AS nothing can mooue or stirre man more ef­fectually, vnto the fee­ling of his owne sins, then the lawe of God, thundred out, & threat­ned against the consci­ence of his iniquity: so, nothing can draw him, more forcibly vnto repentance, then the sencible sight and fee­ling, of fearefull and mighty plagues, hea­uenly threatninges, and strange and prodi­gious wonders, drawn by the efficient cause (God) from the operations of earthy, ayrie, watry, & heauenly supernal Elementes. As on Munday, beeing the second of September, Anno 1583. was seen very strange sights in the ayre, beginning betwixt the houres of eight & nine at night. And so increasing & continuing till after midnight, but chiefly betwixt eleuen & twelue was séen maruai­lous strange, rare, miraculous, & wonderful permouements, ad and regrediacions, with constellations of the ayre, and watery ele­ments, which were sometime darke, some­time red, sometime fiery, and bloody collou­red, with streames like sharpe speares, shoo­ting [Page] straight vpwarde, and meeting togea­ther, (as it were) in a round point, with flashes, much brightnesse, many streames, and straunge and vnwonted collours of the rainebow. As also with the collour of the fire of Brimstone, and seeming as it were burning with fierye flashes and smoake. Straunge, and fearefull no doubt to the be­holders, as though the gallant frame, of all the radient skie and elements, had beene e­uen then about to be set on fire. All which threates and often preachings from Hea­uen, by Fyre, doth yet once agayne call our disobedience, vnto speedy obedience, and amendment of life. I therefore, as one that beheld the same, although of all others, the most vnfittest to report it, haue here in wry­ting, published the very trueth, and sight, as it then appeared and was manifestly seene, (ouer our horrizon at London) & no doubt of many others. To the end that none might be ignorant, of that last warning, which ap­peared, to call vs vnto repentaunce. Before the Lord God (whose mercies, are alwaies as great, as him selfe) do bring any notable ouerthrow, or destruction vpon any nation, kingdome, or people, he firste of all giueth [Page] them warning, to the ende, that if they re­pent not, yet they might be found, vnexcu­sable, as hauing no cause, to plead igno­rance. Thus he dealt towardes the Sodo­mites, to whom, before hee destroyed them. (With fire and brimstone from heauen) hee sent three Angels to Abraham, to giue them warning, who prayed for them. And before he destroyed the old worlde, Gen. 18. by the diluge of water, he sent them Noah, who preached by the preparing of an Arke, an hundreth and twenty yeares, so that euery stroke of his hammers, might haue been a sufficient ser­mon, to warne them, of the comming of the waters: before the dearth came vpon Egipt, Gen. 6. the Lorde sent Ioseph, to prouide barnes, and store, for old father Iacob, & his familie, as it appeareth, in the 45. chapiter of Gene.

When the heart of Pharaoh, could be mol­lified, towards the Aegyptians, by none other meanes then by the Lordes punishmentes, The Lorde sente ten merueilous notable plagues, and wonders vppon Pharaoh, and al his host, yea, from the hiest that sitteth on themperiall seate, to the lowest, that grindeth in myll, or slandeth behinde the doore, and made his stoute stomacke, some­what [Page] to stoupe. The Lorde hath forwarned vs a great while, & yet doth not cease, so to doe stil, first by his Law, then by his gospel, thirdly by the benefites, that we haue conti­nually receiued of him, fourthly by his crea­tures, and miraculous tokens, strange mon­sters, blazing commets, vnwonted enunda­tions of waters, straunge fishes, perrillous warres, earthquakings, and last of all, firye constellations, as now also lately appeared, and is here afore more plainly specified. Ob­seruing in al pointes (touching the declara­tion of that strange sight, which I sawe) the trueth, so neare as I can. Requesting, the gentle readers, to pardon me, as one vnlearned, and willing to submit my faltings, al­waies to the censure, iudgement, and discre­tion of the learned, whom I reuerence. Re­questing al, to bear in mind, the holy words of S. Peter in his second epistle, and thirde Chapter, which are spoke to this purpose. First, that there shal come in the latter dais mockers, walking after their owne lustes, And saying, wher is the promise of his com­ming? For euer since, the olde fathers fel a­sleepe, al things haue continued still alike from the beginning and creation of the [Page] worlde. For this they know, (how be it are wilfully ignoraunt of it) howe that the hea­uens were of old, and the earth consisting of the water, and the water by the worde of God. By the which the worlde that then was (as I haue sayde before) perished, be­ing ouer runne with Water. But the hea­uens, and the earth which be now, are kept in store, by his worde, and reserued vnto fire, against the day of iudgement, and the pardition of vngodly men. And therefore be not ignoraunt of this, that one day is with the Lord, as a thousand yeares, and a thou­sand yeares, as one day. And that y ^e Lord is not slack in comming, as some men count slacknesse, but is patient to vs warde, (foras­much) as he would haue no man lost, but re­ceiued all, vnto repentance. Neuerthelesse, whether ye repent, or continue stil in your sinnes, yet the day of the Lorde shall come, as a theefe in the night, in which the Hea­uens shal passe away with a greate noise, and the elementes shal melt, with feruent heat, the earth also and the workes that are therein, shalbe vtterly burned. Seing then, that al these things shal perish, what man­ner of persons ought ye to bee, in al manner [Page] of holy conuersation and Godlinesse. Loo­king for, and hasting vnto the comming of the day of God, by whom, the heauens shall perishe with fire, and the elementes shall melte with feruente heate. Wherefore good Christians and beeloued brethren, seeing that you doe nowe looke for suche thinges, which vndoubtedly shall come to passe, be diligent, that ye may be founde of the Lord in peace, without spot, and vnde­filed. Wherefore seeing ye bee warned, (and that afore hand by diuers and sundry pread­monitions) to take heed. Take heed and be­ware, least ye fall away (thorow the error of the wicked) from your owne stedfastnes. But growe ye in grace, and in the know­ledge of our onely Lord, and Saui­our Iesus Christ, to whom be glory both now and foreuer. Amen.