A Hundred Sermons on Revelation, Sermons · Sermon 16
¶ He alloweth and commendeth thoſe that couet to liue godly in the Churche of Sardis, exhorting them that they would ſo holde on and procede. The .xvi. Sermon.
BVt thou haſte a fewe names in Sardis, whiche hauehave not defiled their garmentes: And they ſhall walke with me in white, for they are worthie. He that ouercometh ſhall be clothed in white araye, and I will not put out his name out of the boke of life: And I will confeſſe his name before my Father, and before his Aungelles. He that hath eares let him heare what the ſpirite ſayeth to the congregations.
The argumēt of this parte.The ſeconde parte of this heauenly epiſtle is conteined in theſe poinctes, in the whiche is praiſed and cōmended the innocencie, holines and integritie of the faithful in the congregation of Sardis, in true religion. He exhorteth them by a promeſſe moſte large vntounto perſeueraunce. Laſt he propoundeth agayne vntounto them moſte ample rewardes: euen to the corrupte ſorte, in caſe they amende: and to the faithful, if they continewe as they be.
The complutenſiā boke hath thus foreign: But thou haſte a fewe names in Sardis. Whiche is as much as if he had ſaied, they be not al corrupt and dead with thee, although in dede thoſe be very fewe. And ſo Aretas readeth it in Greke, and the cōmon tranſlation in Latin other copies hauehave, whiche Eraſmus followeth, thou haſte a fewe names alſo at Sardis: that is, euen in Sardis haſt thou names,Names. but fewe. And he put names for notable men. Which maner of ſpeaking is alſo in our langage. For we ſaye, there is no man of name, for no excellent or noble perſonage, he ſignifieth therefore, that there be in the ſame Churche noble perſonages, and that noble in ſoundenes of faith and holynes of life: but very fewe,Few good. if they ſhoulde be referred or compared to the numbre of Hipocrites or dead, whiche in dede are a greate deale more. Nother oughte we here at to maruel. For the Lorde ſayeth alſo in the Goſpell, that many be called, fewe choſen: And that the greater parte of this world walketh in that broade and wide waye of perdition, Matth. 20. and 7. The whiche alſo S. Peter repeted in the 2. chapter of his latter epiſtle. That they are rather to be hiſſed at, than confuted, whiche ſeke to defende theyr errour, by a multitude. You ſhall heare very ofte at this daye. You are but a fewe in nombre, we are innumerable, and therfore our matter is the better.
But that ſame excellent thinge is chiefly to be obſerued,What is cōmended the church of Sardis. that although they were but fewe good, yet neuertheles the Lorde cōmendeth and extolleth thoſe fewe, doubtles for the example and imitation of al other churches. The wordes in dede are ſhorte, but the praiſe moſte ample and large. That they had not defiled their garmentes: whiche is as muche as if he had ſayed, you hauehave not polluted your ſoules with ſtraunge opinions or ſpottes of hereſie. For you hauehave remayned ſincere in the true faythe: your bodies alſo, and the whole conuerſation of your life, you hauehave not defiled with filthie luſtes, with fleſhely pleaſures and voluptuouſenes. Doubtles this is the greateſt prayſe and moſt certaine ſigne of perfit godlines: wherewith I would wiſhe that mo of vsus were marked. But the maner of ſpeache here requireth alſo an expoſition.The allegorie of apparell in ye ſcripture. The allegorie of garments is often and much vſed in holy ſcripture. The vſe of apparell inuented of God him ſelfe, and ſhewed to our forefathers, hath this chiefe propertie, to hide the priuie partes of our body, to beautife and ſet forth the body, and kepe of heate and colde. And therfore Chriſt him ſelf is called the garment of Chriſtiās, and in the goſpel in dede the wedding garment. Whervpon thapoſtle aduiſeth vsus to put on the new mā, which is made after God euen Chriſt him ſelfe. Roman. 13. Epheſ. 4. Coloſſ. 3. For Chriſt couereth not only our priuie partes, but all the filthines alſo of the ſoule, he adorneth and beautifieth vsus, and driueth frō vsus all iniurie, and all euill. And we defile this garment, when neither in faith nor in holines of life we do aunſwer to our profeſſiō. For Chriſte is our garment, and Chriſtianitie, ſincere faithe, and holines of life are our apparell: And euen faithe and our conuerſation is our garmente. For aſmuche therfore as the Sardenſians were of a ſincere fayth, and vncorrupte maners, they are ſaied to hauehave kepte their garmēts cleane and vndefiled. The lorde alſo geueth nowe a rewarde vntounto vertu.To walke with chriſt in where graye. And they ſhal walke with me, ſayeth he, in white araye. Theſe excellent things verely doeth he rehearſe to reteyne the Sardenſians in theyr dutie, to nourriſhe them to greater things and to moue other alſo to ſinceritie and integritie. Sainctes walke with Chriſt in white araye, that is to ſaye, hauehave fruitiō of the ſame glory, wherin we beleue Chriſt to ſhine. For he deſireth his father, that he will graunt to the faithfull, that where ſo euer he is, they may be with him, and ſee his glory, &c. in the 17. of Iohn. And with S. Matth. in the tranſformatiō or clarifiyng, the face of Chriſt appered bright like the ſunne, his apparell and reſt of his body as light. So appered Chriſt vntounto Iohn in the firſt chapt. of this boke, clothed in white araye. Nowe therfore ſayeth he, the godly that hauehave not defiled their garmente, ſhal accompany me, hauing put on light alſo.Sainctes be worthy of glory. He addeth an other thing, for they be worthie. This is the greateſt prayſe, when the Captaine ſayeth, that the ſoldiour is worthy of honour and glory. The greateſt ſhame or ignomie is, when it is ſayed with vsus, thou arte vnworthy. The firſt kind of ſpeache ſheweth him to be moſt excellent in al kinde of vertue, whiche is ſayed to be worthie of eternal light, by the later is ſignified, that he whiche is accompted vnworthy of a good and excellent thing, is maruelouſe negligent and vngraciouſe. But here we nede not to reaſon of the merite and deſerte of worthines. God pronoū ceth his to be worthie of glory, the godly referre al the goodnes that is in them vntounto grace, and ſtill complaine of theyr vnworthines. Not to reproue God of liyng, but to prayſe and cōmende the excellent goodnes that is in him: acknowledging in dede that he rewardeth good workes, and dignifieth the worthines of ſainctes: but they are nothing proude hereof, but acknowledge al this to come of grace. This appereth in the doctrine of the Goſpell, Luke. 17. Matth. 25. where Sainctes cōmended of God, for the workes of mercy, ſeme the acknowledge nothing therof.
Howbeit he declareth more at large the moſt ample promeſſes of God,Greate rewardes of vertue. wherby he maye not onlye reteyne in their duty the Sainctes and vndefiled Sardenſians, but mighte alſo reduce al others that go aſtray at al times into the waye of repentaunce, integritie, and holines. And three thinges he promiſeth: firſt in dede, white apparell, that is to ſaye, gloryfiyng, and light euerlaſtinge, and the gloriouſe company of Chriſt, wherof I hauehave ſpoken already. Secondly, and I wil not, ſayeth he, put out his name out of the boke of life. For like as Cities hauehave bokes, wherin the names of theyr Citizens are written:The boke of life. righte ſo is God in the ſcriptures ſayed foreign (after the maner of men) to hauehave a boke of life, or of his electe. What that boke is, and whoſe name is red in the ſame, none of vsus can tell, ſins none hath loked therein. We muſt learne of the ſcriptures, who be the citezēs of the kingdome of God. For that theyr names be written in the boke of life no man nede doubt. And S. Iohn ſayeth: ſo many as hauehave beleued, he hath geuen them power, that they maye be made the children of God. S. Paull ſaieth: He that hath not the ſpirite of Chriſte, he is none of his. And the ſpirite crieth in the mindes of the godly, Abba father. The ſame Apoſtle ſayeth: God hath predeſtinated vsus, that he might adopte vsus for his children, through Ieſus Chriſte. Moreouer: he hath choſen vsus in Chriſt, before the foūdations of the world were layde. Therefore are al beleuers written in that numbre celeſtiall. Who ſo euer therefore beleue not, or perſeuere not in the faith, eyther they are not written in the boke of life, or els they be put out againe of the boke of lyfe. Finally the ſonne acknowledgeth the beleuers and ſuch as perſeuer in the true faythe, before his heauenly father, and his Aungelles. And here he repeteth theuangelicall doctrine out of the 10. chapt. of S. Matth. and 8. of S. Marke. And doubteles it is a greate matter in that vniuerſall iudgement, to be knowen of the ſonne of God, of the highe iudge, to be ſaluted and frendely ſpokē to of him, and that to our greate prayſe. If any Prince would in a great aſſemble of people knowe thee, yea imbraſe and cōmende thee, howe happie and fortunate woldeſt thou thinke thy ſelfe? But then ſhall imbraſe thee the very ſonne of God, king of kinges, and lorde of lordes. Let vsus thinke of theſe thinges in time, and amende our maners.
For that all theſe thinges apperteyne to vsus, that laſte and wounted acclamation of S. Iohn proueth: let him that hathe eares, heare, &c. Wherof we hauehave ſpoken els where. To the Lord be prayſe and glory.