A Hundred Sermons on Revelation, Sermons · Sermon 56
¶ The beaſte is worſhipped, and he blaſphemeth the name of God, and the Sainctes of God, and finally maketh warre with the Sainctes. The .lvj. Sermon.
ANd they worſhipped the beaſte, ſayyng: who is like vntounto the beaſte? who is able to warre wyth hym? And there was geuen to him a mouthe to ſpeake great thinges, and blaſphemies: and power was geuen vntounto him, to do .xlii. Monethes. And he opened his mouth vntounto blaſphemie againſt god, to blaſpheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heauen. And it was geuen vntounto him to make warre with the ſainctes & to ouercome thē.
The beaſte is worſhipped, & how.He ſayed, that the world worſhipped the dragon: now he addeth, that the ſame worſhippeth the beaſt. Howbeit ſeyng the beaſt is the empire, ſome mā might maruel, how the empire might be worſhipped? But we at fewe wordes ſay, how they worſhippe the empire, which receyue the decrees, rites and ſuperſtitiouſe ordenaunces of thempire, and of them depende whole. And there were not a fewe at that time, who in fauour of the Romane Empire denied the faith of chriſt, and reuoltyng from the churche, ioyned themſelues in religion and ſacrifices to the felloweſhip of the Empire. They in very dede worſhipped the beaſte. Moreouer that thing which is only dewe vntounto one God, the ſame did the Romanes attribute to their empire. But who ſo euer aſcribeth vntounto any thing diuine properties, doeth verely deifie and worſhippe the ſame. And ye properties of god be theſe, to hauehave no match or pere, that he alone is greateſt and beſt, immortall, eternal, moſt mightie, moſte inuincible. For ſo ſaye the Prophetes: who is like vntounto thee, O God, in heauen and in earth? who is as thou? who can reſiſt God? But the Romanes did attribute all theſe thinges to their Emperours, and to their empire, ſayng, as S. Iohn alſo reciteth: who is like vntounto Rome? who is able to warre with it? they called their Emperours Goddes, beſt, greateſt, moſt puiſſaunt, and moſt inuincible. Thempire it ſelf they called eternal. Ye may ſee theſe thinges yet in moſt auncient authors and coynes. So many therfore as were not aſſhamed to attribute theſe thinges to the Romane Princes and kingdome, are ſaied rightly to hauehave worſhipped the beaſt. And what other thing I praye you is done at this daye, whileſt for the fauour of Emperours, Kinges, Popes, and their realmes, the veritie is denied, or wraſted after the affections of men? Theſe worſhip the beaſt alſo.
Nowe is geuen alſo the beaſte a mouth ſpeakinge greate thinges, and blaſphemies.A mouth ſpeakyng great thinges. Of blaſphemies we ſhall ſpeake more anone. But for aſmuch as the Romane Empire obteyned greateſt victories, and helde moſt gallaunt and ſolemne triumphes, it ſemeth to hauehave occaſion geuē to boaſte proudely of the victories, & to chalenge thoſe thinges to themſelues, whiche were in dede wrought through the power of God. And doubtleſſe there do yet remayne the greateſt and moſte licentiouſe bragges of the Romanes, that they are conquerours and lordes of the world. But ſuch pride was greuouſly punniſſhed in Nabuchodonozor the King. Whereof you maye ſee in the .4. chapt. of Daniel. S. Peter affirmeth that God reſiſteth the proude, and geueth grace to the humble. God hateth the arrogant, and taketh awaye their names frō the Earth.
And where ſome man might demaunde.How long ſhal Rome be thus prowde… But what ende ſhal there be of iniuries, pride, finally of intollerable arrogā tie, and blaſphemies? S. Iohn preuenteth and ſayeth: and power was geuen him to do, that is to worke violence, xlii. monethes: that is to ſaye, ſo longe time, as it ſemeth good to the Lorde: whiche neuertheles, although he would hauehave the time to be to vsus vnknowen, yet is knowē to him, ſo that the godly maye promiſe themſelues, that this euill ſhall indure but a fewe monethes, of this nombre hauehave I reaſoned in the 11. chapt. and .xlvi. Sermon. And hauehave ſhewed in the former places that thoſe nombres were equiualent, to wit the thouſande two hōdreth and three ſcore dayes, the .xlii. monethes, the time, two times, and half a time. God therfore admoniſſhyng vsus as it were by a riddle, will not hauehave vsus curiouſely to inquire after times, which he hath kept in his own power, it is ſufficient to vsus that he hath aſſigned all thinges in their luſte limittes.
Now followeth a plētiful treatiſe of Romiſh blaſphemies.Of ye blaſphemies of old Rome, Firſt he ſayeth by a trope, he hath opened his mouth: wherby he hath ſignified his boldenes, and libertie, yea licētiouſenes of ſpeakyng. For we ſaye he would not ones open his mouth: whē we ſignifie, any mā that wil not ſpeake frākely. But the Romanes, and companions of the Romiſh ſuperſtition blaſpheme God thre manner of wayes. For fyrſte they blaſpheme the holy name of God in this, that they do prefer their falſe Gods and their ſuperſtitions to the true God, to the true and moſt holy religion. For where they ded admit in the citie of Rome the Gods of al nations, and their religions, the religion of the only God of Iſraell they vtterly refuſed: for that they vnderſtoode howe he wolde be worſhipped alone, and by non other rite, than that which he himſelf had preſcribed. But they had rather reteyne wickedly thoſe their many gods, and their religion although moſt abſurde, than to commit themſelues into the tuition of one, and to reſeaue a moderate & ſimple religion. Authour. Aurel. August. I raccoumpte not nowe the blaſphemouſe wordes of them, vttered againſt the true God, about that tyme chiefly, when Veſpaſian and Titus triumphed, after the Iewyſh war finiſhed, both of the Citie diſtroyed, and the people of God ouercome. There were caried aboute in the triumph the holy veſſels of the Temple, and euen the God of the Iewes as vanquiſhed and bounden, was ſene led into the Capitoll houſe, to make his ſupplication to their great God Iupiter, as it pleaſed them. Whereupon we vnderſtande that the name of God was no whit leſſe outrageouſly blaſphemed, at that tyme, than it was in olde time of the Paleſtines or Philiſtians, what tyme they ſet the Arcke in the temple of their God Dagon: lykewyſe of Rapſake, and Synnacherib, moreouer of Balthazar Kyng of Babylon in the .5. chapter of Daniel. But the offendours are founde out at the laſte.
Secondely the Romaines blaſphemed the Tabernacle of God. That ſame oulde Tabernacle of the people of Iſraell, was not onelye the offyce, or place of religion and worſhyppyng, but alſo a token of Gods preſence. For God is nowe preſente in the myddes of his Churche, a fygure of whome, the Tabernacle of witneſſe repreſented. But the Romaynes called the Chriſten church wycked, foolyſh, ſeditiouſe, whoryſh, and deteſtable: whych they alſo moſte greuouſelie ded perſecute, and ſought to deſtroy by al meanes: hereunto alſo they bent their whole power.
Finally they blaſphemed alſo the heauenly dwellers,Gods Sainctes ouerwhelmed with reproches. the happie and bleſſed ſoules of Sainctes, Propheies and Apoſtles, whom thei called wicked, ſeducers, peace breakers, blaſphemers, heretikes and ſinnefull perſons. For at this time, whileſt S. Iohn wrote theſe things, diuerſe Apoſtles, vnderunder the Romane Empire, had nowe ben executed and ſlayne, as plagues of the worlde, yea their memorial and doctrine condemned. But hereof you perceyue, how diſpleaſauntly God taketh it, if any man raile vponupon godly preachers, and holy miniſters of churches. For the Lord taketh the reproche ſpoken as it were agaynſt him ſelfe. There remayne yet at this daye certen blaſphemies of this ſorte with Cornel. Tacitus in the .21. booke of Auguſtallus, written agaynſte Moſes and the people of God.
Morouer God permitteth the beaſt, that he ſhould warre vponupon the Sainctes, and ouercome them.The beaſte maketh war with ye ſainctes. For the Romane Empire vntounto the time of Conſtantine the greate ſtired vp ten moſt greuouſe perſecutions againſt the church. Wherof you maye reade Euſebius biſſhop of Ceſaria, and Oroſius in the hiſtory which he wrote to S. Auſten. And this place chiefly apperteyneth to the inſtruction and comforte of the churche? For the Lord alſo in the Goſpell prophecieth of the deſtenies of the church, to the conſolation and information of the godly, as appereth in the .15. and .16. chapt. of S. Iohn. And how the Sainctes be ouercome I declared in the .11. chapt. The Lord Ieſus preſerue his church. Amen.