cometsindicateevilandonlyevil；andhecitesLuther’sAdventsermontotheeffectthat，thoughcometsmayariseinthecourseofNature，theyarestillsignsofeviltomankind。Inanswertothetheoryofsundrynaturaliststhatcometsaremadeupof“acertainfiery，warm，sulphurous，saltpetery，stickyfog。”hedeclaims：“Oursins，oursins：theyarethefieryheatedvapours，thethick，sticky，sulphurouscloudswhichrisefromtheearthtowardheavenbeforeGod。”ThroughoutthesermonDieterichpourscontemptoverallmenwhosimplyinvestigatecometsasnaturalobjects，callsspecialattentiontoacometthenintheheavensresemblingalongbroomorbundleofrods，anddeclaresthatheandhishearerscanonlyconsideritrightly“whenweseestandingbeforeusourLordGodinheavenasanangryfatherwitharodforhischildren。”Inanswertothequestionwhatcometssignify，hecommitshimselfentirelytotheideathattheyindicatethewrathofGod，andthereforecalamitiesofeverysort。Pageafterpageisfilledwiththerecordsofevilsfollowingcomets。Beginningwiththecreationoftheworld，heinsiststhatthefirstcometbroughtonthedelugeofNoah，andcitesamassofauthorities，rangingfromMosesandIsaiahtoAlberttheGreatandMelanchthon，insupportoftheviewthatcometsprecedeearthquakes，famines，wars，pestilences，andeveryformofevil。Hemakessomeparadeofastronomicalknowledgeastothegreatnessofthesunandmoon，butrelapsessoonintohisoldlineofargument。Imploringhisaudiencenottobeledawayfromthewell-establishedbeliefofChristendomandtheprinciplesoftheirfathers，hecomesbacktohisoldassertion，insiststhat“oursinsaretheinflammablematerialofwhichcometsaremade。”andwindsupwithamostearnestappealtotheAlmightytosparehispeople。[110]
[110]ForDeiterich，seeUlmischeCometen-Predigt，vondemCometen，sonechstabgewischen1618JahrsimWintermonaterstenmahlsinSchwabensehenlassen，……gehaltenzuUlm……
durchConradDieterich，Ulm，1620。Foralifeoftheauthor，seearticleDieterichintheAllgemeineDeutscheBiographie。SeealsoWolf。
Similareffortsfromthepulpitwereprovokedbythegreatcometof1680。TypicalamongthesewastheeffortinSwitzerlandofPastorHeinrichErni，who，fromtheCathedralofZurich，sentacircularlettertotheclergyofthatregionshowingtheconnectionoftheeleventhandtwelfthversesofthefirstchapterofJeremiahwiththecomet，givingnoticethatathissuggestiontheauthoritieshadproclaimedasolemnfast，andexhortingtheclergytopreachearnestlyonthesubjectofthiswarning。
Norweretheinterpretersofthecomet’smessagecontentwithsimpleprose。Attheappearanceofthecometof1618，GrasserandGross，pastorsanddoctorsoftheologyatBasle，putforthacollectionofdoggerelrhymestofastentheorthodoxtheoryintothemindsofschool-childrenandpeasants。Oneofthesemaybetranslated：