A Hundred Sermons on Revelation, Sermons · Sermon 90
¶ The Iudge, and laſte iudgement is deſcribed, with the reſurrection of the dead. The .XC. Sermon.
AND I ſawe a greate white ſeate: and him that ſat on it, frō whoſe face fled awaye both the Earth and heauen, and their place was no more founde. And I ſawe the dead, both great and ſmal ſtande before God: and the bokes were opened: & an other boke was opened, whiche is (the boke) of life, and the dead were iudged of the thinges whiche were writtē in the bokes, according to their dedes. And the Sea gaue vp her dead, whiche were in her, and death and helle deliuered vp the dead, which were in them: and they were iudged eueryevery mā according to his dedes. And death and hel were caſte into the lake of fire. This is the ſeconde death, and who ſo euer was not fownde written in the booke of life, was caſte into the lake of fire.
The order or diſpoſi…iō of this place.S. Iohn had begonne to ſpeake of the vniuerſall and laſte iudgement, about the ende of the .11. chapt. And reſumed the ſame to be finiſſhed in the .19. chapt. Where we hearde, that Antichriſt ſhuld be throwē downe out of his ſeate and glory into helle. Where chaunced a queſtion to arriſe of thē, which although they cleaue not to Antichriſt, yet are they not ioyned with Chriſte, what ſhal become of them at the laſt iudgement? That ſame when he had ſoluted, and ſhewed the equitie of Gods iudgementes, he retourneth as it were with an after ſonge to the deſcription of the generall and laſte iudgement, and compēdiouſely deſcribeth theſame: and that more generally now, than before in the .19. chap. Where he ſemeth chiefly to hauehave treated of the deſtruction of Antichriſte: yet ſo that he ſhewed after a ſorte alſo, what ſhould happē to the other vngodly. Now he handleth more generally the ſelf ſame iudgement, ſhewing that al ſhal be iudged herein, and ſetteth forth the ſame wholy as it were paincted to be ſene of our eyes. For after his wonted maner he expoūdeth al this matter by an heauenly viſion, that he might not ſeme only to tel the thing to our eares, but alſo to ſhewe it forth to be ſene of our eyes, to thintent it might be more depely printed in our mindes. And al theſe thinges are moſt certen and vndoubted (as I alſo admoniſſhed you before) reuealed of the iudge Chriſt him ſelf. But the iudge and Lord himſelf can be ignoraunt in nothinge of this matter. Nother can we perceyue that S. Iohn hath hitherto ben deceaued or abuſed in any thing that he hath ſet forth to vsus, but hath hitte rightly al and ſingular poinctes, as we ſee, that cā teſtifie his prophecies to be fulfilled: whie than ſhould we ſo muche as doubte ones of ſuche thinges as are ſpoken of the iudgement? Therefore let vsus credite theſe thinges, and not be emonges the mockers, whom the Apoſtle S. Peter prophecied ſhould come & ſaye: where is the promeſſe of his commyng?The conſideratiō of the laſte iudgement is of greateſt in i…portaunce. doubtles this matter is of greateſt importaunce, the foundation and rote of our faith. Here are to vsus expoūded not a fewe articles of our ſincere and catholicke fayth, chiefely theſe: I beleue that Chriſt ſhal come to iudge the quicke & the dead: I beleue the cōmunion of Sainctes, the reſurrection of the fleſhe, and life euerlaſtyng. Let vsus therfore be dilligent in hearyng and marking theſe thinges, leeſte we be accompted of their nombre, which heare with out any fruicte the miſteries of the kingedome of God: but lette vsus rather prepare our ſelues to goe mete the iudge, to the ende we maye with the wiſe virgins, enter with the brydegrome, to the mariage, and ioyes euerlaſtyng.
And the deſcription or demonſtration of this viſion hath theſe thinges chiefely: what the iudge ſhal be:The principall articles of this …ace. who ſhal be iudged: how they ſhal be iudged: of what ſorte ſhal be the … ſurrection of the dead: and of euerlaſtyng damnation: finally who ſhal be properly damned. Which things I ſhal in order accordyng to the grace that God hath geuen me, declare as playnely as I can.
¶ What iudge at ye laſt iudgement.What maner of iudge there ſhal be, we hauehave vnderſtād before: at this preſēt he is ſhadowed by certē notes or markes. Theſe thinges agree with the ſame viſion, which is deſcribed of Daniel in the .7. chapt. Where by the waye we ſee agayne how this boke hath his teſtimonies of the prophetes, of whō it is cōmended to vsus, like as Iohn alſo expoundeth to vsus the prophets. S. Iohn ſeeth a ſeate, and that white & great. For the iudge him ſelf ſayde, that he would come in glory & maieſtie, to witte with great light. And we beleue alſo that his iudgemētes are rightuouſe, iuſt & white. And Aretas an expoſitour ſayeth: the ſeate is great, becauſe he ſitteth therin, of whō the prophet ſayde: great is the Lord, & great is his power, &c. And in the ſeate as iudge of al, & that moſte rightuouſe, he ſitteth, furniſſhed with all power & vertue. For al this ſignifieth the worde of ſittyng. They that are to be iudged ſtāde, he ſitteth. Therfore he calleth him that ſitteth, as you would ſay iudge. For other name he geueth not. But we beleue, that al iudgement is geuen to the ſonne, and that he is appoincted iudge ouer all. S. Iohn therfore ſeeth, and alſo ſheweth vsus to beholde the Lord Ieſus Chriſt commyng in the clowdes of the ayre, a rightuouſe & mightie iudge. S. Paule alſo in the .2. to Titus calleth him a great God: not that there is one great god: and an other little God, but that the Maieſtie of our Lorde Ieſu Chriſt ſhal at that daye moſte euidently be ſene, and the lord him ſelfe ſhal than ſhewe him ſelfe to the world with greater glory and power, than euer heretofore.
Frō whoſe fight heauen fleeth.The ſame ſhall appere alſo moſte ſeuere and moſte iuſte. Wherupon S. Iohn ſayeth figuratiuely, from whoſe face fled awaye both heauen and Earth. For if thoſe thinges whiche hauehave not ſinned, dare not come in the iudges ſight, but ſeke as it were to ſaue themſelues by Sight: where I praye thee ſhal appere the vngodly & ſumer? And doubtles the prophet Malachie alſo: who, ſayeth he, ſhal abide the daye of his commyng? or who is able to ſtande, when he ſhal appere? So in the ſixte chapter we hearde, that heauen fled backe, and was folden vp like a ſcrolle, that the mountaynes alſo and Iles flitted, and that Kinges and Princes and other men hidde themſelues in caues: and ſayde to the hilles and rockes, falle vpō vsus hide vsus from the face of him that ſitteth on the ſeate, and from the wrath of the lambe, &c. By whiche wordes although be deſcribed the effecte of a deſperate cōſcience out of corrupte doctrine: yet the ſame ſhall appere chiefely in this iudgement, what time the ſeuere and moſte rightuous iudge ſhall appere. A muche like figure is red in the .18. Pſalme. Where is added, and their place was no more fownde: it is annexed to amplifie the matter, not that Heauen and Earth ſhal be no where, but for ſo muche as they dare not (whiche is ſpoken by a figure) appere in the iudgement of God. By al theſe thinges therfore is ſignified, that the vngodly beyng deſtitute of all counſell, ſhal not knowe at that daye whither to tourne them, or what to doe: but trembling and deſpayryng to be vexed with vnſpeakeable tormentes before the ſeate. It might be thought in the meane ſeaſon, that S. Iohn ſignifieth this alſo, howe heauen and earth ſhould at the cō myng of the iudge be renewed. The whiche alſo the Apoſtle S. Peter more playnely expreſſeth in the .3. chapt. of the ſeconde Epiſtle, whiche neuertheleſſe referreth and applieth al thoſe his ſayinges to the ſame ſenſe that we hauehave touched before. For he ſayeth: ſeyng than that all theſe thinges ſhall be diſolued, what ought you to be in holy conuerſation, loking for and haſting the cōmyng of the day of God? Aretas of Ceſaria: the flight of heauen and earth, ſayeth he, ſignifieth no chaungyng of place, (for whither ſhould they flee?) but flight & flittyng from corruption to incorruption, and the laſte cō myng of the lord, vnderunder the which this mortal body of ours ſhal putte on immortalitie, and the face of the Earth ſhal be renewed. This ſayeth he, a like phraſe of ſpeach is had in the 12. of the Apocalipſe, of the Angelles caſte downe out of heauen: nother was their place founde any more in heauen, &c.
Nowe toucheth he alſo who ſhall be iudged,Who ſhall be iudged. verely the dead. For he ſayeth: and I ſawe the dead. And ſhorteth after we ſhall heare, that the dead ſhal be reyſed vp. Therfore they ſhal be iudged that riſe from the dead. Neuertheles the liuing are not exēpted, whome the Apoſtle ſayeth moſt manifeſtly ſhal be iudged in the .4. of the firſt to he Theſſ. But theſe he nameth not at this preſent, the dead he nameth: for that the reſurrectiō of the dead is more hardely beleued: & more eaſely beleued, that thoſe which remayne in fleſh ſhould be iudged at that daye. And verely the ſoules neuer die, the bodies die. Therfore where it is ſayde here, that the dead ſhal be iudged, we meane that al thoſe, which are dead at that daie ſhal come in their owne bodies to the iudgement of Chriſt. And al men muſt be iudged.All mē are iudged. Wherefore S. Iohn ſeeth great and ſmalle: that is to witte, men of all ſortes, ſtate, ſexe and age. Kinges and princes are not excepted, the common people ſhall not eſcape, nother children, nor olde folkes, men nor wemen. All theſe ſeeth he ſtandyng before the face, or iudgement ſeate of God. The gilty or accuſed, or to be accuſed ſhal be ſet before the iudgemente ſeate of God. And S. Paule alſo teſtifiyng expreſſely of this matter: we muſt al, ſayeth he, appere before the iudgement ſeate of Chriſte, that eueryevery one maye receaue in his body, accordyng to that he hath done, whether it be good or euil .2. Corinth. 5. chapt. but after a diuerſe maner appere both good & euill. For the wicked as giltie are brought to be iudged and punniſhed, and that their giltines maye be openly knowē to al creatures.The vngodly are iudged, not the godly. The good, for aſmuch as they be iuſtified and quitte, & hauehave nowe no more gilte nor crime by reaſon of Chriſtes ſatiſfaction, appere in iudgement with glory, ready to iudge the vngodly after their faſhiō and maner, and not to be iudged of any. And this thinge is ſingular that, he ſayeth, that we ſhall be iudged in the ſighte of God. For who can appere in the ſight of the tremblable God, and fire conſumyng all thinges, ſaue he that is purged with the bloud of Chriſte? and what ſhall we thinke can be hidde or eſcape the ſight of God, ſeyng all thinges?
How men ſhall be iudged in the laſte iudgemēt.S. Iohn moreouer declareth, howe the dead ſhoulde be iudged: bokes, ſayeth he, are opened: and an other booke is opened, &c. Therefore by the bokes, after by the boke of life: that is to ſaye, of ſuch thinges as are written in thoſe bokes, the dead are iudged. For the Scripture aſcribeth vntounto God the maner of men, wherby men are wonte to write for themſelues remembraunces, leeſt they ſhould forget thinges: but with God al things are ones and alwayes preſent, he nother forgetteth,The forgettyng & remēbryng of God. nor remembreth: not withſtanding the Scripture attributeth to him both. Howebeit God is ſayde to forgette, when he helpeth not, or punniſſheth not: agayne he is ſayde to remēbre, what time he helpeth or pūniſheth. In Malachie the vngodly ſaye, howe God hath no care of mens matters, nother doeth he for the godly, nor yet pūniſheth the wicked. But immediately aūſwere is made: than thei that feared the lord ſpake eueryevery one to his neighbour: the lord gaue eare and hearde & a boke of remembraunce was made in his preſence, &c. As followeth. Therfore their bokes opened, that is to ſay, the ſecrettes of al mē brought to light, or made manifeſt, the lord ſhal iudge what ſo euer hath ben thought, ſaide, done, or lefte vndone. The bokes alſo of conſciences (for the cōſcience is in ſtead of a thouſande witneſſes) ſhal be opened in iudgement, God reuealyng and iudging al thinges. For S. Paule ſpeakyng of the gentiles: they, ſayeth he, ſhewe the worke of the lawe written in their hartes, their cōſcience alſo bearyng witnes, & their thoughtes accuſing one au other, or alſo excuſing, in that daye, wherein the lord ſhal iudge the ſecrettes of menne, according to my goſpell, through Ieſus Chriſt. And theſe are in dede the bookes whiche ſhall be vncloſed in the iudgement. Whereof it appereth, that the iudgement ſhal be done with moſt expedition, nother ſhall eueryevery man be reaſoned with all, by bookes written to make the iudge wery, as the ignoraunt might imagine hereby.
But what is that ſingular boke of life,The boke of life. which alſo ſhalbe opened in the iudgemēt? of ye boke of life is ſpokē in the .3. cha. There you may ſee. To be brefe, the boke of life hath but one article: he yt beleueth in the ſonne of god hath life euerlaſting. And therfore mē are iudged of this yt is writtē in the boke of life. For they that beleue are ſaued: they that beleue not, are already iudged, that is to ſaye are moſt aſſuredly damned.
And for aſmuch as faith ſheweth it ſelfe by workes,EueryEvery mā is iudged of his workes. incredulitie alſo hidde in the harte bewrayeth her ſelf by workes: therefore S. Iohn addeth incontinently, accordyng to their workes. For man in the Scriptures is likened to a tree. And the tree is iudged of the fruicte, whether it be good or euill. A tree hath a growing or increaſing life which in latin is called, Anima vegetatiua, & a nature or diſpoſition, bringyng forth fruicte after his nature & kinde. But that ſoule vegetatiua & that good diſpoſitiō, bringing forth in vsus good fruicte, yt is to ſaye good workes, is a liuely faith in Chriſt, where the ſame is, there the man is regenerated, & hath a good diſpoſition: therfore cā he not ſcharſe by reaſō of his good diſpoſitiō, but bring forth good fruictes. Therfore after our workes we ſhal be iudged al. For the iudgemēt muſt be open & manifeſt: but faith appereth not, but in workes. For it is ye gifte of God, & is of it ſelfe inuiſible, to witte a ſure truſte in the promeſſes of God. And it is ſene in workes. Howbeit therof it followeth not, that men ar iuſtified by workes alſo, & not by faith only: but that by workes faith is declared, which purifieth & iuſtifieth, that afterwarde we may be able to bring forth ye workes of rightuouſenes. It followeth, how in iudgemēt no pretēce, no hipocriſie ſhal be allowed. For many ſay thei beleue, whiche declare their faith by no good workes. We learne herof, yt no boke ſhal be of force at the laſt iudgemēt, ſaue the bokes of God, or the bokes of cōſciēces, wherin god writeth wt his fingar: finally the boke of life writtē of God before ye worlds were made, through his diuine predeſtinatiō, wherby he hath predeſtinated vsus, yt he might adopt vsus for his childrē by chriſt Ieſus. And the reſt, which S. Paul reciteth in ye .1. to the Epheſ. Therefore ſhal the hurtefull bookes of Iewes. Chriſtians in title only, and Turkes, as the Thalmud, decretalles and Alcorane periſhe. Theſe ſhal be of no force at al in the iudgement.
Of the reſurrection of ye dead.Now he retourneth to ye dead, of whō he had made mentiō before, & leeſt any mā ſhuld ſaie: how ſhal the dead be iudged, which were drowned in the ſea, whith were ſwallowed vp of fiſhes, & deuoured of wilde beaſtes, which were conſumed wt fire, or in the earth, were brought into duſte? he preuenteth, & declareth, that the bodies of the dead riſe agayne, & beyng ſo reſtored come to iudgement, & ſaieth: and the ſea gaue vp the dead, yt were therin: that is to ſaie, which had periſhed in the Sea. And by theſe wordes alſo hath he touched the maner & meane of the reſurrectiō of the dead, & hath ſent vsus withal to the .1. of Geneſ. The maner of ye reſurrection is gods omnipotēcie, as S. Paul alſo witneſſeth in ye .3. to ye Philip. For god by his omnipotencie reiſeth vp, & calleth thoſe things yt are not, that thei may be. Yf this thing ſeme vntounto thee new or vnpoſſible, beholde ye beginnyng of things, & therof eſteme ye ſmall reſtitution. Was not ye Sea or water frō the beginnyng? but is it writtē to hauehave had any fiſhes frō the beginning? none at al. But God cōmaūded that the water ſhuld be repleniſhed wt fiſh. And did not ſtreight at gods cōmaūdement all maner of fiſhes appere, where before there was not one? what maruell is it thā, yf god in thende of things, cōmaund the Sea, & other elemēts alſo, to yeld again their dead, & thei obey their maker? Verely the Lord in the goſpel ſaieth, that they which are in their graues alſo,Ihon: 5 ſhal heare the voice or cōmaūdemēt of the ſonne of God, and ſhal ryſe againe. The bodies moreouer of them that dye, are turned for the moſt parte in to the ſame elements from whence they were taken oute. There is that putrifieth in the earth, and is cōuerted in to earth. Ther are ſome conſumed with fyre. There are ſome that periſhe in water. Some hang in the ayre, and are there conſumed. But at the Lordes commaundent, by what kynd of death ſo euer they periſh, they ſhall ryſe agayne to the iudgement whole. Aretas alſo Biſhop of Ceſaria perceiued this and ſayed: he reciteth theſe things, to the intent he might declare what the finall and vniuerſal reſurrection ſhall be. For where many beleuyng not that the ſame ſhall be, do ſay, that it is by no meanes poſſible, to be in thoſe bodies, which hauehave ben long corrupted, and broughte to that poincte, that they be not at all: this ſermon nowe correcting this, ſayeth: Lyke as the bodies, when they were not, began to be, not by a certen chaūce, or of themſelues, but of the four elements, namely of Water, Fyre, Ayre, and Earth: So alſo beyng reaſonably returned agayne into the ſame, may be of the ſame cōpoſed againe. &c.
And for a further declaratiō he addeth agayne:Death and hel gaue vp them. &c. and death and hell gaue vp thoſe, which were in them, dead. For he vnderſtādeth by death, any kynd of death, as though he ſhulde ſay: death it ſelfe reſtoreth to the Iudge & iudgement, whom ſoeuer, after what ſort ſoeuer he hath diſpatched. Death therfore is fayned to be as it were a perſon, which holdeth the dead in himſelfe, or in a priſon. And hel hath yet but a fewe bodies (for ſome we read to hauehave gone down to hell quicke) but the ſoules of the wicked. The ſame retourne to their bodies, that the whole man may be iudged, body and ſoule. Others by hell, after the Hebrewe phraſe, vnderſtande a ſepulture or graue. Agayne is repeted, that the whole man ſhal be iudged body and ſoule, after eueryevery mannes workes.
Thus much hitheto of the reſurrectiō of the dead,Of euerlaſting damnation. wherof in our bokes els wher, we hauehave treated more at large. In the laſte place followith of euerlaſtinge damnation, and who be properly condemned. And Hell, ſayeth he, and death are caſt in to the lake of fyre. Whereof hath ben ſpoken before. And Hell here ſignifieth not the place of pūniſhmēt, but thoſe that are inhabiters of Helle, to witte whoſe ſoules are yet deteined in hel, or appointed thither. Death alſo ſignifieth thoſe that are deade in ſinne, and they which from the ſpirituall or tēporall death, go ſtraight way to death euerlaſting. Wherevpon is immediately annexed. This is the ſecond death, by the which verely they that are dead to Chriſte, are adicted to perpetual fyre, and that lyue to Antichriſt and the world. Others expounde theſe thinges hereof, that after the iudgemēt the Saincts ſhal nother be buried any more, nor die. Which S. Paule affirmeth alſo out of Oſee in the firſte to the Corinth. the .15. chap. Aretas and Primaſius make with vsus. For Aretas ſaieth: and he calleth death and hel, thoſe that hauehave cōmitted thinges worthie of punniſhment, as fulfilling the numbre of the ſecond death. And Primaſius, by theſe names, ſayeth he, he ſignifieth the Deuil (becauſe he is authour of death, and paynes in Hell) and alſo the whole fellowſhip of Deuylles. For this is the ſame, that he ſpake more playnelye before, by the way of preuēting: and the Deuil, which deceaued them, was caſte in to the lake of fyre and brimſtone. And that which he added there more obſcurely, ſayeng, and the beaſte & the falſe prophet, here more playnely. So much Primaſius. And who knoweth not, that the membres muſte followe the head, all vngodly the Deuyll, the head of all vngodlynes.
Whych ar not writtē in the boke of lyfe.And moſte euidētly he expreſſeth, who properly at the iudgement, are addicte to fyre euerlaſting: they that are nother written, nor ſound in the boke of lyfe. Therefore ſhall the only faythfull in Chriſte, in whome they are predeſtinated vntounto lyfe euerlaſting, ſhall be ſaued. All others, of what religion ſo euer they be, or what ſo euer kynd of lyfe they hauehave lyued be it neuer ſo ſtrayte, ſhall periſh. Others referre theſe words to ſuch as are lefte a lyue at that daye. For we beleue that the ſon of God ſhall iudge both the quicke and the dead. Doubtles whether they be lyuing, or whether they be dead, certain it is, that no man ſhall be ſaued in any other, but in the fayth of Ieſu Chriſte, all the reſydewe ſhall be damned. And this is the finall end of the good and euill. To Chriſte Ieſu iudge of all, and redemer of the faythfull, be prayſe and glory for euermore. Amen.