1. The Saints glorifying God for the iudgement pronounced vpon the harlot, 7. the mariage of
the Lamb is prepared. 10. The Angel refuseth to be adored of S. Iohn. 11. There apeareth one
(who is the Word of God, and the King of Kings and Lord of Lords) sitting on a horse, with a great
armie, and flighting against the beast and the Kings of the earth and their armies: 17. the birds
of the aire being in the meane time called to deuoure their flesh.
1.
⋮
The Epistle for many Martyrs, between Easter & whitsunday.
AFTER these things I heard as it were the voice of many multitudes in heauen saying,
✟
ALLELVIA.
Allelu-ia. Praise, and glorie and power is to our God:
2. because true & iust are his iudgements which hath iudged of the great harlot, that
hath corrupted the earth in her whoredom, and hath reuenged the bloud of his seruants, of her
hands.
3. And
✟
This often repeating of Allelu-ia in times of reioycing, the Church doth follow
in her Seruice.
againe they said, Allelu-ia. And her smoke ascendeth for euery and euer.
4. And the foure and twentie Seniours fel downe, and the foure beasts, & adored God
sitting vpon the throne, saying: Amen, Allelu-ia.
5. And a voice came out from the throne, saying: Say praise to our God al ye his
seruants: and you that feare him, litle and great.
6. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many
waters, & as the voice of great thunders, saying, Allelu-ia: because our Lord God the
omnipotent hath reigned.
7. Let vs be glad and reioyce, and giue glory to him: because
✟
At this day shal the whole Church of the elect be finally and perfectly for euer ioyned
vnto Christ in mariage inseparable.
the marriage of the
Lamb is come, & his wife hath prepared herself.
8. And it was giuen to her that she clothe her self with silke glittering and white.
For the silke are the iustifications of Saints.
9. And he said to me: Write,
*
Mt. 22,
Lu. 14,
Blessed be they that are called to the
✟
That is the feast of eternal life prepared for his spouse the Church.
supper of the
marriage of the Lamb. And he said to me: These wordes of God, be true.
10. And
*
Apoc. 22,9.
I fel before his feete, to adore him. And he saith to me: See thou doe not;
I am thy fellow-seruant, and of thy Brethren that haue the testimonie of Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ. Adore
God. For the testimonie of Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ, is the spirit of prophecie.
11. And I saw heauen opened, and behold a white horse: and he that sate vpon him,
was called Faithful and True, and with iustice he iudgeth & fighteth.
12. And his eyes as a flame of fire, and on his head many diademes, hauing a name
written, which no man knoweth but himself.
13.
*
Es. 63,1.
And he was clothed with a garment sprinkled with bloud: and his name is called,
✟
The second Person in Trinitie, the Sonne or the Word of God, which was made flesh. Io. 1.
Tʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴏꜰ ɢᴏᴅ.
14. And the hostes that are in heauen followed him on white horses clothed in white
and pure silke.
15. And out of his mouth proceedeth a sharp sword: that in it he may strike the Gentils.
*
Apoc. 2,27.
And he shal rule them in a rod of yron: and he treadeth the wine presse of the furie of the wrath
of God omnipotent.
16. And he hath in his garment and in his thigh written,
*
Apoc. 17,14.
✟
Euen according to his humanitie also.
Kɪɴɢ ᴏꜰ ᴋɪɴɢꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴏʀᴅ
ᴏꜰ ʟᴏʀᴅꜱ.
17. And I saw one Angel standing in the sunne, & he cried with a loud voice saying
to al the birds that did flie by the middes of heauen: Come and assemble together to the great
supper of God:
18. that you may eate the flesh of horses and of them that sit on them, and of the
flesh of al free-men and bond-men, and of litle and great.
19. And I saw the beast and the Kings of the earth, & their armies gathered to make
warre with him that sate vpon the horse and with his armie.
20. And the beast was apprehended, and with him the false-Prophet: which wrought signes
before him, wherewith he seduced them that tooke the character of the beast, and that adored his
image. These two were cast aliue into the poole of fire burning also with brimstone.
21. And the rest were slaine by the sword of him that sitteth vpon the horse, which
proceedeth out of his mouth: and al the birds were filled with their flesh.
ANNOTATIONS.
Cʜᴀᴘ. XIX.
4. Amen, Alleluia.)
These two Hebre wordes (as other els where) both in the Greeke & Latin text are kept
religiously, & not translated, vnles it be once or twise in the Psalmes. Yea and the
Protestants them selues keepe them in the text of their English Testaments in many places.
and maruel it. is why they vse them not in al places, but sometimes turne, Amen, into, verely,
where of see the Annotation Ioan. 8. v. 34. and in their Seruice booke they translate,
Alleluia, into, Praise ye the Lord as though Alleluia had not as good a grace in the acte
of seruing God, (where it is in deede properly vsed) as it hath in the text of the Scripture.
The Church Catholike doth often and specially vse this sacred word, to ioyne with the Church
triumphant, consisting of Angels and Saincts, who here are said to laude and praise God with
treat reioycing, by this word Alleluia, and by often repetition thereof: as the Catholike
Church also vseth, namely in Easter time euen til Whi-sontide, for the ioy of Christs
resurrection, which (as S. Augustine declareth ep. ad Ianuarium) was the general vse of
the Primitiue Church, making a greater mysterie and matter of it, then our Protestants now
do. At other times of the yere also he saith it was sung in some Churches, but not in al,
and S. Hierom numbereth it among the heresies of Vigilantius, That Alleluia could not be
sung but at Easter. Aduers. Vigilant. c. 1.
The truth is, by the vse of the Scriptures it hath more in it then, Praise ye the Lord,
signifying with laude, glorifying, and praising of God, a great reioycing withal, mirth, and
exultation of hart in the singers thereof, and that is the cause why the holy Church saith,
Laus tibi Domine, Praise be to thee ô Lord, in Lent and times of penance and mourning, but not
Alleluia which (as S. Augustine also declareth) is a terme of signification and mysterie,
ioyned with that time, and then vsed specially in the Church of God, when she representeth
to vs in her Seruice, the ioyes and beatitude of the next life: which is done specially at
Easter, by the ioyful celebrating of Christs glorious Resurrection and Ascension, after the
penal time of Lent which representeth the miserie of this life. See S. Augustine Ser. 1. &
5. c. 9 & 6. c. 9 de Diuersis to. 10. and his enatation vpon the 148 Psalme. for in the
titles and endes of diuerse holy Psalmes this Alleluia is ful of mysterie & sacred
signification. where we must aske the Protestants, why they haue left it out altogether,
being in the Hebrue, saying neither Alleluia, nor, Praise the Lord, in the Bible 1577: &
that nine times in the sixe last Psalmes.
Moreouer the said holy Doctor li. 2 de doct, Christ c. 11) affirmeth that Amen & Alleluia be
not translated into any other language, propter sanctiorem authoritatem, for the more sacred
authoritie of the wordes so remaining and ep. 178. he saith that it is not lawful to
translate them. Nam sciendum est &c. for it is to be knowen (saith he) that al nations do
sing Amen and Alleluia in the Hebrue wordes, which neither the Latine man not the Barbarous
may translate into his owne language. See S. Hierom also epist. 137. And namely for our
Nation, S. Gregorie wil beare vs witnes that our countrie receiued, the word Alleluia
with their Christianitie, saying thus li. 27 Moral. c. 6. Lingua Britannia qua nihil aliud
nouerat quim barbarum frendere, iamdudum in Diuinis laudibus Hebraeum pit resenare
Alleluia. that is, The Britan tongue, which knew nothing els but to mutter barbarously,
hath begone of late in Gods diuine laudes and praises to sound the Hebrue Alleluia. And for
Iurie, S. Hierom ep. 17. c. 7 writeth, that the husbandmen at the plough sang Alleluia,
which was not then their vulgar speache. Yea he saith that in Monasteries the singing of
Alleluia was in stede of a bel to call them together ad Collectam. in Epitaph. Paule. c. 10.
This word is a sacred, Christian, mystical, and Angelical song. and yet in the new seruice
booke it is turned into, Praise ye the Lord, and Alleluia is quite gone, because they list
neither to agree with the Church of God, not with the vse of holy Scriptures, no not with
their owne translations, but no maruel, that they can not sing the song of our Lord and of
Angels in a strange countrie, that is, out of the Catholike Church, in the captiuitie of
schisme & heresie, Lastly, we might aske them whether it be al one to say Mat. 21, Hosanna,
&, Saue vs we beseeche thees whereas Hosanna is withal aword of exceding congratulation
and ioy which they expressed toward out Sauiour, euen so Alleluia hath an other maner of
sense and signification in it, then can expressed by, Praise ye the Lord.
8. Iustifications of Saincts.)
Here the Heretikes in their translations could not alter the
word iustifications into ordinances, or constitutions, as they did falsely in the first of
S. Luke, whereof see the Annotatiō there vers. 6. but they are forced to say in Latin,
iustificationes, as Beza: and in English, righteousnes, (for iustifications they wil not
say in any case for feae of inconuenience) yea and they can not deny but these
iustifications be the good workes of saincts. but where they make this glose, that they be
so called, because are the fruites of effect of faith and of the iustice which we haue by
onely faith, it is most euidently false, & against the very text, and nature of the word.
for there is no cause why any thing should be called a mans iustification but for that it
maketh him iust, so that, iustifications, be the vertues of faith, hope, charitie, and good
deedes, iustifying or making a man iust, and not effectes of iustification, neither faith
onely, but they al together be the very ornaments and inward garments, beauty, and iustice
of the soule, as here it is euident.
10. And I fel.)
The Protestants abuse this place, and the example of the Angels forbidding
Iohn to adore him being but his fellow seruant, and appointing him to adore God, against al
honour, reuerence, and adoration of Angels, Saincts, or other sanctified creatures, teaching
that no religious worship ought to be done wto them. But in truth it maketh for no such
purpose, but only warneth vs that Diuine honour and the adoration due to God alone, may not
be giuen to any Angel or other creature. S. August. de vera relig. cap. vltimo. And when
the Aduersaries replie that so great an Apostle, as Iohn was could not be ignorant of that
point, not would haue giuen diuine honour vnto an Angel (for so he had been an Idolater)
and therfore that he was not reprehended for that, but for doing any religious reuerence or
other honour whatsoeuer to his fellow-seruant 〈◊〉 ve answer that by the like reason, S.
Iohn being so great an Apostle, if this later kinde of reuerence had been vnlawful and to
be reprehended, as the Protestants hold it is no lesse then the other, could not haue been
ignorant thereof, not would haue done it.
Therfore they might much better haue learned of S. Augustine (q. 61 in Genes.) how this
facte of S. Iohn was corrected by the Angel, and wherein he errour was. In effect it is
thus, That the Angel being so glorious and ful of maiestie, presenting Christs person, and in
his name vsing diuers wordes proper to God as, I am the first and the last, and aliue and
was dead, and such like, might wel be taken of S. Iohn, by errour of his person, to be
Christ him self, and that the Apostle presuming him to be so in deede, adored him with Diuine
honour: which the Angel correcting, told him he was not God, but one of his fellowes, and
therfore that he should not so adore him, but God. Thus then we see, Iohn was neither so
ignorant, to thinke that any vndue honour might be giuen to any creature: not so il, to commit
idolatrie by doing vndue worship to any Angel in heauen: and therfore was not culpable at al
in his facte, but onely erred materially (as the Scholemen call it) that is, by mistaking one
for an other, thinking that which was an Angel, to haue been our Lord: because he knewe
that our Lord him self is also called an Angel, and hath often appeared in the visions of
the faithful.
And the like is to be thought of the Angel appearing in the 22 of the Apocalypse, whether it
were the same or an other for that also did so appeare, that Iohn not tell whether it were
Christ him self or no, til the Angel told him. Once this is certaine, that Iohn did not
formally (as they say) commit idolatrie, not sinne at al herein, knowing al dueties of a
Christian man, no lesse then an Angel of heauen, being also in as great honour with God, yea
and in more then many Angels. Which perhaps may be the cause (and consequently an other
explication of this place) that the Angel knowing his great greaces and merites before God,
would not accept any worship or submission at his handes, though Iohn againe of like
humilitie did it, as also immediatly afterward chap. 22. which belike he would not haue
done, if he had been precisely aduised by the Angel but a moment before, of errour &
vnduetifulnes in the facte. Howsoeuer that be, this is euident, that this the Angels
refusing of adoration, taketh not away the due reuerence and respect we ought to haue to
Angels or other sanctified persons and creatures, and so these wordes, See thou doe it not,
signifie rather an earnest refusal, then any signification of crime to be committed thereby.
And maruel it is that the Protestants making them selues so sure of the true sense of euery
doubtful place by conference of other Scriptures, folow not here the conference and comparing
of Scriptures that them selues so much of onely require. We wil giue them occasion and a
methode so to doe, thus. He that doubteth of this place, findeth out three things of question,
which must be tried by other Scriptures. The first, whether there ought to be or may be any
religious reuerence or honour done to any creatures taking the word religion or religious
worship not for that special honour which is properly and onely due to God, as S. Augustine
sometimes vseth it, but for reuerence due to any thing that is holy by sanctification or
application to the seruice of God. The second thing is, whether by vse of Scriptures, that
honour be called adoration in latin, or by a word equiualent in other, languages, Hebrue,
Greeke, or English. Lastly, whether we may by the Scriptures fall downe prostrate before the
things, or at the feete of the persons that we so adore. or of ciuil duetie done to our
Superiors by capping, kneeling, or other courtesie, I thinke the Protestants wil not stand
with vs: though in deede, their arguments make as much against the one as the other.
But for religious worship of creatures (which we speake of) let them see in the Scriptures
both old and new: first, whether the Temple, the tabernacle, the Arke, the propitiatorie,
the Cherubins, the altar, the bread of proposition, the Sabboth, and al their holies, were
not reuerenced by al signes of deuotion and religion: whether the Sacraments of Christ, the
Priests of our Lord, the Prophets of God, the Gospel, Scriptures, the name of IESVS, such
like (which be by vse, signification, or sanctification made holy) are not ow to be
reuerenced: and they shal finde al these things to haue been reuerenced of al the faithful,
without any dishonour of God, and much to his honour. Secondly, that this reuerence is
named adoration in the Seriptures, these speaches do proue Ps. 93. Adore ye his footestoole,
because it is holy. and Hebr. 11. He adored the toppe of his rod. Thirdly, that the Scriptures
also warrant vs (as the nature of the word adoratiō giueth in al three tonges▪) to bowe
downe our bodies, to fall flat on the ground at the presence of such thinges, and at the feete
of holy persons, specially Angels, as Iohn doth here, these examples proue. Abraham adored the
Angels that appeared to him, Moyses also the Angel that shewed him self out of the bush, who
were creatures, though they represented Gods person, as this Angel here did, that speake to
S. Iohn Balaam adored, the Angel that stoode before him with a sword drawen. Num. 22. Iosuè
adored falling flat downe before the feete of the Angel, calling him his Lord, knowing by the
Angels owne testimonie, that it was but an Angel. who refused it not, but required yet more
reuerence, commaunding him to plucke of his shoes, because the ground was holy, no doubt so
made by the presence onely of the Angel.
Yea not onely to Angels, but euen to great Prophets this deuotion was done, as to Daniel by
Nabuchodonosor, who fell flat vpon his face before him, and did other great offices of
religion, which the Prophet refused not, because they were done to God rather then to him,
as S. Hierom defendeth the same against Porphyrie, who charged Daniel with intolerable
pride therein, and the said holy doctor alleageth the fact of Alexander the great, that did
the like to Ioiadas the high priest of the ewes. Howsoeuer that be (for of the sacrifice
there mentioned there may be some doubt, which the Church doth alwaies immediatly to God,
and to no creature) the fact of the prophets (4 Reg. 2) to Elizeus, is plaine: where they
perceiuing that the double grace and spirit of Elias was giuen to him, fel flat downe at
his feete and adored. So did the Sunamite. to omit that Achior adored Iudith, falling at
her feete, as a woman blessed of God, and infinite other places.
Al which thinges, by comparing the Scriptures, our Aduersaries should haue found to be
lawfully done to men, and Angels, and soueraine holy creatures. Whereby they might conuince
them selues, & perceiue, that that thing could not be forbidden S. Iohn to doe to the Angel,
which they pretend: though the Angel for causes might refuse euen that which S. Iohn did
lawfully vnto him, as S. Peter did refuse the honour giuen him by Cornelius, according to S.
Chrysostoms opinion. he. 23 in c 10 Act. yea euen in the third chapter of this booke (if our
Aduersaries would looke no further) they might see where this Augel prophecieth & promiseth
that the Iewes should fall downe before the feete of the Angel of Philadelphia and adore,
See the Annot there.