A Hundred Sermons on Revelation, Sermons · Sermon 99
¶ He gathereth ſuche thinges as he hath taught of the laſte Iudgement, and of the rewardes of the godly, and of the tormentes of the wicked. The .xcix. Sermon.
AND beholde I come ſhortely, and my rewarde is with me, to geue eueryevery man accordyng as his dedes ſhalbe. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and thende: the firſt and the laſte. Bleſſed are they that kepe his commaundementes, that their power maye be in the tree of life. And maye enter in through the gates into the citie. For without ſhall be dogges & inchaunters, and whoremongers, and murtherers, and idolaters, & who ſo euerloueth & maketh leſinges.
A brefe reherſal of ye laſt iudgement, & of rewardes & tormentes.9 The ninth place of this concluſion, is of the comming of the lord vntounto iudgement, and of the rewarde prepared for the good, and appoincted tourmentes for the impenitent and wicked for he collecteth at this preſent, that he treated more dilligently and more at large in the .19. and .20. chapt. and other places of this booke. And this place before all others he inculketh and vrgeth moſt erneſtly. For it is of great importaunce, if we both vnderſtande it rightly, and ponder it very ofte in our mindes. For we ſhall the leſſe licenciouſly ſinne, but ſhal watche more dilligently.
The lorde Chriſt cō meth ſhortly.And in this concluſion of S. Iohn the perſones are often chaunged. For now ſpeaketh Iohn him ſelf, and incōtinently he bringeth in the Lord ſpeakyng. As at this preſent verely he maketh the lorde Chriſt himſelfe to ſpeake, and ſaye: behold… I come quickely. For the worde pronounced out of Chriſtes mouth is of more authoritie, and hath more credit with all, than that the Apoſtle ſpeaketh: & in ſayeng that he will come ſhortely, he would ſtire vp all men to watch, repent, & praye. For in the Goſpel he ſayed: watch, for you know nother the daye nor the houre. Your Lord will come at an houre, when you thinke leeſt. He feareth therefore the ſlougthful and vncleane perſones, whiche comforte themſelues, that the Lorde ſhal not come at al, and if he come, that yet it ſhal be lōg firſt, and perauenture neuer. Agaynſt whom he pleadyng, ſayeth howe he will come quickely. Agaynſt the ſame alſo reaſoned Malachie in the .3. and .4. chapt. And S. Peter in the .2. the .3. chapt. Moreouer in affirmyng that he will come ſhortely, he comforteth the godly tempted and toſſed diuerſely in this world. For the godly ſome times crie alſo, that the Lorde differreth his cōmyng ouer lōg, that he is to benigne to his enemies. Wherefore he ſaieth, yt he wil now come ſone enough, that is to ſaie in dewe time: that he may both deliuer his ſeruauntes, and diſtroye & rote out his enemies and contēners.
For it followeth, what a one, howe, and to what ende he wil come: he wil come gloriouſe with great maieſtie & power to deliuer and ſaue the faithfull, and condemne the vngodly, for he ſayeth, and my rewarde with me. Which words ſeme to be taken out of the .40. chapt. of Eſaye. And ſignifie,And my rewarde wt me. that God is furniſhed aboundantly with al implementes, wherewith it behoueth a rewarder and reuenger to be furniſſhed with. Therefore he ſayeth, the rewarde which I ſhall geue to eueryevery one, after his doynges, I hauehave preſently with me, and that ready, and plentifull. For our king and Iudge wanteth not power and treaſure: as many times the Kinges of this world, eyther can not paye their Soldiours wages, as they ought, or hauehave it not ready, and differ the payement a longe time. But this our Captayne: and my rewarde, ſayeth he, is with me. And immediately expoundyng himſelfe, he ſayeth: that he wil rewarde eueryevery one accordyng as his doyng ſhal be. For ſo the Apoſtle alſo in the .2. to the Corinth. 5. ſaieth, how we muſt al appere before the iudgement ſeate of Chriſt; that eueryevery one maye receiue ſuch thinges as are done by the body, accordyng as he hath done, whether it be good or euil. For in the .16. chapt. of the goſpel of S. Matth. the lorde ſayde like…iſe, that the ti… …ould come, that the ſonne of manne ſhuld come in the glory of his father, with his Angelles, and then ſhal he render to eueryevery one after his doinges. The ſame is taught of the Apoſtle in the .2. chapt. to the Romanes.
And to the intent no manne ſhoulde doubte,I am …. and Ω. but that our iudge can accompliſſhe in dede, that in wordes he ſayde he would do, namely to render to eueryevery mā after his doynges, he adioyneth, and ſayeth, I am Alpha and Omega; the beginnyng and the ende, &c. By the whiche wordes he ſignifieth, that he is very God, eternall, and almightie. The ſentence is taken out of the .43. and .45. chapt. of Eſaye. And is expounded before. Theſe thinges teache vsus, that Ieſus Chriſte is very God, and therefore the rewarder of al, moſt bountiful and moſt rightuouſe.
Rewardes prepared for ye godlyConſequētely agayne, expreſſely, more playnely, and by a pertition, S. Iohn with his wordes declareth, what, and to whome the Lorde will geue. And firſte in dede he treateth of rewarde prepared for the good, after of punniſhemente appoincted for the euil by the iuſte iudgement of God. And rewarde is payed, or geuen rather, as S. Paule ſayeth, to them that kepe his cōmaundementes, namely Chriſtes. For not they that reade, or heare the commaundementes of God, or boaſte and preache them are bleſſed:…. Iohn. 3. but they that kepe, and perfourme them in dede. For ſo hath our Lorde and ſauiour Chriſt taught vsus in the Goſpel after Matthewe the .7. chapt. and Luke. the .11. And his commaundementes are thoſe that are expounded in the ten preceptes, or in the goſpell reſtreyned to the louelove of God and our neighbour, or the whiche are named of S. Iohn thapoſtle faith & louelove. It behoueth vsus therfore to be religious, in caſe we loke to receyue a rewarde of God. And what is the rewarde that is geuen of the iudge to the godly worſhippers of God? That is taken thre maner of wayes. For firſt they are called happie & bleſſed. Secondely they ſhal hauehave power ouer the wood of life, that is to ſay the fruictes of the tree of life ſhal be in their power: that is to wit, thei ſhal liue an eternal life with Chriſt, as before is declared. For he alludeth to the fourmer thinges. Laſte: thei ſhal enter in, ſayeth he, by the gates into the citie (to wit before alſo deſcribed) into the countrie euerlaſtyng.
After this he toucheth, or collecte…h …lſ… the punniſhmētes appoincted for the wicked:Without dogges. and verely in one worde compriſeth al together, whileſt he ſayeth, without. For by this only vocable he excludeth the wicked out of the heauenly coūtrie, and includeth or incloſeth them in helle, and helle tormētes vnſpeakeable, endles and innumerable. And S. Iohn here followeth the lord in the goſpel ſaying:Matth. 8. I ſaye vntounto you, that many ſhal come frō the Eaſte and from the Weſte, and ſhall reſte with Abraham, Iſaac and Iacob in the kingdome of heauen: and the children of the kingedome ſhal be caſte out into the outwarde darkenes, there ſhal be weyyng & gnaſſhyng of teth.Matth. 25. So likewiſe in the parable of the ten virgins, the gate is ſayde to be ſhut, and the foliſſhe virgins ſhutte out of the ioyes celeſtiall. Euen the…e he commaundeth the vnprofitable ſeruaunt to be caſt out into the outwarde darkenes. Likewiſe in the .13. of Luke, the Lord ſayeth, howe the vnbeleuers ſhalbe expulſed out.
And who be they I beſeche thee,What holy ſcripture of dogges. which in that laſte iudgement ſhal be caſte out? Dogges, and the reſidewe whiche are recited in the regiſter of the condēned. The vocable of Dogs is not alwayes taken in the holy Scriptures in the euill parte, but yet for the moſte parte. Abner the Prince of kyng Saulles warres: am I the head of a Dogge, ſayeth he, to Iſboſeth, whiche defende the houſe of Saull agaynſte Iuda? Signifiyng that he had incurred the diſpleaſure of the tribe of Iuda, for that he had reteined ten tribes yet in their duetie, and vnderunder the dominion of the houſe of kinge Saule. Els where, as in the .15. of Matthewe the gentiles, or heythen, or eſtraunged from the people of God ſeme to be called Dogges. As ſome at this daye call the Turkes, namyng them Turkiſh do good: that is to ſaye turkiſh infidelles. Now alſo the prophet Eſaye calleth the falſe Prophetes dogges, ſhameleſſe, rauening, vnſatiable, not able to barke and defende the lords Shepef…lde, or els vnwillyng and ſlepie. After the ſame ſignification the Apoſtle ſayeth to the Philippians: beware of dogges, beware of euill workers, &c. Moreouer in the holy Scriptures are called dogges angrie men, fierſe, cruell, contemners of godly thinges, barkers at the trewth, ſclaunderers and perſecuters thereof, and blaſphemers. For in the .22. Pſalme. Dauid a figure of Chriſt the lorde crieth: Dogges hauehave inuironned me rounde aboute, the counſell of the malignaunt hath compaſſed me. Whom he now calleth Dogges, by and by he nameth malignaunt. And when Semei curſed Dauid, Abiſai the ſonne of Zaruia ſayeth: whie doeth this dogge that ſhall die curſe my Lorde the kynge?Math. 27. And the lorde in the Goſpell forbiddeth to caſte that is holy to dogges, or pearles to Swine. Finally they are called dogges, theſe filthie men, vncleane; without repentaunce, wallowyng themſelues in the dungehill of ſinne and wickednes.
For S. Peter calleth ſuche dogges retournyng to their vomite. And the lord prohibiteth,2. Peter. 2. that no man bring the price of a ſtrompet or dogge into the Temple. For euen therfore the Iewiſhe Prieſtes refuſed the price of bloud offered of Iudas. Therefore vnderunder the name of dogges we vnderſtande heythen or infidelles, falſe Prophetes or deceauers, cruell men, blaſphemers, perſecuters of the veritie, curſed ſpeakers, contemners of the trewth, vncleane and filthie, &c.
And as for the membres that followe, hauehave ben expoūded before, to witte in the .9. chapt. and about the beginnyng and in the ende of the .21. He loueth & maketh leſinges.chapt. To a lie he addeth here, he that loueth and maketh. For many make them not opēly, but they louelove, fauour and auaunce them. Many both louelove and make them. They louelove a leſyng chiefely, whiche mainteyne liyng learnyng, and delighte therein. But hereof moſte purpoſely Primaſius Biſhoppe of Vtica: to all theſe thinges, ſayeth he, muſt be geuen not dilligence of expoūding, but carefulnes of auoyding the euils. The lord Ieſus ſaue vsus frō al euill. Amē.