The Theater of Gods Judgments, Book 1 · Chapter 31
CHAP. XXXI. More examples of Gods Iudgements upon Cursers.
BVt before we goe to the next commandement, wee will adjoyne a few more examples of this devillish cursing. Martin Luther hath left registred unto us a notable example In Coll. Luth.showne upon a popish priest that was once a professor of the sincere religion, and fell away voluntarily unto Papisme; whereof Adam Budissina was the reporter: This man thundred out most bitter curses against Luther in the pulpit, at a town called Ruthnerwald, and amongst the rest, wished, that if Luthers doctrine were true, a thunderbolt might strike him to death. Now three dayes after there arose a mighty tempest, with thunder and lightening: whereat the cursed Priest, bearing in himselfe a guilty conscience, for that hee had untruly and malitiously spoken, ranne hastily into the Church, and there fell to his prayers before the Altar most devoutly; but the vengeance of God found him out and his hypocrisie, so that he was stroken dead with the lightening, and albeit they recovered life in him againe, yet as they led him homewards through the Church-yard, another fl…sh so set upon him, that he was burnt from the crowne of the head to the sole of the foot, as blacke as a shoo, so that he died with a manifest marke of Gods vengeance upon him.
Theodorus Beza reporteth unto us two notable histories of his owne Homil. 26. in hist. passionis.knowledge, of the severity of Gods judgment upon a curser and a perjurer; the tenor whereof is this, I knew (said he) in France a man of good parts, well instructed in Religion, and a master of a Familie, who in his anger cursing, and bidding the Divell take one of his children, had presently his wish; for the childe was possessed immediatly with a Spirit: from which though by the servent and continuall prayers of the Church he was at length released, yet ere he had fully recovered his health he died. The like we read to have happened to a woman, whom her husband in anger devoted with bitter curses to the Divell; for Sathan assaulted her persently, and robbed her of her wits, so that she could never be recovered.
Another example (saith he) happened not far hence, even in this country, Discipulus de Tempore Sermon. 116. Perjury. Lib. 1. cap. 29.upon a perjurer that forswore him selfe to the end to deceive and prejudice another thereby: but he had no sooner made an end of his false oath, but a grievous Apoplexy assailed him, so that without speaking of any one word he dyed within few dayes.
In the yere of our Lord 1557, the day before good fryday, at Forchenum Job. Fincelius, lib. 3. de Mirac.a city in the Bishopricke of Bamburg, there was a certaine crooked Priest both in body and minde, through age and evill conditions, that could not go but upon crutches, yet would needs be lifted into the pulpit to make a Sermon: his text was out of the 11 chap. of the first Epistle to the Corinthians, touching the Lords Supper; whereout taking occasion to defend the Papisticall errours and the Masse, hee used these or such like blasphemous speeches, O Paul, Paul, if thy doctrine touching the receiving of the Sacrament in both kinds be true, and if it be a wicked thing to receive it otherwise, then would the divell might take me: and (turning to the people) if the Popes doctrine concerning this point be not true, then am I the divels bondslaue, neither do I feare to pawne my soule upon it. These and many other blasphemous words he used, till the Divell came indeed, transformed into the shape of a tall man, blacke and terrible, sending before him such a fearefull noyse, and such a wind, that the people supposed that the Church would have fallen on their heads: but he not able to hurt the rest, tooke away the old Priest, being his devoted bondslave, and carried him so far that he was never heard of. The bishop of Rugenstines brother hardly escaped his hands: for he came back to fetch him; but he defending himself with his sword, wounded his owne body, and very narrowly escaped with his life. Beside, after this there were many visions seene about the citie, as armies of men ready to enter and surprise them, so that well was he that could hide himselfe in a corner. At another time after, the like noyse was heard in the Church whilst they were baptising an infant; and all this for the abhominable cursing and blasphemy of the prophane Priest.
In the yeare of our Lorld 1556, at S. Gallus in Helvetia, a certaine man that earned his living by making cleane rough and soule linnen against the Sun, entering a taverne, tasted so much the grape, that he vomited out terrible curses against himselfe and others: amongst the rest he wished, if ever he went into the fields to his old occupation, that the divell might come and breake his necke: but when sleepe had conquered drinke, and sobriety restored his sences, he went again to his trade, remembring indeed his late words, but regarding them not: howbeit the Divell to shew his double diligence, attended on him at his appointed houre in the likenesse of a big swarthy man, and asked him if he remembred his promise and vow which he had made the day before, and if it were not lawfull for him to breake his necke; and withall stroke the poore man, trembling with feare, over the shoulders, that his feet and his hands presently dried up, so that he lay there not able to stir, till by help of men he was carried home; the Lord not giving the Devill so much power over him as he wished himselfe; but yet permitting him to plague him on this sort, for his amendment, and our example.
Henry Earle of Schwartburg through a corrupt custome used commonly to wish he might be drowned in a privy: and as he wished, so it hapned Albert. Kirant. Chron. Sax. l. 6.unto him, for he was so served, and murthered at S. Peters Monastery in Erford, in the yeare of our Lord, 1148.
The like befell a young Courtier at Mansfield, whose custome was in any earnest asseveration, to say, The Devill take me if it be not so: the Devill Cyriac. Spangenb. in …legan…ijs veter is Adami.indeed tooke him whilest hee slept, and threw him out of a high window, where albeit by the good providence of God he o…ught no great hurt, yet he learnt by experience to bridle his tongue from all such cursed speeches, this being but a tast of Gods wrath that is to fall upon such wretches as he.
At Oster a village in the duchy of Megalopole, there chanced a most Theatr. hist.strange and fearefull example upon a woman that gave her selfe to the Devill both body and soule, and used most horrible cursings and oathes, both against her selfe and others: which detestible manner of behaviour, as at many other times, so especially shee shewed at a marriage in the foresaid village upon S. Iohn Baptists day, the whole people exhorting her to leave off that monstrous villany: but she nothing bettered, continued her course, till all the company were set at dinner, and very merry. Then loe, the Devill having got full possession of her, came in person, and transported her into the aire before them all, with most horrible outcries and roarings, and in that sort carried her round about the towne, that the Inhabitants were ready to die with feare, and by ct by tore her in foure pieces, leaving in four severall high wayes a quarter, that all that came by might be witnesses of her punishment. And then returning to the marriage, threw her bowels upon the table before the Major of the towne, with these words, Behold, these dishes of meat belong to thee, whom the like destruction awaiteth, if thou doest not amend thy wicked life. The reporters of this history were, Iohn Herman the Minister of the said towne, with the Major himselfe and the whole Inhabitants, being desirous to have it knowne to the world for example sake.
In Luthers conferences there is mention made of this story following: Luther:Divers noblemen were striving together at a horse race, and in their course cried, The Devill take the last. Now the last was a horse that broke loose, whom the Devill hoisted up into the aire and tooke cleane away. Which teacheth us, not to call for the Devill, for he is ready alwayes about us uncalled and unlooked for, yea many legions of them compasse us about even in our best actions to disturbe and pervert us.
A certaine man not far from Gorlitz provided a sumptuous supper, and Iob. Fincelius.invited many guests unto it, who at the time appointed refused to come: he in anger cried, Then let all the Devils in hell come. Neither was his wish frivolous; for a number of those hellish fiends came forthwith, whom he not discerning from men, came to welcome and entertaine: but as he tooke them by the hands, and perceiued in stead of fingers, clawes, all dismaied he ran out of the doores with his wife, and left none in the house but a young infant, with a foole sitting by the fire, whom the Divels had no power to hurt, neither any man else, save the goodly supper, which they made away withall, and so departed.
It is notoriously knowne in Oundle a towne in Northamptonshire, amongst all that were acquainted with the partie, namely one Hacket, of whom more hath spoken before, how he used in his earnest talke to curse himselfe on this manner; If it be not true, then let a visible confusion come upon me. Now he wanted not his wish, for he came to a visible confusion indeed, as hath been declared more at large in the twentieth chapter of this booke. At Witeberg, before Martin Luther and divers other learned men, a woman whose daughter was possessed with a spirit, confessed, That by her curse that plague was fallen upon her: for being angry at a time, she bad the Divell take her, and she had no sooner spoken the word, but he tooke her indeed, and possessed her in most strange sort.
No whit lesse strange and horrible is that which happened at Neoburg Theatr. historin Germanie, to a sonne that was cursed of his mother in her anger, with this curse, she prayed God she might never see him returne aliue; for the same day the yong man bathing himselfe in the water, was drowned, and never returned to his mother alive, according to her ungodly wish.
The like judgement of God we read of to have beene executed upon Antonio de Torquemeda.another sonne that was banned and cursed by his mother, in the citie of Astorga. The mother in her rage cursed one of her sons with detestable maledictions, betaking him to the Diuels of hell, and wishing that they would fetch him out of her presence, with many other horrible execrations: This was about ten a clocke at night, the same being very darke and obscure; the boy at last through feare went out into a little court behind the house, from the which hee was suddenly hoised up into the ayte, by men in shew of grim countenance, great stature, and loathsome and horrible gesture, but indeed cruell fiends of hell, and that with such swiftnesse (as he himselfe after confessed) that it was not possible, to his seeming, for any bird in the world to fly so fast: and lighting downe amongst certaine mountaines of bushes and briers, was trailed through the thickest of them, and so all torne and rent, not only in his cloaths, but also in his hands and face and almost his whole body. At last the boy remembring God, and beseeching him of helpe and assistance, the cruell fiends brought him backe againe through the aire, and put him in at a little window into a chamber in his fathers house, where after much search and griefe for him, hee was found in this pittifull plight, and almost besides himselfe. And thus though they had not power to deprive him of his life, as they had done the former, yet the Lord suffered them to afflict the parents in the sonne, for the good of both parents and sonne if they belonged unto the Lord.
But above all, this is most strange which hapned in a town of Misina, Theatr. hist. Let not the strangenes of this example discredit the truth thereof, seeing we read how Lots wife was turned into a pillar of salt, Gen. 19. and Corah with his Company swallowed of the earth, Numer. 16. which are stranger than this. Acts and Monuments. pag. 2101.in the yeare of our Lord God 1552, the eleventh of September; where a cholericke father seeing his sonne flacke about his businesse, wished hee might never stirre from that place: for it was no sooner said, but done, his sonne stucke fast in the place, neither by any meanes possible could be removed, no not so much as to fit or bend his body, till by the praiers of the Faithfull his paines were somewhat mitigated, though not remitted: three yeares he continued standing, with a post at his backe for his ease, and foure yeares sitting, at the end whereof he died; nothing weakened in his understanding, but professing the faith, and not doubting of his salvation in Christ Iesus. When he was demanded at any time how he did: he answered most usually, That he was fastened of God, and that it was not in man but in Gods mercy for him to be released.
Iohn Peter sonne in law to Alexander that cruel Keeper of Newgate being a most horrible swearer and blasphemer, used commonly to say, If it be not true, I pray God I may rot ere I die: and not in vaine, for he rotted away indeed, and so dyed in misery.
Hither we may adde a notable example of a certaine yong gallant that was a monstrous swearer, who riding in the company of divers gentlemen, Acts and Monuments. pag. 2105.began to sweare and most horribly blaspheme the name of God: unto whom one in the company with gentle words said, he should one day answer for that: the Yonker taking snuffe thereat, Why (said he) takest thou thought for me? Take thought for thy winding sheet. Well (quoth the other) amend, for death giveth no warning, as soone commeth a lambes skin to the market, as an old sheeps. Gods wounds (said he) care not thou for me: raging still on this manner worse and worse, till at length passing on their journey, they came riding over a great bridge, upon which this gentleman swearer spurred his horse in such sort, that he sprang cleane over with the man on his backe, who as hee was going, cried, Horse and man and all to the Divell. This terrible story Bishop Ridley preached and uttered at Pauls crosse: and one Haines a Minister of Cornwall (the reprehender of this man) was the reporter of it to Master Fox, out of whom I have drawne it. Let us refraine then (wretches that we are) our divelish tongues, and leave off to provoke the wrath of God any longer against us: let us forbeare all wicked and cursed speeches, and acquaint our selves as well in word as in deed to praise and glorisie God.