A Hundred Sermons on Revelation, Sermons · Sermon 50
¶ The ſeuenth Angell bloweth the trompe, and the elders ſinge a ſong of prayſe. The .l. Sermon.
THe ſecond wo is paſt, The .12. chapter.and beholde the .iii. wo will come anone. And the ſeuenth Angell blewe, & there were made greate voices in heauen ſaiyng: The kyngedomes of this world are made our lordes & his chriſtes, and he ſhall reigne for euermore. And the foure and twenty Elders whiche ſitte before God on their ſeates, fel vponupon their faces, and worſhipped God ſaiyng: we geue thankes to thee Lorde God almightie: whiche arte and waſte, and art to come: for thou haſte receiued thy great power, and haſt raigned.
By the ſeuen trompes Angelicall not only the deſtenies of the church are ſhewed, but all the godly are alſo excited to watche, and to kepe ſpirituall warre.
And to the three laſt trompettes, as moſt daūgerouſe, are ioyned three woes,thre woes. ſignifiyng, as I ſayde in the ende of the 8. chapt. that al kinde of troubles and moſt greuouſe afflictions ſhal chaūce in theſe times, wherby men ſhal be brought in greateſt diſtreſſe. And the firſt in dede he hath ſeuered frō the ſeconde and thirde, by theſe wordes: one wo is paſt, and lo two woes are yet to come after this. Whiche maner of ſpeach doeth not breake of the matters, but frameth ye ſpeach in order. For the popiſh wo ceaſeth not, when the Turkiſſhe wo cometh on, but afflicteth the churches to gether. That maner of ſpeaking is geuen therfore to the order: ſo now he diſcerneth the thirde wo from the ſeconde: ſignifiyng in dede that Mahometes lawe ſhal indure to the laſt iudgemēt: and yet in the meane time denieth not, but that Papiſtrie ſhal cō tinewe ſo long alſo, wherof he hath hitherto in the .11. chapt. diſcourſed many thinges, hauyng finiſſhed the matters of Mahomet in the .9. chapt. Therfore the ſenſe of the Apoſtles wordes ſemeth to be this: you hauehave hearde of the firſte and ſeconde wo, heare furthermore alſo of the thirde and laſt wo.
And we muſt marke (which thing maketh chiefly for the conſolation of the godly) that the Apoſtle ſayeth expreſſely, that the firſt and ſeconde wo are paſte. For ſo he ſignifieth, that theſe two greateſt tirannes ſhall hauehave an ende, and that God hath euen preſcribed them certen limites and boūdes, which they can not paſſe. Let vsus therefore reioyce, that God hath a care ouer vsus, which will not neglecte, nother will permitte the wicked to do more than apperteyneth.
The third wo cleaueth to the wicked, & will come anone.The thirde wo ſhal ſticke, not in the godly, but in the wicked what time beyng oppreſſed with the laſte iudgemente, they ſhall goe beſides theyr expectation with their head the Deuill, to euerlaſtyng tourmentes. No tongue be it neuer ſo eloquent, can vtter thoſe vnſpeakeable paynes of this thirde wo. Wherefore Daniel ſayeth alſo in the .12. chapt. And the time ſhal be herd, ſuch as hath not ben ſince the beginning of people. But whē this wo ſhal be, is not expreſſed, nor determined, as nother ye day of iudgemēt: which is knowen to the father alone, & therfore muſt not be ſearched of vsus ouer curiouſly. That ſame is ſufficiēt for vsus, that it ſhal come ſhortely. For the Lorde ſayth in the goſpel, that he will for the electes ſake ſhortten thoſe harde tymes. And agayne, when theſe thinges begyn to be done, loke vp and lifte vp your heades, for your redemption approcheth nere. But theſe thinges begynne not nowe to be done, but are already accomplyſſhed. Wherfore it cannot be choſen, but that our redemption is at hand. Away than with thought and care, wherewith many tourment themſelues, that God delayeth ouer long, that he geueth ouer much to the wicked, that the godly are vexed to ſore, and in maner forſaken, muche more neglected. For the veritie ſayth: And beholde the thirde wo ſhall come anone, to witte in time. For in the tenth chapt. he affirmed by a ſolemne oth, that he will come vntounto iudgement. Nowe as concerning the very moment and oportunitie of time, geue glory to God, and acknowledge him in the courſes of tymes, and in all thinges and creatures, to vſe an oportunitie moſte exquiſite. Where therfore thou confeſſeſt in thy crede, I beleue that the Lorde ſhall come from the right hande of the father, to iudge the quicke and the deade: confeſſe alſo that he wyll come in tyme moſt dewe: And lyke as from the beginnyng of the world, he hath neuer forſaken or neglected thoſe that ſerued him, ſo will he no more neglecte them in the ende of the worlde.
For it foloweth,The .vii. Aungell bloweth ye vii. trōpe. that may expounde the thinges that go before. And the ſeuenth Angell blewe. For he declareth that the iudge is now at hand, he raiſeth from the dead, the godly and vngodly: the godly vntounto ioy, the wicked to payne euerlaſting. Theſe ſhalbe new battelles, but to the wicked vnfortunate, and altogether miſerable. Of the trompet of this Angell, you reade in the goſpell of S. Matthew. in the .24. chapt. and in S. Paule in the .4. chapt. of the firſte to the Theſſa. He ſhoulde adioyne nowe, the whole maner and diſcourſe of that laſt iudgement: but he wyll differre it to the .19. and .20. chapt. In the meane time wil he recite as he hath promyſed, the furies of Sathan againſte the churche, and howe he will vſe thoſe notable inſtrumentes the olde and newe Romane Empire, to committe murther, and in maner to diſtroye the churche: wherein not withſtandyng the wicked ſhall in this world alſo be put to moſte greuouſe punniſhmentes. Nowe omitting, or rather reſeruynge theſe thinges to their owne place, he celebrateth the gratulatiōs, reioycinges and praiſes of Sainctes.
The reioycyng of the wicked is inſolent & intollerable.The pride and arrogancie of the wicked, and chiefly of the Antichriſtians hath ſemed hitherto in the world intollerable: thei hauehave oppreſſed the godly, bragged of their victories and hauehave boaſted of theyr owne felicitie with full chekes: and as we ſhall heare in the .18. chapt. of this boke, that beaſte hath ſayed: I ſitte as Quene, & am no widowe, and ſhal neuer ſee any ſorrow. For voices are hearde from Rome: al Empires are oures. It is knowen what maner of thinges Auguſtinus Steuchus an Italian and chiefe champion of the Popes holines hath ſet forth in this cauſe againſt Laur…ce Valla, about the donation of Cōſtantine. And dayly are hearde the brags & reioycings of the papiſtes, of the euerlaſting cōtinuaūce of the See of Rome, of her victories, & oppreſſion of the preachyng of the Goſpell, & that the ſame hath her power ſtretched through out the world, &c. But in that day (what time verely our lord Ieſus Chriſt, ſhal aboliſh al power, rule, & authoritie & ſhal hauehave made al his enemies his fote ſtoole accordyng to the ſcripture in the .110. Pſalme. And in the .1. to the Corinth. the .15.) Ther ſhal be hearde againe the voyces of the gladde and ioyeful, ſinging trewe and eternal triumphing ſonges in heauen. For Angelles and ſainctes ſhal ſing together: wherfore the voices ſhal be greater & more durable, thā the voices of Chriſtes enemies, which laſt but a ſmal ſeaſon.
The ſonge of the Elders.Nowe alſo he rehearſeth the ſonge or triumphaunt dittie, and reioycyng: the kingdomes of this worlde are made our lordes, & his Chriſtes, and he ſhal raigne for euer more, Amē. He ſheweth two thinges, that all kingedomes are made the fathers and the ſonnes: and that he ſhal raigne for euermore. Al kingdomes were before alſo our lord Ieſus Chriſtes: but the ſame appered not ſo plainely to al men, what time the biſſhop of Rome alſo vſurped the ſame to him ſelfe, & oppreſſed thē which did only celebrate the name of Chriſt. But in that it ſhal truely appere, and that to all fleſhe, that al kingdomes were euer, and yet remayne of one & the eternal God. Chriſt therfore ouercometh, the veritie ouercometh, ye goſpel ouercometh, the churche ouercometh: they that are vanquiſhed, ſhal be led to hel, Mahomet with his, & the Biſhop of Rome with his. There is added, yt Chriſt ſhal raigne for euer more. Antichriſt in dede hath raigned, and the wicked hauehave reioyced in this worlde, but a very ſhorte time: but nowe ſhall the godly reigne with chriſt for euer more. Nother doeth he now diuide the kingdome of the father & the ſonne, but ſheweth it to be comon, where he ſayeth that the kingdomes are made: that is to ſaye. it is openly declared, that al kingedomes are of God the father and the ſonne, and that he ſhal reigne with his electe for euermore. So you may ſee that the place of S. Paule maye not be expounded after the lettre, which is writtē in the .1. to the Corinth. the .15. chapt. of that the ſon… muſt be ſubiected, & ſhall deliuer the kingdome to his father. For he ſhall deliuer the kingdome, to witte the church: that is to ſaye, ſhal bring, and preſent it to the father, and in his membres ſhal be ſubiecte to the father, with whom not withſtanding he him ſelfe ſhal reigne for euer. Thaffirmatiue vocable is annexed, Amen. Leeſte any man ſhould doubt one whitte of theſe celeſtial miſteries. Howbeit he doeth more playnely expounde afterwarde, what thoſe voices are that were ſpokē in Heauen, whileſt he annexeth the narration of the .xxiiii. Elders, and of ſuch thinges wherwith they prayſed God.
And here the moſt goodly & beautifull order of this boke ſemeth to me worthie to be obſerued. In ye beginning of this viſiō he brought in the ſame elders, teaching vsus by their exā ple & himnes, what we ſhould do: the ſame therefore he bringeth againe alſo in the ende of this viſion, that we might be inſtructed againe by their wordes & doynges, not only concernyng ye laſt iudgement, of what ſorte it ſhal be, moſt rightouſe doubtles, as al his iudgementes are (which ye whole viſiō approueth) but yt alſo we ſhuld vnderſtād, what becometh vsus, & what we ſhuld do: verely that we ſhould worſhip god, & ſubmit our ſelues whole vntounto him: & beleue ſtedfaſtly yt both ye iudgement ſhal aſſuredly come, & yt alſo it ſhalbe moſt iuſte.
A geuynge of thankesThe himne or prayer, which they offer vp vntounto God, is a kynde of prayſe. For it is a thankeſgeuyng or reioyſing for victory. For in ſuch ſort they geue God thanks, that neuertheleſſe they celebrate god highly, and reioyce to themſelues and to al godly for their ſaluatiō. For they geue god thanks for their ſaluation. And cōmend his iuſtice and veritie, which he ſheweth in this his iudgement, rewarding the good with good things, and the euil with euil. Therfore like as they riſe out of their chayres and fal downe before almighty God: euen ſo aught we alſo both nowe and euer to do. Whereof is ſpoken more in the .4. chap. Here we ſhould learne humilitie, and that God alone is to be worſhipped, & that to him alone al praiers or inuocatiōs, or geuing of thāks muſt be offered: the which thing is cleane repugnaūt to the popiſh doctryne.
We ſe now ye very thankeſgeuing, than the which no better can be found. They geue thankes vntounto God. Let vsus therfore thanke him alſo. And alſo cōmend & exalte him, whyleſt they call him the Lord, and God almightie: and alſo they celebrate his maieſtie, where they ſay: which arte, and which waſte, and which arte to come. They allude to the wordes of God, ſpoken in oulde tyme to Moſes in the .3. of Exodus. By the diuerſitie of tymes, the eternitie of God is fygured. But of this kynd of ſpeach I hauehave ſpoken more in the firſt chapt.
Chriſte in iudgement receyueth power and kingdome.And nowe they declare, wherefore they geue thankes: for thou haſte receiued thy great power, and haſt reigned. God verely neuer laide aſyde his power, that he nedeth to receiue it agayne: but what time he ſheweth not the ſame, and permittith very much to the vngodly, that they by their power can infringe, & preuayl againſt gods word, he ſemeth to hauehave layde it away. Therfore now that he oppreſſeth the wicked, and as a iudge auaūceth the godly, maintayneth the veritie, and deſtroyeth lying, he is truly ſayed to hauehave receyued his great power. Lykewiſe now is he ſaid to reigne, not becauſe he reigned not before, but foraſmoch as the lord hath reigned in the mids of his ennemies, ſo that ſome time it was doubtfull and vncertayne, whether Chriſte reigned or Antichriſte: yea that he hath had the vpper hand, and Chriſt hath ben oppreſſed: now yt Chriſt hath broken al the power of his aduerſaries, he is ſaid moſt truly to reigne. And very wel Eraſmus admoniſſheth in his annotations vpō the newe Teſtament, that the tranſlatour had tourned more aptely, Ebacilenſas, yf he had ſayed, thou haſt obteyned a kingdome. For the latin men ſaye, Regnauit, He hath reigned, whiche hath lefte reignyng: as they hauehave liued, which liue no more. But with the Grekes it is otherwiſe at the leeſte wiſe in theſe wordes. To our iudge moſt iuſte, moſt mightie, and moſt rightuouſe, be prayſe and glory, for euer and euer. Amen.