A Hundred Sermons on Revelation, Sermons · Sermon 54
¶ The Dragon perſecuteth the woman: ſhe is defended and preſerued of the Lorde. The Dragon ſtandeth on the ſande, &c. The .liiij. Sermon.
ANd when the dragon ſaw that he was caſt to the Earth, he perſecuted the woman, whiche brought forth the man childe. And to the womā were geuē two winges of a greate Egle, that ſhe might flie into ye wildernes, into her place where ſhe is nurriſhed for a time, two times & half a time, from the preſence of the ſerpēt. And the dragō caſt out of his mouth water, after the woman, as it had bē a riuer, that he might cauſe her to be caught of the floude. And the earth holpe the woman, & the earth opened her mouth & ſwalowed vp the riuer, which the Dragō caſt out of his mouth. And ye dragon was wroth with the womā, and went & made warre with the rēnaunt of her ſede, which kepe the cōmaundements of God, & hauehave the teſtimony of Ieſus Chriſt, and he ſtode on the Sea ſande.
The perſecution of ye Dragon.That which before he had begonne, to ſpeake of the perſecution of the Dragon, and flight of the church, and had differred it a little, to declare the victorie of Chriſte: now he reſumeth and finniſheth, and deſcrybeth the fyghte liuelie, and moſte expreſſely and conſtauntly annexeth many tymes the help of God, which is geuen to the church through the grace of God.
When Sathan therefore, ſawe himſelfe ouercommen by Chriſt, and quite caſt out, he begā to rage againſt the church redemed with the bloud of Gods ſonne, and vexed her with greuouſe perſecution. For immediately after Chriſtes aſſention, a great perſecution was ſtyred vp againſt the Apoſtles and Apoſtolicall church. For the Apoſtles put in priſonnes wer greuouſly rebuked with words, and alſo ſcourged with roddes and whypped. Stephen was ſtoned, Iames beheaded with the ſworde,Actes. 26. finally by the meanes of Paule (which than played Saule) innumerable were caſte in pryſon, and put to cruell tourmentes.
On the contrary part he reciteth the preſent ayde of God, which he vttereth by a fyguratiue kynde of ſpeach,Gods deliueraunce. after the nature of the viſiō for the more efficacitie. For he ſayth, how to the woman, I meane the church, were geuen two winges of a great Egle, by the helpe wherof ſhe fled into the wildernes, where ſhe hydde her ſelfe for a tyme, ſafe from the Dragons ſight. And here is ſignified, that a large power is graū ted to the church of fleyng, & eſcaping the furies of Chriſtes enemies, & of ſetting forth the goſpel emonges the gentyles.
The Egles wynges.Wherof you may read in the .11. chapt. of the Actes of the Apoſtles. And not without cauſe he mētioneth of the Egles wynges, and that of a great Egle. For Moſes in Deuter. maketh mention vnderunder this fygure, of the defence and ayde of God almyghtie: lyke as the Egle, ſayth he, flyeth ouer her yong, and ſtretcheth abroade her wynges, and carieth them on her ſhulders, ſo the Lord hath alſo kept and auaunced the.
A place for the church in deſert.Furthermore he ſaith, there is a place geuen to the church in wyldernes, to witte prouided of Chriſt, which turneth to to him whome he wyll, and prepareth for himſelfe a ſpouſe. And he nouryſheth the church emonges the gentyles with his Euangelicall worde, as he nouriſhed in oulde tyme his people in the deſerte with Manna. And the time of the church he preſcrybeth not. For he vſeth agayne a kynde of ſpeach as it wer a riddle, borowed out of Daniel: which God vſurpeth when he wyll hauehave the tyme to vsus vnknowen: which ſince we knowe that good and iuſte thinges conſiſte in him, we ſhould not curiouſly inquyre after. Whereof I hauehave ſpoken before. Doubtles it is playne that the church emonges the gentyles, ſhall continue & remaine to the laſt iudgement. But the day of iudgement can no man diffyne.
Agayne he declareth,He vomiteth a floude after ye woman. with what furyes the Deuyll inflamed, ſhall make a newe and a continuall warre againſt the church. When he ſawe the church emonges the gentyles to be daylie increaſed and eſtabliſhed, he vomited after the woman water: and that we might know the fygure, he addeth, as it were a ryuer. For he ſignifieth, that the Deuyll hath powred a ſea of euylles into the church, ſectes I meane, diſcentions, tumultes, ſeditions, perſecutions, wherewith the whole worlde hath ouerflowed. Verely he rayſed vp eueryevery where al magiſtrates and prieſtes againſt the Apoſtles, and Apoſtolical doctrine. Reade the Actes of the Apoſtles the .13.14.15. and the chapt. folowyng. Nother is it a rare thyng in the Pſalmes, by waters, flouds, and riuers, to vnderſtand all kynde of afflictions. And to this end he rayſed vp thoſe great euylles, and powred them on the godly, foreign, that he myghte cauſe the church to be caryed awaie wyth the floude: that is, that he myght take awaie the godlie, and the doctryne of pietie. And this is the continuall endeuoyre of Sathan, herunto he applieth all his conſultations and doinges. So in thempyre of Nero and Domitian, he ſtudied to waſh away the church by the bloude of Sainctes, but yet in vaine. For therfore I ſuppoſe it is ſayed, he vomited a floude of euyls after the woman, not vponupon the woman.
For God neuer fayled his afflicted churche: In ſo much (which a man may maruayle at) that the earth opened her mouth, and ſwallowed vp the floude powred oute of the ſerpents mouth. This earth dranke vp in oulde time, and couered the bloud of Abell. And here is ſignified, that the godly abyding perſecution, hauehave helpe, from whence they loke not for: as Dauid in times paſt is red to be deliuered by the help of the Paleſtines, thinking nothing les than to delyuer Dauid oute of the handes of King Saule: but yet whyleſte they go aboute an other thing, they bring to paſſe that, which ſemed good to the Lorde, which can turne the euil counſelles of euil men to the profyte of the godlie. And doubtles we ſee many tymes in the Actes of the Apoſtles, that the earth hath ſwallowed vp a floude of euylles: that is to ſay, that earthly and worldly men, doing in the meane tyme an other thing, hauehave procured peace to the church. So doeth that Towne clarke or recorder of Epheſus, pacifie the multitude of the Epheſians, which were all on a roare and worſe than madde. Lyſias the head Captayne, taketh away Paule out of the blouddy handes of the Iewes: ſo doth the Centurian defend Paule, that he ſhoulde not be ſlaine of the ſouldiours in the ſhipwreake. The ciuile warres begonne immediatelie after the death of Nero, gaue peace vntounto the church vntyll the Empyre of Domitian. But the oulde Serpent that can neuer reſte, attempteth newe warres. For nowe beyng wood madde with the church, he goeth to make warre, againſt the remnaunt of the womans ſeede, which verely is to be borne vntyll the iudgement, of the church by the worde. And ſo maketh way to the Romayne perſecutions, which folowed incontinentely after the tyme of Saincte Ihon, in the Empyre of Rome, and the Antichriſtiane perſecutions reyſed after the Empyre ſubuerted. Whereof ſhall be ſpoken in the .13. chapt. &c.
the church begetteth. Galath. 4.Neuertheleſſe hereof it appeareth chiefely, what Saincte Ihon vnderſtandeth by the woman, the ſame verely which engendreth the ſeede of God. The church is called both the Mother and daughter. The daughter, becauſe ſhe is engendred by the worde preached in the church: The mother, for that by the worde, ſhe bryngeth ſoorth ſpirituall chyldren to Chryſte. For the ſeede of God, and the ſeede of the woman, be all thoſe which kepe the commaundementes of God, and hauehave the teſtimonie of Ieſu Chryſte. They kepe the commaundementes of God, which make much of Gods lawe, and frame all parts of theyr lyfe according to the ſame. They kepe not Goddes commaundements, which ſette nothyng by the lawe or worde of God, nother frame theyr lyfe after the ſame. Of this matter is ſpoken at large in the fourtenth. The teſtimony of Ieſu Chriſt is nothing els, but the goſpell of Ieſu Chriſt, preaching vntounto vsus the free remiſſiō of ſinnes. They hauehave this, which poſſeſſe it by fayth.
And where he ſayeth,The dragō ſtādeth on ye ſea ſand. that the Dragon ſtode on the Sea ſande, it is a preparation to thinges that followe: for by & by he ſayeth, how the beaſt the principall inſtrument of the dragon, came out of the Sea by the deuilles meanes. And it hath a conſolation, that the dragon is ſayed to ſtande on the ſande, and not on the rocke. For it ſignifieth that the furies of Sathan ſhall not longe indure agaynſt the church, and that the kingedome of the Deuill ſhal be rumouſe, and fall to decaye, whoſe foundations are layde vponupon the ſande.