what signe of the endyng of the world. And Christ gaue thē no certayne tyme of these thinges when they shoulden fall, but hee gaue them tokens, by which they might know when they drew nighe, and so as to the first question of the destruction of Ierusalem, hee sayd: MarginaliaNote.when the Romaynes come to besiege that Citie, then soone after she shall be destroyed.

And as to the the second and the thirde, he gaue manye tokens, that is to say: that realme shall ryse agaynst realme, and people agaynst people, and pestilences and earthquakinges, the whych we haue sene in our dayes. But the last token that he gaue, was this: when ye seene the abhomination of elengnesse sayd of Daniel the prophet, standing on the sanctuarye: then who so readeth, vnderstand. Vpon which text, thus argueth a doctour in a boke þ^t he maketh of the end of the world. If the wordes of Daniel hauen autoritie (as God sayth that they hauen) it sufficeth of the number of the yeares of the ende of the worlde, that Daniell hath wrytten. Now Daniel in the. xii. chapter, speakyng of thys abhomination, putteth betwene the ceasing of the busy sacrifice of the Iewes, the which fell, when by Titus and Vespasianus, Ierusalem was destroyed, & the people of Iewes were disparkled into all the world. And thys abhomination that doctors sayne, shall be in the great Antichristes dayes. 1290. MarginaliaAntichrist to come an 1400.Nowe proueth thys Doctour, that a day must be taken for a yeare, both by autoritie of holy wryt in the same place and in other, & also by reasō: So it semeth to this clerk, that the great Antichrist shoulde come in the. 1400. yeare fro the byrth of Christ, the which nomber of yeares is nowe fulfilled, not fully. xii. yeares and a halfe lacking. MarginaliaThis sermō ergo was made, an. 1389.And this reason put not I as to shewe any certayne tyme of his comming, sithe I haue not that knowledge: but to shewe that he is nye, but howe nygh I wot neuer. But take we heede to the fourth part of the second vision of s. Iohn put in the booke of Reuelations, MarginaliaApo. vi.in the which vnder the opening of the. 7. seales, is declared the state of the Churche, from the tyme of Christ into the end of the world. The opening of the foure first seales, shew the state of the church, fro the tyme of Christ, to the tyme of Antichrist and hys foregoers, the whych is shewed in the opening of the other three seales. The opening of the first seal, telleth the state of the church in the time of &þ^e preaching of Christ & of his Apostles. For the first that is the Lyon, gaue his voyce, that betokeneth the preachers of Christes resurrection & his ascension. For then yede out a whyte horse, and hee that sat vpon hym, had a bow in hys hand, and he yede out ouer comming to ouercome. By thys whyte hors we vnderstand, the cleane lyfe and conuersation that these preachers haden: and by the bowe, their true teachyng, pricking sorow in mens hartes for their sinnes withonen flattering. And they wenten out of Iewry that they comen of, ouercōming some of the Iewes, and maken them to leaue the trust that they hadden in the olde lawe, and to beleue in Iesus Christe, and shewen hys teaching. And they wenten out to ouercome the Paynems, shewing to them that their Images were no gods, but mēs workes, vnmighty to saue them selfe, or any other, drawing them to the beliefe of Iesus Christ God and man. In the opening of the second seale, there cryed the second beast, that is a calfe, that was a beast wonted to be slaine, and offered to God in the old law. MarginaliaExpositio.This sheweth the state of the churche in the tyme of Martyrs, that for their stedfast preaching of gods true law, shed their bloud, that is signified by the red hors that went out at thys seale openyng: MarginaliaNero.
Constantinus magnus.and this estate began at Nero the cursed Emperour, and dured into the tyme of Constantine the great, that endowed the churche. For in this tyme, many of Christes seruaunts, and namely the leaders of Gods flocke were slaine. MarginaliaSiluesterFor of. xxij. bishops of Rome that wer betwene Peter and Siluester the fyrst, I reade but of foure, but that they weren Martyrs for the lawe of Christ. And also in the tyme of Dioclesian the Emperour, the persecution of the Christen men was so great, that in. xxx. dayes weren slayne. xxii. thousande men and women in diuers countries, for the law of God.

MarginaliaThe 3. sealeThe openyng of the third seal, telleth the state of the churche in time of heretikis that beth figured by the blake hors, for false vnderstanding of holy write:MarginaliaExpositio.for than cried the third beet that is a man, for at that tyme was in nede to preche the mistery of Christes incarnation and hys passion ayenst these erretikis that felien mis of these pointis: how Christ tooke verreyly mans kynde of our Lady hym beyng God as he was bifore, and his moder beyng maiden byfore and after. MarginaliaThe 4. sealeThe opening of the fourth seal, telleth the staat of the church in time of ypocritis, that beth signified by the pale hors, that beth signes of penaunce with outforth to blinde the peple. MarginaliaExpositio.And he that sat vpō this hors his name was death for they shulle slee gostly them that they leden, and techeth to Christ vpon other thing thā God, and helle folweth him, for helle receyueth thilke that these disteineth. At that time shall it nede, that the fourth beast that is the Egle make his cry, that flyeth higest of soules to rere vp Gods gospel: and to presse that law aboue other, lest mens wit and ther traditions ouergone and treden downe the law of God by enformyng of these ypocritis, and this is the last state that is other shall be in the church, bifore the commyng of the gret Antichrist. MarginaliaThe 5. sealeThe openyng of the fift seal, telleth the staat of the church that than shall folow, and the desire that louers of Goddis law shulleth haue after the end of this world to be deliuered of this woo. MarginaliaThe 6 sealeThe openyng of the sixt seal telleth the staat of the Church, in tyme of Antichristis tymes, the which staat ye may know to be in the church whan ye seth fulfilled S. Iohn Prophecieth to fall on the openyng of this, where he sayth thus. After this, I saw foure angels stondyng vpon 4. corners of the erth, holdyng the 4. windes of the erth that they blowē nought vpon the earth, ne vpon the sea, ne vpon eny tree. Marginalia☞These 4. angels beth the number of all the deuilis ministers, that on that time shulleth in the plesaunce of their lord Antichrist, stoppe the 4. windis that beth the iiij. Gospels to be preched, and so let the breth of the grace of the holy gost to fall vpon men mornyng for sinne, and calling them to amendement, and to other that wolden en-crese in vertues, other vpon perfit men. MarginaliaThe 7 seale.What is there after this to fall, but that the mistery of the vij. seale be shewed, that he come in his owne person. That Iesu Christ shall flee with the spirite of hys mouth whan the fiend shall shew the vtmost persecution, that he & his seruauntis may do to Christis limmes, & that shall be the thyrd warnyng that the world shall haue to come to this dredfull dome. In all this matter haue I nought seid of my selfe, but of other doctours þ^t beth proued. I seyd also in my second principall part, that it were to wete tofore what iudge we shull reken. Wherfore we shulleth wite, that God him selfe shall here this rekening, he that seeth al our dedis and all our thoughtes fro the beginnyng of our lyfe to the end, and he shall shew there the hid thingis of our hert openyng to all the world the rightfulnesses of his dome. So þ^t with þ^e might of God, euery mans dedis to all the world shall be shewed, and so it semeth by the wordes of S. Iohn, in the boke of preuytes, there he seith thus. MarginaliaApoca.I saw dede men litil & gret, stondyng in the sight of the throne, & bokes weren opened: & an other boke was opened þ^t was of lyfe, & ded mē werē iudged after the things þ^t weren written in the bokes after their worchings. These bokes beth mens cōsciēces þ^t now beth closed. But thā they shulleth be opened to all þ^e world to reden therin both dedis & thoughtes. But þ^e boke of life, is Christs lyuing and doctrine, that is now hid to men that shulleth be damned thrugh their owne malice, that demeth men to sewe the world, rather thā God: In the first boke shall be writ all that we haueth do, in that other boke, shall be write that we shulden haue do and than shulle dede men, be demyd of thilke thingis that ben written in the bokis: For if the dedis that we hauen do, the which ben written in the bookis of our conscience, bee accordyng to the booke of Christes techyng and his lyuing, the whiche is the booke of lyfe: we shulle be saued, and els we shulle be damned, for the dome shall be geuen after our workis. Loke therfore now what thyng is written in the booke of thy consciēce, while thou art here: and if thou findest ought contrary to Christis life, other to his techyng, with the knife of penaunce and repentaunce, scrape it away & write it better, euermore hertly thinkyng that thou shalt yelde rekenyng of thy bayly.

Also I sayd principally that it were to wytē, what reward shall be geue on that doome, to wise seruauntes and good, and what to false seruauntes and wicked. For the whiche it is to wyte, that our Lord Iesu Christ, shall come to the dome here into this world, in þ^e same body that he tooke of our Lady, hauyng theron the woundis that he suffred for our again bieng. And al that euer shullē be saued, takyng agayne their bodies clyuing to their hed Christ, shull be rauished meting him in the ayre as Paul seith: They that shall be dāned lyuen vpon the erth, as in a tonne of wyne the dreggis dwellen byneth & the cliere wyne houeth aboue. Than shall Christ axe rekenyng of the dedis of mercy, reprouyng false Christen men for the leuyng of them, rehersing the dedis of the same, and other treuthis by the whiche his trewe seruauntis than folwid hym: than shulle thilke false seruantis go with the deuill, whom they haue serued in the erth, thē swallowyng into the endles fire. And rightful mē shullen go into euerlastyng lyfe, than shall be fulfilled that is written, in the booke of priuytees. Wo, wo, wo, to hem that dwellen in the earth. Wo to the paynyme that gafe that worship to dede ymagis wrought of mans hādis, and to other creatures that he shuld haue goue to God that hym wrought: Wo to the Iewe that trusteth so muchil in the law, thā shall he see Maries sonne deming the world whom he despised and set on the crosse: wo to the false Christē man that knew the will of his Lord, and fulfilled it nought. Also wo for sinne of thinkyng to thee, that thou hast shyt out the meine of God, that is mynde of his passion, holy contemplation, of his goodnesse & memorie of his benefites, fro the chaumber of there herts: and hast maad it an hous of swyn & a den of theues, by vnclene thoughtes & delites. As thou here hast sperd God out of thine hert, so he shall spere the out of heauē: Thou hast herberwid the meine of the fiend, & with them in hel thou shalt euer abyde: wo also for sinne of spech, for thou might nought open they foule and stynkyng mouth with the which thou hast spoken vnhonesty, cursyng, fraude, deceyte, leasynges, forswearing, scorning, and backbiting, to praise God in the felowship of saintes. For louing is nought comynlych, in mouthes of synners. For in the which gif thou haddest kept thy mouth cleane, thou shouldest haue songen in heauen in felowship of Aungels this blessed song: Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, dominus Deus omnipotens. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty. Than yellyng and weeping thou shalt crye in company of deuils. Ve, ve, ve, quante sunt tenebiæ. Wo, wo, wo, how great beth these darkenes, wo also for synne of dede. Thou hast bene proud, thy pride shal be drawen to hell, as Esay sayth, or thou hast bene brent wyth enuye of the deuyll. Enuy entred into the world, and they shoulen folowen him that ben on his syde, as Salomon sayth. Or thou hast be stirred with wrath, and euerych man that beareth wrath to hys brethren, is gylty in dome, as Christ in the Gospel saith of Mathew. Or thou hast be slowe to good deedes, myssawe shall come to thee as a wayfaring man, and thy pouert as man iarmed, as the booke of Prouerbes saith. Or thou hast haunted lechery, glotonye, or couetise. That forsoth were ye, that euerych auouterer, or vncleane man, that is a gloton, other chynch, shal neuer haue heritage in the realme of Christ and of God, as Poul sayth. But fyre, brimstone, and the spirit of tempests, that is the fiend of hell, shulen be a partie of their paine, as it is written in the Psauter. MarginaliaNote.when these damned men ben in this wo, they shulen syng thys reufull song that is ywritten in the booke of mournyng: The ioye of our hart is ago, our quiet is turned into wo, the crowne of our heade is fallen vs fro, alas for synne that we haue do. MarginaliaConclusionBut ioye and ioye, and ioye to them that be saued. Ioy in God, ioy in them selfe, ioy in other that ben saued. Also ioy for their trauayle is brought to so gracious an end. Ioy, for they scaped the payne of hell, ioy fore their blysse that they han in the sight of God, Cui sit honor & gloria, in secula seculorum. Amen.