A Hundred Sermons on Revelation, Sermons · Sermon 18
¶ He exhorteth them to perſeuer in the true fayth propoundyng moſt ample rewardes. The .xviij. Sermon.
ANd they ſhall knowe, that I hauehave loued thee: becauſe thou haſt kept the wordes of my patience: therefore will I kepe thee from the houre of temptacion, whiche wil come vponupon all the worlde, to tempte them that dwell vponupon the earthe beholde I come ſhortely. Holde faſt that thou haſt that nomā take awaye thy crowne.
To kepe ye worde of Chriſt.An excellent vertue is commended in the congregation of Philadelphia, that they hauehave kepte the worde of Chriſt, not eueryevery worde, but the worde of Chriſte, and hauehave not denied it. And he hath begonne to rehearſe moſte large rewardes, whiche bothe he hath geuen to this church, and is alſo ready to geue to any other like in the zeale of godly religion. For we are allured by rewardes.
Enemies are made frendes.Firſte I will conuerte, ſayeth he, thine enemies, that they may be made thy frendes & bretherne, that cōming into the congregation, they maye worſhip Chriſt, whome they hauehave blaſphemed hitherto, yea yt they ſhal ſubmit them ſelues hū bly & lowely: As we reade of S. Paull, which in the 15. chapt. of the 1. epiſtle to the Corinthians ſayeth that he is vnworthie to be called an Apoſtle. &c. And this is a wonderfull benefite. For God is glorified by ſuch as are cōuerted, & the trueth is ſet forth, liyng and ſuperſtition are confounded. Wherof the Sainctes can not but be exceadingly glad. The faythful alſo are deliuered out of the Deuils clawes, and are ſaued.
The church of God beloued.Than followeth an other benefite of God. Thenemies of God ſhal know & finde, that the church, and eueryevery mēbre of the ſame be the wel beloued children of God. Thenemies of the church ſuppoſe, the faithful to be wicked, gods enemies, heretikes, churchrobbers, hated of god, & vnworthy to liue. But they ſhal vnderſtand that nothing is derer to God than the church, as for ye which he gaue his ſonne, which he choſe alſo for his ſpouſe, and hath made pertaker of his kingdome.
Of ye louelove of god cum vertues.But of this louelove of God, wherby he, prouoked by no deſertes of ours, but of his only grace & natiue goodnes hathe ioyned him ſelfe to the churche, al vertues doe procede: That chiefly which immediatly followeth, yt the church hath kept the worde of patiēce. The ſame Iohn in his canonical epiſtle: not that we, ſayeth he, hauehave loued God, but yt he hath loued vsus &c. Therfore where the obſeruation of the worde of patience is annexed as the cauſe of louelove, it muſte be religiouſely expoūded, that the fauour of god, & al our giftes be verely of grace, but yet that he of the ſame grace doeth as it were requite and rewarde vsus for our paynes. Wherof the Sainctes are not proude, but humbly acknowledge and preache grace eueryevery where and in al thinges.
Agayne he cōmendeth the perſeueraunce of the faithfull in the true religion. Thou haſt kept, ſayeth he,What is ye worde of patience. the worde of my patience. The worde of patience is the Goſpel of eternal ſaluation: whiche is otherwiſe called of S. Paull the worde of the croſſe, and that for two conſiderations. Firſt for bicauſe he deſcribeth the croſſe and patience of Chriſte wherby we are ſaued. And again he perſwadeth vsus alſo to beare ye croſſe, and patiently to ſuffer with Chriſte, Matth. 16.2. Timoth. 2. Neyther muſte any man loke for any perſeueraunce of him that is impatient. The Lord ſayeth in the 12. of Luke, in your patience you ſhal poſſeſſe your ſoules. Therfore hath eyther the paſtour or the church of Philadelphia kept the worde of patience, to witte in reteyning in their hartes the patience of Chriſt through fayth, and in ſhewyng patience in wordes or ſaiynges, and ſuſteyning muche trauel in body. Whiche in dede is the beſte waye to kepe churches ſafe and ſounde, and eueryevery one of the faythful. Let them kepe, I ſaye, the worde of Chriſte his patience, and the reſt commit to the Lord.
For it followeth: And I will kepe thee agayne from the houre of temptation, &c.The houre of temptation. The houre of temptation is expoū ded two wayes. For eyther he ſpeaketh of hereſies and of heretikes, by whoſe talke, and craftie iuggelynge, leudenes, and diſceiptfulnes is tempted the faythe, ſimplicitie, and integritie of the faytheful. Wherof the Lorde treateth muche in the 13. Chapter of Deuteronomie. Or els he ſpeaketh verely of the perſecutions, whiche the emperours of Rome hauehave inflicted, emonges whome Traiane a moſt mightie Prince ſet forth ſore proclamations agaynſte the Chriſtians. Wherof Plinie alſo made mention in the 10. boke of Epiſtles, the hō dreth and one. But Chriſt preſerued the churche of Philadelphia, and kepeth alſo at this daye the faythfull by his worde and power in the perilles of heretickes and hereſies, and finally of perſecutions alſo: ſo that the faythfull maye ſtande ſure in all controuerſies and receyue nothing of heretikes that is ſtraunge from gods worde, and alſo geue no place in perſecutions. Chriſt cauſeth many times that the burthen of perſecution preſſeth not ſo heauily. Therfore let vsus alwayes be conſtaunt in gods worde, and permitte the defence to our Lorde God. He wil not neglecte vsus, &c.
The Lord helpeth in time.But for as muche as in temptations and afflictions the Lord ſemeth many times to our fleſhe to tary ouerlong, and in maner to neglect his: for we ſaye the Lord preuenteth, and addeth, beholde I come ſhortly. Shortly, I ſay, that is to ſay in time: not to late nor to haſtely. The which we ſaie, neither to ſoone nor to late, but in dewe time and ſeaſon. If the lorde therfore ſhal ſeme to be ouer ſlowe, diſpaire not: for he will come timely enough, when he ſhal ſee it good. Doe not thou preſcribe vntounto him the maner and meane of deliueraunce, but abide the Lordes leaſure. Reade what goodly and holeſome thinges S. Paull hath written concernyng this matter in the ende of the 10. chapter to the Hebrewes, where a place alſo out of the 2. Chapt. of Abachuc is alledged.
Holde faſt that thou haſte.And nowe he exhorteth in fewe but moſt euident wordes to perſeueraunce in pietie, wherein they had excelled hitherto. And he ſayeth two thinges holde foreign holde faſte that thou haſt. They had the goſpell of Chriſte, and the worde of eternal life, the true fayth and godly religion. Theſe thinges he commaundeth to holde faſte, and to perſiſt in the religion ones receyued. And whileſt he commaunded them to kepe that they had, he ſignifieth by the waie, that no new or other doctrine is to be loked for: but that this ones receyued doeth ſuffice. Let vsus not thinke therefore in the gouernement of the church vponupon other lawes, vponupon other traditions, than of the Goſpell of Ieſu Chriſte. This is ſufficient for the churche. After reaſonynge as it were of the loſſe, he ſayeth: Therfore muſt thou watche diligently and holde ſtrongly the goſpel, for this beyng taken away thou arte ſpoyled of thy crowne. The crowne is a token of vertue and victory. We ſaye.
Conquerours and worthie of the Empire, are crowned. The virgin loſeth her crowne, that is defiled. Therfore heretikes, falſe prophetes, and ſeducers take awaye the crowne, what time they ſeduce and corrupte: therefore ſayeth the Lorde: Thou haſte gotten honour and glory, ſee that no man take it from thee. So we reade that S. Paull ſpake in the 2. to the Coloſs. Let no man take from you the victory. In the 18. of Ezechiel the Lorde teſtifieth, that he will not impute rightuouſnes to the iuſte, in caſe he forſake and leaue his rightouſenes let vsus praye therefore, that we maye euermore perſeuer in the worde of the Lorde.