A67922:1421
Acts and monuments of matters most special and memorable, happening in the Church. [vol.…Actes and monuments of matters most speciall and memorable, happenyng in the Church. [vol.…
Acts and monuments of matters most special and memorable, happening in the Church. [vol. 1] with an universal history of the same, wherein is set forth at large the whole race and course of the Church, from the primitive age to these latter times of ours, with the bloody times, horrible troubles, and great persecutions against the true martyrs of Christ, sought and wrought as well by heathen emperors, as now lately practised by Romish prelates, especially in this realm of England and Scotland. Newly revised and recognised, partly also augmented, and now the fourth time again published and recommended to the studious reader, by the author (through the help of Christ our Lord) John Fox, which desireth thee good reader to help him with thy prayer.Actes and monuments of matters most speciall and memorable, happenyng in the Church. [vol. 1] with an vniuersall history of the same, wherein is set forth at large the whole race and course of the Church, from the primitiue age to these latter tymes of ours, with the bloudy times, horrible troubles, and great persecutions agaynst the true martyrs of Christ, sought and wrought as well by heathen emperours, as nowe lately practised by Romish prelates, especially in this realme of England and Scotland. Newly reuised and recognised, partly also augmented, and now the fourth time agayne published and recommended to the studious reader, by the author (through the helpe of Christ our Lord) Iohn Foxe, which desireth thee good reader to helpe him with thy prayer.
London: printed by John Daye, 1583London: printed by Iohn Daye, 1583
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.
¶It may peradventure be marvelled of some, reading the history of these so terrible persecutions above specified, why God the almighty director of all things, would suffer his own people and faithful servants, believing in his own and only begotten son Jesus, so cruelly to be handled, so wrongfully to be vexed, so extremely to be tormented and put to death, & that the space of so many years together, as in these foresaid persecutions may appear. To the which admiration I have nothing to answer, but to say with the words of Hierome: 1Non debemus super hac rerum iniquitate, perturbare videntes, &c. We ought not to be moved with this iniquity of things, to see the wicked to prevail against the godly: for so much as in the beginning of the world we see Abel the just to be killed of wicked Cain. 2And afterward Jacob being thrust out, Esau to reign in his fathers house. In like case the Egyptians with brick and tile, afflicted the sons of Israel. Yea and the Lord himself, was he not crucified of the Jews, Barabbas the thief being let go? Time would not suffice me, to recite, & reckon up how the godly in this world go to wrack, the wicked flourishing and prevailing. Hiero. Briefly, howsoever the cause hereof proceedeth, whether for our sins here in this life, or how else, soever, yet this is to us, & may be to all men a sufficient stay,3 that we are sure these afflictions and persecutions of God his people in this world, not to come by any chance, or blind fortune, but by the provident appointment, and forewarning of God. For so in the old law by the affliction of the children of Israel,4 he hath prefigured these persecutions of his Christians. So by the words of Christs own mouth in the Gospel, he did forewarn his church of these troubles to come. Again neither did he suffer these so great afflictions to fall upon his servants, before that he had premonished them sufficiently by special Revelation in the Apocalypse of John his servant,5 in the which Apocalypse he declared unto his church before, not only what troubles were coming at hand toward them, where, and by whom, they should come, but also in plain number, if the words of the prophecy be well understood assigneth the true time,