The Image of Both Churches in Revelation 2, Chapter 15
The .xv. Chapter.
NOt onlye for the common synnes of the worlde doth the lorde plage / but most of all for vnthankefulnesse of all bla…phemyes the greatest For tha… spurneth agaynst knowlege / and dyrectlye worketh agaynst the holye Ghost. A double destruccyon or decaye both of sowle and bodye by the ryghtousnesse of God must nedes folowe the wylful contempte of hys veryte manifestlye shewed and openlye taught. Yet ys the lorde so mercyfull / that he willeth not the dampnacion of a synner. Soche compassion hath he ouer oure manyfolde weakenesse / that he premonysheth vsus of his most terrible plages / to call vsus backe by feare / yf louelove will not do yt. As here consequentlye in the first vysyon of this present reuelacyon to Iohan / which foloweth after this sort in thys xv. and .xvi. chapters.
The Text.
1 And I same another sygne in heauen / greate and maruelouse. 2. seuen Angels hauynge the seuen last plages. 3. for in them ys fulfylled the wrathe of God. 4. And I sawe as yt were a glassye see. 5. myngled with fyre. 6. and them that had gotten victorye of the Beast / and of hys Image. 7. and of his marke / and of the nombre of his name. 8. stande on the glassye see. 9. hauynge the harpes of God. 10. And they sange the songe of Moyses the seruaūt of God. 11. and the songe of the lambe / saynge. 12. Greate and maruelouse ar thy workes / lord God almyghtye. 13. iuste & true are thy / wayes / thu kynge of sayntes. 14. Who shall not feare (o lorde) & glorifye thy name? 15. For thu onlye art holye. 16. and all Gentyles shall come ād worship before the. 17. for thy iudgementes are made manyfest.
¶The Paraphrase.
1 And I sawe (sayth saynt Iohan) by the secrete goodnesse of my lorde God / yet an other token in heauen / great and maruelouse / straunge and wonderfull. For in the churche or congregacyon of God are euermore vttred his wonderfull and depe iudgementes / vntounto them only whom his grace appoynteth / as vntounto Iohan. And this is the token in mysterye.
2 Seuen angels had in their hādes the seuen last plages. Some exposytours hauehave taken these Angels for the ryght mynisters in the .vij. ages of the christen churche. Some hauehave thought them to be the peruerse preachers and vngodly mynisters of all the sayd ages / suffred of God strongelye to delude the vnbeleuers / that he which hurteth shuld hurte styll / and that he which is in fylthynesse shuld styll be fylthye. VntoUnto euerye age correspondynge an Angell / to declare the nature of those deceytfull hyrelynges and lyenge masters. And this maketh them so to vnderstande the text. They are here expreslye noted to be in heauen. Amonge the congregacyons of God are the false prophetes and dissemblynge hypocrites euermore / as the chaffe amonge the corne / the tares amonge the wheate / and the fylthye dregges amonge the pure wyne. For that kyngedome is as a nette throwne into the see and gatherynge all maner of fyshes both good and badde. In all ages hath the wycked generacyon increased / to impugne the truthe / and styflye to stande vp agaynst God and his Christ / whych is non other after their myndes / than to mynistre the .vij. last plages here. For no poyson is to the sowle so pestylent / nor yet venime so noyfull / as is false doctr… ne. No plage can be thought more deadlye nor vyrulent / than to depryue vsus of that faythe / of that veryte / ād of that lyfe which is in Christ Iesu / or to brynge vsus out of that waye which he hath appoynted. And all this semeth no small lykelyhode of the iust vnderstandynge of the texte here. Yet geueth Frances Lan…bert a farre better iudgement / callynge them the set sentences or vnvariable decrees of God / diffinynge hys iudgementes agaynst the wycked in this latter age of the worlde / at their appoynted tymes to be vttered. For all these thynges are ioyntlye to be consydered. These Angels came not onlye from heauen / which is the congregacyon (as they hauehave mencyoned) but also out of the celestyall temple of the tabernacle of testimonye / which is the omnipotēt God and his Chryst / as the .xxi. chapter here of declareth. They are also clothed with pure whyght lynnen / gyrded with golden gyrdels / they hauehave golden vyals delyuered vntounto them by one of the .iiij. Beastes / and one of them commonèth with Iohan / declarynge vntounto him the iudgement ād fall of the great whore. Which are no argumentes that they are here to be taken for yll preachers / thowgh they here mynistre the last .vij. plages. Therfor shall we iudge them here to be Gods appoynted purposes or eternallye decreed pleasurs / agaynst the wylfull obstynates and indurate rebellyous to the ende of the worlde. These are called the last plages / bycause they fall in the last age of the worlde / whom Esaye / Hieremye / Oseas and Mycheas calleth the last dayes / Iohan the last howre / and Paule the endes of the worlde. Seuen are they named here in a vniuersal respect both of the tymes / parsones / places / and peruerse doctrynes of the whole worlde. And also because of the .vij. seales and the .vij. trompettes / to whose iudgementes they Ioyntlye agre / as in the next chapter folowinge wyll apere more largelye.
3 For in them (sayth the text) is fulfylled the wrathe of God. The indignacyon of the lorde is in them whollye declared. For what hate can he shewe more vntounto manne / than to withdrawe from him his grace / to leaue him to him self / to suffre him in his owne blynde iudgementes / to geue hym ouer to his owne fylthye lustes / and to sende hym the operacyon of erroure to his double dampnacyon? A verye fulfyllynge of Gods anger is it also to appoynt vsus a false Prophete or deceyuable curate / a wanton Prynce or vngodlye gouernoure. These therfor with soche lyke are those plages / in whom is depelye accomplyshed the dyspleasure of God. And they are here named the last plages / for after them shall non other be seane / the latter daye fynyshynge and clearynge all.
4 And I behelde (sayth Saynt Iohan) in the same sayd vysyon / as it were a glassye see / or a great flowynge water in symylytude of glasse / all myngled wyth fyre. Non other is this see but the precyouse veryte of the Lorde / so clere as glasse and so pure as christall. This see gushed out of the harde rocke stone / that was clouen a sonder in the desart. Whan he sent forth his sprete / these waters flowe… forth in habundaunce.
5 Most effectuall and quycke is this see. And therfor it is here noted as myngled with fyre / whych signifyeth the holye ghost. For neuer is the veryte wythout Gods sprete. A ferce fyerye streme calleth Danyel this see. All fyerye is thy worde lorde (sayth Dauid also) and therfor thy seruaunt loueth it. This is the foūtayne of lyuynge water spryngynge vp into the lyfe euerlastynge. VntoUnto this water shuld all they resort that are thurstye / therof to take refreshynge.
6 VponUpon this glassye see were they sene of Saynt Iohan / that had obtayned victorye of the Beast / of hys Image / of his marke / and of the nombre of his name. By whom are ment those constaunt christianes / whych hath for all ages firmelye affermed the truthe. For non aduersyte declinynge from it. Strongelye hauehave these sens the Apostles tyme resysted the aduersaries of God by his only worde / perfystynge therin vntounto the deathe as ded Steuen / Iames / and Antipas with soche other his faythfull witnesses. Uictorye hauehave they gotten by faythe both of the Beast ād his Image / both of the great Antychryst and his supporters / of the Pope and of Mahomete / wyth theyr maynteyners Emprours / kynges / and magistrates / and of all them that vsurpe theyr tytle / name / seate / auctoryte / pompe or power.
7 They hauehave blemyshed lykewyse by the sayd worde not onlye the marke of the Beast / whych is a corrupted faythe / but also the nombre of hys name / whych is the denyall of God. Them hauehave they to theyr rebuke vttered / and to their confusion declared. They hauehave proued their orders dampnable / their doctrine deuyllyshe / their religion hypocrisye / and their spiritualte playne wyckednesse / condempnynge them by the scripturs / as vngodlye dyssemblers denyenge the lorde which bought them. These are they whom the lorde tenderlye norryshed / and gracyouslye brought forth vponupon the refreshynge waters / conuertynge their sowles to his godlye feare and louelove.
8 These stande euermore on the glassye see / they sett sure fotynge vponupon the rocke stone. Unmoueablye they perseuer in the truthe / neuer denyenge yt afore menne.
9 And they hauehave in their handes the harpes of God / whych are deuoure myndes geuen all vntounto godlynesse / ād reioysynge in spirituall thynges.
10 Harmonyouslye they synge the tuneable songe of Moyses the faythfull seruaunt of God / and the melodyouse swete songe of the lambe Iesus Christ.
11 Of both testamentes they make vtteraunce / declarynge the wonderfull workes and terrible iudgementes out of the olde lawe / and out of the gospell of gladnesse the most swete mercye of the lorde. Wythout ceasynge open they the scripturs vntounto other inwardlye reioysinge in spirituall hymnes and psalmes / hauynge this euermore for the standynge tenoure of their songe.
12 Inestimablye great is thy goodnesse / and wonderfullye maruelouse are thy workes O Lorde God almyghtye.
13 Iust are thy promyses / and most perfightlye sure thy wayes / thu gloriouse kynge of Sayntes / and graciouse gyde of the godlye beleuers.
14 Who shall not euermore feare the / o mightye lorde? who shall not alwayes in hart gloryfye / thy blessed name?
15 Thu alone art holye / iust / ād perfight / for non is there good but thy self onlye. Thu art owre onlye maker / redemer / ād cōfortoure. Non other hauehave we for owre God but the.
16 No doubt of it but the tyme will be that all kyndes of peple / both Iewes and Gentyles / faythfull and heythen shall seke vntounto the / and shall faythfullye in veryte and sprete worship before the / acknowlegynge the for their onlye lorde God.
17 Because thy wonderfull iudgementes that sumtyme were secrete / are now to the worlde made openlye knowne ād manifest. Though this songe be lyttle and small / yet is therin contayned all veryte / that both Moyses and Christ confesseth at large. Moreouer what so euer the scripturs comprehendeth / eyther of the great omnipotēcye of God or of his most wonderfull workes / eyther of hys louinge mercye or of his benigne pytie towardes manne / of his gloriouse name or myghtye power / or that he is to be magnifyed and feared / or how that the faythfull perteyneth only to his kingedome / or how that all peple shall finallye be conuerted vntounto hym. All is compendiouslye in this brefe songe here contayned / what though it be not so worde by worde expressed. And as concernynge that ys here last spoken / that his iudgementes are made manyfest / it is to be vnderstanded of those faythfull creaturs whom he calleth / clereth and iustyfyeth / and of non other. For vntounto them onlye are his heauenlye verit…es knowne / to whom he wytsaueth to open them. Though the other outwardlye se the iudgements of God / yet do they not inwardlye perceyue thē / though they boast it neuer so moche. For it is not geuen them so to do. They must hauehave eyes and not se / eares and not vnderstande.
The Text.
1 And after that I loked. 2. & beholde the tēple of the tabernacle of testymonye. 3. was open in heauen. 4. And the seuen angels. 5. came out of the temple. 6. which had the seuen plages. 7. clothed in pure and bryght lynnen. 8 and hauynge theyr brestes gyrded wyth golden gyrdels. 9 And one of the foure Beastes gaue vntounto the seuē Angels. 10. vij. goldē vyalles. 11. full of the wrathe of God / whych lyueth for euermore. 12. And the temple was full of smoke. 13. for the glorye of God / and for his power. 14. And no man was able to entre into the temple. 15. tyll the seuen plages of the seuen angels were fulfylled.
¶The Paraphrase.
1 And a non after that (sayth Sayn… Iohan) I loked yet more aduysedly. And sodenly as it were / the euerlastynge tē ple of the tabernacle of wytnesse was open in heauen.
2 A mysterye this is verye ernestlye to be marked / as a thinge of great wayght. The lorde almyghtye is this eternall tē ple. He is the temple not made wyth hā des / vncreated / gloriouse and full of mageste / comprehendynge in him all thinges / and he within non agayne comprehended. He is the lorde of all. He measureth heauen wyth his spanne / he ouer reacheth all the worlde with his .iij. fingers. In hym we lyue / we moue / and hauehave owr beynge. The tabernacle of wytnesse is the lambe Iesus Christ. He is that verye tabernacle of God that was here amonge menne / bearinge that faythfull wytnesse which geueth wysdome to babes. He is the propiciatorye or mercye seate / wherin we are harde and forgeuen. Neyther was thys tabernacle of thys maner buyldynge / but moche more perfyght and greatter. This holye tabernacle is within the aforesayd temple / for Christ dwelleth in the father and the father in him.
3 Open is this temple in heauen / and the tabernacle seane / whan God is knowen by true preachynge / and Chrystes doctrine beleued. For he came into the worlde / and for that purpose was borne / to beare wytnesse vntounto the truthe / whom the father wylled onlye to be harde / concernynge faythe.
4 This temple and tabernacle open / or God and his worde ones knowne in thys latter age / the seuen Angels cometh forth. The eternall decrees of Gods secrete iudgementes apereth / and are fulfylled in their tymes. As Angels or massengers of God they hauehave in his eternyte their iust plages in their season appoynted to be exhybited.
5 And therfor are they seyd to come out from the temple which is God. Nothynge hath he purposed to the worlde / but he hath decreed yt afore the worldes constitucyon. For his purpose / mynde / and pleasure / is as he is / euerlastynge. And as it falleth to the worlde by his assignement / it becometh a massenger / goynge out of the temple. So manye hath he sent of soche massengers / as he hath fulfylled decreed purposes. And maruele not though they be here called Angels / consyderynge that it ys the common maner of the holye scrypturs euermore to call them Angels whych vttereth the wyll / pleasure / and commaundement of God / as they do here. After thys sort are the prestes called Angels / so ys Aggeus the holye Prophete / so is Saynt Iohan Baptyst / so are Chrystes dyscyples / and also the publyque preachers.
6 What the plages are that they shall shed out of theyr vyals / wyll be shewed clerelye in the next chapter folowynge / one after an other.
7 These angels are aparelled in pure whyght lynnen / bryght shynynge as chrystall / and gyrded about theyr brestes with gyrdels of fyne golde / which betokeneth theyr syncere clennesse / and their gloryouse perfyghtnesse. For what can be more pure and precyouse / than the eternall decrees of the lorde? What can be more perfyght and gloryouse than hys prediffyned purposes? The lawes of God are vndefyled / the testimonyes are true / the statutes are ryght / the wayes are sure / the commaundementes are clere / the iudgementes are godlye / the wordes are pure and precyouse. Yea / the gyftes that come from the father of lyght are euermore perfyght and good.
8 The gyrdynge of their brestes / ys the streyght spearynge vpp of the secrete meanynge of Gods iudgementes from owr carnall vnderstandynge / tyll soche tyme as he openeth them vntounto vsus by hys sprete. For yt belongeth not vntounto vsus to decerne soche secretes as the father reserueth to hys owne power.
9 And one of the .iiij. Beastes or congregacyons (sayth Saynt Iohan) delyuered vntounto the aforesayd .vij. Angels vij. golden vyals replenished with the wrathfull dyspleasure of God whych lyueth for euermore. Though the congregacyons be in the fyrst chapter .vij. and in the forth .iiij. vnderstanded by the .iiij. Beastes / yet are they here in …his place brought all vntounto one / and called one of the .iiij. or els of the .iiij. made one / for so moche as the vnyuersall christen churche is of one consent / one faythe / one batyme / one God / and perteyneth to one Christ. For so moche also as it confesseth / beleueth / and teacheth one doctrine of helthe. One is my d…ue (sayth the holye ghost) one is my derely beloued darlynge. A Beast is it here noted / as lyuinge in the fleshe / and not yet mortifyed by deathe.
10 The vyals of Gods wrathe are the vngodly reprobates / fytt onlye for destruccyon. Golden are they here named / because they apere gloryouse in the worldlye iudgementes of menne. Verye paynted tombes are the dyssemblynge hipocrites / within full of stynkinge bones. A shynynge name of lyfe hauehave they and yet are they inwardlye dead. For all that they do is to be seane of menne.
11 Full of wrathe are they / wherbye is ment a synnefull vnderstandynge / with dampnable doctrynes. For verye swyft are they to all vngodlynesse. The .vi. propertees hauehave they which the lorde hateth / and the seuenth which he vtterlye abhorreth. A proude loke / a dissemblynge tonge / bloudye handes / a wycked hart / fere rydye vntounto myschef / wayes to practyse lyes / and sowynges of dyssencyon amonge bretherne. These are geuen of the true christen congregacion to the .vij. Angels / or decreed purposes of God to be iudged as they hauehave eternallye diffyned. For non other is their continuall prayer / but that his wyll be fulfylled / and that his predyfined intentes agaynst the peruerse multytude be fynyshed at their conuenyent tymes. Non other is it to putt into the Angels handes the vyals of Gods displeasure / than thus to committ them by faythfull prayer to his purposed decrees or foreset ordinaunces.
12 But because that commonlye whan Gods iudgementes begynne to waxe knowne / all thynges are commoued and trobled / therfor is it sayd here consequentlye that the temple was full of smoke / by reason of the mageste of God and of his gloryouse power. This smoke are serten mysteryes / representynge vntounto vsus the hydden mageste of Gods eternall presence. Whose bryghtnesse can no frayle vnderstandynge abyde. Nor / all the worlde cowde not sustayne it yf all thynges were open and playne concernynge it. In no wyse coulde Moyses presentlye se the face of God / onlye myght he be suffred to se his backe partes. For no manne can se God and lyue. Onlye is he seane here in this lyfe as in a glasse or vnderunder a darke speakynge. He apereth vntounto vsus here in a mystycall smoke / lyke as he ded to the Patriarke Iacob in slepe / to Moyses in the flamynge bushe / to Helias in the horle wynde / to the Apostles in fyerye tonges / and vntounto Ananias in a secrete vysyon.
13 VnderUnder the shaddowe of fygurate locucyon is his glorye of the electe persones and faythfull beleuers knowne. The vnfaythfull reprobates beholdeth the smoke / but neyther perceyue they in it the glorye of God / nor the mageste of his presence. They neyther conceyue his wonderfull workes / nor yet his godlye iudgementes. Their folyshe hartes are so darkened / that though they knowe God / yet glorifye they him not. They set the smoke and perceyue the worlde trobled (as it is alwayes whan the veryte apereth) but neuer the more faythe nor godlye knowlege hauehave they. But that which is vntounto the faythfull a rayse / is vntounto thē a ruyne. That is vntounto the other the power of God vntounto helthe / is vntounto them slaunder and folyshnesse. And that is vntounto the other a sauoure of lyfe vntounto lyfe / is vntounto them a sauoure of deathe vntounto deathe. They remember not that the lorde came downe in fyre vntounto Moyses vponupon mount Synay whan it smoked all togyther lyke a burnynge fornace / and therfor bere they awaye no glorifyed faces / or consciences depured by a true perfyght faythe.
14 And no manne was able (sayth the text) to enter into the tēple / tyll the .vij. deadlye plages of the .vij. angels were whollye fulfylled. For though the true beleuers perceyue in the misteries of the scripturs / the present mageste and mygh tye power of God / yet enter they not in to full knowlege of him / beynge as yet subiect vntounto vanyte. For here is theyr knowlege vnperfyght / and their prophecyenge also. And therfor acknowlegynge their imbecillite / and also waytynge for the reuelacion of the childrē of God / they saye with Saynt Paule. O the wō derfull depenesse of the wysdome and knowlege of God. How incomprehensible are his iudgementes / and how vnsearcheable his wayes.
15 And at this poynt. shall they styll be tyll the last iudgement daye fynishe all. For the full enterynge into the temple is non other than a whole perfyght or consummate knowlege of God ād hys misteryes. Which can not fullye be had / tyll that which is vnperfyght be done awaye / the creature delyuered from bondage of corrupcyon. And tyll deathe be swallowed vp / the vessell of corrupcyon becommynge incorruptyble / ād the mortall bodye becommynge spyrituall. The ryghtouse shall than shyne as doth the sunne in the kyngedome of their father / and glyster as doth the bryght Starres worlde without ende. What the .vij. plages are / and what ys their fulfyllynge / wyll in this chapter folowynge apere.