A67926:1040
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. 2, part 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. 2, part 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
No title page in the transcription: set from the catalogue record.
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.
That because the world refused to receive the love of the truth, unto salvation therefore God hath given to Satan, and to his ministers, power of illusions and errors, that men should believe lies, and set up to themselves pastors and teachers, such as they deserve. The Fryer. 1Christ gave to S. Peter power to bind & loose, whose successor and vicar of Christ is the pope, for the government of the church, that it might have one head in the world, as it hath in heaven. And though the Pastors do not live according to the word which they preach, yet their doctrine is not therefore to be refused, as Christ teacheth. Math. 23.2 The Martyr. If the pope and his adherents would preach the word purely & sincerely, admixing no other inventions of their own, nor obtruding laws of their own devising, I would then embrace their doctrine, how soever their life were to the contrary: according as Christ doth tell us of the scribes & pharisees, admonishing us to follow their doctrine, & not their lives. Mat. 23. but there is great difference,3 whether they that take the governance of the church, do sit in Moses chair, which is the seat of truth, or else do sit in the chair of abomination, spoken of by Daniel, & also by S. Paul where he saith:4 That the man of perdition shall sit in the temple of God, vaunting himself insolently above all that is called God. 2. Thes. 2. And as touching the keys of binding & loosing, given to Peter, Christ therein assigned to Peter,5 & other apostles, the office of preaching the word of the gospel, which they did also well observe, in preaching nothing else but only the word, in the which word is all the power contained of binding & loosing Neither is it to be granted, the Church to have two heads, one in heaven, an other in earth. The head whereof is but one, which is Jesus Christ, whom the father hath appointed to be head alone, both in heaven and earth,