A Postill, or, Exposition of the Gospels that are usually red in the churches of God, vpon the Sundayes and feast dayes of Saincts written by Nicholas Hemminge a Dane, a Preacher of the Gospell, in the Vniuersitie of Hafnie ; and translated into English by Arthur Golding. ; before which Postill is sette a warning of the same Nicholas Heminge too the Ministers of Gods vvorde, concerning the co[n]tinuall agreement of Chrystes Church in the doctrine and true worshipping of God ...

The ij. Sunday in Aduent. ¶The Gospell. Luke. xxj.

THere shall bee signes in the Sunne and in the Moone, and in the Starres: and in the earthe the people shall bee at their vvits end, thorovv dispaire. The Sea and the vvater shall roare, and mennes heartes shall fayle them for feare, and for looking after those things vvhiche shal come on the earth: For the povvers of Heauen shal moue: And then shall they see the Sonne of man come in a Cloude, vvith povver and great glorie. VVhen these things begin to come to passe, then look vppe, and lift vp your heades, for your redem∣tion dravveth nie. And he shevved them a similitude: Beholde the Fig tree, and all other trees: vvhen they shoot foorth their buddes, yee see and knovve of your ovvne selues, that Sommer then is nigh at hand. So likevvise yee also (vvhen yee see these things come too passe) bee sure that the kingdome of GOD is nie. Verely I say vntoo you: this generation shall not passe, til all be fulfilled. Heauen and earth shall passe, but my vvoor∣des shall not passe. Take heed vntoo your selues therefore, least at any time youre hartes bee ouercome vvith surfetting and dronkennesse, and cares of this lyfe, and that that day come on you vnvvares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that sit on the face of the vvhole earth. VVatche therefore continu∣ally and pray, that yee may obtaine grace too flee all this that shall come, and that yee may stand before the sonne of man.

The exposition of the text.

LIke as the last Sunday the church celebrated the remembrance of Christs comming in the fleshe: so this lesson of the Gospell entreateth of his second coming, and belongeth too that Article of our faith, wherin wée confesse with hart and mouth, that the same Lorde whiche came héeretoofore too bée a mediator and Sauior of them that beléeue in him, shall come héereafter too iudge the quick and

the dead: that they which in this life haue receiued Christe, and acknowledged him too bée their sauior, should bée raysed ageine in their bodies, & be rewarded with euerlasting life: and that those whiche haue despised him, in following their owne affections too the dishonor of God, should bée punished euerlastingly with deserued torments. Of this Euangelical lesson, let there bée made thrée places.

• 1 Of Christes comming too iudgement.
• 2 The vse & frute of the forewarning of y^e same comming
• 3 Christes exhortation too his Disciples, that they should bée ready without let.

¶Of the first.

OCcasion of this sermon concerning Christes comming, arose vpon the talke betwéene Christe and his disciples in the Temple of Ierusalem. For when the disciples woon∣dred at the sumptuousnesse of the Temple: the Lorde him selfe answered, that the time would come, it shoulde bée so wasted one day, that one stone should not bée left vpon ano∣ther. His disciples hearing this, demaunded him of the time. Too whom hée answering, declared the tokens that should go before the destruction of Hierusalem, strengthning them leaste they shoulde bée discouraged in their mindes, for the euils that were at hand. Héerevpon taking occasion, hée pas∣seth on too the vniuersall and last iudgement, and reckeneth vp the signes that shall goe before it.

Howbéeit, too the intent al things may become the cléerer vntoo vs, first wée will examine fiue circumstaunces whiche the text comprehendeth. And afterward wée wil describe the iudgement it selfe according to the Scriptures.

The first of the circumstances therfore, is concerning the time▪ For he sheweth the time by signes, & cōfirmeth y^e same by comparison. And there are many kindes of signes whiche go before the comming of the Lord vnto iudgement.

The first signe is séene in the Sunne and the Moone, and

the starres: which what maner of one it shall bée, Marke in his .xiij. chapter vttereth in these woords. The Sunne shalbe darkned, y^t is too say, there shal be many Eclipses of y^e sunne. And y^e moone shal not yéeld foorth hir light, namely while she also suffreth eclipse. And y^e starres shal fal frō heauen, y^t is too wit, shal séeme too fal. That many of this kinde of signes are alredy past, our present age beareth witnesse. For there ne∣uer hapned so many eclipses, either of the sun or of y^e Moone.

The second signe of the iudgemēt at hand, is the perplexi∣tie of people through despaire: the méening whereof is (as Mathew and Marke interprete it:) that nation shall rise a∣gainst nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and no place shall bée frée from warres. And doth not these dayes testifie the world too bée full of such signes?

The thirde kinde of signes, are of the sea, of flouds, of the aire, of tempests, of horrible tumultes, and of certaine vn∣accustomed and vehement windes. And hathe not our age séene very many signes of this sort?

The fourth kind of signes issueth out of the second & third, which is a pining away for feare, and for looking after those things that shall come vpon the whole world.

The fifth sort is: that the powers of heauen shall bée mo∣ued, that is too say, there shalbée vnwoonted sights in heauē, and earthquakes in the earth. Too bée short, both heauen and earth shall (after a sort) resemble the countenaunce of the angry iudge, that sinners béeing moued by these tokens of Gods wrath, should repent and turne vntoo the Lord.

These signes doth the Lord apply in this wise too the last iudgement. Behold the Figtrée, & all other trées: when they haue shot foorth their buddes, yée séeing it, doo know of your selues, that sommer is nye at hand. So likewise when yée sée these things come too passe, vnderstand yée that the kingdom of god is nye. For these signes out of all creatures which are caried vp & downe, shal bée as it were messengers, by whose mouth such men shal bée summoned to appéere at y^t dreadful

iudgement seat, as running at ryot héere in this world haue neglected their owne saluation, and like dronken men haue despised Christ, the author of saluation.

Besydes these fiue sortes of signes, whereof the text ma∣keth mention, there are others also. Math. 24. Marke. 13. 2. Thes. 2. Daniel. 2. &. 7. Apoc. 17. all which are as it were cer∣taine visible sermons of repentance, by which god forewar∣neth men too flée too his sonne our Lord Iesus Chryste, in whom only is saluation.

The second circumstance is, that he which is the sonne of God, and man, Iesus Christ, shalbée a iudge. Wherin bothe the godly and vngodly haue to learne. The godly, too knowe that hée shall bée their iudge, who had promised eternall life too all that beléeue in him, adding an othe: Uerely I say vntoo you, all that beléeue in mée, shall not perishe, but haue life euerlasting. This promis confirmed with an othe, cannot by any meanes fayle. And the vngodly haue too lerne, either too repent and forsake the rable of the wicked, and so too en∣ioy their saluation purchased by Chryst: or else too remem∣ber that he whom they haue refused too bée theyr Sauyoure, shal adiudge them to endlesse paines: that then at least wise, they may (too their great miserie) learne, howe horrible a thing it is, too fall intoo the hands of the liuing God.

The third circumstance is, that hée shall come in the clouds, glorious and terrible, not a seruaunt as before, but a Lord: not too bée iudged, but too iudge: not now too allure men too repentance, but too punish vnrepentant persones with eternall paines: and that as a righteous iudge.

The fourth circumstance is, that he shall come mightie, with power and great glorie: wherby it is too bée learned, that he can bothe damne the rebellious, & is able too rewarde the beléeuers with eternall life.

The fifth circumstance expresseth the cause of Chrystes comming vntoo iudgement, so farre forth as it perteineth too the godly. Your redemption is at hād. By which saying, like

as Christ sheweth that his Churche shall not bée wel at ease in this world (for before that day, it can not be deliuered frō the vanitie of the world) so he dooeth too vnderstand, that the accomplishment of Chrystes benefits towards his Churche, is the ful deliuerance from all euils: wherwith is ioyned the perfect fruition of the eternall God, with euerlasting ioy. These things therfore perteine too the comfort of the godly. But as touching the vngodly, this day of the Lordes com∣ming, shall bée a day of wrathe and sorrowe and not of deli∣uerance: a day of mist and darknesse and not of light: a day of moorning, and not of mirth: a day of destruction, and not of saluation.

And the maner of the iudgement is described in the .25. of Mathew by these words. When the sonne of man shal come in his maiestie and all the Angels with him: then shall he sit vppon the throne of maiestie, and all nations shalbée gathe∣red toogither before him, and he shal seperate them a sunder, as a shepeherd putteth his shéepe a side from the Gotes, and shall set the shéepe on his right hand, and the Gotes on his left. Then shal the king say too them on his right hand: come yée blissed of my Father, and possesse you the kingdome pre∣pared for you from the beginning of the world. For I was hungry and yée gaue mée too eate. &c. And vntoo them on his left hand he shal say: Away from mée yée cursed intoo euerla∣sting fyre which is prepared for the Diuell and his Angels. For I was hungry and yée gaue mée no meat. &c. And so the vngodly shall go intoo euerlasting punishment, but the righ∣tuous intoo euerlasting life. And in the Apocalipse. 20. chapt. Hée shall sit vppon a great white throne, at whose looke the heauen and earth shal flée away, and the dead both great and small shall stand in the sight of his throne: and then shalbée opened the booke of life and the bookes of consciences, & they shall bée iudged by those things that are written in those bookes, according too their woorks. They that haue doon good, shal go intoo euerlasting life: and they that haue doone euill, intoo euerlasting fire.

Now in the sentence of iudgement, twoo things are too be considered. On Gods behalfe, blissing: on mennes behalfe, good woorks. When he sayth, come yée blissed of my Father, he méeneth that they are fréely saued through Iesus Chryst, whom they haue receiued by Faith. For in Chryst only are men blissed, receiued intoo Gods fauor, & fréely iustified. But when he calleth foorth too good woorks, the Lord dooth it, not for that they are causes of saluation, but for other respectes. Namely, for that they are witnesses of true fayth & the feare of God: and moreouer, that by setting before them a recom∣pence of the miseries which they abide in this life, hée may the more stirre them vp too godly and holy conuersation.

¶Of the seconde.

WHy Christ forewarned his disciples of his cōming too iudgement, he declareth, when he sayth: When these things begin too come too passe, looke vp and lift vppe your heads. &c. All these things wil put vs in minde of a certaine continuall repentaunce in this life. But what doo wée? wée sée the last day redy too light in our necks, and yet neuerthe∣lesse wée delay too repent, and féede our owne fansies. What doo noble men? What doo princes? what doo learned men? what doo vnlearned men? what doo townes men? what doo countrey folke? and too bée short, what doo (in maner) al men? What is hée that earnestly myndeth this forewarnyng of Christes? Wée make more accompt of a ferme in the coun∣trey, than of the kyngdome of GOD. Yea rather who is hée that preferreth not the commodities of this life (bée they ne∣uer so slender) before the health of his soule?

¶Of the thirde.

BIcause Chryst foresaw with what euils the world should ouerflow about the time of his comming, hée framed an exhortation, partly to the intent they shuld eschue the things which at that time should exclude the greatest part of the

world from the promised saluation: and chiefly too the intent they should shewe them selues stout souldiers, too fight with watching and Prayer against this world, vnder the stan∣darde of only Iesus Chryst. And too the intent they may bée the readyer vntoo bothe, hée alledgeth reasons too persuade them. For hée both telles them that that day shall come vp∣on the sodain: and also declareth plainly, that by this meanes they shall bée quite rid from all euils, and bée set in the pre∣sence of the sonne of God.

Therfore he sayth: Take héede too your selues that your harts bée not at any tyme ouerloden wyth surfettyng and droonkennesse, and the cares of this worlde. These then are the thyngs that are too bée eschued, that is too say: sur∣fetting, dronkennesse, and the care of this world: namely vngodly and Heathenish care, which quencheth the faith of Christ. In as muche as it is most manifest, that all estates of the worlde are wrapped and snarled in these euils: so much the more ought this exhortation of Chrystes too bée in our sight, least wée perishe béeing deceiued with the euill trades of this world.

Furthermore, where as the Lorde addeth: Watche yee continually in Prayer, hée teacheth with what things it bée∣houeth those too bée occupied, y^e couet too escape the euils that are too come. In that summe he requireth, the shunning of euill things, and the earnest folowing of good things. Bothe these the Apostle ioyneth toogither in his Epistle vntoo Ti∣tus, writing: Renouncing all vngodlinesse & worldly lusts, let vs liue sobrely, vprightly, and godlily in this world, loo∣king for the blissed hope, and the coming of the glorie of the great GOD, too whome bée praise, soueraintie and glorie world without end. Amen.