A67926:4011
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.
And of truth from my very hart I do mourn & lament, right noble Prince, both for your sake & also for the cause of Christs Church. You pretend to impugn and gaynestand the tyranny of the Romish Bishop, and truly do call him Antichrist, as in deed he is: & in the mean time you defend and maintain those laws of that Romish Antichrist, which be the strength & sinews of all his power▪ as private Masses, single life of Priests, & other superstitions. You threaten horrible punishments to good men and to the members of Christ, you violently oppress and bear down the verity of the Gospel beginning to shine in your Churches. This is not to abolish Antichrist, but to establish him. I beseech you therefore for our Lord Jesus Christ, that you file not your conscience in defending those Articles which your Bishops have devised and set forth touching private Masses, Auricular confession, vows, single life of Priests, & prohibition of the one half of the Sacrament. It is no light offence to establish Idolatry, errors, cruelty the filthy lusts of Antichrist. If the Roman Bishop should now call a Council, what other Articles chiefly would he devise and publish unto the world, but the very same which your Bishops have here enacted. Understand and consider I pray you, the subtle trains and deceits of the devil,1 which is wont first to set upon and assail the chief governors. And as he is the enemy of Christ from the beginning of the world, so his chief purpose is by all crafty and subtle means, to work contumely against Christ in sparsing abroad wicked opinions and setting up Idolatry: and also in polluting man kind with bloody murders and fleshly lusts: in the working whereof he abuseth the policies and wits of hypocrites: also the power and strength of mighty Princes: as stories of all times bear witness what great kingdoms & Empires have set themselves with all might & main, against the poor Church of Christ. And yet notwithstanding God hath reserved some good Princes at all times, out of the great multitude of such giants, and hath brought them to his Church, to embrace true doctrine, and to defend his true worship:2 as Abraham taught Abimelech, Joseph the Egyptian kings: and after them came David, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, Josiah excelling in true godliness. Daniel converted to the knowledge of God the kings of Chaldea & Persia.