A Hundred Sermons on Revelation, Sermons · Sermon 84
¶ The facte of S. Iohn is declared, whiche woulde hauehave worſhipped the Angell, and of the Angell prohibityng. The .lxxxiiij. Sermon.
AND I felle at his fete, to worſhip him. And he ſayde to me: ſee thou do it not. For I am thy fellow ſeruaunte, and one of thy bretherne, and of thē that hauehave the teſtimony of Ieſus. Worſhip God. For the teſtimony of Ieſu, is the ſprete of Prophecie.
Here is added the thirde place of this chapter, to witte the doyng of the Apoſtle S. Iohn, and the Aungel of God. S. Iohn would hauehave worſhipped the Aungell:Thexcel… cie of Aungelles. but he is prohibited of the Angel, whiche biddeth him worſhip God. And before al this acte and enterpriſe of Iohn ſemeth chiefly to be conſidered. Angelles are ſurely right noble creatures, and of greate power, by whome the lord executeth greateſt affaires. They take vponupon them for the moſte parte the ſhape of men, and very oft appeare vntounto men, ſerue, kepe, and doe good vntounto thē, accordyngly as God vſeth their miniſterie.Hebrew. 1. For the Apoſtle ſpeakyng of Angelles (as I tolde you in the .29. Sermon) be they not al, ſayeth he, miniſtring ſpretes, which are ſent forth to ſerue for their ſakes whiche ſhall be made heyres of ſaluation? And theſe thinges doeth the Scripture make playne by ſondry examples.Geneſ. 18.19. Three appered to Abraham in mans likenes, whiche were Aungelles, inſtructyng him, two deliuered Loth him ſelf out of the handes of the Sodomites, and brought him out of the fire:Geneſ. 32. whole armies of Aungelles inuironne Iacob, defendyng him agaynſt the force and violence o… his brother Eſawe. Exod. 34.The Lorde ſente his Angell before Moſes and the children of Iſraell, to leade them through the wildernes into the lande of promiſſion.4. kings. 6 4. kinges. 19. Firie charettes compaſſed about Helizeus. An Angel leuied the ſiege of Hieruſalem, ſlayeng an hondreth foure ſcore and fiue thouſande of the Aſſiryans. Daniel hath Angelles familiar with him. Likewiſe the fathers and other Prophetes. An Aungell deliuereth Ioſeph out of all care:Math. 1.2. the ſame deliuereth the wiſe menne from the treaſon of Herode: by and by he commaundeth to conueye awaye Chriſt into Aegipt:Matth. 4.28. Angelles miniſter to Chriſt, in white garmentes they teſtified that the Lorde was riſen, and aſcended into heauen.Actes. 1.5.10. and .12. The ſame bryng the Apoſtles out of priſon, one of them deliuereth Peter out of Herodes priſon. An Angell is ſent to Cornelius an Italian captayne. Angelles many times talke with Paule. Oftentimes they imploye great benefites vponupon men. They declare themſelues through God to be of greate power. And whileſte menne obſerue thoſe thinges,❀ Whie Iounwold hauehave worſhipped the Angel. they would worſhippe Aungelles: as euen at this preſent, where the Apoſtle S. Iohn vnderſtande that Chriſt him ſelf by his Angell did open to him ſo great miſteries for the profit of churches, whileſt he maruayled at his brightnes and godly giftes, he would by and by hauehave worſhipped this his Angell the bringer of miſteries: not that he intended or pourpoſed to reuolte from God, and couered in ſtead of God to worſhippe an Angell for nother is it lawefull ones to Imagine ſuche a wickednes of ſo greate an Apoſtle. He woulde therefore hauehave worſhipped and honored the Angell with Dulia as they terme it, (and as Thomas of Aquine expoundeth it) not with Latria: that is to ſaye, to worſhyppe and honour God, as God: but the Aungell ſomewhat leſſe, as an excellent meſſager of God. Howebeit herein he offended, to the ende that al menne ſhould vnderſtande that they ſinne, howe many ſo euer doe worſhippe and honour Aungelles or excellent creatures with godly worſhippe. As all the worſhippers of Sainctes doe at this daye in Papiſtrie. Nother hauehave they any other ſhifte to colour their errour but that ſame diſtinction, that God is worſhipped and honoured with worſhip latrical, and Sainctes and Angelles with worſhip dulical, and the virgin Mary with honour hiperdulical, and I wote not what thinges els, which I am both aſhamed and loth to reherſe.
And it appereth that S. Iohn here was intangled with the ſame errour:S. Iohn erreth. whom otherwiſe we muſt nedes cōfeſſe to hauehave ſinned by Apoſtaſie, and would hauehave worſhipped the Angell for God, or with God. Which are both two wicked, and vnworthie ſuch a manne. But in eaſe he worſhipped God, and would neuertheleſſe hauehave worſhipped the Angel alſo, what thing els did he, than offende in the worſhippe dulicall. And verely God hath permitted ſo worthie a man to erre, as he did alſo Peter and Thomas; to the intent he mighte heale ou… infirmities: that is to witte, that by their errours we might learne to beleue more rightly, and to honour God more purely. For this preſent place teacheth openly, and other like examples of errours, that all the ſayinges and doynges of Sainctes are not to be allowed without any differente.
For now here followeth the facte of an Angel moſt excellent, that is to ſaye, a godly confutatiō of the errour.That no… A… gell…s … Sa… ſh…uld be worſhipped. Firſt he ſayeth not lightly, do not as thou haſte pourpoſed: but greuouſely condemning his facte, he ſayeth with a certen vehemencie, ſee thou doeſt it not. We hauehave a like phraſe of ſpeach here in Swicerlande, what time (ſignifiynge in any wiſe to be ware) we ſaye, Long vnd thu das nitte. Loke thou doeſt it not. Wherefore we hauehave learned by the teſtimonie of the angell, that now nother Angels nor ſainctes are to be worſhipped. For ſeyng the Lord himſelf ſayeth of Sainctes, thei ſhal be as the Angelles of God: I ſee not whie they ſhoulde not match the Sainctes with Angels. And we hauehave verely learned that they maye be worſhipped nother with culte latrical nor dulical. And to worſhip, is with a minde to honour, to fal at the fete, to bowe downe and knele. As I hauehave ſayed els where.
After thangel ſheweth reaſons, whie he ought not to worſhippe: for I am thy fellowe ſeruaunt. He ſayeth not ſeruaūt, but fellowe ſeruaunt: to witte of the ſame office with thee, vnderunder the ſame lord and maiſter. For Angelles ſerue God after their maner: and ſo doe menne ſerue God after theyr maner: yet are all ſeruauntes, and that the ſeruauntes of one maiſter. And it is agaynſte reaſon that one ſeruaunt ſhould honour and worſhip and other of his fellowes, beyng of the ſame ſtate and creation. It is therfore an vnworthie matter, that the faithful ſhould worſhip the Apoſtles, Prophetes, or Martirs: muche leſſe doeth it become them to honour their dead bones. And leeſte any man ſhould ſaye, how thangel in dede in reſpecte of the moſte excellent Apoſtle S. Iohn, confeſſeth himſelf to be his felowe ſeruaunt: but that there is an other conſideration to be had of other men, which come not nere the dignitie of bleſſed Iohn: & therefore ſins we be much inferiour, we maie worſhip Angelles and Apoſtles our ſuperiours:The bretherne of Iohn, and Chriſt. he preuenteth and ſayeth, and of thy bretherne. And who be the bretherne of the Apoſtle S. Iohn? the Angel him ſelfe aunſwereth, and ſayeth, whiche hauehave the teſtimony of Ieſu. The teſtimony of Ieſus, is the goſpell, & the very fayth fixed on the goſpell, comprehendyng with a faythfull minde Ieſus. Wherfore al ye faithful of Chriſt, be Iohns bretherne: therefore is the Angel their fellowe ſeruaunt alſo. And therefore none of the faithful ought to worſhip any Angel or Apoſtle: the lorde him ſelfe alſo in the .12. of Matth. calleth all that obeye his worde or preachyng,Chriſtē fraternitie. bretherne. And here is dilligentely to be noted, that by faith we are made the bretherne of Chriſt, of Angelles and Apoſtles. This ſhuld the Monkes and Freres hauehave beaten in and ſet forth, and not the fraternitie of our Lady, and fraternities of Sainctes: vnleſſe they had ben the Apoſtles of that great & abominable Antichriſt.
The teſtimony of Ieſus Chriſte.Moreouer the Angell him ſelfe expoundyng agayne his owne wordes, ſheweth what is the teſtimony of Ieſu Chriſt. For the teſtimony of Ieſu, is the ſprete of Prophecie. And the ſprete ſignifieth reuelation or vnderſtandynge: and prophecie the propheticall and Apoſtolical doctrine. And therefore ye ſenſe is: the teſtimony of Ieſu Chriſt is no other thing, but the reuealyng of the doctrine of prophetes and Apoſtles in the minde of the godly through the holy ghoſt and fayth. And therfore the Apoſtles in the goſpel are called witneſſes: and the goſpell, a teſtimony. And to teſtifie, is to preach. Of the whiche expoſition ſuch an argument maye be gathered: the cauſe of thy worſhippyng, Iohn, is doubtles that excellent reuelation and prophecie, vntounto thee by me reuealed. But yf I ſhould therefore ſeme worthie to be worſhipped, for that there is in me an excellent ſprete of Prophecie: by the like reaſon ſhalt thou worſhip al thy bretherne, in whome is the ſame ſprete of prophecie, to witte the teſtimony of Ieſu, the true fayth. But where thou ſeeſt, and thy ſelfe art compelled to graunt, the ſame to be very abſurde, I perceiue it to be abſurde if thou ſhouldeſt worſhip an Angell.
The laſte and ſtrōgeſt reaſon,Worſhip God. whie he would not be worſhipped, is this: worſhip God. It is taken out of the authoritie and Lawe of God perpetuall and immutable, reuealed in the .6. of Deuter. and repeted of our ſauiour Chriſt in the .4. of Matth. if we would obeye the lawe of God, al culte and worſhipping and inuocation of Sainctes had ben long ſins banniſhed and exiled out of the church.
Furthermore ther be other places alſo,Angels are not to be worſhypped nor called vponupon. which commende the miniſteries and vertues of Angelles, teachyng neuertheleſſe to honour and call vponupon God himſelf. Reade the goodly Pſalmes .34. and .91. And yf any man liſte to hauehave alſo the conſente of the fathers, let him reade S. Auſten ſayeng, that Angelles muſt nother be worſhipped nor called vpō, nother ought there ſacrifice to be made vntounto them, nor churches erected. The chiefe places be, of the true religion the .55. chap. againſt Maximine an Arriane Biſhop, firſt boke, leafe .77. De ciuit. dei .8. boke laſte chapt. 10. chapt. 16.19.20. To God be the glory.