A67922:6583
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 there they sing and play the Lucians, & eat of the best and therefore all that willingly bring and give to them, shall be made partners of that curse which is given them of God, because they eat their bread unjustly, whereof Paul writeth in the 2. to the Thess. the 3. chapter: He that laboureth not, let him not eat. 1The 11. article is, that they are notorious liars, beca••e to the end that they may please men, they tell many tales & lies, which in the holy Scripture have no foundation nor proof. Of such writeth John in the Apoca. 21. The 12. article is, that they do not rightly give or minister to the people the body of our Lord Jesus Christ,2 and they give it not as God hath instituted it and commanded. This is a great & a devilish sin and to great malapertness. Herein we would overcome them, with the testimonies of the Evangelists: I say we would overcome the Pope, and all his Priests, with the authorities of Mark, Luke and Paul. Rom. 13. and we would suffer, that Kings, Princes, Lords and all that are willing to hear, should hear it. The 13. Article is, that they sit in spiritual judgement, and then many times they judge according to favour,3 and not according to the righteousness of God, and they take bribes giving sentence for him, which in Gods sight hath the wrongful cause. Woe be to such sentences, as it is written in Isay 5. Woe be to ye that. &c. The 14. Article is, that they sit hearing confessions, and when there come to them usurers, raveners, and thieves, they take bribes of them of their ill gotten goods, to spare them: and they willingly suffer them in cities and towns. And likewise of adulterers, and other notorious whoremongers and whores, and they never let or stay them in their great sins, to the end that the scripture may be fulfilled in them, which sayeth: Gifts and the love of money do draw to hell, and do blind the eyes of judges. 4The 15. Article is, that they receive tithes of men, and will of right have them, and preach and say that men are bound to give them tithes, and therein they say falsely: For they can not prove by the new Testament, that our Lord Jesus Christ commanded it, and his disciples warned no man to do so, neither did themselves receive them. But although in the old Testament, it were commanded to give tithes, yet it can not thereby be proved, that christian men are bound thereto: