A Hundred Sermons on Revelation, Sermons · Sermon 94
¶ Yet agayne is deſcribed the ſeate of the euerlaſtyng countrie in heauen. The .XCiiij. Sermon.
AND he that talked with me, had a golden reede to meaſure the citie with al, and the gates therof, and ye walles thereof. And ye citie was buylte foure ſquare, & the length was as large as ye breadth of it. And he meaſured the citie with the reede .xii. M. furlōgs and the length and breadth, and height of it were equal. And he meaſured the wall therof 144. cubites, after the meaſure of a manne which the angel had. And the building of the walle of it was of Iaſpar. And the citie was of pure gold, like vntounto cleare glaſſe: & the foū dations of the walles, & of the citie were garniſhed with al maner of pretious ſtones. The firſt foundation was a Iaſpar, the ſeconde a Saphyre, the third a Calcedony, the fourth a Smaragde, the .v. a Sardonix, the .vi. Sardeos, the .vii. a Chryſolite, the eight Berall, the .ix. a Topas, the .x. a Chriſopraſos, the .xi. a Iacincte, the twelft an Amatiſt. And the twelue gates were twelue pearles, & eueryevery gate was one pearle, and the ſtrete of the citie was pure golde, as a thorowe we ſhining glaſſe.
He procedeth in deſcribyng the bleſſed ſeates, and that life of the world to come, vnderunder the Image of a moſt goodly and moſt excellēt citie. We ſhal vnderſtande al thinges not after the letter, but after the ſprete. All thinges are ſayed for our comforte, and to the ende we ſhould ſtoutely contemne this world, & the pleaſures thereof, & the furies of perſecutours: & ſhould alwayes deſire ſo great, & the ſame euerlaſtyng good thinges promiſed vsus, we hauehave hearde in the deſcription, yea euen ſene foure ſingular thinges of this heauenly citie as it were of a liuely picture, what a lighte it hath, what walles, what gates alſo, and foundations. Now in the fifte place followeth, what is the widenes, receipte or largenes of this Citie. For hereof are cities commended. And neceſſarie it is, that the greateſt nombre of Citezens, ſhould hauehave the largeſt or greateſt Citie.
Therefore commeth forth a meater of this citie,He meaſureth ye citie with a golden reede. an Angell ſent to Iohn from heauen, holdyng in his hande a reede, that is a long polle or meaſuryng rod, not of wood, or leed, but of golde. And by the meaſuryng he would we ſhuld eſteme the quantitie of the bleſſed ſeate. In the meter therfore and in the meaſure we ſhall not nede to ſeke any greate miſteries. For the eternall wiſedome and prouidence of God hath prepared ſeates for his choſen: and that in a golden order, that is to witte moſt purified, which is ſignified by the g…lden reede or meaſure. For the iudge in S. Matth. prouoketh the She…e to take the inheritaunce, prepared from the beginnyng of the world. He alone knoweth alſo, who be his.
The ſituation of the citie is declared, planted in a ſquare,A ſquadre or ſquares ye Citie. wherby is ſignified the ſtrength and ſtablenes … the bleſſed in heauen. For the place is no balle, bowl…, or globe, rolling and eaſie to tourne. Nother nede we to doubte of …he certentie therof. For hope ſhameth no man: …nd he that …eleueth in Chriſt, ſhal neuer be confounded.
Moreouer the length,The lēgth & breadth. breadth and heigth of th… citie are equal. EueryEvery ſide, in his ſquadre, hath twelue thouſande furlonges, whiche make in al fourtie and eight thouſande in the whole circuite. Touchyng the furlonge,Furlonge. what & how much it conteyneth, I ſee that learned menne varie. Plinie in the .2. boke the .23. chap. attributeth to a furlong an hondreth & .25. paſſes, that is to ſaye, ſixe hondreth & .25. fote. Yf ye nowe accompte theſe things, & diuide them into miles you ſhall …nde that the citie is moſt ample and large. There be ſome that reken it .150. Germane miles. Hereby I ſuppoſe to be ſignified, that the place and ſpace is great enough, what innumerable multitudes ſo euer of Angelles, of bleſſed ſpretes and men ſhal flitte into the bleſſed ſeate, and dwel therein. As alſo the lorde in the Goſpel ſayde: In my fathers houſe are many manſiōs. In the .30. chap. of Eſaye about the ende is ſhewed, that there ſhal be ſpace and place enough in helle alſo for the wicked.Equalitie. And the equalitie on eueryevery ſide declareth, that men of people or nations ſhal hauehave no prerogatiue. For whether ſo euer thou be of the Eaſt, or of the Weſte, whether thou be Greke or Barbarian, ſo that thou be a faithfull, thou ſhalt be receyued of the Lord. Moreouer in the goſpel equalitie is declared, whileſt the pēny is payed not only to him yt wrought in the Vineyarde al daye long, or half the daye, but vntounto him alſo, which came into the Vineyarde in the euenyng.
¶ The height.The height of the wall is doubtles vnmeaſurable. Wherof we gather, that the bleſſednes is moſt ſure: and that none can come into the ſame, but by the gates. For no manne can clime ouer ſuch an height, no mā can ſcale thoſe walles, whether he be enemie, that wold moleſte thē: or hipocrite, which goeth aboute as it were by ſtelth to winne heauen.
Where he ſayeth, and he meaſured the walle thereof, an hondreth and .44. cubites, it cā not ſurely agree with the furlonges:The thickneſſe. therefore muſt we nedes vnderſtand it of the thickenes of the walle. By the which agayne is figured the ſtrēgth and ſecuritie of the bleſſed. It is added, how the Aungel dyd mete with the meaſure of a man, which the Angel had: that is to ſaie, that the Angel meaſured the wonted cubites, and furlonges to men accuſtomed.The meaſure of a mā, which the Angell had. Wherefore this Angell had the ſame meaſure in this metyng, whiche is commonly vſed of men. For ſo would he ſignifie that the place of eternall felicitie ſhould be determinate and certayne. For there ſhal be after the reſurrection bodies true and determinate. Yf there be any other miſterie herein, perauenture it is the ſame, which the Lord ſpake of in Luke, Luke. 20.namely of the bleſſe of the faithfull in an other worlde: they be egall with Angelles, and are the children of God, ſins thei be the children of the reſurrection. Yf any man wil accompte theſe nombres more exactely, and ſhewe higher miſteries, I will gladly geue place. I ſuppoſe here rather celeſtial thinges to be figured, than either Arithmetical nombres, or geometricall proportions to be taught. Neuertheleſſe I can willingly graunt, that thoſe artes helpe to the vnderſtandyng of the Scriptures.
In the ſixte place he treateth of the matter of this heauēly Citie. For Cities are cōmended of the ſtuffe and matter.The matter of this citie. The ſayeng of Ceſar Auguſtus is well knowen, who is ſayde to hauehave ſpoken of Rome: I foūde it of bricke, I leaue it of marble. And the cities buylded of ſtone, are iuſtely preferred to thoſe that are of timber, and ſuche as are buylte of free ſtone ſquared, to them that are made of rough ſtone. But what is the buildyng or matter of the citie celeſtiall? That ſame he declareth by fiue partes of membres.the walles. Firſte the walles are of Iaſpar. Let no man here forge to him ſelf carnal thinges. The Iaſpar is grene. The celeſtial Citie alwayes floriſheth, God his protection neuer fayleth.
2. The citie it ſelf, that is to ſay, the buildynges in the citie, the palaces and houſes, are pure golde. For al things be purefied in the eternall countrie. There is no vncleanes,Habitations. no euil affectiōs, there ſhal be no trouble or payne. As the lord ſayde alſo in the .19. chapt. of Matth. Diſputyng agaynſt the Sadduceis. Therfore like as golde is moſt tried and pure, ſo ſhal the celeſtial habitation be moſt cleane. Therfore muſt the bodies alſo that ſhal dwell in heauen be clarified or glorified. He addeth, that this golde moſt pure is not glaſſe, but in brightnes doeth repreſent moſt pure and ſhinyng glaſſe. For in heauen al thinges are clere. There we ſhal be ſene face to face. There we ſhal moſte perfitly know al thinges.
3. Foundations.And firſt he ſayeth generally that the foundatiōs of the citie, are beaultified with al maner of precious ſtones: after particularly he reciteth by name the ſtones yt are moſt excellent. Doubtles nothing is more preciouſe, nothing more excellent, than Chriſt the foundatiō of our ſaluatiō, than thapoſtolical doctrine, wherby we are induced to ye knowledge of Chriſt & of our ſaluatiō. And he ſetteth in order .xii. ſtones, to thintent we ſhuld vnderſtand, that there is not one precious ſtone alone placed for the foūdatiō, but a rowe of one ſorte in ſuch a lēgth, as the ſide is ſquare, & ſo cōſequently likewiſe in al partes of the ſquadre. For the firſt order therfore is placed a Iaſpar ſtone, that is to ſaye, in the firſt place of the foūdatiō Iaſpar ſtones are ſet in their ranke: agayne in the next rowe vponupon the Iaſpars are laide Saphyres, through out ye whole ſpace, in ſuch length as the foundation was, & ſo conſequētly the other ſtones were couched and layde in order. By all the which is ſignified, that the foundation of our ſaluatiō is both moſt excellēt and ſure. Which we ought of right to ſet more bie, thā by the price of al the Iewelles in the earth. And there are founde men godly & beneficiall, which beſtowyng, or ſellyng theſe earthly Iewelles, according to the Apoſtles doctrine in the .1. to Timo. the .6. prepare for themſelues a good foundation in an other world. There are foūde fooles, which are ouer much in louelove with Iewelles, & many times in ſtead of precious ſtones that coſte very much beyng poliſhed, thei bie glaſſe. Ful worthie doubtles to be deceaued. Verely precious ſtones hauehave their vſe & vertues, nother were thei made of God in vaine. But we muſt alwayes remembre that ſaying of the wiſe man: al thinges are not mete for al men.
Precious ſtones.4 By the regiſter of preciouſe ſtones he ſemeth to hauehave alluded to the precious ſtones that were ſet in the attire of the high biſhop, in the .28. of Exod. Nother doubte I, that S. Iohn toke theſe things partely out of the .54. of Eſaye, which place S. Hierome expoūding, ſendeth thē that deſire to knowe more of ſtones to Epiphanius, & to the .37. boke of the Natur. Hiſt. of Plinie. Aretas in his commentaries, applieth the twelue precious ſtones to the .12. Apoſtles of Chriſt. There remaine moreouer the writynges of Bede vponupon this place: out of whō toke Thomas of Aquine ſuch things as he hath in his cōmentaries vponupon the Apocalipſe. I ſee not howe I can with any great fruicte tary longer in this treatiſe. Wherfore I referre the curiouſe reader to theſe Authours: it is enough for me to hauehave ſhewed, that by theſe coſtely Iewelles is ſignified the excellencie of the foundation of our helth and ſaluation.
The gatesMorouer in the fourth place is declared the matter of the gates. They were of one whole pearle eueryevery of them, whereof the price is excedyng greate. The gate of heauen is Chriſt, and the porters of heauen are Apoſtles as is declared before. Therfore are the gates moſt preciouſe and moſt ſtrong. In the .13. chap. of S. Mathewes goſpel, Chriſt himſelf and the ſaluation that is of him, are compared to a Pearle, which the marchaūt ſelling al that he hath, byeth for himſelfe, thinking himſelfe rich enough, yf he may hauehave this Pearle.
5. In the fift place is alſo deſcribed the Strete, what it is.Strete. In the Cities here in Earth, the ſtretes are many times myrie, though otherwyſe the cities be neuer ſo famouſe & noble. Where they be notable, they are paued with ſtone or bricke: but the Strete of our Citie, is paued with golde both cleane and bright. For in heauen is founde no noyſomenes, no obſcure darkenes. All theſe thinges doubtles are ſpoken moſte beaultifully: but yet muſt far greater thinges be vnderſtand and imagined: and we muſte indeuour with all our myght, that the thinge which the tung of man can not vtter, nor our mynde here for the greatnes & excellencie conceaue, we may at the length beholde the ſame in Heauen preſentlie, and may experience the ſame in thoſe our glorified bodies, throughe Ieſus Chriſte our Lorde.