A Hundred Sermons on Revelation, Sermons · Sermon 25
¶ Here is declared what the Elders did about the Throne, and how they ſange vntounto God a ſong of prayſe. The .xxv. Sermon.
ANd whan theſe beaſtes gaue glory and honour, and thankes to him that ſate on the ſeate, which liueth for euer & euer: The .xxiiii. Elders fel downe before him that ſat on the Throne, and worſhipped him that liueth for euer, and caſt their Crownes befor the Throne, ſaiyng: thou arte worthie lorde to receyue glory and honour and power. For thou haſte created all thinges, and for thy willes ſake they are and were created.
This moſt godly viſion wel and rightly vnderſtande,The fruits of this viſion. and repoſed in faithful memory, inſtructeth vsus rightly in iudgeyng rightly the workes of God, that we ſhould feare God, be patient, and ſubmitte our ſelues wholy to God, and geue all glory vntounto him. For this is the very fruicte, that cometh vntounto vsus, and the ende of all thinges that here are ſpoken.
And by the waye he inferreth in repetyng what the beaſtes did: and declareth alſo what the .xxiiii. elders did.Thexāple of the Elders. Herby we are manifeſtly taught, what we alſo owe vntounto God, and what we ſhall iudge of his workes, and howe we ſhould behaue our ſelues towardes him herin.
Thoſe beaſtes, that is to ſay, the whole nūbre of creatures, whoſe miniſterie God vſeth, in the gouernement of things, aſcribe three thinges vntounto God ſitting, that is to ſaye, ruling and gouerning al thinges, to God I ſay liuing for euer, that is to ſaye, eternall, liuinge, and geuynge or inſpiringe life into all thinges. Firſte in dede glory, foreign, whiche is a maieſtie, or greate eſtimation, a reputation, worſhyp,Glory to god dewe. or good opinion: when we thinke well of God, proteſting that there is nothing better than he, greater, more worthye, more iuſte, more holy & more excellent. This glory are we alwaies commaunded to geue him, & to eſteme nothing in this world derer and more preciouſe than God. Secondly they geue to him honour foreign,Honour dewe to God. and foreign in Greke ſignifieth honour and price, and the dewe and bounden duety that we owe to any. We owe vntounto God reuerence and ſubmiſſion, as to the ſupreme good, and the only and trewe lord of al. S. Paul in the 13. to the Romanes ſpeakinge of obedience dewe to the magiſtrate: to whome ye owe feare, ſayeth he, geue feare: And to whom you owe honour, geue honour. In the third place followeth benediction, whiche he called, foreign, yt is thankesgeuing, and praiſe. For we be commaunded to prayſe all the workes of the Lord, and to geue thankes for the ſame. Iob is ſaied to hauehave bleſſed or thanked God, for the moſt greuouſe affliction that he ſent him. For he ſayed: like as it pleaſed the Lord, ſo hath it bē done: the name of the lord be bleſſed. Whileſt the beaſtes do attribute al theſe things to him that ſitteth on the throne, by their exāple they teache vsus, what we ſhould do verely to geue al theſe & ſingular things vntounto god. Which if we do, al murmuring ſhall ceaſe, & diſputations cōmenced of ſearchinge & examining the workes of God through out curioſitie. With the laude and praiſe of the beaſtes is ioyned the hymne or ſonge of the .xxiiii.The ſonge of ye .xxiiii. Elders. Elders. This is the churche triumphaunt, the cōpany of al Sainctes, Patrtarches, Prophetes, Apoſtles, Martirs, &c. as I declared to you before. Mortall men hauehave not here an example of ſome one ſaincte, or wiſe man: but of all holy, godly wiſe and worthy menne. They hauehave put of their fleſhe, and wante affections and errours: They be therfore of vncorrupte iudgementes, ſo that there can be no more clere or pure examples miniſtred to vsus. Three or foure thinges are taught vsus concernyng theſe Elders, whiche they did or perfourmed, not to eueryevery body, but to him that ſitteth on the throne, and liueth for euer & euer. For ſo be the titles of God repeted, wherof is ſpokē before. We tolde you alſo that the ſeates of the Elders were ſette rounde about the Throne, in whiche they ſate clothed with white rayment, crowned with crownes of Golde, liuynge with him that liueth for euer.
They firſt ariſe out of their ſeates or chaires,The ſenanatours fall downe before god and fal down (foreign falle) vponupon their knees or on their face before god. And in falling or kneling down, they ſhewe a ſubmiſſion or lowlines of mynde, that we might learne with great humilitie and reuerence to ſubmitte our ſoules and bodies to our God, ſubmitting I ſay, our ſelues and all our thinges to his good wyll and pleaſure. But if the bleſſed ſoules, now purified, and already hauing the fruition of the ſight of God, fall down before the Lorde. What ſhould not a wretched man do miſerable, mortall, and a ſynner? Let hym be aſhamed of rebellion and ſlouthfulnes, whiche ſeeth ſo great ſubmiſſion in the moſte noble and Godly ſoules of heauenly dwellers.
Than the ſainctes worſhip,The ſaīcts worſhip. and worſhip in dede none other, but him that ſitteth on the ſeate, and liueth for euer, the father, the ſonne, and the holy ghoſt, God thre and one, euerlaſting & almighty. Therfore let vsus alſo worſhip this God, followyng ye example of all ſainctes.To worſhip adoration. We worſhip God with externall adoration, if we vncouer our heades, knele & bowe before him. In ſpirite and truth and with inwarde worſhypping, if we depend wholy of him, conſecrate vsus whole vntounto hym, and wholy loke vponupon him, as one the only, ſoul, incomprehenſible, moſte wyſe, beſte, and greateſt, moſte rightuous and moſte mercifull. And they that thus fall down before the throne of God, and ſo worſhip him, they do not contende wt God, about his workes, they do not expoſtulate with God vnpatiently, why he doth this, and permitteth that?
VntoUnto all theſe thinges is added,The ſaicts caſt of their crownes. that they plucke of the crownes of their heades, & caſt them away before the throne, at the fete of hym that ſitteth in the throne. This is not only a notable modeſtie, but alſo an humble humilitie wantinge an example. Primaſius an expoſitour of the Apocalypſe, aſſigning verely vntounto God, ſayth he, whatſoeuer vertue, and whatſoeuer dignitie they hauehave. For to hym is attributed rightly, whatſoeuer is wonne or gotten: Of whome, he that ouercometh, is ayded. Thus ſaith he. They teſtifie and ſignifie alſo, that they would not take vponupon them any Godly power, that they would not reigne, they would not as the counſellours of God, geue counſell to God, or preſcribe vntounto him the leaſt thing in the worlde: But to ſubmitte vntounto God all power, all rule, and the whole gouernment, them ſelues and all others to be gouerned. For they hauehave experience, and ſee no man in the worlde vniuerſall, in heauen or in earth to be wyſer, mightier, greater, yt none doeth more faithfully, more dilligently, more ſafely and better gouerne all thinges. Let vsus reſte therfore, O brethren, to the iudgement of ſainctes, and let vsus conſent herein with them in all thinges.
Yea & with expreſſe wordes they teſtifie, why they threwe away their crownes: Not that being vnthankefull to God, they eſteme not highly his giftes: But for that they playnly acknowledge al glory to be dew to him alone. Therfore they accorde very well with the beaſtes and all the creatures of God, and ſaiyng an Himne to the high Prince, they confeſſe him to be worthy to receiue glory. &c. And he ſaid to receiue not that he had it not before: But for that it ſhuld ſeme a moſt vnworthy thing, if either they or any other creature, woulde chalenge vntounto them thoſe thinges which apperteine to God alone.To receiue glory. Theſe thinges apperteine to no creature. &c. And they commende God highly, whom they call their Lorde & God. Some copies adde foreign, which art holy. For thei do & agree in all things wt the beaſtes, which cried alſo, holy holy holy, Lord God omnipotent. To the ſame gaue they alſo glory & honour, wherof before. So alſo ye elders aſcribe to him nowe the ſelfſame thinges. And eſpecially they attribute to God power foreign and take it from thē ſelues. Why than doe the Papiſtes attribute power and operation to the ſainctes in heauen. Which neuertheleſſe here plainly them ſelues attribute this to God alone.Sainctes geue power to God & take it not to them ſelues. S. Ihō & Peter liuing toke it not in good part, that the people ſemed to attribute to them ſomwhat of godly power. For when they had reſtored one that halted before the tēple, & the people were in admiratiō therof they ſaid, ye men of Iſrael, what maruel you at this? or why loke ye vponupon vsus foreign as though through our owne power or holines we hauehave brought to paſſe, that this man ſhould walke. The God of our fathers hath done this. &c. But how much leſſe ſhall we now thinke, that being deliuered from al corruption, they would require any godly power to be geuen, or diuine honour attributed. &c.
They adde alſo or render a reaſon, why they ſubmit both them ſelues, & al theirs vntounto God, & attribute to the ſame glory, honor, & power. For thou, ſay thei, haſt created al things,God yt creatour & preſeruer of al thinges. and by (Dia) thy wil, they are, & were created. This glory of God is wōderful & vnmeaſurable. How great, ſay they thou art, & that al power & glory is dewe vntounto thee appereth of the making & creation of the world vniuerſal. No man was with thee at ye creation therof, no mā gaue thee coūſel what or how thou ſhuldeſt do, no man helped thee thus much. Who than ſhuld approch vntounto thee to be partaker in power? who ſhuld glory before thee God & maker of al things? Thou alone madeſt al things, alone preſerueſt al, & alone gouerneſt al. Thou willeſt, & they were made: Thou ſaideſt, & they were created. It was enough to hauehave ſaid, it was enough to hauehave willed. And in dede al thinges at this day hauehave their being through thy wil, without any painefulnes & trauel of thine. Thou gouerneſt al thing in beſt & moſt goodly order. This teſtifieth ye wonderful courſe of the ſtars, the pleſaunt chaūge of things, the moſt ſwete & plentiful fruites ſpring of ye ſame. Who thā wold not gladly ſubmit both him ſelf & al his to thee & to thy gouernment, who wold not cōmit al his thinges vntounto thee? Who wold not acknowledge ye power & glory to be thyne? Let vsus marke theſe thinges with attentiue mindes, that we may alſo appere ſuch before God as we ſethe ſainctes in heauen appere. God graunt vsus this.