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Vt veniat.of Christ and his incarnation, where he sayth: Vt veniat. &c. Marginalia3
Vt reueletur.
Amos. v.Thirdly is considered the seueritie of God, his terrible reuenging iudgemēt to be reuealed, wher he saith: Vt reueletur. &c. which is to be expounded of his primitiue iustice: wherof speaketh Amos. v. saying: And iudgement shall be reuealed lyke a floode, and ryghteousnes lyke a strong streame. Wherefore for our contemplation let vs receaue with ioy the solemnities of his holye vigile, the word I say of God the father, that is, Christ. To whom it is sayd. Esay. xlix. I haue geuen thee to be a light to the Gentiles, and to be my saluation through the endes of the world. Agayne Esay. xlvi. My saluation shall not slacke. &c.

As touching the nerenes therof, it is in these days opened to vs by þ^e Gospell, where we read in S. Math. Whē þ^e virgine Mary was despoused vnto Ioseph, before they did come together: she was foūd with childe by the holy ghost. By this it is euident to vnderstand, þ^t our sauiour ought shortly to proceede out of the chaste wombe of the virgine, accordyng as the Prophete did foretell, saying: Beholde a virgine shall conceaue, and bryng foorth a sonne. &c. For lyke as the grape when it waxeth greate and full, is neare to the makyng of wyne, and the floure when it shouteth forth abroad, it hasteth to the fruit: So the saluation of the world in the swellyng and growyng of the virgins womb, began to draw nigh to mankind. For then appeared the grace and benignitie of our sauiour, when his mother was found to haue in her wombe by the holy ghost, as is declared in that as foloweth by the aungell, saying: for that whiche is borne of her, is of the holy ghost. &c.

MarginaliaThe 2. part of his theame.Touchyng the second parte of that whiche is sayd, vt veniat: this may be applyed to the contemplation of þ^e mistery of Christes cōmyng in þ^e flesh. Wherof speaketh Aggeus the Prophet 2. He shal come, who is desired and loked for of all nations. &c.MarginaliaAggeus. 2. Albeit the same also may be applied to the second Aduēt, spokē of the iij. of Esay. The Lord shall come to iudgement. &c. In memorial wherof, this fourth sonday was dedicate, in the old tyme of the holy fathers. And of this day of iudgement is written in the Prophet Sophonie. chap. 1. The day of the Lord is nere, great, and mighty, it is approchyng at hand, and wonderous short. &c. MarginaliaSophonie. 1.And albeit not in it selfe, yet it may be expounded in tribulations that go before, as preambles vnto the same: as Gregory sayth: The last tribulation is preuented, with many and sondry tribulations goyng before, although the end of all be not yet.

MarginaliaThe 3. part of his sermon.Wherefore commyng now to the thyrd part of my sermon or theame, let vs see of those tribulatiōs that go before the last commyng of Christ, if there be any such tribulation approchyng nygh at hande, wherof this last part of my theame may be verified, where is sayd: vt reueletur, that my rightuousnes shall be reueled, to wit the ryghtuousnes primitiue, that ryghtuousnes may bee brought, and the Prophesie of Daniell fulfilled. Dan. ix. Concernyng whiche matter, foure thinges here come in order to be declared.

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Vt reueletur.First concernyng the reuelyng of tribulation, accordyng to that part of my theame. Vt reueletur. &c.

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Iuxta est.Secondly, concernyng the nearenes of the tribulation commyng according to that part of my theame. Quia iuxta est. &c.

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Vt veniat.Thirdly of the false opinions of some, vpon this part of my theame. Vt veniat. &c.

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Salus.Fourthly, what meanes and consultation we ought to take. Vt iuxta sit salus.

MarginaliaThe first parte of the subdiuision.As for the firste, it is so notorious and so common in in þ^e Scriptures that the church should suffer and abyde tribulatiō, that I nede not here to stand in alledging any thyng touchyng either the causes to be weide, or þ^e terme to be coniectured therof. MarginaliaTwo rules to be noted.As concernyng the whiche causes, I will here geue ij. rules to be noted before, for þ^e bet-ter openyng of that to folow. MarginaliaThe kyngdom of Israell signifieng the false churchThe first rule is, that by the ij. kyngdomes of the nation of Hebrues, which were in the old tyme, to witte, by þ^e kingdome of Israel, whose head was Samaria, is signified in the Prophetes the erroneous sinagoge: MarginaliaThe kyngdom of Iude, signifieth the righte church.And by the secōd kyngdome of Iude, of whose stoke came Christ, whose head metropolitane was Ierusalem, is signified the true churche. And this rule is not mine, but is an authētike glose of S. Hierome and also is the rule of Origine in the laste Omely vpon the old Testament, and is approued by the church.

MarginaliaThe 2. rule.The second rule is, that by the brodell house and fornication mentioned in the Prophetes: is signified symony, and abused dispensations, and promotions of persōs vnworthy, for lukers sake, or els for any other partial fauour, which be vnlawful wayes by all lawes of þ^e world to come to office and honour. Merx dicitur nanque a merendo, that is, for gayne or price is deriued of gaynyng: For the which gayne or price, that is sould which by nature ought not to bee sould. Therfore, to geue any thing for respect of gaine or hyer, which ought to be geuē frely for vertues sake, is a kinde of a spiritual corruption, and as a man would say, an whorish thyng, whereof the Prophet Esay, complaineth speakyng of Ierusalē and saying: The citie whiche once was faithfull & full of iudgement, how is it now become an whorishe citie? MarginaliaEsay. 1.And in like maner Osee also the Prophet chap. ix. Ierusalē, thou hast fornicated & gone an whoring from thy God. Thou hast loued like an harlot, to get gayne in euery barne of corne. MarginaliaOse. 9.And in many other places of Scripture, where fornication can not otherwise be expounded.

These two rules thus premised, nowe let vs marke the Scriptures, and according to the same iudge of the whole state of þ^e church, bothe that is past, and that is to come: first intreating of þ^e causes of tribulatiō to come, secondly of the vicinitie of tyme of the sayd tribulation to come.

MarginaliaFiue states of the church described.And first concerning the state of the church, & of causes of tribulation. Thus sayth the Lord in the Prophet Ezechiell xvi. chap. speaking to the church vnder the name of Hierusalem. In the day of thy byrth I came by thee, and sawe thee troden downe in thyne owne bloud, &c, Marginalia1
The martyrdome of the church.Here he speaketh of þ^e time of þ^e martyrdom of þ^e church. Then it followeth: Marginalia2
The prosperitie of the church.After thys thou wast clensed frō thy bloud, thou wast growen vp, and waxen great: thē washed I thee with water, I purged thy bloud from thee (speaking of ceasing of persecution) I annoynted thee with oyle, I gaue thee chaunge of raymentes, I gyrded thee with white silke, I decked thee with costly apparell, I put rynges vpō thy fingers, a chayne about thy necke, Spangs vpō thy forehead, & Earerings vpō thine eares. Thus wast thou deckt with siluer and golde, and a beutifull crowne set vpon thyne head. Maruelous goodly wast thou and beutifull, euen a very queene wast thou: For thou wast excellent in my beutie, which I put vpon thee, sayth the Lord God. &c: Thys prophecie or rather history speaketh of & declareth, þ^e prosperitie of þ^e church.

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The corruption of the church.And now heare the corruption and transgression of the church, for so it followeth: But thou haste put confidence in thyne own beautie, and playd the harlot, when thou haddest gotten thee a name. Thou hast committed whoredome with all that went by thee, and hast fulfilled their desires: Yea thou hast taken thy garmentes of diuers colours and decked thyne altars therwith, wherupon thou mightest fulfill thy whoredome of such a fashiō as neuer was done, nor shalbe. Which whoredome can in no wyse be expounded for carnall, but spirituall whoredome. And therfore, see how liuely he hath paynted out the corruption and falling of the church.

And therfore foloweth now the correction and punishment of the church. It followeth: Behold, I will stretch out my hande ouer thee, and will diminishe thy store of foode, and deliuer the ouer into the willes of the Phili-