A67926:4010
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.
For every man in a manner, well perceived that all well disposed and reasonable persons would abhor that cruelty: and also they feared least the posterity would think evil thereof. Who would ever think, that in the Church of Christ, wherein all lenity toward the godly ought most principally to be showed, such cruelties and tyranny could take place, to set forth bloody laws to be executed upon the godly for lawful matrimony? But they brake their vows, will the Bishops say.1 For (as I said) that vow ought not to stand seeing it is turned to a false worship of God, & is impossible to be kept. Again, although it stood in force, yet it should not extend to them which forsake the ministry. Finally, if the Bishops here would have a care and regard to mens consciences, they should then ordain Priests without any such profession or vow making, as appeareth by the old Canons, how that many were admitted to the ministry without professing of any vow, and the same afterward, when they had married their wives, to have remained in the ministry, as is testified Cap. Diaconi. Distinct. 28. Certainly what here I may complain, I can not tell.2 First, in this Article I can not impute it to ignorance that they do. For no man is ignorant of the commandment of God, which saith: Let every man have his wife for avoiding of fornication. Again, who is so blind but he seeth what a life these unmarried Priests do live?3 The complaints of good men are well known. The filthiness of the wicked is toto manifest. But peradventure your Bishops holding with the sect of Epicures, do think that God is not offended with filthy lusts. Which if they so think, then do we sustain doubtless a hard cause where such must be judges. I am not ignorant that this single life is very fit to set out the glory and bravery of Bishops and Colleges of Priests, & to maintain their wealth and portly state, and this I suppose to be the cause why some do abhor so much that Priests should be married. But O Lamentable state of the Church, if laws should be so forced to serve, not the verity and the will of God, but the private gain and commodity of men. They err which think it lawful for them to make laws repugnant to the commandment of God & to the law of nature, so that they be profitable to attain wealth and riches.4