A Hundred Sermons on Revelation, Sermons · Sermon 19
¶ He procedeth in recityng moſte great rewardes. The .xix. Sermon.
HIm that ouercometh wil I make a piller in the temple of my God, and he ſhall goe no more out. And I will wryte vponupon him the name of my God, and the name of the citie of my God, newe Ieruſalē, which commeth downe out of Heauen from my God, and I will wryte vponupon him my newe name. Lette him that hathe eares heare, what the ſpirite ſayeth to the congregations.
Our Lorde procedeth in raccomptynge muche more ample rewardes, whiche he woulde geue to them that ouercome: And ſo he tempereth his wordes, that we maye eaſely perceyue, this promeſſe not onlye to apperteyne to the congregation of Philadelphia, but to all the Churches in the whole worlde, yea and to euerye of the faythefull. And as we hauehave oftentymes repeted already (for I am not aſſhamed to repete, ſeynge that the Lorde him ſelfe ſo greately vrgeth the victorye) agayne we ſaye, that thoſe thynges are promiſed not to ſuche as fighte lightly or negligently (for diuerſe fighte,The warfare & victorye of Chriſtiās. and by and by runne awaye) but to thoſe that ouercome and perſeuer to the ende. For our life is a warfare vponupon earthe: whiche Iob alſo hath confeſſed. The ſoldiour hath a ſure purpoſe to ouercome his enemies. Our enemies are, the deuil, the world, and the fleſhe. Againſt theſe we muſte erneſtly fight: of none other intent, but that we may ouercome. The Apoſtle in the 6. to the Epheſ. deſcribed the armour of the faithful. In victory the Sainctes conſider ſinceries and integritie, that we loſe nothyng of the veritie knowen: but let vsus reteyne the pure worde of God, and ſincere fayth, and let vsus kepe our bodies & our ſoules cleane from all pollution, and that to our liues ende. He propoundeth moſte ample rewardes by promeſſe.The maner of erectīg pillers. Wherby he alludeth to the maner of Grekes and Romanes, who decreed Images to ſuche as deſerued wel of the cōmon welthe in the whiche alſo they wrote theyr vertues, for whoſe cauſe they were ſet vp eyther in the court or market place or els where. They ſemed by this meane to deliuer to theyr poſteritie as it were by hande the glory of their elders, whiche they made alſo as it were euerlaſtyng.Piller in yt ſcriptures. Otherwiſe the vſe of this vocable Columne, or piller is diuerſe. Ieremie is called of God a piller for his conſtancie. The Apoſtles are called of S. Paull in the 2. to the Galath. chiefe pillers, for their excellencie, and that the churches leaned vponupon them, for the preaching of the veritie. The church it ſelf alſo is called the piller & baſe of veritie, for aſmuch as it is groūded vponupon the ſure rocke Chriſt. In the Temple of Salomō ſtoode two columnes or pillers, figures of the euerlaſting kingdome of Chriſt,…. Timo. 3. and of the holy churche. In this place a piller is taken for a man, in glory and beautie excellent. For he ſayeth not that he will erecte a piller for a godly man: but I wil, ſayeth he, make him a piller, that is to ſaye, I wil beautifie him with honours and glory euerlaſtyng.
But where ſhall this piller be ſet? where ſhall the glory of Sainctes be famouſe?The piller is ſet in ye Temple. not in Courte, or market place: but in the Temple of my God. And the Temple of God, is heauen it ſelfe, and in our worlde the holy Churche. Gloriouſe therfore ſhal he be in the churche of Sainctes, aſwel militaunt, as triumphaunt. Albeit therfore that the very godly heare euill in this worlde: yet this worlde ſhall peryſhe, Chriſte ſhall reigne for euer, and the Sainctes ſhall reigne with him. Their glorye then ſhall remayne for euer and euer. And where he ſayeth, of my God, Aretas expoundeth and ſaieth: This ſaiynge of my God, taketh not awaye the diuine nature, that is ſene in Chriſt, but eſtabliſheth, as I may ſay, the conſubſtantialitie. For it declareth the vnion of two natures, whiche are in the perſone of our Lord Ieſu, to witte of his deitie and humanitie, euen after vnderſtanding, yet not confuſely, to be indiſſobible. For they aunſwer mutualy one another, becauſe of the aſſumptiō of the humane nature, the diuine to the humane, and likewiſe the humane to the diuine proprieties. &c.
Moreouer the perpetuitie and ſtablenes of the glory of the ſainctes and faithful is ſignified, where it is added,Stable gl… ry. and he ſhall go no more out. For many times pillers are brokē and caſt down, and renowne ones gotten periſheth and fadeth away. But Chriſt promiſeth to them that ouercome, that they ſhall neuer be caſt out of the fellowſhip of Sainctes, neyther that the glory of the faithfull ſhould be obſcured at any time. And thus farre of the piller it ſelfe.
Here followeth of the inſcription of the piller,The inſcription of ye piller. of what ſort it ſhalbe. Thre thinges chiefly are wrytten in the Sainctes, to witte the name of God, the name alſo of the citie of God, and the new name of God or of Chriſt. Whiche we ſhal diſcuſſe in order. Firſt the name of God is aſcribed to the godly, that is, they them ſelues are called by the name of God, & be the children and heires of God. Whiche is diſcourſed at large in the firſt of Iohn, and the .viii. to the Romains. Ouercomers be ye childrē of God.And what can you deuiſe to be more honorable, than to be, and be called the ſonne, not of kyng nor Emperour, but of ye liuing God? But this ſame noble grace the Lorde graunteth to thē that ouercome. In the firſt of Iohn the .iii. and .v. Victours be citezens of the citie of God.Chap. Secondly to the ouercomers is inſcribed the name of the citie of God: that is to ſay, the Godly man is wrytten in the nō ber of the citez ns of the citie of God, and is verely a citezen of the citie of God, I ſaye euen of the citie of God. It was a great matter in tymes paſt, to be a citezen of Rome: But it is farre greater to be a citezen of the citie of God. The citezens inioye all priuileges and commodities, finally the glory of the citie.the church is deſcribed what i… is. But this is greater and more than that it can be declared at fewe wordes.
But the churche, is the citie of God: And the citie of God, is the churche. Whiche is here ſet forth with thre epithetes or titles, of the whiche it is eaſy to iudge, what the churche is, or what we ſhuld thinke therof. The church is the citie of God. For lyke as the citie, is the fellowſhip of citezens: Euen ſo is the churche the communion of ſainctes. The Prince of thē is Chriſt, the head of the churche. The rounde worlde it ſelfe was a figure of this churche, and the very ſetting vp of the tentes, in the middes wherof was ſene the Tabernacle, a token of the deitie preſent, as it were a cohabiter. &c. For the Lorde is in the middes of the churche. As we hauehave red in the xxvi. of Leuit. And in the .2. to the Corinth. the .6. Secondly the churche is called new Hieruſalem. For the olde was a figure of the newe. This corporall churche is new Hieruſalē, that is to ſay ſpirituall. Whiche S. Paul alſo affirmeth in ye iiii. to the Galath. For in the thirde place is expounded that newnes. It is not builded of men, but cometh downe from heauen aboue. For vnleſſe we be borne from aboue of ſpirite and of ſede immortall to witte the word of God, we can not be members of the churche. And we are borne by a ſpirituall regeneration, the children of Chriſt & of the church. Wherof the Lorde himſelfe diſcourſeth at large in the .iii. of Iohn.
1. Petri. 1. And S. Paul the firſt to the Corinthians the .iii. & iiii. There ſhall be more ſayd of the new Hieruſalem in thend of this boke. But of theſe ye vnderſtande, what is the churche of Chriſt, the fellowſhip of the faithfull, regenerated by the worde of God. &c.
The viccours get a new name.Finally in them that ouercome is wrytten a new name, and that in dede ye new name of Chriſte: Not only that they ſhould be called Chriſtians of Chriſt, but becauſe the name is a brief deſcription of eueryevery thyng and nature, and a newe name is promyſed: It followeth that we ſhould vnderſtande that men ſhall be renewed, chiefly by glorifiyng. He promyſeth therfore a glorifiyng to the Godly. Wherof is ſpokē els where in the .xvii. of S. Math. 1. Cor. xv. Phil. iii. And the firſt of Iohn the .iii. Theſe moſt ample rewardes the ſainctes may verely loke for, if they fight that they may ouercome.
Hereunto is annexed the wonted acclamation, by the whiche both this doctrine is applied and communicated to all churches through out the worlde. And is declared that it came not of men as vayne, but of the very ſpirite of God moſte true. This ſpirite the Lorde graunt vsus.