A67922:6580
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.
and the bishops will that they should be rich v upon earth, which is unjust before the Lord. The 2. article is, that bishops take money of such as are to be ordained,1 but S. Peter did therefore sharply rebuke Simon Magus, when he would have given him money, as it is written in the 8. of the acts. The 3. article is, that they that come to be priests enter into priesthood, not for gods service sake, because they mean to preach and increase it among the Christian people, so as the people may be edified and made better:2 but rather for an idle life, and that they may eat well and drink well and that they may be honoured and reverenced upon earth For every one waiteth upon his priest as a thief and a robber, as John writeth in his x. thap. The 4. article is of excommunication, which the Pope and all his priests take to themselves, and therewith fetter & bind all Christian people as they will, and they think that whosoever they excommunicate or curse,3 he is accursed and excommunicate before God: And we will prove by the holy Scripture, that they themselves are excommunicate & accursed before God, because they keep not the commandment of the love of God,4 whereof the Apostle writeth in yt 1. to the Cor. the 16. chap. If any man loveth not our Lord Jesus Christ, he is excommunicate in the day of the coming of the Lord. For they cannot excommunicate you, who are already bound and excommunicate before God & his saints: and therefore why fear ye their excommunication? The 5, Article is, that they take gifts for to pray for the dead, and to say mass for their souls. This is a wickedness and heresy before the Lord, & all they that contribute to them to this end,5 do wickedly, for that hereby priests become merchants of prayers and of masses: and herewith is all the church of Rome poisoned and defiled. For if they would pray for the dead and say mass for their souls, yet no man ought to hire them thereto, forasmuch as they ought to take no gifts, neither little nor great. And every one that taketh rewards to this end, to redeem souls out of purgatory, do therewithal cast their own souls down into hell. And they that give any thing to that end, do altogether lose y which they give.