The prophecyes of the incomparable Dr. Martin Luther concerning the downfall of the Pope of Rome, and the subversion of the German Empire, to be over-run by the armies of the Turks, together with the many reasons that he giveth for it : as also, the remarkable prophecy of the learned and reverend Mvscvlvs, to the same effect / collected by R.C. M.A.

The Prophecies of Luther.

And above all, this is most remarkable; The Turk, saith he, shall give a great Clap to Germany; Me thinks I see him Marching through and through the whole Body of the Em∣pire; who so liveth one hundred years and upwards, will see the same accomplished, I oftentimes do contemplate thereupon, and thinking on the great misery which will in∣sue upon the Empire, I do sweat thereat; Neverthelesse

Germany goeth on in sin, and refuseth to be helped: No hu∣mane power or potentate can beat the Turk, but onely that Man who is named Christ; as for the Emperour, King Fer∣dimand and the Princes, they can accomplish nothing.

It is observable, that although Luther had Prophecied this of the Turk, yet he had no good opinion of him; for there being a great Commotion at that time in Germany concerning Religion, the Turk desired to know what man∣ner of man Luther was, and of what years: when it was told him that he was a Corpulent man, and of about fifty years of age, the Turk replyed, I could wish he were younger, for he shall have of me a gracious Lord; which when it was brought to Luthers eare by the Prince Elector of Saxony; God preserve me (said Luther) from such a gracious Lord as the Emperour of Turkey is, for the Turk is a Crafty and Subtile Enemy, who maketh War not onely with great Courage, and a Formidable Number of Souldiers, but also he ma∣nageth it with many Stratagems, and much Craft and Sub tilty; he is alwayes beating up the Quarters of his Ene∣mies, and by that means makes them faint and weary; he keepeth them waking with often Skirmishing, and sel∣dome ingageth with the whole Body of his Army, unlesse he be assured of the Victory; He is ready to take all ad∣vantages; His Power is great, being able in Luthers Time to maintain and pay yearly two hundred thousand Soul∣diers, which at the least amounteth to fifteen Millions of Rix Dollars.

By Degrees the Turk suppressed the Sarazens, who before were Conquerours, and Lords of all, in Syria, Asia, and Jerusalem, and in the Land of Promise, and hath also great Dominions in Africa and Greece: Much about thirty years before Luthers time he utterly over-threw the whole Army of the Sarazens, and killed the Soldan in that Battel.

The German Princes, said Luther, ought to be well Qual∣lified and Armed to incounter with so powerfull an Enemy as the Turks. The Princes themselves ought in their own Person to advance into the field, and not encounter the Turk with any inconsiderable number, for the Turke is an

Enemy that ought not to be Undervalued, or Contemned; The Prophet Daniel saith, It is given unto him to go against the Saints of God, Dan. II. And therefore his Fortunes and his Victories are so great: He maketh three Thrones or Seats in his Religion; In the midst, he placeth God him∣self, and Christ on his left Hand, and Mahomet on the right; He taketh his Oath by God who Created Heaven and Earth; by Mahomet his Servant, and by the Foure score and foure Prophets sent from Heaven. I am afraid (said Luther) it will go with Germany (which is one of the best Countries in the World) as heretofore it went with Troy, Fuit Ilium & ingens Gloria Teucrorum, saith the Poet; Heretofore there was a Troy, and great was the Glory of the Trojans; So here∣tofore there was a Germany, and great was the Glory of the Germans; but now a short time will see it brought into streights and Devastation.

The great Overthrows which the Turks shall give to the Forces of the Emperour, was not onely foretold by the Prophet Daniel (said Luther) but also it was delivered in the Revelation of St. John; to the end that Godly and Up∣right Christians should not be affrighted at his great Power and Tyranny. Daniel excelleth in his Prophecies which shall continue to the end of the World; He most clearly describeth the Kingdomes of Antichrist, and the Turk, in the Revelation of St. John, Chap. 13. It is Written; That it was given unto him to make War with the Saints, and to over∣come them; which words are expresly spoken of the Turk, and not of the Pope; for the Saints overcome not by their Sanctity, but by their Patience, and in their overcoming by Faith, when their Bodies are Murdered: The Prophet Daniel proceedeth further, and saith, It shall be for a Time, Times, and half a Time. If Time signifieth a Year, as peradven∣ture it may, then this Prophecy was first of all fulfilled in Antiochus, who Tyrannized three Years and an halfe, over the Nation of Israel, after which time he miserably rotted, and most lamentably died in such an intolerable stench. oc∣casioned by his Disease, that not any were able to indure the most noysomesavour of it, or to remain about him.

Luther would oftentimes complain of the great negli∣gence of the Emperour Charles, in giving an Advantage to the Turk alwayes to overcome him, and to taxe in one Town after another; whereas the Emperour should alwaies have kept a Gallant and a Resolute Army in the Field, or to have them in a readinesse in their Winter Quarters to be drawn forth into the Field upon the Emergencies of any Advantage or Opposition, for this is the vigilant Custome of the Turks in all his Enterprises, whose Ja••izaries (the most Resolute and most Experienced of all his Souldiers, are always ready at the beat of a Drum for any Enterprize.) Mahomet began to Appear in the World in the Year, Six hundred and thirty, after the Incarnation of our Saviour, which is now above one thousand years agoe.

The Turks (saith Luther) do swell as much with their Lies, as with their Victories, they acknowledge that Isaac was the first and the True Son of the Promise; but when he should be Sacrisiced, he conveyed himself away from his Fathers sight, pretending that he would go and fetch a Knife, and other Utensils for the Sacrifice; whereupon Ish∣mael came, and of his own Accord did offer up himself to be Sacrisiced; upon which Account he became the Child of the Promise; This (said Luther) is as grosse a lye, as that of the Papists concerning the Administration, only under one kind in the Sacrament. And as Antiochus above men∣tioned, was struck by God with a loathsome Disease, and killed without hands; Even so (said Luther) shall it go with the Pope; He shall fall and be destroyed without any Blow of the sword, or without any Hands to mannage a Sword; he shall Famish himself, for he hath never used any great or powerfull Armies whereby to Defend or Inlarge his Do∣minions, but hath subsisted onely by Lying and Supersti∣tion, and pretended Scripture to maintain him in his Falshoods, as in one place, Thou art Peter, and in another, Feed my Lambs; Upon such deceitful grounds he hath In∣creased, and so shall he fall again; Therefore this Prophecy in the Scriptures, He shall fall without Power belongeth pro∣perly to the Pope; For all other Potentates and Tyrants

proceed, with Power and Force; Neverthelesse this pro∣phecy (saith Luther) in some manner may reflect as well upon the Turk as upon the Pope, for they began both of them almost at one time under the Emperour Phocas, for then Mahomet began to show his Blasphemous Tongue, and the Pope to Rule Spititually; But the Popes Temporall Kingdome (saith Luther) hath scarce continued three hun∣dred Years, since he began to Rule over Kings and Empe∣rours.

Notes

• His Prophe∣cy concein∣ing the Turk page, 518.
• How the Turk mak∣eth War and prevail∣eth in it, Luthers Col∣loq. 519.
• The Turk able to maintain a yearly Army of two hun∣dred thou∣sand men, which a∣mounteth to above 15. millions, Luth. Col. page, 5198.
• The Turks Oath, Lu∣ther, 520.
• The over∣throw which the Turks will give the Emperour foretold by the Prophet Daniel, page 520.
• The Pope to fall without any blow of the Sword, Luther, pag, 520.