A67926:2059
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.
Also fourthly, be it admitted, as M. More saith,1 that in receiving of the sacrament, he holding up his hands should say the Collect: Domine Jesus Christ: and coming to these words, ecclesiae tuae pacē & concordiam, he knocked upon his breast, divers times repeating the same words▪ &c. all this being granted to M. More, yet it argueth no necessary alteration of his former doctrine,2 which he preached and taught before And yet if I listed here to stand dallying with M. More, in the state inficiall, and deny that he affirmeth: how will he make good that which he saith: He saith that Bilney kneeling before the Chancellor, desired absolution: Then coming to Mass full devoutly, required to receive the body of Christ in form of bread, 3repeating divers times the words of the collect: Domine Jesus Christ &c. By what argument proveth he all this to be so? M. More in his preface before the book against Tyndale so saith, Ergo it is certain. If M. More had never made fictions in his writings beside, or had never broken the head of verity, in so many places of his books as I could show him, then might this argument go for somewhat. But here I ask, was this M. More present at the judgement of Bilney? No, Or else what registers had he for his direction? None. Or else by what witnesses will he avouch this to be certain? Go, and seek these witnesses (good reader) where thou canst find them,4 for M. More nameth none. Only because M. More so saith, that is sufficient. Well, give this to M. More, (although he hath cracked his credit so often, and may always be bankrupt) yet let his word go for payment at this time, & let us imagine ⟨p. 1010⟩all to be oracles, that he saith: yet nevertheless, here must needs remain a scruple. For what will M. More (or because he is gone) what will his disciples say to this, that if Bilney was before assoiled upon his judgement, as they pretend, how was he then afterward degraded? What assoiling is this, to be forgiven first, and then to be punished after? Again, if he were (as they surmise) converted so fully to the Catholic faith, and also assoiled, why then did the Chancellor stick so greatly for a while, to housell him with the body of Christ, in form of bread? I am sure that if Christ had been here himself in form of his own flesh, he would nothing have stuck to receive him, being so converted at the first.