A Hundred Sermons on Revelation, Sermons · Sermon 72
¶ The ſeuenth Aungell powreth out his vialle. The .lxxij. Sermon.
ANd the ſeuēth Angel powreth out his Viall into the Ayre. And there came a great voyce out of Heauen from the ſeate, ſayeng: it is done. And there folowed voyces, thonderinges, and lightnings, and there was a great Earthquake, ſuche as was not, ſynce men were vponupon the Earth, ſo mightye an Earthquake and ſo great. And the great Citie was diuided into thre partes. And the cities of nations fell. And great Babilon came in remē braunce before God, to geue vntounto her the cup of wyne of fearcenes of his wrath. And eueryevery Ile fled awaye, and Mountaynes were not founde. And there fell a great haile, as it had bene talentes, out of Heauen vponupon the men, and the men blaſphemed God becauſe of the hayle, for it is great, and the plague of it was ſore.
The ſeuenth and laſt cup poured out into the ayre,The laſte iudgement of God fygured by ye ſeuēth Angell. ſignifieth the parturbation and alteration of all elementes: and the horrible, but yet iuſte iudgemente of God, and fynallye the ende of all thinges, & paynes euerlaſting. The thinges be incloſed wyth fyguratyue ſpeaches, taken for the moſte parte out of the Prophetes, and by a priuie compariſon brought oute of the holy ſtorie. Which is done for this conſideration, that all thinges might be more full of Maieſtie, and that eueryevery man ſhoulde more dilligentelie, ſearch for the ſence of an excellēt matter, which found ones, he might kepe and retaine in perfecte memorie.
And what tyme the Ayre is moued,Sore tempeſtes. ſondry and horrible tempeſtes arryſe in the ayre. And the Lorde Ieſus in the goſpell after Mathew teſtifieth, that aboute the laſt comming of Chriſte, the powers of heauen ſhall be moued. And as ſoone as the cuppe was powred out into the ayer, and a great tempeſt arryſen, a voice ſounded foreign, it is done. By the which voyce is ſignified,An ende is at hande. howe all thinges are at an end, euen of the whole world, moch more of wicked papiſtrie. And this voice is heard out of the very temple of heauen, and trone of God, leeſt we ſhould doubte any thing of the veritie and certentis of the ſentence geuen, and againe of the vertue and power of him that doeth pronounce it. Therfore are they ſhamefullye diſceaued, ſo many as affirme the worlde to be euerlaſtinge, and that they ſhal reigne alwayes vponupon earth, and inioy the pleaſures therof. A voyce from heauen, out of the moſt holy temple of God, and euen oute of the moſte ſincere trone of the Almightie, ſpeaketh, that it is done. For he ſpeaketh of the time to come as though it were paſte, that we might as certenly knowe that all worldlie and popiſh thinges ſhoulde hauehave an ende, as we vndoubtedly knowe the thinges to be done, which are already paſt. Let vsus therfore watch, and put no confidence in the thinges of this worlde, which are moſte deceiptful. All thinges ſhal fal to decay, and come to naught, men onelyonly, and the bleſſed ſpirites, remayning through the grace of God, the vnhappie alſo remayning perpetually, appointed to perpetuall punniſhment by the iuſtice of God.
A fygure of Goddes iudgementAnd lyke as the holy Prophetes ded by fygures ſet forth the iudgemente of God to be ſene of mennes eyes, ſo nowe here the Lord Ieſus by Saincte Ihon in a figuratiue ſpeach, ſhaddoweth the terrour of that horrible iudgemente. For he ſayeth howe ther ſhal be thonderinges, voyces, lightninges, and thōderbolts, & an earthquake, ſo terrible, that the world hath neuer at any tyme felte the lyke. For Saincte Peter alſo in the ende of his latter epiſtle, reciteth terrible thinges of the laſte day, and burnyng of all worldlie thinges. But the quaking and terrour of mennes myndes, ſhalbe yet a great deale more terrible than al theſe.
The godly are exempted frome cruell terrours.The Lord in S. Mat. goſpel. Than ſhal wayle ſayeth he, all the kinreds of ye earth. For the vngodly, whoſe cōſciēces are wicked & corrupt, ſhall fele thoſe terrours & tourmēts vnſpekable. The godly like as according to ye ſaiēg of our ſauiour, thei com not into iudgemēt: ſo although yt thei alſo by reaſon of the infirmitie of the fleſh, be ſome what aſtonied at the ſodaine alteration of things, and the terrible tearing and craſhing of all elementes, yet foraſmoch as they hauehave knowen before, that the ſame ſhulde come to paſſe, and beleue the Sauiour ſayeng, your redemption draweth nere, they gather vp their ſpirites, and comfort themſelues in Chriſt, and reioyce in him, comming to iudge or condemne the vngodly, but to ſaue the godly. And herein is alluded to ſondry ſtories of the holy ſcriptures, but chieflly to ye burning of Sodome, to the drowning of Pharao in the red ſea, and ruine of Iericho, &c. Thoſe were verelie but ſeueral deſtructions, and yet terrible aboue meaſure: therfore what thinke we that laſte deſtruction will be, which ſhall be generall?
Than ſhall that great Citie be cut a ſunder,The great citie ſhalbe deuided in to .3. parts. the vniuerſalitie of men in the great church, deuided into thre partes: that is to ſaie, in the end ſhal there thre kindes of menne be found in the Church. There be true Chriſtians, which attribute to Chriſte his true glorie, that is, all thinges of true ſaluation, and cleaue to him alone by ſincere fayth. There be Papiſtes, which after the lettre aſcribe vntounto Chriſte many thinges, but not as became them: for they aſcribe thoſe thinges to Antichriſte, which belong to Chriſte alone: and in cōmunicating with him, ſuch thinges as be not to be cōmunicated, they deny Chriſt. For yf the Pope be head of the church vniuerſall, yf he be king and prieſt, &c. Wherfore is Chriſte preached to hauehave thoſe thinges alone? There be moreouer Newters, which will not ſeme to denie Chriſte, and yet attribute not a litle to Antichriſte, whome yet neuertheleſſe in many things they contemne and deſpyſe vtterly. Theſe hauehave no certayne religion, but eſtabliſhed and conceaued at their pleaſure, as it liketh or pleaſeth them, to beleue this or that. There is a great numbre of theſe men at this day, deryding and mockyng whatſoeuer is not tuned after their moſte light, and wanton Lucianicall wittes. You may fynde alſo in the goſpell, a felde ſowen with ſondrie ſeede, to bring forth moſte dyuerſe fruictes, yea euen cockle and darnell, which at length in the ende of the worlde ſhalbe gathered. &c. Math. 13.
Moreouer the Cities of the Gentiles (ſayeth he) ſhall fal,The cities of the Heathen fall. by the which I vnderſtan̄d the Iewiſh, Turkiſh, and ſtraunge religions, plucked into ſondry ſectes or hereſies. But eueryevery one of theſe hauehave their ſocieties, rytes, and lawes, which they commend to be the beſte, and ſuch as ſhall endure for euer: but they ſhal fal alſo. The only religion or faith of Chriſt ſhall preuayle and ouercome. Aretas expounding this place after the ſame ſorte: The Cities of the heathen, ſayeth he, falling downe, be dyuerſe opinions of faith about religion, &c. They (I ſay) are fallen all.
Great Babilon came into … remēbraunce of God.But eſpecially it was mete and requiſite, he affirmeth and ſheweth diligently, that the Citie and church of Rome ſhuld be deſtroyed, and committed to perpetuall tourments. I declared ſufficientlie before, that Babilon is Rome, whiche in very dede is greate, not in Italie onelie, but through out all Fraunce, Spayne, Germanie, and other Realmes: the citie and church of Rome hath ſeemed to many, that it ſhoulde be euerlaſting and triumphaunte for euer. Herein the Epicures crie, that God careth not for theſe inferiour thinges: but that eueryevery man liueth here, eyther happelie or v…happelie, according as he hath diſcretelie and wittelie framed his lyfe: that knoweth not of our pleaſures and diſpleaſures, and our conuerſation. But contrariwiſe Sainct Ihon affirmeth, that the Lorde hat remembred Babilon: and ſo to hauehave remembred her, that he hath determined to commit her to tourmentes. The which he vttereth by a prophetical phraſe of ſpeach, that he might geue vntounto her, the cup of wyne of indignation, or fearceneſſe of his wrath: that is to ſay, that he might pūniſh her accordinglie, as the great indignation and wrath of God requyreth. Therefore ſhe ſhall hauehave no ſmall punniſhmente: for the wrath of God is not lighte, but moſte greueouſe and hotte. For he requireth and recompenceth the ſlackeneſſe of punniſhment, with the extremitie of payne and tourmente. The lyke thinges you may reade in the .3. of Malachie: howe God hath bokes written. Touching the cup alſo, of the wyne of Gods furie, to ſpoken of before oute of the Prophetes.
❀ …l Iles flee.Nowe alſo emonges other thinges by a figuratiue ſpeach he ſheweth, that the vngodlye hauehave no refuge, nor way to eſcape. Otherwiſe wolde the richer ſo…te, in daūgers hyde thē ſelues farre of in Ilandes, that they might be out of gunſhot: many flee into the Mountaines, that they maye there lurke ſafely. But nowe he ſayeth, howe the very Ilandes flee, and therefore that fleyng they can not be ouertaken. He addeth that the Mountaynes, that is to ſaye, no places of refuge or lurking can be founde. Therfore there remaineth nothing but that al vngodly in general beyng taken ſhould be put to tormentes.
Furthermore he addeth, that hayle as bygge as talentes ſhould be caſte downe from heauen vponupon wicked men: and that ſuche as hath not ben remembred to hauehave fallen in no memory of mē.Hayle like talentes. And he ſemeth to hauehave alluded to the ſtory of the Chananites, which is in the .10. cha. of Ioſua. To be ſhort here is ſignified that the greuouſe and ineuitable iudgement of God pronounced agaynſt al vngodly, ſhal at the general iudgemēt tormente the wicked with ſuch an extremitie, that no eloquence of men, no ſence nor vnderſtandyng cā attaine vntounto: for it is alwaies more greuouſe. Primaſius expounding this place, ſayeth: he ſetteth the wrath of reuēgemēt, in haile. Whereof we reade: the wrathe of the Lorde falleth downe like hayle. Nother doeth he without cauſe mention of a talente weight. For with equitie wil he inflicte iudgement, &c.
Here is ſhewed the obſtinate and vncurable mutining and impatiencie of the wicked,The wicked blaſpheme god in their tormentes. wherby they are incenſed againſt Gods iudgementes, vomiting out blaſphemies agaynſt the Iudge him ſelfe and his iudgement. I hauehave handled theſe thinges more briefly, for that we hauehave hearde in a maner the ſame before aboute the ende of the .11. chapt. To the Lorde be prayſe and glory.