A67922:6576
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.
So the devil deceiveth the pope, and all the priests with the riches of the world, and worldly power: And they think they can give grace and pardon when they will, and they themselves shall never find favour before almighty God, except they repent and make amends, because of their great deceiving of Christendom. And how can they give that to others, which they themselves have not? So did the Devil, who was rich in promising, and poor in giving. And like as the Devil is not ashamed to tell a lye,1 so all they are not ashamed to speak that which shall never be found true, nor be proved by the holy scriptures, because for no cause, they stir up kings, Princes, Lords, and Cities, to make war against us, not to the end that the Christian faith should thereby be defended, but because they fear that their secret vices and heresies shall be disclosed and made manifest. For if they had a true cause, & a godly love to the Christian faith they would then take the books of the holy scripture, and would come unto us, and overcome us with the weapons of Gods word, and that is our chief desire. For so did the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, who came to the Pagans and Jews, and brought them from their infidelity to the true faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, and this they did in the spirit of meekness, as the Apostle Paul writeth in the 6. chap. to the Galat.2 Brethren if any man be aggrieved. &c. So ought they also to do, if they perceived that they were just, and we unjust. And if we would not abide instruction: then they might take to them kings, Princes,3 Lords, and imperial cities, and resist us according to the commandments of the holy scripture. But this is the subtle defence of all the Bishops and Priests that they say that master Hus and Hierome which were burnt at Constance, were overcome of the holy father the Pope,4 and of the whole Council: For ye must understand that they were not overcome by the holy Ghost, but unjustly, with wrongful violence, which God may yet hereafter grievously punish in all them that gave their counsel and aid thereto: and they say it ought not to be suffered, that we should be heard in confessing our faith. How may that be proved by the holy scripture, since christ heard the devil as it is written in the fourth chap. of Matthew? And theyl are not better then Christ,