulfilled For we may sée That now there bée Diuers opinions Diuers beleues Wherto men cleues In diuers regions And eche man will His brother kill Ghostly and then be glad As though he were Worthy to heare Great praise for works so bad One sort doth teach And to vs preache That works must make vs frée From mortall sinne That we are in If we will saued be For thus they say Michaell shall way Vs in his balaunce two Where shall be had Both good and bad Workes that we haue ydo If the better Be heauier Then shall we liue for aye But if our sinne The better winne Then are we like to paye They haue no eyes On gods mercies But on the equall waight For they say plaine They are certaine Gods iudgemēt shal be straight For Christ hath sayd We wyll be payd According to our workes Wherfore eche slaue Shall buffets haue That in his seruice lurkes And when they fynde One to their minde That will to them applie Then they reioyce With heart and voyce And shew him curtesie The other syde Can not abide To heare of workes at all For Gods mercie Say they shall bie All them frée that are thrall Christ shed his bloud Vpon the Roode For that intent onely We must graunt then All kindes of men Must nedes be saued thereby All murderers Aduouterers Theues robbers and ill men Shall by his bloude Shed on the Roode Of heauen be right certen Thus they say all And him they call A perfect christian That will apply To their foly And a right honest man Thus on eche side Both shoote to wide Of the pricke for the one Saith workes is all That saue the thrall The other wil haue none Of these eche man Doth what he can To kill his brothers soule Eche giueth his mynde Such for to fynde As will not him controle The middle sorte That doth exhorte All men to liue godly And to thinke that Their worke shall not Saue them but Gods mercy Are they that beare The burden here For both hate them to death Their whole intent Is to inuent Some way to stop their breath Thus eche brother Killeth other Some the flesh some the spirite So that I dare Call this the warre Wherof the Prophets write For since kings coulde As I haue tolde Haue men of warre to fight With wicked will They haue sought still To win much groūd by might ij AS for famine Such now is séene As erst hath not bene knowē Both poore and riche Perishe aliche No séede growes that is sowen By this I meane Ghostly famine For lacke of ghostly foode The heauenly fielde Lye doth vntilde And brings forth nothing good If any sowe They will not bowe But stiffely scatter séedes Setting no hand To tyll the land So nought growth vp but wéedes Yet in churches Gods worde lurches In chaines or in a cage But no man may Theron hand lay That hath none heritage Iames writeth this With God
riche men I must say then Set foolishe toyes aside In all your wayes During your dayes Let conscience be your guide Let not the poore Stand at your doore And starue for lacke of foode Whiles that ye eate All maner meate Much more than doth you good Kepe not in store Much clothing more Thā that you must nedes ware Bestow your golde In tyme of colde Vpon such as be bare Let your workes show That you do know Gods worde set fantasie Aparte thinking Your selues nothing Without the Lordes mercy Persuade your selfe This worldly pelfe To be but vanitie And that ye ought To withholde nought From néedefull pouertie You are not set Riches to get But to order the same Ministering Eche néedefull thyng To halte blinde and to lame And for to sée That such men bée Punished that haue their helth And wil not woorke But lye and lurke Hurting the common welth Do not retayne Such as disdayne To worke hauing no landes Nor qualities Worthy of fées Let such worke which their handes By idlenesse Vice doth increase And vertues are opprest Wherfore if ye Loue honestie Let these thinges be redrest Delight not in Other mens sinne Nor your owne wickednesse But fast and pray Striuing alway To follow righteousnesse Then the earthquake Of vice shall take No roote within your breast You shall be stalde As ye are calde The children of beheast And you that bée Of lowe degrée Submit you to the powers Do you all thing By Christes teaching And his kingdome is yours If you rebell You do not well But yet you may boldly Professe Gods worde Fearing no sworde But suffer manfully Repine not at Your base estate But rather giue glory To God which hath Made you a path Way vnto victory The riche men are With worldly care Opprest that scarcely they Can at the last Their loade downe cast And enter to your way You haue therfore Much cause the more To render thankes to God For that you may Passe the straight way Easily with your light lode Grudge not at such As haue so much Treasure as they call it But rather pray To God that they May haue grace to vse it And then shall ye Through charitie Vpon Christ builde so sure That no earthquake May your life shake Nor worke you displeasure 5. NOw let vs sée If the starres bée Fallē as Christ prophecied Whose wondrous fall The Diuines all Haue thus interpreted They say that by Astronomie Men may wel vnderstand That the least starre That doth appeare Is more than all the land Then they say that If these so great And so many should fall Before domes day There were no way We should be quelled all But Christes Gospell Doth plainely tell That euen at his comming Men shall apply Them busily To prouide for liuing Some shall plante vines And some presse wines And some shall marry wiues And some shall bie To gaine therby But few shall mende their liues The sonne of man Shall appeare than And take them sodainly When they thinke lest To be opprest And liue most iocundly Here we are taught That they do naught And take the prophecie Of Christ amis That say there is In it no mysterie For if it were So taken there As the letter doth sound Two things plainly Cleane contrary In Gods worde should be found Which cannot be And therfore we Must néedes graunt that there lieth More mysterie In prophecie Than the worde signifieth Let vs therfore Tarie no more Vpon the wordes onely But let our minde Be giuen to finde What thing is meant therby The starres are bright Both day and night But when the Sunne is cleare He doth so shine Before our eyne That no starre can appeare But so soone as The Sunne doth passe The circle of our sight We may espie Them easily Through darknes of the night Yet are they not Themselues of that Nature to appeare bright Vnlesse Phoebus Splendiferous Do endue them with light Naturall light Of day and night Since the world was begunne Is proued by Astronomie To procéede of the Sunne The starres therfore Haue euermore Their light from Phoebus face Although they bée As we do sée Of a farre distant place So the clearenesse Of godlinesse By Gods worde is giuen In like maner To them that are Of Christ called Christen Christ by the sters Meant good liuers whose works shew very bright But their brightnesse Is but darkenesse When Gods worde is in sight For Gods mercy Sheweth so clearely And mans vnworthinesse Is found so darke That no good warke May shew any brightnesse But the poore man That neuer can By day walke in the light Of Gods worde must Follow the iust whose works shine in the night The night I call This world through all Wherin the christian secte Are as starres bright To giue them light Whom darkenes doth infecte The starres should moue In heauen aboue The shadow of the ground That Phebus bright Might giue them light To shine in the world rounde But now they bée The more pitie Eche one fallen fro thence None do intend For to ascend Againe and leaue their pence But much rather They go lower To get golde and treasure Their onely minde Is for to finde Meanes to liue at pleasure And they that would That other should Take them for true leaders Began to fall Downe first of all And are now deceiuers I meane prelates And magistrates Which say we must incline Vs to agrée With such as bée Men of great discipline They say we must Their iudgement trust And obey theyr decrées Although we sée Them for to bée Against Gods verities They say how can The priuate man Discerne Gods veritie If great prelates And magistrates Should teache the falsitie For God they say Giueth alway The truth to the rulers They cannot erre In peace nor warre That are Gods partakers Would God they were But many feare These will be tried at the last To be nothing But rauening Wolues séeking for repast Such proude Prelates And magistrates I meane to séeke glory To them and theirs As though their heyres Should haue the earth onely Bishop Cayphas Pilate Annas Herode with many mo Were magistrates And great Prelates And yet wroght Christ much wo. Their feare to léese Their dignities Was cause that they did this And that they slue All preachers true That were Christes witnesses For they thought that Their power could not Be able to resist And kéepe vnder The great number That wold haue folowed Christ For they knew well That his Gospell Agréed not with their pride And thought if that They slew him not Their sect would be destroide These were they that Did stumble at The stone in Israell Euen their leaders And chiefe rulers As Scripture doth vs tell Maisters of schooles Were proued fooles And wise men lacked wit But simple soules That gathered tolles And caught fishes had it Euen so this day Full well ye may Affirme that Christ hideth His mysteries From proude mens eyes Which to
they say Out of the way Such errours are vp sprong Feare to displease Desire of ease And cloked flattery As I suppose Hath made men glose Gods worde so subtilly But if the kings With their lordings Would lead the daunce aright We may be bold The poore men would Follow with all their might You kings therefore Couet no more One to subdue the rest But let your strife Be in good life Which of you can rule best Desire not To rule them that Refuse your imperie But do intend Them to defend That serue you willingly And you lordings Leaue your diggings And your raising of rentes Take not such fines To by you wines For God knoweth your intents And you merchantes Be not seruantes To coueteous desire But sell and bie All thinges truely And God shall giue you hier Briefly all ye That of Christ be Cognomed Christians Study to moue In heauen aboue This earthly inhabitance Let men know that You regarde not This worldly vanitie But let them sée That your workes bée Fruites of Gods veritie Then shall your méede As farre excéede When Christ shall iudge vs all Theirs that by sinne Would heauen winne As the frée doth the thrall 6 NOw let vs sée If the Moone bée Blud as christ prophecied That we may trie What mysterie Vnder the wordes lieth I did you tell As I thinke well That since the world begunne Both day and night Haue all their light At the beames of the sunne This if you list Is tried soonest By marking the Moones light Which doth alway Growe and decay As we may iudge by sight The cause of this Vndoubted is The vnequall distaunce Of the Moone from The Sunne by whom She doth hir light auaunce Marke if ye list That side soonest Receiueth light alway That is next to The Sunne and so The other doth decay Yea if you marke That side is darke That is fromwarde the sunne When that is bright Both day and night That Phoebus shineth on Aske if ye will Them that can skill And they wil not make strange That Phoebus bright Should haue full light Both at full and at change For they haue found That she is round And that halfe is aye bright Which is not straunge Though at the chaunge It be out of our sight For at that tide The further side From vs is toward the Sunne So that no light Sheweth to our sight To be vpon the Moone If this Moone should Be bloud none could Make the scriptures agrée For the great dome Saith Paule shall come Vpon men sodainlie Euen when men say All care away All thinges are in good plight This sodaine day Shall men affray As a théefe in the night If a théefe do Giue warning to Him whose house he wil breake Then may we say This sodaine day Shall not lie in our necke But I say if The subtile théefe Giue no warning before Then to thinke the Moone bloud to be We were deceiued sore Then let vs sée What it may bée That Christ meaneth in this place Endeuouring Aboue all thing To apply to his grace The Moone I call That sort through all To whō God giueth not grace To attaine to Such things as do Godly knowledge increase For all the light That shineth bright On them is from the sunne Which is no doubte The very roote That Gods grace lighteth on Of these Christ saith Your fruitefull faith Sheweth you to be the light Of this world round And of the ground The salte your surname hight This Moone no nay Is bloud this day For all their desire is To sée men fry And then they cry O godly sacrifice These men can sing None other thing But burne burne hang draw Let no man scape Out of our shrape Be he wise man or daw Try we our might Say they in fight Against our enimies It shall be good To sée their blood Runne out before our eies Let vs possesse All their richesse Let the knaues liue no more Shall we suffer Them to prosper That set by vs no store It is noble To be manfull Fie on all wretched knaues That to vs preach And would vs teach To liue like wretched slaues Let eche man try It manfully what should we passe for lawes They were not made For to be had Amongest other than dawes Who would regard A knaue coward That dare not strike a stroke Say what you can He is no man But rather a dead stocke It is manhood To shed your blood For eche good fellowes sake He is a mome Iohn dwell at home That feareth a fray to make Alas this song Hath last so long That the Moone is all blood They thinke nothing But bloodsheding To be manly and good They take no shame To beare the name Of Christ whose doctrine is Full of méekenesse And forgiuenesse Eche one of others mis. And yet they will Shead mans bloud still As it were none offence But Christ shall quell Such into hell To make them recompence Thus he shall say At the last day To this noble manhood Auoyde from me All you that be The sheaders of mans bloode Then shall méekenesse Come and possesse Euerlasting glory And sufferance Inheritaunce That is not transitorie To the Iewes sterne Christ sayth go learne What this may signify I haue in price No sacrifice I delight in mercy Leaue tiranny And shew mercy Therfore ye men of power For he that is Cruell shall mis Of mercy in that hower Marke this thing well That the Gospell Teacheth to them shall bée Iudgement without Mercy no doubte That shew extremitie 7 THe Sunne is bright And giueth light As he hath done alway And shall do still Euen vntill The very iudgement day For as it did Till Noe entred Into the arke shine bright So shall it do Till Christ come to Iudge all the worlde aright Some other thing Is the meanyng Therfore of Christ where he Sayth Phoebus bright Shall loose his light Before this day shall be We do knowe all The naturall Light of this worlde to be The sunne and so Alludyng to The spirite thus say may we Like as the Sunne Since he begunne His course hath giuen vs light So hath the secte Of Christes electe Bene glorious in our sight Wherfore he might Say thus of right The Sunne shall be darkened When he meaneth Their light faileth That haue to me harkened Such as professe All holinesse And would be called the light Of this worlde wide Shall ere that tide Be as darke as midnight Their life shall bée All vanitie They shall say and not do They shall offende And not amende Nor for their misse be wo. This greate darkenesse Shall them oppresse Sayth Christ let vs therfore Marke this tyme well For the Gospell May be fulfilled this houre Do not men boast In euery coast That their trust is onely In Iesus Christ Sonne of the hiest And yet liue vngodly They that professe This perfectnesse Are of Christ called the light Of this worlde wide Which at this tide Do shine nothing so bright As they did once When they did renounce All worldely vanitie Hauing no minde Treasures to finde That are but transitorie For Epicure Sought not pleasure So much as these men do That do vse most To make such boast Of Christ whom they cleane to Soft feather beds And for their heads Pillows wel stuft with downe No kynde of ease Can them well please Either in fielde or towne They may not eate Such kynde of meate As God giueth plenty They will not dine Without some fine Dishes that be deintie They will not spare For them that are Opprest with pouertie They take no kéepe Though other wéepe So they be not hungrie I can not tell Whether in hell May be lesse charitie Than is this day In most that say We know Gods veritie None take such care For dainty fare As they none passe lesse howe They get richesse So they possesse Therof plenty ynowe Their Simonie And vserie I thinke is right well knowne For all that may Be wonne that way Is counted for their owne Thus they are darke For their good warke Doth not shine in mens sight Though they professe Such perfectnesse As ought to shine full bright We may apply This prophecy To Gods worde affirming It to be darke Through the leude warke Of dunsecall learning The Moone also May be like to Mans vayne inuentions Which are this day I dare well say Bloudy intentions But I seyng The misse liuing Of all degrées this day Haue chose rather And thinke better To take the other way This haue I tolde Euen as I could The signes of the last day To be all past And that in hast The trumpetter shall say Fall in aray Fall in aray All ye of Adams stocke The shepehearde will Come from the hill To disseuer his flocke Then without let The shéepe shall get Them vnto his right side The goates shall stande At the left hande Iudgement for to abide God graunt that we May faithfull be And then we shall not misse At the last day To take the way Into eternall blisse FINIS IMPRINTED AT LONdon by Henry Bynneman for Iohn Charlewood dwelling in Barbican at the signe of the halfe Eagle and the Key