A Hundred Sermons on Revelation, Sermons · Sermon 13
¶ The Lorde threatneth ſore the impenitent, as he yt rendreth to eueryevery man after his workes. The .xiij. Sermon.
ANd I gaue her ſpace to repent of her fornication, and ſhe repented not. Behold I will caſte her in to a bed, and them that commit fornication with her, into great aduerſitie, except they tourne from their dedes. And I will kill her children with death. And all congregations ſhall knowe, that I am he whiche ſearcheth the reines and hartes, and I will geue vntounto eueryevery one of you according to your workes.
To the fourmer errours and ſinnes of Iezabell he addeth an other ſinne nothing light, to witte,The abuſe or contēpt of Gods longanimitie. the abuſe and euen the contempt of God his long ſuffering. God doeth not by and by and out of hande deſtroy ſuch as be in errour and ſinnes alſo moſte greuous. But ſinners are wonte for the moſt part to abuſe that long animitie of God vntounto the occaſiō and pretence of ſinning more impudētly, ſaying: If god did ſo much abhorre theſe offences, he had diſtroyed vsus long or this: But now he noriſheth vsus benignly, therfore doth he not ſo greatly miſlike it. But this is an abuſe of Gods long ſuffring. For the Lorde ſaith at this preſent, I hauehave geuen Iezabell a tyme to repent her, and to leaue her fornication, and tourne to the Lorde: Howbeit ſhe hath not conuerted. Which thing the Lorde taketh in moſte euill parte, that his grace ſhoulde be verely diſpiſed and ſet at naught. Wherfore S. Paul to the Romains. Whether doeſt thou contemne the ryches of God his goodnes, long ſuffering and lenitie, knowing not that the goodnes of God prouoketh thee to repentaunce. &c. If than the Lorde hath not ſodenly in our ſinnes oppreſſed vsus, let vsus not therof take vntounto vsus a libertie to ſinne, but let vsus rather amende. S. Peter ſaith, the Lord is patient towardes vsus, whileſt he wil deſtroy none, but receiue all to repentaūce. ii. Petri. iii. Certes Iezabel her ſelf, when after the death of her huſband Achab, and the mortal fal of her ſonne Ocoſias ſhe did not amende, nor within the .xii. yeares of her ſonne Ioram, wherin he is red to hauehave reigned, did repēt her: Felt the wrath of God ſo muche more greuouſe, for that it was long or it came.
And in the text followyng the Lord Ieſus in dede threateneth moſte greuouſly the Iezabelines, that is to witte,Sore threateninges. the Cataphrigians or Montaniſtes, vnleſſe they wyll yet repēt in tyme. For he openeth againe the gates of his grace to the penitent, reciting, how he will plage the impenitēt. Wherby verely he aſſayeth to driue them into repentaunce by threateninges. For in reciting the kyndes or degrees of puniſhementes, he ſheweth alſo diuerſe kindes of them that be in errours, and declareth to eueryevery one his iudgement, which they may by repentaunce eſchewe. And he is thought to hauehave reherſed thoſe kindes for this cōſideration, leaſt any man happely ſhould thinke him ſelfe giltles and free, in caſe he be neuer ſo litle partaker with Iezabel.
Iezabel ſhal be caſt into a bed.Firſt the Lord threateneth Iezabel her ſelfe, that he wyll caſt her into a bed. He ſpeaketh of the firſt authours of the euil and of the hereſie, vponupon whom he menaceth to ſend a ſicknes. For the bed in many times in the ſcripture taken for the very diſeaſes wherwith they be vexed that lie in bed. And we Germaines ſay, that he is taken with a moſte greuous and deadly diſeaſe. And the Lorde plageth the archheretickes wt ſicknes of body & ſoul. In the meane ſeaſō alſo he weakneth the force of therrour, to thintent it might by litle & litle vaniſh away.
They that meddle wt Iezabel ſhalbe afflicted.Secondly he threatneth great affliction to ſuch as hauehave to do with Iezabel: that is to ſay, to ſuch as cleaue vntounto falſe doctrine, receiue errours, delight in hereſies, and go about to ſet forth the ſame. To theſe, I ſay, he threateneth moſt greuous afflictiōs, to witte of body and ſoul, of this preſent and of the life to come. He ſemeth to hauehave ſaid ſomwhat more, than if he had recited certen kindes of puniſhment.
The children of Iezabel ſhalbe ſlayne.Finally he menaceth death to the children borne of this copulation and fornicatiō, to witte whore ſonnes, & baſtardes. And thoſe are chiefly the childrē of heretickes, which ſtire vp a freſhe, and reſtore newly again, hereſies already condēned, meakened, and wearing away. Theſe the Lord diſtroied with temporal and eternal death. And the eccleſiaſticall ſtory doth teſtifie, that ye Lord hath in dede puniſhed moſt greuouſly not only the hereſie of the Cataphrigiās, but al hereſies in general. And certen thinges cōcerning the Cataphrygiās or Mō taniſtes, are touched of Euſeb. lib. 1. of the cl. ſtory, Cap. 16.
The deſtruction of Achab and Iezabel wt al their poſteritie.The Lorde ſemeth here to me to hauehave alluded to the olde ſtory of Iezabel & Achab for them, as it were caſt in a bed, frō day to day, euer ſince they began to worſhip Baal, he vexed with ſicknes, and brought them lowe: And the people that receiued the religion of Baal, be put to much ſorow, euils and afflictions. Finally their children he brought to a ſhamefull death. Their partakers alſo were ſlaine, that would hauehave had Baal his religion, ſafe and ſounde, and euen to hauehave bene reſtored again. For after the death of Achab his father, not many daies after. Ochoſias the ſonne of Achab and Iezabel, bruiſed with an vnhappy fall and caſt in bed, died .iiii. Reg. Cap. 1. And Ioram an other ſonne of Achab and Iezabel, ſtricken through with an arrowe of Iehu was ſlaine. Athalia the daughter of Achab and Iezabel, the wife of Ioram kyng of Iuda, the ſonne of Ioſaphat, being diuided with yt ſweard of Ioiadas, fell down before the gates of the temple. And Ochoſias king of Iuda, the ſonne of Athalia and Ioram, was ſlaine alſo by the power of Iehu. And after were put to death by the ſame Iehu, the .lxx. ſonnes of Achab: And all ye priſtes of Baal are ſlaine together in the temple, and before the Aultar of Baal, and not one of ſo great a nombre eſcaped. Yea the temple, the idol, and the ſeruice of Baal were quite and cleane ouerthrowen. This olde maruelouſe, and wonderfull hiſtory the Lord calleth to memory, ſignifiyng that he lyueth yet a reuenger, and a puniſher: Who will neither ouerpaſſe the iuſt limite, nor touche the ſame out of time. For he addeth and all congregations ſhal know. &c.
Notwithſtanding this thing is notable and moſte worthy to bee remembred, and no leſſe full of comforte,Hope is ſe… open for ye penitent. that in this reherſall of puniſhementes, he putteth in as it were in the middes a mention of repentaunce, as though he ſhould ſay, let no man thinke him ſelfe that he muſt be diſtroyed and periſhe through a certen fatall neceſſitie. For if any wil repent, the gates of the grace of God are ſet open, his ſynnes ſhalbe forgeuen, and he ſhalbe taken in to fauour, and ſhall be deliuered from all thoſe euilles? And after this ſorte hauehave taught alſo the Prophetes, Ieremy in the .xviii. Chapter, and Ezech. in the .xviii. Chapter.
But where as the puniſhement is not by and by executed vponupon the impenitent perſones, you ſhall hauehave them that wyll exclame that God is a ſlepe, that he ſeeth or heareth nothyng. Therfore the Lorde hym ſelfe aunſwereth them, and ſayth: And all congregations ſhall knowe. &c.The Lord declareth yt he is reuē ger of the churche. When I ſhall doubtles at the laſte execute my vengeaunce in dewe ſeaſon. For then ſhall all men learne, that I neyther ſlepe, nor neglecte my ſeruauntes at any tyme, or wyll ſuffer thoſe that deſerue euyll of me and of my Churche to eſcape vnpunyſhed. Furthermore Chriſte teſtifieth that he ſearcheth the …eynes and heartes of all men.
And he meaneth, that he knoweth all thoughtes and deuiſes of the harte, finally the appetite it ſelfe and all the deſires of man, ſo that he can iudge truly therof, for nothing be it neuer ſo ſecret is hidde from Chriſt.Chriſt is God. Therfore is he very God. For it is the propertie of God, & belongeth to him alone to know the hartes of tho children of men: As Salomon teſtifieth in the iii. boke of kinges. Chap. viii. Chriſt therfore ſeeth the priuie & filthie workes both of the Nicolaitans, and all other beaſtly men. Whiche S. Paul ſaith are vnworthy, to come to light, or to be expreſſely declared to men. Epheſ. v.
Chriſt geueth to eueryevery man after his workes.Nother doth Chriſt know only all the thoughtes of men whatſoeuer they be, but geueth moreouer to eueryevery man after his owne workes. And ſo the Apoſtle S. Paul teacheth ſaying: The iuſt iudgement of God ſhall be opened, whiche wyll rewarde eueryevery man according to his dedes, that is to ſaie: Prayſe, honor, and immortalitie, to them whiche continue in well doing, and ſeke eternall life: But vntounto them that are rebelliouſe and diſobey the truth, and followe iniquitie, ſhall come indignation, & wrath, tribulatiō, and angwiſh. &c. In the .ii. to the Roma. For workes be the touchſtones of faith and infidelitie: And workes whether they be good or euyll, be iudged of God and the Godly men, according as they procede of faith, or of infidelitie. Therfore what ſo euer any of vsus ſhall ſowe, the ſame ſhall he reape alſo. For God is the moſte iuſt rewarder of good, and reuenger of euill. The ſame ſentence as it is moſte true, ſo is it the foundation of the true and Godly Religion. Glory be to God.