Special and chosen sermons of D. Martin Luther collected out of his writings and…

¹God had plainly so ordained, that at the feast of Easter, at which time they came to Jerusalem out of all quarters, the city should be besieged, and there were then gathered together, as Josephus reporteth, about thirty hundred thousand men, upon whom the Lord would show his grievous indignation and wrath. All the Apostles and Christians were departed and gone into the country of Herod, not far from Jerusalem. The Lord took out the wheat, and put the chaff together on an heap, now there was so great a multitude of people, that they might seem to exceed not only a city, but even a kingdom. And they were driven into so great calamity, that all their victuals were spent, and none ⟨p. 383⟩at all left unto them, so that they were constrained to eat the strings of their bows, & old shoes, dressing them in such manner as they could, yea through the exceeding famine, they were driven to kill their own children: the soldiers took the flesh of children roasted from the mothers, smelling the savour of the roasted flesh two streets of: pigeons dung was unto them in stead of salt, and was also very dear: finally there was so great misery, so great slaughter and shedding of blood, that it would not have been marvel for a stone to have been moved with pity. He that had seen it, would have thought that God could not have been so grievously angry, and so greatly have afflicted a people. Both houses and streets were filled with carcasses dead through famine. Notwithstanding the Jews remained still so obstinate and without understanding, that they gloried of God, and would not yield them selves until the Emperor set upon them with his whole power, and took the city, which they were able to keep no longer. And when as some of them were so crafty that they devoured gold that it might not be taken from them, the Roman soldiers thought that they had all so done, whereupon they flew about two thousand, and having ripped their bellies sought for gold. There was such a slaughter & manquelling made, that it seemed a miserable thing even to the Gentiles, wherefore Cesar commanded that they should not be so slain, but led captive and sold.

¹God had plainly so ordained, that at the feast of Easter, at which time they came to Ierusalem out of all quarters, the citie should be besieged, and there were then gathered togither, as Iosephus reporteth, about thirty hundred thousand mē, vpon whom the Lorde would shewe his grieuous indignation and wrath. All the Apostles and Christians were departed and gone into the cuntrie of Herod, not farre from Ierusalem. The Lord tooke out the wheate, and put the chaffe togither on an heape, nowe there was so great a multitude of people, that they might seeme to exceede not onely a citie, but euen a kingdom. And they were driuen into so great calamitie, that all their vittells were spent, and none