A Hundred Sermons on Revelation, Sermons · Sermon 82
¶ Of the mariage of the Lambe, and of the makyng ready of the Lambes wife. The .lxxxij. Sermon.
AND his wife made her ſelfe ready. And to her was graūted, that ſhe ſhuld be arayed with pure and goodly ſilke. For the ſilke is the rightuouſenes of Sainctes.
The ſainctes celebrate the Lord with prayſes, reioycinges and Himnes. There be cauſes innumerable: yet two notable aboue others. The firſt, for ye Lord hath iudged the whore, and auenged the bloud of Sainctes. The ſecond, for the mariage of the lambe is come. They reioyce therefore at the iuſtice of God, whereby he hath punniſhed the vngodly: and at his mercy or grace, by the whiche he geueth to the godly a bleſſed lyfe. But here muſte we ſpeake of the mariage.
Ther is very much mention made in the holy Scriptures both of the oulde and newe teſtamente,Matrimony and mariage. of matrimonie and mariage. The which may not be expounded after the letter, but by an allegory: leeſt with the Turks and mahometiſtes, we fall in ſhameful and mōſtrouſe abſurdities. For ſpiritual things are figured by corporal matters. Of the ſpiritual this is the ſome: God the father the louer of mankinde, wil ſaue men by his ſon. This thing is declared by a parable of wedlocke and mariage. And in matrimonie there is a contract or makynge ſure, there is coupling or handfaſte makyng of eyther partie, and finally mariage.
In the contracte not onelyonly the yong man and the mayde ar affiaūced,The contract or makyng ſure. but alſo the whole maner of the mariage to com is appoincted, and an order taken. For the lawyers ſay, that affiauncyng is a promeſſe of the mariage to come. This contracte was made at the beginning of the world, where God promiſeth that he wyll delyuer mankynde by his ſonne, and receiue him into glory. Hereunto appertaine all the promiſes of Chriſte, of the remiſſion of ſinnes, and euerlaſtinge lyfe. Moreouer the duties of the ſpouſe are preſcrybed. She promeſeth to be obedient, and other thinges, &c. Chriſte the ſonne of God the father, brydegrome, affiaūceth to himſelfe al the choſen through his free grace: he promiſeth them his righteouſnes, all heauēly gyftes and eternall lyfe. He taketh vponupon him moreouer al the infirmities of the bride, and pourgeth her filthines. And the bryde is affiaūced to him by faith, as it is with Oſee, and byndeth her ſelfe wholly to him: after whoſe will and lawe ſhe frameth her ſelfe wholly. For ſhe is the body of a liuely head. As S. Paul ſaieth in the .5. to ye Ephe. The bride leaders be the, prophets, patriarkes, Apoſtles. So Ihon Bapt. in ye .3. of Ihon, calleth himſelfe the frend of ye brydegrome. He addeth, to be the ſpouſe of Chriſt. S. Paul. 2. Cor. 11 I hauehave maried you to one man a chaſte Virgin, &c. Hereunto the .16. chapter of Ezechiell ſemeth to appertayne.
And the ioyninge together of eyther partie, is made after they be affiaunced, with certen ceremonies: to wit by taking ech other by the handes, and certen wordes ſpoken, there is geuen a token or a ring, &c. But immediatly after the beginning, was a league or bonde made betwixte God and men, which is ofte tymes red of, not withoute ceremonies, certen wordes and ſacrifices repared, as by Abraham, Moſes and others. God byndeth himſelfe to men, and men to him, and that notwithout Sacramentes. Hereunto belonge all thoſe thinges, that God woulde be in league with man, and hauehave men bounden to him, and all his thinges communicated to vsus. And this mariage, of all others is moſt ſtraightly ioyned and made, whyleſte the ſonne of God hath vnited our fleſhe into one and the ſame perſon with him, and hath commaunded the Apoſtles to preach vntounto all, that he wyll hauehave a communion with the faithful. Of the which communion are red many things eueryevery where in the ſcriptures. And he hath geuen a pledge of faith and perpetual amitie,A pledge. not a ring of gold, but rather the ſacramentes: yea euen the holy ghoſt, as S. Paule ſayeth in the .2. to the Cor. 1. and to the Epheſi. the firſt.
And the mariageMariage. ſhall be ſolemnized in the reſurrection of the dead. The ſoules verely paſſe from the death corporal, into lyfe euerlaſting: but yet the full reſtitution, and ſaluation of man is not made perfect, except the body come alſo. Therfore at the reſurrection cometh the mariage of the lambe, that is, of Chriſt our redemer. Than are we caried to mete Chriſt in the ayer, than he bringeth in his wyfe into the bed chamber of eternall glory and bleſſe, than ſhall be holden that feaſt and deintie ſupper, than ſhal the bryde inioy for euer the louelove of the brydegrome. This ſhall be verely the mariage of the lambe. And the mariage ſhalbe the merier, for that the whore beinge caſte oute and condemned, the wyfe and honeſte matrone ſhal hauehave the ful and perfect ioy alone. At this ioy, and at this mariage, the holy inhabiters of heauen do reioyce.
The preparation of ye bryde to ye …ariage.Moreouer the Sainctes reſite here alſo a certen preparation of the Bryde, that by the waye the godly maye vnderſtande, what thinge beſte becommeth them, and whereunto they ſhoulde apply themſelues in the laſt age. Let vsus prepare our ſelues to mete the Bridegrome. For we loke for the iudge eueryevery howre. And we prepare our ſelues not in one howr or day, but all our lyfe time. And howe we ſhoulde be prepared, the Lord himſelf ſheweth by the parable of ten Virgins. Let vsus decke our ſelues with true fayth againſte Antichriſte in the later dayes.Math. 25 Luke. 21. Let vsus beautifie our ſelues with the works of charitie, the works alſo of righteouſnes, chaſtitie, and temperauncie: Let vsus not be corrupted and defiled with drōkennes, bloude, and cares of this worlde.
Furthermore leeſt any ſhoulde aſcrybe this preparation to his owne merite, ſtrength and vertue,The bryds araye. and that we ſhoulde ſee alſo, that the ſame preparatiō doth chiefly conſiſte in prouyding of the garment, S. Ihon addeth incontinently, and to her was graunted, that ſhe ſhoulde aray or apparell her ſelfe. Yf it be geuē, than is it not by our force or meanes prepared, 1. Corinth. 4. chapter. Yf it be geuen, than is it not bought by popiſh trafficke. Reade the .8. to the Actes. And he expreſſeth alſo the kinde of garmēt, of cleane or pure ſilke, & ſhyning or brighte. For we reade alſo in the goſpell of the wedding garment. The Apoſtle ful oft exhorteth vsus, that we ſhuld put vponupon vsus the Lorde Ieſus. Theſe things be in alligorie. But he by and by expounding nowe this kynde of garment, ſayeth: that ſilke is the righteouſnes of ſainctes.¶ Iuſtifications or ryghteouſeneſſe. Sainctes he calleth the faithfull. But where there is one only iuſtificatiō of faith through Chriſte, S. Ihon ſpeaketh iuſtifications in the plurall nombre. For they that be freely through Chriſte iuſtified by fayth onelyonly, doe incontinently ſondry and many workes of righteouſnes. For he that is iuſte as the ſame Ihon ſaieth,1. Ihon. 3 the ſame worketh righteouſnes. Therfore be ther iuſtifications, to witte the righteouſnes of fayth iuſtifieng, and the righteouſenes of workes iuſtifieng: that is to ſaye, declaring vsus to be iuſtified by fayth alone. For we are purified by the bloud of Chriſte freely, the which we receyue by fayth: and be fully iuſtified, witneſſe Paule in the .3. to the Romanes. Agayne they that be righteouſe, do ſondry workes of righteouſenes, and cōmend themſelues vntounto God. So do they not appeare naked, but clothed with ther wedding garmēt, as we touched alſo in the thirde chapter of this booke
A pure and bright garment.And full aptely is the garment of the bryde called pure or cleane, not for her ſelfe, whome we knowe to be alwaies hindered and weakened by the fleſhe, but for the ſpirite ſanctifieng, and bloude of the ſonne of God: as Saincte Paule teſtifieth Epheſians the fifte, and fyrſte of Ihon the fyrſte. The garment is ſayed moreouer to be ſhyning and bryght, and that for the glorifieng of Sainctes to come. Whereof is made mention in the .12. of Daniell, and .13. chapter of Mathew. For of righteouſneſſe followeth glory. For whome he hath iuſtified,Roma. 8 the ſame hath he alſo glorified. VntoUnto him be prayſe honour and glory.