A67922:876
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 forasmuch as we are here in hand with the story of John the blessed Evangelist, cometh in matter and occasion, not given by him, but taken of other, of a great doubt and difficulty, such as hath occupied all the Catholic, subtle, illuminate, and seraphical Doctors of the Popes Catholic ⟨p. 48⟩Church, these 500. years. The difficulty is this: that for so much as auricular confession hath been,1 & is yet received in the Popes Catholic Church for an holy and necessary Sacrament, extending universally to all & singular creatures Christian. Here then riseth a question, who was our Ladies confessor, or ghostly father? But that is decreed and confessed with full consent of all the Catholics to be S. John. Whosoever denieth or doubteth of this,2 is straight ways ipso facto an heretic. This then so determined, ariseth an other question or doubt, that seeing our Lady was without all original sin, and also actual or mortal: what need then had she of any Confessor? or what should she confess unto him? For if she had confessed any sin, when she had none: then had she made herself a liar,3 & so had sinned in deed. Here therefore gentle Reader, in this perplexity, these our illuminate Doctors stand in need of thine aid, to help at a pinch. Magnus Albertus the great divine, denieth not, but that she in deed, although most pure, yet was confessed to her ghostly father, to keep the observances of the law, appointed for such as had that need, which she had not. And therefore (saith he) necessary it was that she should confess with mouth. But then here is to be asked, what did she say in her confession, when she had nothing to confess? To this Albertus answereth again, and telleth us plainly what she said in her confession which was this:4 that she had received that great grace, not ex condigno, that is, not of any dignity of her own, but yet notwithstanding of congruity. And this was it (saith Albert) that she said in her confession. Albert cap. 74. super Evang. Missus est, &c.
And forasmuch as we are here in hand with the story of Iohn the blessed Euangelist, commeth in matter and occasion, not geuē by him, but takē of other, of a great doubt and difficulty, such as hath occupied all the Catholike, subtile, illuminate, and seraphicall Doctors of the Popes Catholike