A06525:26
A very comfortable and necessary sermon in these our days made by the right…A very comfortable and necessary sermon in these our dayes made by the right…
A very comfortable and necessary sermon in these our days made by the right reverend father and faithful servant of Jesus Christ Martin Luther ; concerning the coming of our Saviour Christ to Judgement and the signs that go before the Last Day, which sermon is an exposition of the Gospel appointed to be red in the church on the second Sunday in Advent ; and is now newly translated out of Latin into English and something augmented and enlarged by the translator with certain notes in the margin.A very comfortable and necessary sermon in these our dayes made by the right reuerend father and faithfull seruaunt of Iesus Christ Martin Luther ; concerning the comming of our Sauior Christ to Iudgement and the signes that go before the Last Day, which sermon is an exposition of the Gospell appointed to be red in the church on the second Sonday in Aduent ; and is now newly translated out of Latin into English and something augmented and enlarged by the translator with certaine notes in the margent.
London: printed by John Daye, 1570London: printed by Iohn Daye, 1570
The Sermon, or exposition of the Gospel.The Sermon, or exposition of the Gospell.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
But because thou doest contemn them, at length thou shalt feel more grievously, not signs, but those things which thereby are signified, that is to say, everlasting terror, fear, sorrow, and hell fire. For if just men suffer and feel these things in the earth for a time: What shall we say will become of them for whose sakes they are sent, and whose destruction God thereby doth threaten? Notwithstanding they esteem them no more then the paring of their nails: But are daily worse and worse, until experience (alas to late) doth teach them. What folly and madness was in their brain, when they gave them selves to all pleasure and voluptuousness, to all kind of worldly joy and pastime? Whiles just men were vexed with ⟨image 14⟩great sorrow & anguish of mind, considering the great & horrible plagues which God hath prepared for all disobedient, stubborn and stifnecked infidels and Antichrists. It is a very hard thing to behold many so terrible and so horrible signs, which with no small fear shall amaze the minds of many (as Christ here saith) and fill them with such sorrow, and heaviness, that they shall seem to be void of all consolation and comfort to those that see them. But if thou be a Christian, do thou not look either upon the external signs of heaven, or the earth, neither upon that which thou feelest thy self: but look thou upon the necessity, both of thy self & of the whole world, unto whom God (as his unfallible word doth testify) hath ap pointed such things. Except that day should come at y• length, I had rather I had never been borne.
But bicause thou doest contemne them, at length thou shalt feele more greuously, not signes, but those thynges which therby are signified, that is to say, euerlastyng terrour, feare, sorow, and hell fire. For if iust men suffer and feele these things in the earth for a tyme: What shall we say will become of them for whose sakes they are sent, and whose destruction God thereby doth threaten? Notwithstādyng they esteme thē no more then the paryng of theyr nayles: But are dayly worse and worse, vntill experience (alas to late) doth teach them. What folye and madnes was in their brayne, when they gaue them selues to all pleasure and voluptuousnes, to all kynd of worldly ioy and pastyme? Whiles iust men were vexed with ⟨image 14⟩great sorow & anguish of mynde, consideryng the great & horrible plagues which God hath prepared for all disobedient, stubburne and stifnecked infidels and Antichristes. It is a very hard thyng to behold many so terrible and so horrible signes, which with no small feare shal amase the mindes of many (as Christ here sayth) and fil them with such sorow, and heauynes, that they shall seeme to be voyde of all consolation and comfort to those that see them. But if thou be a Christian, do thou not looke either vppon the externall signes of heauen, or the earth, neither vpon that which yu feelest thy selfe: but looke yu vpon the necessity, both of thy selfe & of the whole world, vnto whō God (as his vnfallible word doth testify) hath ap pointed such thinges. Except that day shuld come at y length, I had rather I had neuer bene borne.