Sermon Concerning the Coming of our Savior, Addendum 1 – Commentary
¶The Signes that were geuen to the inhabitantes of Hierusalem, before their destruction.
A Whole yeare before the1. commyng of Vespas…an to … the C…e, right ouer it, was sene a blasing Starre lyke vntounto a sword: which the common people dyd interpret to be a token of their deliueraunce out of bondage, into the which they were brought by the Romanes.2.
Before the warre begon, at the feast of vnleauened br…ad, which was then the viij. day o… Aprill, there was sodenly sene at nyne of the clocke at night, for the space of halfe an houre, such a great light about the Alter, and the Temple, that it semed to be mydday.
At y• same feast, a Cow beyng brought3. to bee sacrificed, brought forth a Lambe in the myddest of the Church.
The Cast gate of the Temple, beyng4. of brasse and shut eueryevery nyght, but not without the strength of twenty men, beyng locked … barred with diuers lockes and barres, was sene at v…. of the clocke at night, and (as Egesippus testifieth) diuers nyghtes to open it selfe without the hand of men. This thyng was thought of the most parte to bée a token of good lucke, and that the gates of their enemyes should open vntounto them of theyr owne accorde. But some that were of th… wiser sorte, sayd it was a token that the strength of the Temple should be dissolued without the hand of man, that it myght be spoyled of theyr enemyes and destroyed.
A few dayes after theyr solemne5. …eastes, there appeared in the cloudes before Sunne settyng, a vision of charets, and hostes of armed men, where with all the Cities of Iurye & the countrey there about were inuaded and ouerrunne.
At the feast called Pentecost, the6. Priestes entryng in the nyght into the inner Temple, according to theyr maner to do theyr diuine seruice, first they perceaued a noyse or rushelyng after, they heard a voyce saying often: Let vsus departe hence, let vsus depart hence.
One called Iesus, the sonne of Anani, 7.a base man and of low degree, foure yeares before the warre, the Citie beyng in great wealth and quyetnes, commyng to the celebration of one of theyr solemne feastes, called the feastes of tabernacles, went vp into the Temple, and sodenly cryed out with a loude voyce, saying: A voyce from the East, a voyce from the West; a voyce from the foure wyndes, a voyce agaynst Hierusalem, and the tēple, a voyce agaynst new maryed mē, and new maried women, a voyce against all this people: crying thus day and night he went thorough all the stréetes of the Citie. Certaine of the chief men, beyng a…ed, and fearyng that it was a token of misfortune, tooke the mā and whipped him. But he whiles he was beaten, cried styll as before, and beyng still beaten, vntill a man myght sée hys bare bones, hée …er desired them to let hym go, neither …yd hee shed any teares for the matter, but cryed still at eueryevery strype: Wo, wo vntounto the inhabitauntes of Hierusalem, and at the length dimissed, as a man out of hys wittes, he cryed still as before, especially, on the solemne feast dayes, vntill the slege of the Citie, at which tyme he entryng vp on the wall, and crying, wo, wo vntounto the City, the Temple, and the people: he cryed at the last w… vntounto my selfe, and was cast do wne dead with a stone hurled to hym by the enemyes out of one of theyr engyns. They were nothyng moued with these sygnes, but thinkyng they should hauehave victory ouer theyr enemyes, resisted them, vntill both they and theyr Citie was destroyed, accordyng to the wordes of our Sauiour. Luc. 19. 43.
¶ Signes, and wonders signifiyng alteration, or misery and calamity of certaine Countreys, and Nations, or of great Personages.
ABout the yeare from the begynnyng of the world. 3458. Tarquinius, surnamed Superbus the seuēth Kyng of the Romanes, was depriued of his kyngdome by hys subiectes, and thrust out by force of armes, and the state of gouernaunce altered, from the gouernement of one monarche, vntounto ij. yearely offices called Consuls: a little before which time in signification thereof (as Historiographers do write) a Dogge did speake, and a Serpent …id barke. T. Plinius lib. 8. Cap. 41.
The yeare from the begynnyng of the world. 3538. the light of the Sunne was so taken away by an …lipse séene in Grece, that a man might sée the Starres aswell at midday, as at midnight. Shortly afterwardes folowed y• warre, called the warre of Peloponesus which continued seuen and twenty yeares. Thucidides.
The yeare from the begynnyng of the world. 3698. at Rome, and the countrey there about, bloud in stede of water gushed out of the sprynges, and milke from heauen, lyke raine. Shortly after followed the warre of Carthage agaynst the Romanes, which cost the lyues of many thousandes. Orosius li. 4. Cap. 5.
Anno Domini. 1452. Constantinople in Grece (where in those dayes was the Emperours Palace) was besieged & ouercome of ye great Turke, called Mahomet the second of that name: who when he had gottē the victory, vsed most beastly cruelty towardes the Christians, both men, women, and children, old and young, rich and poore. The Emperour beyng slayne, hys head was set vponupon a speare, & caryed round about the Citie, (ye more to greue his subiectes) hys wife and daughter, with many noble women were rauished, and after cut in péeces, all the noble men were slayne, the common people were made bond slaues, and many other such lyke vilanies were done, bysides the bryngyng of the whole countrey of Grece into hys owne dominion. A little before which tyme, was sene at Comus, a Citie in Fraunce, towardes Sunne settyng, a great multitude of dogges, caryed in the ayre, and after thē droues of diuers kyndes of beastes: also men armed diuersely, some with speares and shieldes, who were pursued of a great army of horsemen, beyng deuided into diuers cōpanyes. For the space of thrée houres the army séemed to be settyng forth, at the last came forth a tall and huge man, fearefull to behold, sittyng vppon a terrible horse, séemyng to bée the Capitayne of the host: and many such straunge thynges appeared, vntill nyght when they could be no more sene.
THese few examples I hauehave here added in the end of the Sermon, to let men see that before great alterations or channges of kyngdomes and common weales, God sendeth wonderfull tokens therof, to signifie the same before it come to passe: whereby with Martin Luther, the author of this Sermon, we may well conclude that before the alteration of the whole world (which is the last day) he will send many signes and tokens therof, which he sheweth for the most part to be already fulfilled: and therefore the end of all thynges is now to bee looked for, bycause there hath happened of late dayes many wonderfull Eclipses, or darkenyngs of the Sunne, and Moone, many Sunnes hauehave bene sene at one tyme, many rayne bowes, many terrible blasyng Starres, and other straūge sightes of fire in the ayre, many great tempestes of wyndes, with flouds and earth quakes, which hauehave destroyed and ouerflowē both Cities, and whole countreyes: Wherof here might be added diuers examples, both of such as happened before Luther did write this Sermon, as also since that tyme. But they are almost innumerable, and hauehave bene partly sene with our owne eyes, and are at large set out in Print, by Conraedus Gesnerus, Marcus Fritschius, and others, who hauehave written no small bookes of such wonderful and straūge thynges, as by the prouidence of almighty God hauehave happened before tyme: to this end, that we seyng these thynges come to passe, forespoken by our Sauiour, might the more diligently watch for hys commyng, least we folowyng the example of the lewde seruaunt, leade a carelesse lyfe in all kynde of wickednes, and he commyng vponupon vsus vnwares, geue vsus our portion with hypocrites and dissemblers in euerlastyng fire, prepared for the deuill and hys aungels. God graunt vsus therfore to watch for the commyng of our Sauiour, that we beyng prepared with oyle in our Lampes, he may take vsus with hym vntounto euerlastyng…lyfe.
Amen.
* Imprinted at London, by Iohn Daye, ouer Aldersgate.
¶ Cum gratia & Priuilegi… Regi… Maiestatis.
2570.
End of the text · Martin Luther, Sermon Concerning the Coming of our Savior (1570)