Divine apparitions.

Notable deliverance and by extraordinary means.

Simon Grynaeus a learned personage, among many of our time, being gone from Heidelberg to Spire [Speyer], in the year 1529 where there was an Imperial Diet held, was desirous to hear a certain preacher much esteemed for his eloquence. But hearing many propositions come from him against the majesty and truth of the son of God. At the end of the sermon he followed the preacher, saluted him courteously, and intreated him to hear him with patience. They enter mildly into discourse. Grynaeus shows him his errors gravely and plainly, and puts him in mind what Policarpus (a Disciple to the Apostles) was accustomed to do if he chanced to hear any untruth or blasphemy in the church exhorting him in the name of God to think of his conscience, and to leave his erroneous opinions. The Preacher cuts him off short, seeming to have a desire to confer more privately, as having has to go home to his house: He demands Grynaeus name, and surname, and his lodging, in inviting him to see him the next day, to discourse more amply together, and makes great show to affect Grynaeus friendship adding, that the public should receive great profit by this their conference. Moreover he shows Grynaeus his house, who resolved to visit him at the hour appointed, and so retires to his inn. But the Preacher distempered with his censure, devised in his thoughts, a prison, a scaffold, and death, for Grynaeus who dining with many worthy men, reported unto them, what speeches he had had with this preacher. Thereupon one calls for Doctor Philip, being set at the table near unto Grynaeus, who goes out of the stove, and finds a grey old man, of a lovely countenance, well appareled, and unknown, who with a grave and pleasing speech began to say: That within one hour there would officers come into the inn, sent from the King of the Romans [Holy Roman emperor], to carry Grynaeus to prison. The old man adds there-with-all a commandment to Grynaeus to dislodge speedily out of Speyer, exhorting Philip not to defer it.
And then the old man vanished away. Doctor Philip, who hath reported this History, In his Comentarie vpon the Prophet Daniel, Chap. 10. adds these words: I came unto the company, and delivered what the old man had said unto me, willing them to rise from the table. Presently we crossed the market place, having Grynaeus in the midst of us, and went directly to the Rhine, which Grynaeus passed speedily with his servant, in a boat. Seeing him in safety we returned to the inn, where it was told us, that presently after our departure, the sergeants were come to seek for Grynaeus. God be praised, who hath given us his angels for guardians, that with more peaceful thoughts we may do our duties in the vocation where unto he hath called us.

In the year 1539. in the beginning of June, a honest widow-woman, charged with two sons in Saxony, having not where-with-all to live in a time of great famine, attired herself and her sons in their best clothes, going towards a certain fountain to pray unto God, to have pity of them and to relieve them. Coming forth, she meets with a grey man, who salutes her courteously, and after some speech, he demands of her, if she thought to find any thing to eat at that fountain? The woman answered; Nothing is impossible to God. If it were not difficult for him to feed the Children of Israel forty years in the desert, should it be troublesome to nourish me and mine with water? Speaking these words with a great courage, this man (whom I hold to have been an angel) said unto her. Seeing thy faith is so constant, return to thy house, and thou shall find three laden with meal, she returned, and did see the effect of this promise. Doctor Andrew Hondorf, in his Theater of Examples.

In the year 1553 the 18th of November, it happened at Sehilde, a little town in the Diocese of Torge [Torgau], that Urbain Ermtraut, an inhabitant of that place, having a deep well, but half dry, by reason of certain stones that were fallen out of the wall, did bargain with a mason called Urban Hemberg, to put those stones into their places. Having fit himself with pieces of wood, and a scaffold in the well, he goes down lower with a ladder, to take up a hammer which he had left among the stones. He was scarce gone down, but the earth and stones shake, and fill up the well, and cover the mason who was at the foot of the ladder. All run thither, and hold the man to be smothered, adding that they must fill up the well, and that should be his grave. The justice resolved, that they should pull out all this rubbish, and ordained, that the mason’s body should be buried among other Christians in the common churchyard. According to this decree, they begin to work the 11th of the same month. About two of the clock afternoon, the workmen labour to draw out a great stone, and finding that it was hollow underneath, they put down a long pole to sound the depth. They prick the poor mason on the nose with the end of this pole, who began to cry and to plead them to draw him out. The workmen hearing this confused sound labour with more courage then before, and about ten of the clock at night they spy him standing right up behind the ladder, being up to the knees in the mire. Being all glad, they prepare to draw him forth. But behold another fall of Earth which covers him above the head. Then every man thinking that he was dead, was ready to leave the work but by the advice and commandment of the burgermeister called James le Fevre, they return to their work, and having taken away the Earth, about midnight they find him alive and without any hurt, and draw him out of the well Where he had been almost four days and four nights without meat or drink. IOB. FINCEL. lib. 2. of the collection of wonders of our time.

In the year 1552. Francis Pelvsien a maker of wells, of the age of 60 years, digging the 5th of February a well at Liōs in a farm of Lewis d'Hexe, on the side of St Sebastian's mount towards the Red Cross; this well being made forty foot deep, the earth falls and fills it up. The poor man being in the bottom shrouds himself under a plank, by means where of he was preserved from this heavy weight of earth, which else would have smothered him having some means to breathe, thrusting his fist into the Earth sometimes, to have the more air. He continued thus covered in the bottom seven days, without eating, satisfying his stomach with his urine, and hoping only in God for his delivery. He cried out sometimes for help, but they heard him not; yet he heard them that walked, and the noise they made above, yes the speaking of Men, the striking of the clock, and the sound of bells. The seventh day, when they thought to find him dead, and that they prepared his grave, they that wrought, heard his voice in the bottom of the well, which made them to hasten their work, hearing him to cry for help. In the end they discover him, and having made him to take a glass of wine, they drew him out with a rope, the which he held lustly without binding or the help of any person. Being out, and sound of body and mind, after that he had given thanks unto God, he opened his purse, in the presence of many, and after he had counted his money, he said merrily, that he had been with a very good host, seeing that in seven days he had not spent anything.
Memoires de Lion.

There be many that escaping out of dangers are compelled by the consideration of strange events, to confess that God hath delivered them without the aid of any second cause. Of many examples I will choose and recite one which is worthy of note. The Dukes of Saxony Frederick the Elector and John his brother went one day by boat along the river of Elbe from Torque to Wittenberg. The water was all covered over with great pieces of ice newly broken. Those pieces so ran against the boat and bruised it in such sort, that as soon as the Princes were landed, it split in two and sank. The Princes with great astonishment (considering such a spectacle from the shore, and in what danger they had been by reason of the greatness, depth, and fury of the river) acknowledged, that God had preserved the boat, until such time as they were landed. And having been a long time in this consideration, without speaking a word, the Elector say to his brother. Let us confess that God hath preserved us, and therefore let us give him thanks for his assistance in this and many other dangers. But whereas you saw the boat fall in pieces as soon as we were out of it, verily I am afraid that our house of Saxony will go to ruin after the death of us two.
PEVCER in his Commentary of the principall sortes of Diuinations, book. 1. Chap. 13.

The year 1558. a marvellous thing happened at Mech[…]rode in Germany, confirmed by the testimony of diverse credible persons. About 9 of the clock at night, a person attired in white, and followed by a white dog, came and knocked at an honest poor woman’s door, and called her by her name. She thinking it had been her husband, who had been a long time in a far country, ran presently to the door. This person taking her by the hand, asked her in whom she put all the hope of her salvation? In Jesus Christ, answered she. Then he commanded her to follow him: which she refusing to do, he exhorted her to be of good courage, and to fear nothing; that done, he led her all night through a forest. The next day about noon he set her upon an exceedingly high mountain, and showed her things which she was never able to express. He enjoyed her to return home, and to exhort everyone  to turn from their wicked ways adding that an horrible destruction was at hand and he commanded her also to rest herself eight days in her house, at the end whereof he would come to her again. The day following in the morning, the woman was found at the towns end, and carried home to her house, where she continued eight whole days without eating or drinking. When her neighbours and friends persuaded her to take some sustenance, her answer was that being extremely weary, nothing was so agreeable to her as rest how within eight days the man that had carried her forth would come again, and then she would eat. As indeed it came to pass but afterward, this woman stirred but little out of her bed, sighing from the bottom of her heart, and crying out very often.
O how great are the joys of that life! and how miserable is this life! Being demanded whether she thought the personage attired in white, which appeared so unto her, to be a good angel, or rather some evil spirit that had transformed himself into an angel of light? She answered, It is not an evil spirit it is a holy angel, who hath commanded me to pray incessantly to God, and to exhort both great and small unto amendment of life. If any one questioned with her concerning her belief I confess (said she) that I am a poor sinner but I believe that Jesus Christ hath obtained me remission for all my sins through the benefit of his death and passion. The Minister of the place testified the singular piety and humble devotion of this woman, adding that she was well instructed, and could yield very good reason for her religion.
IOB. FINCEL in his 8. booke of Myracles &c.

In the year 1546 a great personage of Germany, having been stayed three days at Hale in Swabia by the fury and roughness of the water, finally urged by necessity to pass over, he embarked himself in a small boat for to cross the river, accompanied with three of his sons and a learned divine his friend. And seeing his boat ready to be overwhelmed, and himself and the rest drowned, without any appearance of rescue, full of faith and hope in God, he said to his friend. What triumph would Satan make think you, and how glad would he be, if we two, and my three sons should be drowned in this flood? But having escaped the danger, they came safe to land, and that personage having taken order for certain great affaires, died within a while after very peaceably, in the invocation of the name of God.
Maister ANDDEVV HONSDORFF in his Theater of Examples. pag. 296.

The year 1535 in a village of Silesia, named Olst, happened the strangest and most furious tempest in the air that ever was seen for it made even the strongest houses that were built of hewed stone to shake, and overthrew diverse. One of the inhabitants of the village, named Lawrence Thopharoske, having his house joining to the market place, and being verily persuaded that the end of the world was come, by reason the element was all of a flame, and that great flakes of of fire flew about, shut himself up in his house, and falling on his knees with his wife and children, began to pray very earnestly unto God, and to sing hymns and psalms of repentance. During these holy exercises, a great clap of tempest, with a wonderful violence, tore away the upper part of the house, that was all of hewed stone, together with the roof, and flung it all to the ground, without hurting either the Father, the Mother or the Children. But in another place this tempest did great harm for having overthrown a pinnacle of the townhouse, made all of great four squared stone cemented and fastened together with clampornes and barres of iron, five persons were slain with the fall of the houses, whereupon this ruin lighted. Whereas contrariwise three others, and a child lying in a little bed, were pressured in another house under the same ruin and it being demanded of the child, that began to prattle, who had helped him in that danger, he lifted up his little hand, and pointed to heaven.
M. AMBROSA MOI•…AN in his exposition of the 19. Psalm.

No less horrible and dreadful was another tempest that ran over all the country of Meissen upon the 13th day of August 1559. Which thundering very strangely in the air, and overthrowing all that it encountered a certain woman got herself with all speed into her stove with four sons she had and her maid. And then turning herself unto them she said, we have often heard tell of the last day, but we never regarded it till now we see it come which said, they all fell down on their knees, calling unto God for mercy. There upon a furious gust of wind tore away the roof of the house, and tearing down the walls, broke the posts, ceilings and boards of the stove all to fitters. But in the midst of this fearful tempest, the Mother, Children and Maid remained safe and unhurt, although the timber and stones flew as thick as hail about their ears. Satan seeming to be in the midst of this storm, and confounded by the fervent prayer of the little flock, darted a great beam of twelve foot long, as though it had been an arrow flying in the aire, with the aid of a violent whirlwind, just through the window of the stove at this poor company kneeling against a bench. But the holy angels turned it another way, so that it lighted with terrible fury in a corner right against the furnace of the stove. The same tempest overthrew a country man’s house, upon his wife and some of their neighbours which were in it at that time, and yet they were never hurt with the ruin.
FINCEL in his 3. booke of the meruayles of our time.

John Spaugemberg, Minister of Northuse, going to a hot house according to the manner of the Germans, and remaining there a good while with his children bathing themselves, as soon as ever they were gone out of it, the place sank and fell down without hurting anybody.
I MANLIVS in the first booke of his Collections.

Upon Easter Eve 1565. after horrible whirlwinds, thunder, lightning, hail and signs of fire in the air, a violent inundation of waters, disgorged itself upon a great village named Groesse in the diocese of Friberg in Meissen [Unsure if it is referring to Freiburg or some smaller town near Meissen as Freiburg is nowhere close] the torrents and streams whereof swelled with such fury in an instant, that they overwhelmed forty houses in that village, without the loss of any creature save one child. There were many preserved as it were by miracle: two children with their mother were sound untouched of the water under the ruins of a house in a heap of straw also two others in a cellar: a nurse with her child leaning against a Ladder, a blind man in his entry, and divers others both great and small in high places which withstood the fury of the water.
PH▪ LO∣NICER in his Theater of examples in the example of the 3. Commandement pag. 198.

 

The last account in this text will be posted separately and with a commentary.