A Hundred Sermons on Revelation, Sermons · Sermon 98
¶ S. Iohn is commaunded not to ſeale this boke, but to publiſhe it, hauyng reſpecte to no man. The .XCviij. Sermon.
AND he ſayd vntounto me: ſeale not the ſayenges of the prophecie of this boke. For the time is at hande. He that doeth euill, let him doe euill ſtil: & he which is filthie, let him be filthie ſtill: and he that is rightuouſe, let him be more rightuouſe: and he that is holy, let him be more holy.
7 The ſeuenth place that is treated in this concluſion, forbiddeth Iohn, that he ſeale not the boke written,Seale not the boke. foreign, ſayeth the Angel, ſeale it not. And certenly letters and bokes are wonte to be ſealed, eyther for credit & confirmatiōs ſake, or els that they ſhould not be openly red of al men: but thoſe only, to whom they are aſſigned. An Angell ſayeth to Daniel in the .12. chapt. And thou Daniel cloſe the wordes, and ſeale the boke vntil the laſte time. He is commaunded to ſhut his boke, that is to ſaye, to make an ende, nother to loke for any more reuelatiō: finally he is cōmaunded to ſhut it for the vngodly, vntounto whom aſſuredly this boke ſhal ſeme darke & cloſed. For it followeth: for many ſhal erre, & knowledge ſhal be manifolde. For thei that are not ruled by the certayne & ſure word of God, hauehave nothing at al certenly tried & knowē, but wander through manifolde or ſondry & vncertayne opiniōs, iudgementes, and traditions of men. For Daniel ſayeth, that knowledge ſhal be variable: yt is to ſay, there ſhal be innumerable opiniōs & ſectes of the religion & ſeruing of god: where neuertheleſſe there is but one only trewe opinion, doctrine, fayth or religion, the fame I ſaye, whiche Daniel ſet forth in his boke, which boke alſo he ſealed: that is to ſaye, cōfirmed it as it were with godly ſeales, as authenticall, or authoriſed, and which was worthie to be credited: howebeit at this preſent S. Iohn is not commaunded in the ſame ſenſe and meanyng not to ſeale his boke, which we know to be altogether autenticall:This boke ſhoulde be open for al men. but ſuch a thing as this is the Angel meaneth, cō ceale or couer not, & hide not this boke: whom God therfore would hauehave to be writtē, that it might be a publicke doctrine in the whole world wherby al men might be inſtructed in the thinges that are reuealed from heauen, that they be not thorowe the craftes and tiranny of Antichriſt withdrawen from the kingdome of Chriſt, vntounto the kingdome of Antichriſt: for God would that al theſe thinges ſhould to all men be moſte common and manifeſtly knowen. And this ſenſe hath Aretas opened alſo, ſayeng: Seale them not, ſayeth he, that is, kepe them not ſealed to thy ſelf, but publiſhe them to all. The reaſon is annexed: for the time is at hande, wherein verely theſe thinges which I hauehave ſayde, ſhal come to paſſe. Wherfore the faythful had nede of warnyng, cōfirmyng and comforte. Conſideryng therefore that this boke is ſet forth, that it might admoniſhe, ſtrengthen, and comforte the faythfull, the ſame ought not to be ſhutte but wide open. For this is the good will of God, that this his word ſhould be preached in his church to the profit of al faithfull. Let them loke therefore, what they doe, whiche would hauehave this booke not only ſhutte vp, but cleane taken awaie: nother thinke it can be vnderſtande as obſcure and full of darke ſpeakynges. But to God be prayſe and thankes geuyng, whiche hath vouchſaued to prouide for vsus faythfully & in time by this moſt profitable and moſte neceſſarie boke.
¶ Theſe thīgs muſt be beatē in both to the hearers & to ſuche as will not heare.8 The eight place of this concluſion ſemeth to treate of a certen preuention. For ſome man here might ſaye: thou wilt hauehave this boke to be open, and come vntounto al men of al ſtates, ſexe and ages: but there ſhal be ſome, whiche wil vtterly contemne the ſame. In vayne therefore ſhall it be preached, in vayne ſhall we vrge theſe writynges, with them eſpecially, which ſhal deride the ſame, and expounde them this waye or that waye at their pleaſure. But he ſemeth to preuent this, & ſaye: doubtles there ſhall be vnrightuouſe innumerable, whiche ſhal procede vnbridled in their iniquities, and ſhall more and more excede and paſſe themſelues: but yet there ſhall be alſo rightuouſe, whiche perſeueryng in al rightuouſenes, ſhal increaſe in holy vertues, and herein alſo ſhal ſurmounte themſelues: wherfore ſpare not thou to vtter to thē al, ſuch things as in this boke I hauehave cōmaunded thee, being nothing careful for the ſucceſſe therof: let me alone with that: execute thou thoffice of preachyng. I wil bryng to paſſe, that thy faithfull preachyng ſhal not be vayne. And let them alone, if thou ſee certen that will be altogether filthie, and periſh in their filthines, ſeyng they contemne al thy faythful labour. For thou haſte done thy duetie, and arte blameles: and they periſhe through their owne fault. Wherfore I wil nother hauehave thee, nor yet no other to be ouer careful, what time you ſee many, contemnyng the puretie of Gods word, had rather wallowe in filthines. And we reade els where alſo,Math. 24. 2. Corin. 2. that the Goſpell is preached to many for their condemnation, and the ſauour of the goſpel to be ſwete vntounto ſome vntounto ſaluatiō: and to others an intollerable ſtēche vntounto perdition. A like place in a maner is in the .2. chapt. of Ezechiel, where we reade that the Lorde ſayde to the Prophet: thou ſonne of man, I ſende thee to the childrē of Iſrael, to a people rebelliouſe, which hauehave rebelled agaynſt me, they and their fathers hauehave dealte traytorouſly with me vntil this daye. They be childrē of an harde fauour, and of a frowarde harte. I ſende thee vntounto them, and thou ſhalt tell them: thus ſayeth the Lord God, whether they will heare, or not heare: for it is a rebelliouſe houſe, that they may knowe yet, howe there hath ben a Prophete emongs them. And thou ſonne of man feare thē not, nother be thou affraide of their wordes: for they be contentiouſe and prickyng like thornes, and thy dwellyng is with Scorpions. But therfore ſhalt thou not be affrayde of thē, thou ſhalt ſpeake my words vntounto them, whether they wil heare them, or no.
Howbeit we muſt here take hede,God commaundeth not that the wicked ſhoulde walke ſtill in their wickednes that we vnderſtāde not that God cōmaundeth, that the vngodly ſhuld procede to be more vngodly, where thangel ſayeth: he yt is vnrightuouſe, let him be vnrightuouſe ſtil, &c. For it ſemeth in maner to be ſuch a ſaying, as that ſame is in the goſpell: that thou doeſt, doe it more ſpedely. For he commaundeth him to doe, that thing which he knew he would do. After the ſame ſorte here alſo, that he knewe the wicked would do, he ſayeth they ſhal do: nother willeth he that their doynges ſhuld trouble Iohn, & the faythfull preacher, ſeyng there ſhal be alſo many good, whiche ſhal alſo applie themſelues vntounto rightuouſenes. We are wonte alſo to ſaye with a muche like phraſe: yf it will no otherwiſe be, we muſte be content. Not that we bidde him that periſſheth, to periſhe: but that ſo we reproche to him his madnes, & ſignifie that he periſſheth through his owne fault, willingly and wittingly. Aretas: It is no exhortation ſayeth he, but rather a rebukyng of eueryevery one, vntounto the whiche ſtudy he applieth him ſelfe. And Thomas of Aquine: The ſenſe is, ſayeth he, he that hurteth, lette him hurte ſtil. That is he will hurte, by doyng other euilles: that the Angel be vnderſtande to hauehave ſayde theſe thinges in propheciyng, not in wiſſhing, &c. And ſo the meanyng were: the wicked contēning the prophecie, ſhall continewe to be wicked, the godly agayne ſhall growe in the holy ſtudy of rightuouſnes. Which ſenſe truely ſemeth moſte playneſt of al. Nother differ they muche from theſe, that are red in the .12. of Daniel by theſe wordes: go Daniel ſayeth the Angel, and ſearche not ouer curiouſely the inſtaunt of the laſte time: for the ſayinges are cloſed and ſealed, vntill the laſte time. Very many ſhall be purified and made white and caſte newe. But the wicked ſhal doe wickedly and al vngodly ſhal not vnderſtande. But the learned ſhal teach. From theſe thinges ſwarue nothyng at al the wordes of the Apoſtle,…. Timo. 3. ſpeakyng and propheciyng of the later times: all that will liue godly in Chriſte Ieſus, ſhall ſuffer perſecution for rightuouſnes. Notwithſtandyng euill menne, and deceauers growe worſe and worſe, whileſt they both leade others into errour, and erre themſelues. Therefore ſeyng the later age of this worlde ſhal be ſuch, let vsus, which are called to this function, procede conſtantly to auaunce, ſet forth and beate in, the very worde of God, and reuelation of Ieſu Chriſt vntounto al men, regardyng nothing, what the worlde and worldly men ſpeake agaynſt it.
And ful elegantly he ſetteth two ſortes of men againſt two others, the vnrightuouſe agaynſt the rightuouſe,The vnrightuouſ… & filthy are ſet againſt the righteuous and holy. and filthie to holy, foreign, ſayeth he, he that doeth euill, let him do euil: or he that is vnrightuous, let him be vnrightuous: or he that hurteth by perſecutīg ye godly, foreign let him hurt ſtil, or furthermore. Agaynſt this he ſetteth: he yt is rightuous, let him be more rightuous, let him procede further, & grow more & more in al godlines, & go beyōde himſelf in rightuouſnes, both of faith and workes. For by rightuouſenes of faith we are iuſtified: by the rightuouſnes of workes, we are declared to be rightuouſe. And thei that be rightuouſe, not only hurte no man but alſo profit & do good to al. Contrarywiſe the vnrightuous, which waunt true faith, waūt light: & walke therfore in darkenes, & doe the workes of darkenes: perſecuting both the rightuouſe, & rightuouſnes, & moleſtyng al mē. And that there ſhould be ſuch men in the later dayes, the lord hath alſo prophecied in the .24. chap. of the goſpel after Matthewe.
An other kinde of men, is of vncleane, polluted, filthie and vile, foreign, &c. He that is filthie, ſayeth he, lette him be filthie ſtille. And the interpretours of the Greke tunge admoniſſhe that foreign, is that filthines, which we gather with our nailes endes. And he ſignified vncleane perſones in body & ſoule, Idolaters, fornicatours, gluttons, and ſuche like. Agaynſte whome he hath placed, the holy, pure, and cleane: that is to ſaye purified by faith, and appliyng thēſelues buſily to ſanctification. Therfore like as the filthie do more and more wallowe themſelues in the mire, and araye and defile thēſelues to vilely: ſo the godly doe more and more applie themſelues dayly to cleanes and holines of life. The lorde Ieſus iuſtifie and ſanctifie vsus for euermore.