A Hundred Sermons on Revelation, Sermons · Sermon 81
¶ The reioycinges and Himnes of ſainctes are recited for Rome deſtroyed, and all vngodlines taken awaye. The .lxxxj. Sermon.
Chapt. 19.AND after that, I hearde the voice of muche people in Heauen, ſaying: Alleluya. Saluatiō and glory, and honour, & power be aſcribed to the Lord our God. For true and rightuouſe are his iudgemētes, becauſe he hath iudged the greate whore, whiche did corrupte the earth with her fornication, and hath auenged the bloud of his ſeruauntes of her hande. And agayne they ſayde, Alleluya. And the ſmoke of her aſcended for euer more. And the .xxiiii. Elders, and the foure beaſtes fell downe, and worſhipped God that ſate on the ſeate, ſaiyng. Amē: Alleluya. And a voyce came out of the ſeate, ſaiyng: Praiſe our lord God al ye that are his ſeruaūtes, and ye that feare him both ſmal and great. And I hearde the voice of much people, euen as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of great thō deringes, ſaiyng: Alleluya. For our lord God omnipotent raigneth. Let vsus be glad and reioyce, & geue honour vntounto him: for the marriage of the Lambe is come.
God neuer forſaketh his ſeruauntes.For as much as the Apoſtle in this boke moſt plentifully hath deſcribed the oppreſſion of Sainctes, and the cruell miſcheuouſe, and prowde aſſaultes of the perſecutours of the Goſpell, whereby they both mocke God, and tourment his ſainctes, whereupon euermore at all times the complainctes euen of the godly men are red to hauehave riſen, as though God through his longe ſufferyng and great patience, ſhould ſeme to neglecte the oppreſſed: he diſcourſeth alſo moſte at large nowe, the reioycinges and prayſes of Sainctes, wherby thei extolle the veritie and iuſtice of God, neuer neglectyng his, and moſt greuouſely punniſhing the vngodly perſecutours. Howebeit they reioyce here chiefely, and prayſe God for the taking awaye of Antichriſte, and all vngodlines with him. Whiche verely is the firſt place of this chapter. The ſeconde confirmeth al Sainctes, leeſte they ſhould doubte any thing of the ſaluation of the faythfull, which he ſheweth to be moſt certayne. The thirde place reciteth the ſinne of bleſſed Iohn: and the faithfull doctrine of the holy Aungel, that we ſhould worſhippe no creatures, be they neuer ſo holy. In the laſte place is deſcribed the iudge, or reuenger Ieſus Chriſte, commyng to iudgement: there is moreouer deſcribed the perdition or punniſhement of al vngodly, which the iuſte and holy lord taketh of them. Which place verely begōne in the .11. chapt. of this boke, and ſuſpēded hitherto, repeted ſomewhat in the .14. is now at the laſt finiſſhed.
And verely the Iubiley of Sainctes is diuerſe, plentifull, and manifolde, ouer the loſte and condemned enemies of the godly. Firſte he heareth a voyce, and that a greate, of much people in heauen. He ſheweth therfore in generall, that all heauenly, (the Aungelles not excepted) ſynge prayſes to God in heauen. Whiche we vnderſtande ſhal be at the laſte iudgement, all vngodly troden vnderunder fote. And before theſe thinges be done they are reherſed and deſcribed, that hereby the godly maye in daungers and tourmētes comforte themſelues, and maye abide ſtedfaſte in the true ſayth: beleuynge that they alſo, though nowe oppreſſed, ſhall ſinge prayſes of thankes to God.
And verely he hath here compiled the whole Himne, ſaide in the prayſe of God the reuenger. He placeth formoſte, Alleluya: Alleluya.after he annexeth the prayſes, Saluation and glory. &c. And Alleluya ſignifieth, prayſe ye the Lorde. He vſeth a moſt common, and of all men beſte knowen in the primitiue church. For certen Pſalmes hauehave this title, Halleluyah. For the chaūter ſo exhorted & ſtired vp the people, to praiſe God. So after the ſame maner now alſo, the ſaincts as it were cō priſing the argument of their ſonge, ſaye, Alleluia. And theſe vocables hauehave more grace in ours and ſtraunge langages, than tranſlated. So hauehave remayned in the churche, Oſanna, Amen, Saela, Maranatha, and diuerſe others. Whereof alſo writeth S. Hierome to Marcella and Damaſus.
The himne of ſainctes.Now followeth the himne: ſaluation and glory, & honour, &c. And thoſe thinges they prayſe in God, & aſcribe vntounto him wholy. Whereof I ſpake in expoundhng the .4. and .5. chapt. of this boke. Moreouer they prayſe God, of that whiche in this cauſe is principall: for his iudgementes are iuſte & true. Which ſaying ſemeth worthie to be printed moſte depely in the hartes of al men, as the which in temptations maye not a little erecte them. And wherefore the iudgementes of God be iuſt and true, he addeth, becauſe he hath iudged the great whore: that is to ſaye, taken worthie and condigne punniſhment of the greate whore. Hitherto the Lorde hath ſemed to many ouer ſlowe, and to much fauourable to Rome, and the Romiſh church: but than ſhall they ſee that God is moſt iuſt. Of the whore is ſpoken before.
Yet doeth he repete here agayne her moſte heynouſe and greateſt ſinnes. Firſte corruption through whoredome and inchauntement. Whereby is ſignified ſeducyng by corrupte and wicked doctrine. The later, the ſhedyng of the bloud of holy Martirs. Wherof we hauehave already ſpokē many times. Therefore God punniſſheth the corruption of doctrine, and crueltie of the Romiſh churche practiſed agaynſt the ſainctes of God.
The prayſes of god to god are acceptable.And like as in the beginnyng they ſange Alleluia, ſo in the ende alſo they repete the ſame. By this repetition declaring, that the prayſes whiche alſo we powre out to God in Earth, be to God moſt acceptable. And by and by is added a ſentence, whiche might ſeme to be put to eyther of S. Iohn, or of the diuine heauenly dwellers themſelues. Wherby is ſignified, that the burning of the vngodly ſhal be perpetual, and ſhal neuer hauehave ende, as likewiſe Eſaye hath ſayed in the .30. and .46. chap. And the lord himſelf in the .25. of Matth. and .9. chapt. of Marke. The ſmoke …oſe by.For when he ſayeth ſmoke he vnderſtādeth that there is fire there vnderneth. Lette vsus erneſtly thinke of theſe thinges, ſo oft as the pleaſures and cōmodities of Antichriſt do flatter vsus. For this perpetual fire is prepared for all vngodly, eſpecially Antichriſtiās. And thā ſeuerally he bringeth in praiſyng God the .xxiiii. Elders, and foure beaſtes, by the whiche the vniuerſalitie of creatures is vnderſtande. Touching the which thing ſee what is ſayde in the .4. and .5. chapt. of this boke. And firſt not only they knele, but alſo fal downe, to thende we ſhould vnderſtande, what we ought to do in earth. And thei worſhip God that ſitteth in the throne, nother Aungelles, nor ſpirites, nor yet any creatures. Furthermore with two wordes he ſhaddoweth their himne. For they ſinge, Amen, and Alleluya. For they cōfirme God to be iuſte, and his iudgementes to be rightuouſe, and that iuſtely he pūniſheth the whore. And therfore that he is to be praiſed.
Nowe cōmeth alſo a voyce out of the trone,A voice cō meth out of ye throne to witte from God him ſelfe, but by the miniſterie of an Aungell. For it followeth: ſinge prayſe to our God. Beholde he ſayeth, our God. Therfore he accompteth himſelf here in the nombre of them, which hauehave God cōmon with men. Therefore he was an Angel, which recited thoſe thinges of God. Therfore that the ſainctes do now, they are commaunded to do. For in the middes of the prayſes, this voice is hearde from God by the Angell. And he cōmaundeth to prayſe, and that the true and only God. He ſheweth moreouer, who ſhould praiſe him: all the ſainctes, that is al ye feare God, whether they be great or ſmall. By this commaundement therefore is ſignified, that God is delighted with the prayſes of holy menne, and liketh them. Wherof we now that dwell in Earth, learne to praiſe the lord without ceaſyng, and with a ſincere hart. We learne that no mā is excepted, of what ſo euer degree or age, ſexe or condicion he be of.
Agayne an other Himne is annexed,The diuine prayſes are greateſt. as it were an example of obedience. For God by the Angell commaundeth the ſainctes to prayſe. Now therfore they obey God, and offer to him praiſes. And howe great theſe prayſes were, he ſheweth by a double compariſon, and by a maruelouſe breuitie, and euident maner. For he ſayeth, how the voices of the ſingers were ſhrille, as the guſſhing and noyſe of many waters: alſo like the clappyng or crackyng of greate thonders. Yf ſuche breuitie and perſpicuitie were founde in Homere or Virgill, it ſhoulde hauehave many maruailers thereof, whiche would extolle and commende the elegancie. But no man marueleth, no man ſetteth forth or commendeth the holy Scriptures and elegancie and efficacitie of the ſame, wauntyng example. And agayne is annexed an Hymne, the beginnyng whereof, as of the fourmer, is alſo Alleluya. And like as in the fourmer himne the Sainctes hauehave celebrated, that God doeth iuſtely punniſhe the wicked: ſo in this they preache that God raigneth, and ſhall ſeme euen freely to ſaue the Sainctes. They commaunde therefore to prayſe the Lorde. The reaſon, for bicauſe ſins he is omnipotent, he raigneth. He hath verely raygned euermore: but ſins ſo many thinges hauehave ben permitted by him to the vngodly, many hauehave thought that the vngodly, and chiefely Antichriſt hath reigned: but now ſins he hath oppreſſed him, and auenged his glory and his ſeruauntes, it is made manifeſte to all menne, that God alone raigneth for euermore. They alledge alſo an other cauſe, whie God ſhould be prayſed, ye rather whie the godly ſhuld be glad and reioyce: for the mariage of the Lambe is come. For as much as that time is nowe come, wherein the lambe him ſelfe will bryng in the children of God, his wel be loued ſpowſe, thoſe I meane whome by his bloudſhed he hath redemed, to ioyes euerlaſtyng. Of the mariage ſhal be ſpoken a little after at large. Prayſe and glory be to our redemer Chriſt Ieſus the Lord. Amen.