A Hundred Sermons on Revelation, Sermons · Sermon 97
¶ The concluſion of this worke, wherein is eſtabliſhed the autoritie of the ſame, and the ſome collected briefely. The .XCvij. Sermon.
AND he ſayde vntounto me, theſe ſayinges are faithfull and true. And the lord God of the holy prophets ſente his Angell to ſhew vntounto his ſeruauntes the thinges whiche muſte be ſhortely fulfilled. Beholde I come ſhortely. Happy is he that kepeth the ſaying of the prophecie of this booke. I am Iohn which ſaw theſe things, and I hearde them. And whē I had hearde and ſene, I fel downe to worſhip before the fete of the Angel, which ſhewed me theſe thinges. And he ſaide vntounto me: ſee thou do it not. For I am thy fellowe ſeruaunt, and of thy bretherne the prophets, and of them which kepe the ſayinges of this boke. Worſhip God.
The ſixte & laſt parte of this worke conteyneth the concluſion,The concluſion of this worke which affirmeth the thinges which we hauehave heard to be diuine, certayne, and vndoubted: for he collecteth the chiefeſt thinges, & moueth al men to faith, & ſtudy of godlines, that in ſtedfaſte hope we ſhuld loke for ye iudge of al, to come ſhortly, and to iudge the quicke & the dead. And in goodly order this laſte boke of the Canonical ſcripture finiſheth the godly narration & doctrine, with the iudgement, & ende of all thinges.The Apocalipſe is ye laſte boke of the canonical bokes of ye ſcripture. For the holy Scripture beginneth at the firſte originall of al thinges, and continueth a narration vntill the ende of all thinges, conteyning in it ſelf the vniuerſalitie of things, and al ſuch thinges as are requiſite to be knowē of matters nedeful and profitable. And al thoſe thinges hath our good Lord geuen vsus to be knowen in the holy ſcripture, that is to ſay, in the Canonical bokes. For they be falſe harlottes, that ſaye, that al thinges which apperteyne to the true & full godlines, & ſaluation of the faithful, are not ſet forth in holy writinges, and therefore to hauehave nede of traditions. They in dede hauehave nede of thoſe traditions, which wil vtter their craftie wares: we nede none, which eſteme al their wares not worth a gally halfpenny to be bought of any man. For Eſaye hath ſufficiently diſwaded vsus from their diſceauable & craftie iuglinges, in the .55. chapt. And this concluſion conteyneth aboute .16. Articles. Which we ſhal diſcuſſe in order.
Immediately after the beginning is ſet a graue aſſeueration,That theſe thinges be true & vndoubted. yt the thinges which he hath ſayde or writtē hitherto are true, ſure, certaine & vndoubted, foreign he hath in a maner the ſame ſentēce alſo in the .19. chapt. of this booke. And he calleth faythful ſayinges, whiche are ſtable, ratified ſtedfaſte and vndoubted. And the ſentence is referred in the thinges whiche he hath ſpoken of the bleſſed life to the world to come, leeſt we ſhuld be lefte in any doubtfulnes. Agayne it is referred to the whole narration of this boke. And this ſentence ſemeth to be a clauſe of aſſertiō, and confirmyng the certentie of the matter propounded: as be thoſe alſo in the prophets: for the lord hath ſpoken: & againe, thus ſayeth the Lord of hooſtes: and that ſame moſte vſed in the goſpel, verely verely I ſaye vntounto you. And that in the Epiſtles apoſtolical, God is my witnes, that I lie not. And the goodnes of god doeth ſuccour our infirmitie, wherby many times we doubting of the veritie of Gods words do wauer, & confirmeth our hope with theſe as it were ankers. Wherefore theſe muſt be dilligently beaten in & vrged in the eccleſiaſtical doctrine. Aretas expoundyng this place: as the wōted maner of this holy Euangeliſte is alwayes, ſo is it here alſo. For like as in his goſpel, in token of loyaltie he ſayeth: & we know that his teſtimony is true: ſo in this place alſo, ſetting to his ſeale, he ſayeth, theſe ſayinges are faithful and trewe. Hitherto he. Therfore ſhal it be an vnworthie thing to doubt be it neuer ſo little of the thinges that are writtē in this boke, and in other bokes of the canonical Scripture.
The Authour of this worke God of the holy Prophetes.Secondly he repeteth, who is the Authour of this worke, and all theſe thinges are reuealed to him. And verely there is none other Authour but the lorde God him ſelfe, and that the God of the holy Prophetes. The which hath a great efficacitie, for he ſheweth him not only to be one & the ſame god of both Teſtamentes, whiche by his ſpirite hath inſpired the prophetes & Apoſtles: but alſo biddeth vsus ſecretly to eſteme the veritie & certētie of this boke of the prophetical matters. For if he coulde in olde time telle his people before of things to come, & vtter al thinges by the prophetes, what maruell is it, yf he nowe alſo perfourme the ſame by S. Iohn? And if all thoſe thinges came to paſſe, which the prophetes did propheſie to come, nother did there any word, no nor one iote fal vntounto the grounde, which was not fulfilled: there is no man alſo that wil doubt of the veritie of this boke, yf at leeſt he cōſider that the ſame God which in times paſt was wt the prophets, is nowe alſo with bleſſed Ihon. The Prophets ſaid, howe the land of Chanaan ſhulde be deliuered in to the poſſeſſion of the children of Iſrael: it was deliuered. The ſelfe ſame prophecied that the people of Iſrael ſhulde for their ſinnes be caſt out agayne of the ſame land in to Babilon: thei were caſt oute. After thei prophecied againe yt thei ſhulde be deliuered, ſhuld repare ye Citie, to the which Chriſt wolde come, which ſhuld redeme mankynd, & cal into the fellowſhip of life and bleſſe, all nations: They were deliuered, they repared their Citie: Chriſt came, and redemed mankind, and the goſpel was preached through out ye whole world. What thyng than remayneth, but that the church ſhuld be turmoiled, Antichriſt ſhuld come, and raigne, and that the true Chriſtians and he ſhulde wage battaile together, and the Iudge come at the laſt vntounto iudgement, and reward eueryevery one according to his doinges? And this place proueth the diuinitie of Chriſt infalliblie.Chriſte very God. For what can be ſpoken more plainly, than was ſaide? The Lord God of holy Prophetes ſent forth his Angel. So in the firſt chapter is ſaide: The reuelation of Ieſu Chriſt, which God gaue him. And a little after he ſaieth: I Ieſus ſent my Angel, that he might teſtifie vntounto you, &c. Herein therfore is ſhewed the vnitie of the ſubſtaūce diuine, and deſtruction of perſons.
And the maner of the reuelation is ſhewed,Howe this booke was reuealed. or repeted and collected rather: he ſent his Angell. Chriſte therefore by his Angell ſheweth all thinges to S. Ihon. For no man hath ſene God at any time: nother ſhal the Lorde come downe againe from heauen before the iudgement. Wherfore this whole viſion was exhibited and declared bi the Angel, which was the meſſager of Chriſt the Lorde. Wherefore all thinges are properly referred to Chriſt which ſent the Angell. But to whom ded he ſhew or reueale theſe thinges? To his ſeruaunts. For the cōtemners of God laugh at theſe thinges, and take them for fables. But God loueth his worſhippers, and warneth them of all thinges in due ſeaſon.
3. The ſome of this booke in two poincies.Now he gathereth the ſome of ſuch things as he hath treated hitherto. The ſame ar chiefly cōnteyned in two poincts. For he ſheweth hitherto, what thinge muſt be done (foreign) ſhor…. For this boke conteineth the deſtinies of the church from the Apoſtles time to the worldes end. Therfore he propheſied not a farre of, but the thinges that began in the very time of S. Ihon. And yf they muſte be done, who ſhall reſiſte? Not that I wyll eſtablyſhe the neceſſitie of the Stoyckes, but that I acknowledge the mightie workyng of God, after his prouidence and righteouſnes. After he addeth another membre: Beholde I come quickely foreign. For this boke comprehendeth many things, which concerne the iudgemēt it ſelfe, and the laſt iudgement, to the which I will come ſo ſwiftely, and vnloked for, that the wicked and light men ſhall loke for nothing leſſe. For the Lorde ſayeth in the Goſpell: it ſhall be as in the dayes of Noe and Loth. And in the howre that you thinke not, the ſonne of man wyll come. Item, as the brightneſſe cometh foorth of the Eaſte, and ſhyneth in the Weſte: ſo ſhall be the comming of the ſonne of man. And therfore the Lorde ſayeth nowe alſo at this preſent: Beholde I comme quickely. For ſodaynely, whyleſte he ſeemeth in the meane tyme to doe an other thyng, at vnwares he bryngeth in the Lorde ſpeakyng, and that a matter wonderfull, as this particle. Beholde importeth. For S. Paule hath written alſo, whileſte they ſhall ſaie peace and ſecuritie, ſodayne deſtruction ſhall come vponupon them.
The cōmoditie of this booke.4. But what profit ſhall the ſeruauntes of God loke for of this boke? In a ſhort ſentence he cōpriſeth much, and ſaieth: happie is he that kepeth the woordes of the propheſie of this boke. Felicitie & bleſſednes, is the fruict that is taken of this boke. In this preſent worlde being lincked with Chriſte, w… ſhall walke in the way of righteouſnes, and eſchew the craftes of Antichriſte: and ſhall not fele the tourmētes which arriſe in the conſcience, of the corruption of religion depraued. And when we depart hence, we ſhal go ſtraight to thoſe bleſſed ſeates. This is the highe bleſſednes and felicitie. And let vsus marke, that it is not enough either to hauehave ſene, or heard, or red this boke: it muſte nedes be kepte. For we muſte beware that it goeth not in at one eare, and oute the other, that we forget not the things that are told vsus, but that we rather frame our whole lyfe after the doctryne of this boke. And he attributed to it the title of prophecie. All the Scripture is called a prophecie, as much as to ſay diuine: But conſyderyng howe this boke for the more parte therof ſheweth things to come vntounto the church, it is rightly called a prophecie.
5. He repeteth againe and beateth u…,The writer of this boke Ihon which repeteth his name. both his name and alſo that he is a witnes that ſawe and heard, who maie ſurely be credited. And thus he wil get authoritie to this boke. For it muſte nedes be had in greate eſtimation, that which was conceaued and written of the Apoſtle and Euāgeliſt S. Ihon. Many accompt a faulte in Iohn, that he ſo dilligently expreſſeth his name. But maruell it is, that they obſerue not the ſame alſo els where, and of others not withoute prayſe. Ded not the ſelfe ſame Ihon repete and inculke the name of a Diſciple in the ſtory of the Goſpell? who ſhulde reprehend this? I ſee not therfore what he hath offended herein: But rather ſins he foreſaw in the ſpirite, that many wold ſpeake againſt this boke, not withoute great cauſe, and with much fruicte, and alſo of extreme neceſſitie he importuned his name. And the Apoſtle S. Paule alſo to the Galathians: Beholde I Paule ſay vntounto you, ſayeth he, in eaſe ye be circumciſed, Chriſte ſhal profite you nothing. The ſame alſo, to moue affection, inculketh his name to Philemon. Aretas therefore very aptely expounding this place. And this, ſayeth he, a certen proprietie of ſpeach in this Apoſtolicall ſoule. For euen as he ded in the Goſpell alſo, where he ſayth: And he that ſawe hath borne witnes, and his teſtimonie is true: the ſame doeth he in this place alſo, teſtifieng that he was both an hearer and beholder of theſe things, which are prophicied. For hereby he winneth credit to the things which had ben ſene. Thus much he. Others hauehave thought that not without cauſe, S. Ihon hath in this boke repeted his name oftener, than in his ſtory for that men wil more hardlye beleue a prophecie ſpeaking of things yet to come, than a ſtory, which telleth of matters paſte.
6. In the ſixte place he annexeth,whie Ihon wolde worſhip the Angel agayne. what chaunced to him agayne with the Angell, reuealing vntounto him theſe huge miſteries. A lyke ſtory for all the worlde, had we in the ninetene chapter, where alſo we expounded the ſame: where he that liſte, may ſee. And yet the expoſitours demaund, howe chaū ceth it, that agayne Ihon doeth the ſame, that he did before, and was prohibited of the Angel? Thomas of Aquine weneth that S. Ihon being beſydes himſelfe by reaſon of the excellencie of viſions, dyd this as one aſtonied: The gloſe: before ſayeth he, the Angell forbadde, that he ſhould not worſhippe him with Latria, here he prohibiteth, that he worſhippe him not with Dulia. But to me appereth (preferring alwayes the better iudgemēt of others) In S. Ihon to be ſhewed to all the godly, howe great is the frailnes of man to fall, vnleſſe he be reſtrained and drawen backe by the mightie hande of God. The Angel had ſhewed Ihon expreſſely before, that he ſhoulde not do, that he than did, and now repeteth it againe. For hauing as it were forgotten thoſe things, by reaſon of the excellencie of the Angel, he wold ſurely hauehave done him ſome worſhip. For ſo we permit to our ſelues more than is decēt, eſpecially toward nobler perſonages, whom for thexcellēt gyfts of God we eſteme worthie, whom we may alſo without the offence of God euen worſhip. That opiniō deceaueth in our time ye moſt part of them, which againſt the comlines of ſyncere religion worſhip and honour Saincts. But the Angel of the Lorde here nother forgeth nor bringeth foorth any newe doctrine, but that olde in forme, as thei terme it, to the intent we ſhuld vnderſtād, that the will of God is alwayes one and perpetuall, which will not hauehave the moſt excellent creatures to be worſhipped, but one God alone to be honoured. He repeteth therefore the ſame cauſes, which he alſo obiected before. Therfore be they alwaies of force, with all, & at al times. S. Ihon in the meane time ſemeth, that he wold commend vntounto vsus the excellencie of this viſion or reuelation: and that the Angel did admoniſh him cōſtantlie of his dutie, and vsus al by him, that the thing which is proper to God, we ſhulde tranſpoſe to no creatures, and it deſerueth exceding great prayſe here, that S. Ihon here diſcembleth nothing: but by expreſſe wordes committeth to writing his fall, and rebukyng of the Angell moſte euidently. For by his fall he wolde admoniſh, that the godly ſhulde not fall in lyke caſes, but geue all glory to God. Here ſemeth alſo to be obſerued, a maruelouſe affection in the maner of ſpeakyng. For the Angell crieth out to Ihon being ready to fall downe nowe, yea proſtrate already, and nowe aboute to worwip, foreign: See thou do it not, that thou verely intendeſt to do. Here is expreſſed the carefulnes of mynd, and haſte, wherwith he goeth about to preuent the enterpriſe of Ihon. And thus diligent are the Holy ſpirirites in heauē in letttyng al things, that by any meanes do tourne vsus frō God, to ye worſhipping of creatures, much leſſe would they thēſelues be worſhipped, or to hauehave ye things attributed to them, which the Papiſtes at this day attribute by force of Armes. The Lorde of clemencie & merciemercy conuerte them to a right minde, that thei maye attribute al glory to God. Amē.