A Hundred Sermons on Revelation, Sermons · Sermon 46
¶ S. Iohn meaſureth the temple, and ſheweth that God hath a care of it: and the quire he excommunicateth. The .xlvi. Sermon.
ANd there was geuen me a reede like vntounto a rodde, The 11. chapter.& it was ſayed vntounto me: riſe and mete the Temple of God, and the Aultar, and them that worſhippe therin, and the quire which is within the Temple, caſte out, and mete it not: for it is geuen vntounto the gentiles, and the holy citie ſhall they treade vnderfote .xlii. monethes.
The lord is yet in cōforting, and in deſcribyng the hoſtile warre againſt Antichriſt: and ſheweth that the churche ſhall not be forſaken in thoſe Antichriſtians and turkiſh difficulties: that the enemies ſhal neuer ſo quietly inioye althinges, but that the churche ſhall hauehave alſo her champions or defenders, which ſhal moſt valcauntly reſiſt Chriſtes aduerſaries.
And thoſe things are figuratiue,The ſome of this ſermon. which are reherſed in the beginning of the chapt. and ſeme to be taken out of the .40. chapt. of Ezechiel. As be thoſe alſo which are ſpokē in the .7. chap. of the faithful ſealed, out of the .9. chap. of the ſame prophet. For he is commaunded to meaſure the temple, and to caſt out the inwarde quire: wherof he ſheweth the cauſe. And he meaneth not the Temple of Hieruſalem,The tēple. whiche laye in ruine, nother ſhould be repared, after the prophecie of Daniel and Chriſt: but the very church of God, I meane the whole nombre of the choſen. For S. Paule calleth the faythful the Temple of God, liuely verely, as alſo S. Peter .1. Peter .2. And .1. Corinth. 3. And .2. Corinth. 6.Aulter. We hauehave ſayed nowe ofte times, that Chriſt is the only Aultar in the church, and ſacrifice for ſinne, and Prieſt and interceſſour on the right hande of the father. The worſhippersWorſhippers. be they that worſhippe God through Chriſt in ſpirite and veritie, and ſerue him lawefully or with feare. So many as be ſuch, that is, who ſo euer cleaue vntounto Chriſt the only peace maker of the faithful, & ſerue god truely by faith, they be the very Temple of God, & the trewe church. Theſe hath S. Iohn meaſured:To mea… the tēple. &c. that we ſhould vnderſtāde how the lord fixeth his minde to buylde vp the church, not to diſtroye it. For they that will buylde mete the platte, wherupon the buildinges ſhould be ſet: as appeareth in the 40. of Ezech. Then was alſo the tēple deſtroyed of the Chaldeis, as ye church is now waſted by the Papiſtes & Turkes: But the Lorde promiſeth by this meaſuring, that he will repare the ruines of the churche of the merite of Chriſte, and faithful worſhippers: moreouer he ſignifieth, that the faithful in theſe troubles ar numbred (before we heard they were ſealed) and ſure whome no hoſtile power can hurt in al theſe difficulties. For as the Aulter Chriſte is vndefyled, and cannot be polluted or deſtroyed by any power of the Deuil: So are the ſhepe of Chriſt knowen to God, and periſh not: As alſo the ſame Lord Ieſus Chriſt teſtifieth in the .10. of Iohn, and the Apoſtle in the .2. Timothe. 2. Briefely the faythfull of Chriſt be in the cōmunion of god and of all his good things, in the care, buildinge, numbre, and defence. This is a moſte aſſured conſolation. Howbeit where the Lorde in the goſpell prophecied, that the true faythful ſhoulde be excomunicated of the falſe teachers, & here alſo foreſaw, what ſhuld chaunce to the vngodly paſtours of the falſe byſhoppes: he ſayth verely that they apparteine nothing to the buildinge of God,The quire with in muſte be caſt out. but to be of God excommunicated, to the intent the godly ſhould not feare their cenſure and curſinge. And here is the election of two ſortes, whereof the firſt is more allowed, that is, foreign the hall or quyre that is within, caſt out; that is to ſaye, declare thē that be in this quire, to be caſt out of God. Verely the Antichriſtians wil be within the Tē ple, or inwarde partes of the temple, & the chiefeſt part of the church, in ſo much that who ſo euer acknowledgeth not thē, and follow them not in al thinges, & frame him ſelfe conformable to the churche of Rome, is iudged to be an heretike. The inwarde quire in the lawe was the ſtatiō of prieſtes, the place wherin they were when they ſhould do ſacrifice. And whileſt he ſayeth the quire muſt be caſte out, he ſignifieth figuratiuely that the Antichriſtian prieſtes ſhal be throwē out. For the place is ſet for the thing cōteined therin. And where he ſayeth, caſte out. This he ſayeth, thoſe whome God hath ſhut out, declare thou to be caſt out. For God doeth excommunicate, man pronounceth & executeth Gods iudgement. The latter lection is of this ſort: & the quire (foreign) which is with out, caſt out. So hath the Spaniſh copie. And howe ſhal you caſte out that which was with out before? Therfore I like, as I ſayed, the former reading. But we reiect not this reading nother. For the hall that is with out, ſignifieth the Colledge or felowſhip not cōmunicating with thonly aultar Chriſt, or with the true church of Chriſt, ſuch as al this boke ſheweth the Popes to be with al their familie. Morouer the Phariſeis & prieſtes caſte out him yt was borne blynde,What is to caſt out. Iohn the .9. that is to ſaie, did excōmunicate him for the confeſſion of Chriſt, and the lord ſayeth in the .15. of Iohn: Yf any abyde not in me, he is caſte out, as a braunche, and whithereth. Therfore whileſt S. Iohn is commaunded here to caſte out the Colledge of prieſtes, he is verely cōmaunded to declare. that thoſe prieſtes were excōmunicated, which wold be and ſeme the chiefe prelates of Chriſtes church. He is alſo forboden, to mete this quire. For bicauſe God will not edifie but diſtroye them: nother hauehave them nōbred emonges his. For he hath reiected them. Who thā wil herafter care this much for the excōmunicatiō of them that are excōmunicated? wicked popes hauehave excōmunicated Emperours noble men and godly: & diſcharging their ſubiectes of their fidelitie hauehave ſet them in their princes toppes. The ſtorie of Gregory the .2. is knowen againſt Leo Iſauricus: and of Gregory the .7. agaynſ… Henry the .4. And of Innocence alſo, agaynſt Fredericke the .2. and of other Biſhoppes againſt right good princes. Doubtles the chiefe ſtringe of the popiſh tyranny hath ben excommunication, which the Lord here lowſeth.
Nother doeth the Lorde counceale,The quire is geuē to the heathē. whie he pronounceth the prieſtes, or inwarde quire excōmunicated; for becauſe it is geuen to the heathen. Which phraſe of ſpeach is as much of force, as if you ſhould ſaie: for as much as in the quire they playe not the prieſtes or faithful miniſters, but the gentiles, which hauehave occupied this place. But the gentiles are rightly ſhutte out of the fellowſhippe of God and the church: where the lord him ſelf in the goſpel ſaied: if he heare not the church let him be vntounto thee as an heythen & publicane. Vndoubtedly they that be not in the Temple or churche, or els be in the inner quyre, that is to ſaye, which wil be accompted emongs the prelates of the church: and yet hold not of Chriſt, but are more comformable to the heythen, than to Chriſtianes: are accompted moſt iuſtely excluded emonges the gentiles.
The pope and all papiſtes are heythen.And now let vsus ſee, wherfore he accompteth antichriſt the pope with his membres emōges the heythen. They that are borne of god, heare the word of god, & glorifie it: they that be not as yet borne of God, but remaine gētiles, not only heare not gods word, but alſo blaſpheme ye ſame. So theſe men wil not heare gods worde, & ſeke with all their indeuour, how to feare men awaye frō the ſcriptures, which are Gods word. They ſaie that they be obſcure, doubtful, vncertaine, & vnperfet. Thoſe that beleue & cleaue to the ſame thei cal heretikes: & the doctrine takē out of the ſame, hereſie. Agayne they that hauehave not Chriſt their head, & as braunches growe not to the vine, hauehave no cōmunion with Chriſt, & be gentiles. But ſuch is the pope & his adherentes, perſecuting Chriſt ſtil, & al thoſe that affirme Chriſt to be the only head of the churche, Chriſt alone to be our rightuouſnes & life, yt al the faithful are made fully cōplete by Chriſt. He that thus beleueth, they pronoūce him an heretike. Moreouer the gentiles worſhippe Idolles, call vponupon creatures, ſuppoſe God to be honoured with corruptible thinges as gold, ſiluer, & preciouſe things, dedicated to the Temple, and ſet vp to beaultifie the ſame. But what other thinge doe they in the churche at this daye? Thou ſeeſt playnely heathen Temples when thou ſeeſt their churches. The life alſo of the gentiles is ſhamefull and filthie: they are geuen to voluptuouſenes, ful of ſurfetting, addicte to filthie luſte, they ſtinke in whoredome, and excede in gorgeouſe apparel and pamperyng of the body. See what thinges the Apoſtle writeth of the life and conuerſation of the heythen in the .4. and .5. chap. to the Epheſians. And in the .1. chapt. to the Romaines. And in the .1. to the Corinth. the .5. and .6. chapter. Nowe what the life of the Pope is and of his ſpiritualtie, the thing it ſelfe to openly teſtifieth, that euen for this cauſe only they might and ought to be accompted emongs the excōmunicated, the Apoſtle him ſelf pronouncyng the ſentence of excōmunication, in the place whiche we hauehave nowe cited, the .1. to the Corinth. the .5. We maye put herunto their Epicureiſme. For if thei ſet by any religiō, if they hauehave any feare of God in them, whie do they ſelle all thinges in the church, forgeuenes of ſinnes, heauen, Chriſt, the oblation of Chriſt, matrimony, miniſterie, briefly al thinges? whie call they in doubt diuerſe articles of our belefe? what meane theſe doubtful diſputations of the immortalitie of ſoules, and reſurrection of bodies? whie make they a mockerie of the life euerlaſtyng?
Hereunto is added, that theſe treade vponupon,The holy citie is troden vnderunder fote. yea ſpurne the holy citie: for therfore maye they iuſtely betaken for excommunicated. This holy citie, is not that earthly Hieruſalem, but the church of God, whereof the holy citie was a figure: as S. Paule expoundeth in the .4. chapt. to the Galathians. For the earthly Hieruſalem, according to the ſaiynges of the prophetes, hauyng played her parte, laye in aſſhes neuer to be reſtored. The lord therfore ſignifieth that the holy church of Chriſte, ſhould through the tiranny of Antichriſt and Antichriſtians be troden vnderunder fote. And it ſignified more, that he ſayed, to treadeTo treade. vponupon: than if he had ſayed to afflicte and perſecute. For treadyng vpō is ioyned with the greateſt deſpite of him that is troden on: and hereby is ſignified an extreme aſſayling and wōderful crueltie of the enemies, which they practiſe on them thei ouercome, and hauehave to vſe at their pleaſure. We reade in Daniel of the Romanes: The beaſt had great yron teth, eatyng and breakyng ſmal, and the reſt treadyng vnderunder her fete. For wanton beaſtes are woonte to treade with their fete ſuch thinges as they can not deuoure, when they be full. And Salomon in the .27. of the Prouerb. A ſoule that is ful, ſayeth he, treadeth the hony combe. Malachie in the .4. chapt. ſpeakyng of the ioye of the godly: ye ſhall leape, ſayeth he, as calues of the heerde, and ye ſhall treade vponupon the wicked, whiche ſhal be as duſte vnderunder the ſoules of your fete. Briefly S. Iohn by treading ſignifieth the oppreſſion of the church ioyned with greate tiranny, and wantonnes, and with the excedyng great mockerie and gladnes of the wicked. And ſemeth playnely to hauehave alluded to theſe wordes of the godly prophet: O God the heathē are comen into thine inheritaunce, thy holy Temple hauehave they defiled, and made Ieruſalem an heape of ſtones. The dead bodies of thy ſeruauntes hauehave they geuen to be meate vntounto the fowles of the aire: and the fleſhe of thy Sainctes vntounto the beaſtes of the lāde. Their bloud hauehave they ſhed like water on eueryevery ſide of Ieruſalem, and there was no man to bury them: & the reſt that followeth. in ye .78. Pſalme. And a little after in this chap. ſhal follow mo thinges of the perſecution of Antichriſt. Nother ſhal theſe thinges be obſcure, in caſe you compare them with thoſe, which are done at this day in the church of rome agaynſt the louers of Chriſtes goſpell.
The rekenīg of .xlii. monethes.Beſydes here is ſhewed a certayne time, in the which the perſecution of Antichriſt ſhould be cruell againſt the church, to wit the ſpace of two and fourtie monethes. In the accōpte wherof ſome tourment themſelues maruelouſely. I ſuppoſe playnely that a certayne time was aſſigned, & that not without cauſe, & yet not withſtanding an vncerten time to be vnderſtand. A certaine time therfore is aſſigned, that we might vnderſtande, that God hath appointed an ende of their furies: which as he him ſelf alone doeth know, ſo would he ſignifie to his faithfull the ſame time not in yeres, but in monethes only, for a cōſolation. For we ſuffer more eaſely, that which we perceiue ſhal cōtinewe but a fewe monethes. This ſenſe hath alſo Aretas after a ſorte touched, writing thus: we ſuppoſe that the time of .xlii. monethes doeth expreſſe a ſhortening of time, about the comyng of Antichriſt: for the which affliction to be executed vponupon the louers of God,Math. 24. Chriſt very God ſayeth, that thoſe dayes ſhould be abbreuiated. And theſe .xlii. monethes, are three yeres & a halfe, wherein it ſhall come to paſſe that the faithful, and the very tried, ſhal be troden and ſuffer perſecution. Thus ſayeth he.
Thre yeres & a halfe, ye yeres of Antichriſt.Doubtles al expoſitours in a maner beyng verely taught by this place, hauehave attributed to the kingdome of Antichriſt, and to his moſt cruel perſecutions, not mo yeres than three and a halfe. For ſo many yeres make .xlii. monethes, yf ye put to a yere .xii. monethes. Howbeit the Scripture and the thing it ſelf ſpeaketh, that the kingdome of Antichriſt ſhould be a great deale longer. Wherupon I ſayed, that a certayne time is aſſigned of thapoſtle, & an vncerten time vnderſtand: that is to ſaye, al that ſame time, that is rekened frō the fatall yeres .666. wherof is mentioned in the .13. chapt. of thapocalipſe, vntil the laſt iudgemēt. And whie I do expounde a certen time by an vncerten, theſe be the cauſes. Firſt, for aſmuch as the ſame nombre of monethes is put here in the .13. chapt. And is aſcribed to the olde Romane Empire, verely that in their tribulations the Sainctes might vnderſtand, & comfort themſelues, that there is an ende appoincted to their tirāny, which is knowen of God: and that the Sainctes ſhould no more be ſorrowful, than if they ſhould be cōſtreyned to abide their tiranny a fewe monethes only. Otherwiſe if ye ſhould accompte from the firſte yere of Iulius Ceſar, and bring the courſe of time vntil that yere, wherin Odacer at Rome, al emperours of the weſte beyng takē awaye, was acknowledged for King, you ſhal not finde only three yeres and an half, but about fiue hondreth and .xvii. yeres. Yf you ſhal bring the accompte from Iulius to the empire taken awaye, and geuen to the pope, you ſhal finde about .767. yeres. The later cauſe: for that Daniel, the Lorde Chriſte, and the Apoſtle S. Paule, agreablely do ſaye, that the perſecution of Antichriſt ſhould laſt vntounto the iudgemēt. But who ſhal rekē vntounto vsus the yeres and dayes of the laſt iudgement? And therefore muſt the nō bre certayne be expounded by the vncerten, and muſt thinke that al thinges are nombred & prefixed in the counſel of god, which neuer neglecteth his faithfull. To him be glory for euermore. Amen.