A Hundred Sermons on Revelation, Sermons · Sermon 76
¶ Agayne this viſion is more fully declared, and the punniſhment of the beaſt is ſhewed. The .lxxvj. Sermon.
ANd he ſayde vntounto me: the waters whiche thou ſaweſt, where the whore ſitteth, are people & folke, and natiōs, and tunges. And the tē hornes, which thou ſaweſt vpō the beaſt, are they which ſhall hate ye whore, and ſhal make her deſolate and naked, & ſhall eate her fleſſhe, and burne her with fire. For God hath put in their hartes to fulfill his will, and to do with one conſente, for to geue her kingdome vntounto the beaſt, vntil the words of God be fulfilled. And the woman whiche thou ſaweſt, is that great citie, whiche reigneth ouer the kinges of the Earth.
The Angel ſent of the lord Chriſt, vttereth to Iohn and the whole world the miſterie of the beaſt reuealed: but eſpecially her iudgement or punniſhement, for her heynouſe crimes. Which he wil purſewe alſo in the chapt. followyng.
And nowe he expoundeth the ſignification of waters, ouer the which the whore ruleth, to witte the Romiſh power. Waters ſignifie,Waters vponupon waters the whore ſitteth. kingdomes diſperſed through out ye world. Which he expoundeth after his maner, altogether propheticall, as was alſo noted before, by three vocables. For in namyng people, folke, nations and tunges, he comprehendeth as it were innumerable natiōs, diſtincte with ſondry langages and maners. But where nothing is more mouable or vnconſtaunt than waters, and when they be ones ſtired vp more furiouſe and outrageouſe: the cōmon folke or people are rightly compared to waters, whiche are alſo for their vnſtablenes called mouable or vnconſtaunt, and for their rage both furiouſe and madde.
CōmotiōsTherefore not without cauſe al wiſe men hauehave greuouſely condemned ſeditions, which we are wonte to calle tumultes or vprores: as by the whiche are aſſembled many naughtie natures, and occaſion is geuen them to breake out at their luſte, and to hurte. But ſeyng that ſo many natiōs were ſubiecte to the Romane Empire, and hauehave erred neuertheleſſe in the trewe fayth, what ſhall it preuayle hereafter to reken vp many and ſondry kingdomes, which ſhould conſente in any religion: as though the ſincerenes & veritie of religion ſhould depende vponupon a multitude of men agreyng in the ſame.
The iudgemente of God agaīſt Rome.Nowe followeth the iudgement of God agaynſt blouddy Rome, which is the chiefeſt thing in this viſion: the ſome of al is, Rome ſhal be rent in pieces, and burnt with fire: as we hearde alſo in the .13. chapt. like as ſhe hath done to others, ſo ſhal be done vntounto her. And theſe thinges are to be expoūded firſt of olde Rome, and after of new: and in the ſame muſt the wordes be firſte conſidered, than a conference of ſtories muſt be had, out of the whiche the trewth of the prophecie maye appere.
Ten hornes, ſignifie kynges, which hauehave riſen of the tearyng a ſonder of the Romane Empire,The hatred of ten hornes againſt the whore. ſuche as were the kinges of Weſtgothes, Eaſtgothes, of Germaynes, Frēchmen, Lumbardes, Hunnes, Vandalles, &c. Theſe nations ſerued ones the Romanes, and toke their wages, they fauoured them, and to their owne loſſe brought their matters to paſſe: no otherwiſe than as an erneſte louer ſerueth ſome one harlot, from whome he can by no meanes be withdrawen, as whom he loueth moſte feruently, but at laſte perceyuing her vntrewe dealyng, he beginneth to hate the ſame moſt deadly. So theſe nations and others, beganne ſo to perſecute the name of Romanes, that they would hauehave no monumētes or fote ſteppes of them any where to abide or remayne. All the prouinces of the Romanes were filled ful of Romane poſies, Images, pillers, tittles and writinges: but in the ſame, eſpecially in Germany, & the borders therof, how many I praye you, of ſo great plentie remayne? The cities, wherein the Romanes had their garniſons, ar vtterly deſtroied, that ſcarſely there appere any fote ſteppes therof at this daye.
And like as an honeſte man hauyng a whore to his wife, a ſhameles ſtrompet, doeth not only hate, but alſo forſaketh the ſame, troubleth her, & tourneth her naked, hauyng plucked from her al her wifely apparell and ornamentes:Ezech. 16, Oſee. 2. (for ſo God in his prophetes threateneth to doe vntounto his people for their vnfaithfulnes:) ſo nations reuolted from the Romane Empire, diſtroyed and impoueriſhed the ſame, ſpoyling the riches thereof, which the Romanes had heaped together by the robberie of al nations:They ſhal eate her fleſh. they ſpoyled eueryevery where alſo the Romane prouinces. And where it is ſayed that thoſe kinges ſhal deuoure the fleſh of the beaſte, it is to be vnderſtande of the maner of ſpeakyng. For ſo are we wonte to ſaye, what time we ſignifie extreme crueltie and mallice without mercy: therfore like as Rome hath ben moſte cruell towardes all nations, euen ſo ſhal al nations moſt cruelly teare her, and finally ſhal burne her with fire.
Nowe let vsus compare with theſe thinges the hiſtorie,A ſtory of ye deſtruction & burnyng of Rome. and ſee how they were fulfilled in tholde Rome, and maye be yet fulfilled in the newe. And firſt we will ſpeake of olde Rome, & after of newe. And verely olde Rome grewe many yeres, and practiſed robberies through out the whole worlde, and diſtroyed the Sainctes of the moſt higheſt: wherfore it was worthy, that the punniſhment thereof ſhould extende and indure many yeres, and ſo as it were by degrees to deſcende to the laſt burnyng and deſtruction thereof. There be gathered the yeres of her punniſhmentes about .136. in the whiche ſhe beyng impenitent, was vexed and tourmoyled with continual calamities, ſlaughters, and vexatiōs. And herof I compiled an abridgement in the .57. Sermon of this worke the. 13. chapt. And here I will repete a fewe thinges, and will reherſe certen other things more playnely and at large. As the Lorde in punniſhyng the Niniuites and Hieroſolomitanes, declared his longe ſufferyng and clemēcie, and alſo his ſtreight iuſtice: right ſo in procedyng ſlowely, to diſtroye Rome, he lefte them mercifully ſpace to repente in, which ſeyng thei refuſed to do, he waſted and deſtroyed them terriblely as impenitent. He gaue therfore to Rome excellent good Princes, Conſtaunce, Conſtantine, Iouiane, Valentinian, Gratiane, Theodoſe, &c. By whoſe dilligent labour, and godlines he diſcloſed the furies and ragyng idolatrie of the Heythen, and alſo reſtored and eſtabliſhed the true religion. But as in the time of Ioſias the olde kankred errour and abominable idolatrie coulde not be rooted out of their hartes, but that the greater parte had rather hauehave ſtill the abominatians of the Amorrheans: ſo the Romanes both in the citie and in the prouinces aſpired gredely to the reſtitution of tholde idolatrie. Therefore like as he tamed at the length with greuouſe warres the inuincible vngodlines of the Iewes, and deſtroyed the citie of Hieruſalem, ſo by the warre of Gothes and Vandales, and inuaſions of Barbarous nations (ſo the ſtories terme them) he deſtroyed prowde and wicked Rome, with her prouinces,The Gothes burne Rome. and finally conſumed the citie with the ſworde and fire of the Gothes. The very name of the enemie cried out, that the vengeaunce was not executed by men, but of God himſelfe. For the Germane vocable of Gothes, doeth ſignifie the people of God, or Gods people. For God in highe dutch is called Gott: thereof cōmeth the gotthes, Die gotther, the people of God. Therfore God, and not man did chaſten, tourmoyle and at laſt diſtroye Rome. Which thing S. Iohn at this preſent ſpeaketh moſt expreſſely.
Alaricke a weſtgotth.Firſt in thempire of Honorius & Arcadius, the weſtgothes, (by ye conduit of Alaricke) beſiege the citie, aſſaulte it, take it, ſpoyle it. S. Hierome to Principia doeth greately lament this chaunce of Rome, in the Epitaph of Marcella: but Oroſius as I alſo rehearſed in the .57. ſermon, doeth, in my iudgement, more rightly cōmende the iuſte iudgement of God in Rome afflicted. It is playne, that Rome was than for the grenouſenes of her ſinnes, chaſtiſed with mercy, but where the Romanes would not acknowledge the hande of the ſtriker, it came to paſſe, that Alaricke beyng dead, the victorious army hauyng now Adolphe to their captaine, retourned out of Lucania, & ſpoyled the riches of Rome much more gredely now than they did before.
From the whiche time was graunted agayne to Rome a ſpace of repentaunce, about .42. yeres.Atth…la king of Hunnes. In the meane time by diſtructiōs & ouerthrowes geuen by the Hunnes in their prouinces, & that great and wonderfull, they are admoniſhed to be wiſe. What will they ſaye that Athila him ſelfe with his Hunnes inuadeth now Italy it ſelf, & now hangeth ouer the necke of Rome? There chaunced than a thing, which had ben able to hauehave tourned the Romanes to the ſeruice of the true God, in caſe there had remayned in thē one ſparke of thankfulnes. For the miniſter of the church of Rome, Biſſhoppe Leo (the ambitiouſe pride of Popes was not yet knowen) a preacher of the Chriſtiane fayth, and a ſtewarde of Chriſtes miſteries, making ſupplicatiō to Athila, obteyneth peace for Rome, & by a manifeſte oration tourneth awaye the blouddy enemie from the neckes of the Romanes. This was an exceding great benefite, which God by his ſeruaūt would ſhewe to the Romanes, in caſe they would yet ceaſe to hate the religion of Chriſt, and to ſclaunder Chriſt, as though he poured out euilles into the worlde, and that there came no good nor quietnes of the preachyng of the goſpell. For euen now (not to ſpeake of others innumerable) he hath imploide vpō come a benefite ineſtimable, and that by the preacher of the goſpel. This was done in the yere of our Lord .454.
Howebeit whileſt the Romanes proceded after their accuſtomed maner,Gēſerich. a Vandal. and nowe alſo Valentinian a Prince not euill was murthered, and by a tumulte many vnworthie thinges were done, nother did there any token of thankefulnes towardes Chriſt appere, or ſigne of trewe conuerſion: through the meanes of one woman Eudoxia the wife of Valentinian, whyche her ſelfe alſo ſuffered many vnworthie thynges in that Tumulte, it was broughte to paſſe, that Genſerichus kynge of Vandalles, ſayled out of Affricke with three hondreth thouſande to Rome, and toke it, and by the ſpace of fouretene whole dayes, he gathered vp the treaſures brought thither out of al partes in a maner of the world inhabited. Than coulde the interceſſion of Leo doe nothing, ſaue that the Vandalles abſteyned from killyng and burnynge: which was alſo a benefite of God not to be contemned. The firſte king of Weſtgothes, which brake into Rome was called Alrich, others cal him Atalarich: but this king of Vandalles is named Genſerych, and ſo Rome an whore is made deſolate and naked, ſpoyled I ſaye, whiche beyng inriched with the ſpoyles of all nations was hitherto prowde. Howbeit it was not nowe altogether defaced and brent: the whiche was no ſmall benefite, which Chriſt agayne ſhewed to Rome for an amendement.
And yet moreouer are graūted aboute twentie yeres, in the which neuertheles, as in ye ten tribes of Iſrael before the deſtruction of Samaria,4. boke of kinges. were practiſed continuall murthers, whileſt tē princes raigne at Rome: yet ſo for al that, that there was neuer one of theſe whiche was not of an other eyther ſlayne, murthered or expulſed. Auguſtulus emōges theſe was the laſte. For as Auguſtulus ſucceding Iulius gaue the beginning to ye Romane monarchie, ſo Auguſtulus ended the ſame.
Odacer a Germane.For the Romane legions beyng extinguiſhed, & the name imperiall by the Germanes, Odacer, (whiche toke his name of deſtroiyng of landes, Oedacher, and was called as it were a diſtroyer, wanne Rome, and in it raigned kinge aboute .15. yeres. Yet is he expulſed agayne, and ſlayne (at the iuſtigation of Zenon Emperour of Conſtantinople) by Theodoricke Prince of the Eaſtegothes.Theodoricke an Eaſtgoth. And the Eaſtegotthes raigne at Rome about fiftie yeres, til the Emperour Iuſtinian ſent Belliſarius into Italy with a greke armye, to recouer the ſame: whom the Eaſtgothes, beyng ayded with a power of Germanes, ſent vntounto them by Theodoper kyng of Fraunce, valeauntly reſiſted. They warred in Italy by the ſpace of .18. yeres continually, with fortune variable.
Totila Balduffe or balduillAt the laſte Totila Baldeuille ouercome. He toke and burnt the citie of Rome, and yet not ſodainely. For he gaue a time to deliberate. But where he could not ſo preuayle, he diſtroyed Rome, and as S. Iohn hath prophecied burnte her with fire. Al ſtories make mētion of this deſtructiō. Iohn Auentine in the .3. boke of Cronicles, of the ſame matter hath written this Totilas beſegeth Rome, & taketh it, the .16. kalēdes of Ianuarie (17. of Decembre) in the yere of the chriſten ſaluation 548. Totila gaue all the goodes to the ſoldiours, but he commaunded by proclamation, that their bodies ſhould be free. Frō thence he ſent ambaſſadours with his pleaſure to newe Rome (Cōſtātinople) vntounto Iuſtinian. He required of themperour Italy, & the leage as it had bē vnderunder themperour Anaſtaſe, & Theodoricke king. Which if he might not obteyne, Totila threatened, that he would raſe the citie, whiche he coulde not kepe, & aboliſh ye Romane name. Iuſtinian anſwered how Belliſarius was in Italy, vntounto whom he had cōmitted Italiā matters. Totila therfore, where themperour would not graūt his requeſtes, determined to raſe the citie of Rome. The greateſt parte of the walles in moſt places he made euen with the grounde, & ſetteth the Capitolle houſe on fire. He commaundeth al Citizens with their wiues & childrē to departe out of the citie. The cōmons of Rome were diſperſed in the townes of Campania. The Senatours and nobilitie Totila kepte with him for pledges. Than was fire put into eueryevery houſe. Thus Rome beyng fired in al places, Totila lefte it vacant .13. dayes the fire brent clere. The citie of Rome was .40. dayes in that ſolitarines, yt there was neyther mā nor woman in the ſame. The citie ouerthrowē he remoued his campe towardes Lutania and Calabria. Belliſarius came to the citie lefte vacant, and ſoner than a man would hauehave thought, fortifieth a parte of the citie with ditch, walle, rampare, and turretes of wood. For all coulde not be reſtored. Totilas was with him, but repulſed, departed to Tibur. Belliſarius is ſent for into Grece by themperour, Totila beſegeth Rome and taketh it. So in one yere Rome the head of the world, the lady of al nations, was taken thryſe, thus wryteth Auentinus. Leonarde Aretine writing of the Italian war againſt the Gotthes, in thende of the 2. boke. After this, ſayeth he, Totila departing frō Rome with his whole armie, lefte it vtterly deſolate and vacant, &c. Who will ſaye nowe, that S. Iohn hath not in fewe wordes comprehended the deſtructiō of olde Rome, whiche the ſtories afterwarde hauehave plentifully deſcribed: and finally howe after the ſame maner as it was prophecied, it hath followed the prophecie, after .451. yeres. And that ſo euidētly to hauehave propounded in fewe wordes, that you would thinke preſently to beholde Rome both falling and burnyng.
New Rome alſo ſhall fall wt her empireAnd like as in the ſtorie of the goſpel the lord intermireth a prophecie of the deſtruction of Ieruſalem, and of thende of the world, that eueryevery mā might, of this that he ſeeth the citie of Hieruſalē, right ſo as the lord had prophecied, to hauehave periſhed, nother that one ſtone hath remayned vponupon an other, gather by like trouth & certentie that this world ſhal fall: So maye we of this that we ſee tholde citie of Rome fallen, & ſo great an Empire, which was thought ſhuld hauehave laſted for euer, brought to naught, gather alſo that new Rome with her ſhaddowe or image of thempire, ſhal as ſure as daye fall, & be brought to naught. And firſte in dede the Saracenes & Turkes, whiche ruled, and yet raigne in the prouinces ſubiecte to the Romane Empire, as in Aſia, Grece, Aegypte, Affricke, Slauonie, and baſe Hungarie, and therfore be rightly accompted emonges the ten hornes, doe hate worſe than dogge or ſnake both Poperie it ſelfe, and Rome, and all that Imagerie Empire. Yea & ſtories alſo teſtifie, that they hauehave oft times made inuaſions, and ſpoyled Rome it ſelfe. What is done at this daye, experience it ſelf teacheth. But whether the Turke, or the chriſten Princes themſelues, conuerted to Chriſt by the Goſpel, ſhall ſpoyle this newe Rome, deſtroye it vtterly and burne it with fire, the Lord knoweth, who ſemeth here to intimate ſome ſuche thing hereof. This is certayne, that Chriſt alone with his hand ſhal bring downe Antichriſt, and aboliſh him with his comming. Certaine it is, that the Earth, and al the workes that be therin ſhal be brēt. For thus is thapoſtolical doctrine: and that al theſe things ſhal be in thende of the world. Reade Paule .2. to the Theſſ. the .2. And Peter the .2. Epiſtle the .3. chap. Morouer there arriſe in ſondry kingdomes of the world learned men, which ones being bounden to the See of Rome, hauehave defended her & her ſtinking idolle: but after cōuerted to Chriſt, beginne to hate both Rome, & the Romiſh churche, which alſo they aſſaile, & burne with the fire of Gods word. Therfore al the glorie, dignitie and welth of the Pope & poperie hath periſhed & periſheth daily in the godly. Al that be godly wiſe hate Rome & romiſh wares. Al crie out, that this Sodome is worthie to be brente with fire fallyng from heauen. Nother is ther any doubt, but that a greuouſe vengeaunce is prepared agaynſt her.
And briefly is ſhewed a reaſon,God hath put into ye heartes of kyngs. &c. wherfore the Kings ſhuld rage ſo cruelly againſt the beaſte, and why theſe thinges are done in ſuch ſorte and maner, as we hauehave hearde. For God ſayeth he, hath geuē into the hartes of thē, foreign that is: that they ſhould worke his will, & ſhuld do with one mynde and conſent. For where ſome referre foreign his, to the beaſte, that ſemeth to far of, and ſtraunge. It is referred rather to the nexte, to God I meane, which put into the heartes of the kinges to do his wil, I ſay of God. For it is the mynde and will of God, that the beaſt ſhulde periſh, that punniſhment be taken of her, for ſhedyng of innocent bloude. The ſame God will procure that kinges ſhal not be at diſcord, but at concord, that being of one mynd and accorde, they may execute Gods iudgemēt. So we read in the Prophetes, that God put in to the heartes of kynges, Salmanaſer, Sinnacherib, Nabuchodonoſer, Cyrus and others, that they ſhuld do as they are red to hauehave done, to wit in pū niſhing the wicked, and defending the godly. And ther is alſo mention made in Hiſtories, howe Alaricke Kynge of the weſt Gothes was in dede diſſwaded by a ſeruaunt of God, that he ſhuld not make ſuch haſte to diſtroy Rome: but that he aunſwered. Ther is one that cōtinually troubleth me and ſayeth, go, diſtroy Rome. And he that put that mynde and wyll in to the hearte of Alarich, Adolphe, Genſerych, Odacer, Theodoricke and Totila: The ſame yf he wyll, and when he wyll, and in to what Princes he wyll, ſhall put, that they alſo ſhall doe their dewtie againſte this newe Citie and churche of Rome.
The angel anexeth, how God moreouer hath put into the harts of kings, yt they ſhuld geue their kingdom to the beaſt, til ye words of God be fulfilled. The which the interpretours expound & ſay, howe God hath permitted, that they ſhoulde cōceaue this coūſel in their mynds, to deliuer ye kingdome to the beaſt. But I ſuppoſe it to be more playne, yf we ſymplye confeſſe God to be authour of no ſinne, and that men ſinne as compelled by no fatall neceſſitie, but through their owne faulte and vice. Therefore God woulde, as by his woorde alſo he hath expreſſed and taught, that kynges ſhulde deliuer their Kyngdomes to Chriſte, the high Kyng: which where it pleaſed them not, but had rather for ſondry cauſes of ye fleſh and the worlde, delyuer their kyngdomes to the Pope, and ſubmitte themſelues to the See (as they call it) Apoſtolicall, God of his iuſte iudgemente hath forſaken them, and geuen them ouer (as S. Paule wrote the Romanes) into a reprobate minde, to do thoſe thinges which God alloweth not. And ſo are the wordes of God prophecied by the Prophets and Apoſtles, on this wiſe fulfilled. Doubtleſſe they be the wordes of God and not of men, which are red of this matter in Daniell, and in all this booke of reuelation.
The woman is the great citie.Finally the Angell expoundeth, what is ſignified by the woman ſitting on the beaſt: to wit that great citie of Rome, the head and Lady maiſtreſſe of the worlde, and the Romiſh church, Popery, and power, ſtretching oute her ſelfe and her Kyngdome, ouer the Kinges of the Earth. Of whom already hath bene ſpoken enough. To God be glorie.