A Hundred Sermons on Revelation, Sermons · Sermon 21
¶ The Lorde geueth holſome counſell to the Laodiceans, admoniſhing them to repent. The .xxj. Sermon.
I Counſell thee to bye of me golde tried in the fier, that thou maieſt be ryche: And whyte rayment, that thou maieſt be clothed, that the ſhame of thy nakednes do not appere: And annoynte thyne eyes with eye ſalue, that thou maieſt ſee. As many as I louelove, I rebuke and chaſten. Be feruent therfore and repente.
Foraſmuch as God willeth not the death of a ſynner,Holſome counſell. but rather that he ſhould conuert and lyue: Therfore after a greuous blaming of ye church of Laodicea, he geueth her holſom counſell, admoniſhing & exhorting the ſame to repentaunce, and ſignifieth with all what is true repentaunce.
The Lord vſeth the word of counſelling,I counſell thee. not of commaunding, to thintēt to confound the madnes of them, which vnleſſe they be violently drawen, thinke not them ſelues admoniſhed, allured or called of the Lord. And whileſt thei loke for ſuch a drawing, they neglect al gods counſell, & fall from the true ſaluation. God counſelleth his elect ſuch thinges as are holſome: The choſen obey good counſelles. God toucheth their hartes inwardly, and outwardly by preaching of the worde, and by ſondry admonitions he pooleth and driueth man from euill to good. This counſel of God is not to be diſpiſed, and an other violēt vocation to be imagined. God his word muſt be heard. To day, ſaith ye Prophet, if ye heare his voice, do not harden your hartes. When the Lorde counſelleth with his worde, & the hearers harden their mindes, they do that through their owne fault, and are made authours of their own diſtruction. But they that receiue Gods counſell, receiued it not by the force of free will, but of the grace of God, which worketh in vsus to wille and to perfourme.
Therfore when the Lorde counſelleth holſome thinges, the choſen pray that they may receiue the ſame: And thei receiue them through grace, obeiyng the counſelles of God.
The ſome of the holſome counſell.And the ſome of the holſome counſell is this: Bie of me, ſaith the Lord, golde tried in the fire, that thou may be riche, maieſt bie apparel, and maieſt get eie ſalue to annoint thyne eies. He ſetteth theſe thinges as a medicine againſt the diſeaſes, which he diſcouered before, calling the church of the Laodiceans, poore, naked, and blinde. Now therfore he teacheth them how they may be riche, may be clothed, & may receiue their eyes or ſight again, if they verely get them ſelues golde tried, or concoct or purified.
Gold triedAnd gold tried in the fire, is golde moſte purified & cleane, hauinge in it no groſſenes or mettall, but pure and cleane golde. Hereby is ſhadowed the worde of God, wherof the Prophet ſang: The worde of the Lorde, is a pure worde, ſyluer tried in the fire, ſeuen tymes pourged in a veſſel of earth. Certenly the worde of God is light, comming of the eternal and moſte pure lyght, hauing no parte of humane filthines or affections, ſauouring of none errours, teachyng nothyng that is corrupt. Howbeit of it ſelfe it ſhall profit a man nothing, vnleſſe it be receiued with a true & ſincere faith. Therfore do I not ſeparate faith from the worde, and ſay therfore that the pure and ſincere faith is ſignified by golde. Wherof S. Peter ſaid, that the faith of our hartes be pourged. For although there be in vsus ſpottes and infirmities, yet is faith, by reaſon of the ſubiect wherupon he reſteth, moſte pure.
The worde of promiſſion, and euen Chriſte hym ſelfe is the obiect of faith, whiche is the very purenes it ſelfe. Wherfore the Lorde counſelleth that the Congregation of Laodicea, ſhould bye golde tried, he counſelleth that they ſhould heare Gods worde, and beleue it in deede. For the Lorde vſeth the worde of byeng, for receiuynge, hearynge, and obeying.
How the word of bying is vſedFor no man ſhall imagine, that there is bargayning before God, as there is with men: As though the ſpiritual gifts of God mought be bought for money. This is repugnaunt to the whole ſcripture, and ſpecially againſt the determination of S. Peter pronounced againſt Simon Magus. But this our expoſition the Prophet Eſay. Approueth in the .55. Chapter. Where amongeſt other thinges come, ſayth he, bye without mony, and without price, or exchaunge. And by and by: I… hearing heare me, incline your care, &c. Therfore the Romiſhe Chananite hath no hold hereof, I meane the Pope that great marchaunt, which ſelleth al thinges in the church, euen thoſe thinges which he hath not, the greateſt diſceiuer in the worlde. Hereunto is added moreouer, that lyke as it is in Eſay plainly expreſſed, of whome ſuche graces or giftes are to be bought: So Chriſt alſo here ſaith expreſſely, I counſel thee to bie of me. Behold he ſaith of me: Not of the Pope, of Monkes, Freers, or prieſtes. For Chriſt alone hath the thinges, whiche we may require. He alone doth ſatiſfie, he alone graunteth thoſe giftes. And therfore he ſayth in the Goſpell of S. Iohn: Let hym that hath honger or thirſt, come vntounto me: To me, I ſay, let him come. Iohn the .iiii. vi. and .vii And S. Peter ſayth, Lorde, to whom ſhall we go? Thou haſt the wordes of eternall lyfe. As though he ſhould ſay: If we wyll lyue, we can go to none other, but vntounto thee. Thou arte the lyfe and fountaine of all goodnes.
Moreouer the vſe and profit of this pure golde,The vſe & fruicte of pure gold. tried and moſte purified, I meane, the word of Gods veritie and pure fayth, is three ſortes. Firſt, that thou mayſt be ryche: Secondly, that thou mayeſt bye thee apparell: Thirdly, that thou mayeſt bye the eye ſalue, to heale the blyndnes of thine eyes. For the worde of God and fayth in hym, is the foundation of true pietie. Without the worde and faith nothinge is ſounde.
The firſt fruicte, is welthe or riches, to witte ſpiritual.The true riches of ye faithfull. For the worde and faith is not a falſe imagination, and a vayne dreame of thinges moſt excellent. For he that beleueth the worde feleth ioye in his harte, and inioyeth ſpirituall giftes: And poſſeſſing Chriſt, through faith poſſeſſeth all goodnes. Wherupon alſo the Apoſtle in the firſt chapt. of the firſt epiſtle to the Corinth. ſayd: I geue thankes to my God alwayes for you, for the grace of God that is geuē you in Chriſt Ieſu becauſe you ar in al thinges inriched by him, in eueryevery word, and in al knowledge (like as the teſtimony of Chriſt is cōfirmed in you.) In ſo muche that you are not deſtitute in any gift. &c. Let thē marke wel theſe things, which thinke worldly goodes to be true riche. Theſe foles ſhalbe iudged of the wiſdom of God, as it is manifeſt in the .12. cha. of S. Luke. And beſides this, they yt are deſtitute of the light of God his worde, and lack faith, cā not vſe rightly nor wel theſe earthly riches. Therfore heauenly riches, are the true riches.
The apparell of the faithfull.The ſecond fruict, is the clothing & comly apparel, wherwith we are couered, that our ſhameful nakednes ſhould not appere. Before their fal our parentes were naked, but with out any ſhame or ignominie: After the fal thei wer aſhamed. Becauſe ſinne bringeth ſhame, and want of al good workes: And an euill conuerſation, is a moſte ſhameful nakednes.
With this were the Laodiceans infected. But Chriſt, whiche is learned by the word of truth, and perceiued by true fayth, is the white apparel of the faithfull, their rightuouſnes & innocencie. He couereth al our ſpottes, he abholiſheth our ſhamefull nakednes, decketh vsus with all kinde of vertues, that we may appere honeſt and comly before God in holy conuerſation. For Chriſt is the wedding garment. The Apoſtle counſelleth vsus to put on Chriſt, & that we be appareled with rightuouſnes, temperaunce, and all goodnes. The places be in the .13. to the Romaines. Epheſ. 4. Coloſ. 3. chapt. Away here with the cowle of our Lady, vnderunder the whiche gather for the moſte part wicked and impenitent perſones. The moſt pure virgin couereth not ſuche,Our ladies cowle. ſhe loueth rightuouſnes and repentaunce.
Finally with this gold is bought an eie ſalue, which is a medicine for ye eies,Sight is reſtored. which Phiſitions are wont to lay to ſore and blere eies, againſt blindnes. The cōmaundement of the Lord, ſaith Dauid, is bright, geuing light to the eies. Faith alſo doth infourme rightly the iudgemēt of man, that we may iudge holily of vertues & vices. The want of God his worde and of true faith, bringeth in blindnes.
For all theſe thinges the Lord counſelleth the Laodicians, to ſeke for Gods word, and beleue it verely. For ſo it ſhould come to paſſe, that being inriched with al ſpiritual giftes, thei might leade a pure conuerſation in the church, might poſſeſſe Chriſt, and iudge rightly of al matters of ſaluation. And in theſe thinges alſo conſiſteth true repentaūce: In forgeuenes of ſinnes, and amendement of life. &c.
But leaſt they ſhould ſay, we heare theſe thynges in vain,The Lord rebuketh & chaſteneth whome he loueth. as they which hauehave heard before that we ſhall be ſpewed out of the Lordes mouth: yea and are ſo ſharpely ſhaken vp with bitter wordes & ſentences, that we are conſtreined to diſpair: He preuenteth that ſame & ſaith: whom ſoeuer I louelove, foreign I rebuke and chaſtē. The firſt word ſignifieth to accuſe and reproue openly, which is done with ſharper wordes: The latter is referred to diſcipline, wherby children are kept in awe with the Palmer, leaſt they forget them ſelues through wantonnes. The Lord therfore alluding to ye words of Salomon in the .iii. Chap. ſignifieth that a ſharpe rebuke, or ſeuere chaſtening is not always a ſigne that God is angry, but oftener a token that he is pleaſed and loueth vsus. Therfor he ſaith, firſt I rebuked you ſharpely of louelove, and ſo ſought your ſaluation. Therfore it is now alſo an holſome ſigne if ye preachers rebuke the church with ſharpe wordes: And again it is an vnlucky ſigne, if a foxe tayle be ſtroken ouer faultes intollerable. It is a token of louelove alſo, if a man ſuffer ſondry miſhappes. Which thing the Apoſtle diſcourſeth at large in the .xii. Chapt. to the Hebre.
VponUpon theſe thinges he inferreth the ſome of the matter,zeale & repentaunce. & ſayth: Where thou ſeeſt God ſo earneſtly ſeke thy ſaluation, I pray thee continue not always to be thus in a mammering nether hote nor cold. foreign, be zelouſe, take vntounto thee a feruent zeale to followe and apprehend thy ſaluation. For now he ſetteth the feruentnes of faith conceaued of the word and ſpirite of God, againſt this newtralitie or warmnes. After he addeth, and repent, in ſorſaking thyne euill conuerſation, and being of Chriſt tried gold: That is purefied & pourged, wherby thou maiſt be riche, be arayed in whyte, and mayſt hauehave a medicine wherwith to annointe thine eyes, that thou maieſt ſee. To God be glory.