A67926:4687
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.
1Princes which exhort to concord and charity, do well, but Princes which seek out the causes of discord, & reform the same, do much better: The papist and protestant Heretic, and Pharisee, the old Mumpsimus, and the new Sumpsimus, be te•mes of variance and dissension, and be (I grant) Symtomata, of a sore wound in the common wealth but he that will amend this wound must first begin to search out the causes, and to purge the occasion thereof: otherwise to cure the sore outwardly, which inwardly doth fester and rankle still, it is but vain.
1PRinces which exhort to concorde and charitie, doe well, but Princes which seeke out the causes of discord, & reforme the same, do much better: The papist and protestant Hereticke, and Pharisee, the old Mumpsimus, and the newe Sumpsimus, be te•mes of variance and dissention, and be (I graunt) Symtomata, of a sore wound in the commō wealth but he that will amend this wound must first beginne to search out the causes, and to purge the occasion thereof: otherwise to cure the sore outwardlye, whiche inwardlye doth fester and ranckle still, it is but vayne.
- 1The kings Oration expended, with notes upon the same.The kinges Oration expēded, with notes vpon the same.
The root and ground of all this grievance riseth here of the prelates and clergy of Rome, seeking as it seemeth altogether after riches, pomp, & honour of this world, to maintain the same under pretence of religion, do in very deed subvert religion, under the title of the church, they bring into the church manifest errors, & absurdities intolerable, who pretending to be fathers of the church, if they transgressed but in manners and lightness of life, or negligence of government, they might be borne withal for peace & concords sake, and here modesty, civility, quietness unity, & charity, might have place amongst modest natures. But now they obscure the glory of the Son of God, which in no case ought to be suffered: they extinct the light & grace of the Gospel: they clog mens consciences: they set up Idolatry, & maintain Idols, they bring in false invocation, they restrain lawful matrimony, whereby groweth filthy pollution, adultery, and whoredom in the Church unspeakable, they corrupt the sacraments: they wrest the scripture as worldly purposes, they kill and persecute Gods people. Briefly their doctrine is damnable: their laws be impious, their doings are detestable. And yet after all this, they crept craftily into the hearts of princes under the title of the Church, & colour of concord, making kings and princes believe that all be heretics and schismatics, which will not be subject to their ordinary power. Now almighty God, who is a jealous God, & not suffering the glory of his Son to be defaced, nor his truth to be trodden under foot, stirreth up again the harts of his people to understand his truth & to defend his cause. Whereupon of those two parts, as two mighty flints thus smiting together cometh out the sparkle of this division, which by no wise can be quenched, but that one part must needs yield & give over. There is no neutrality, nor mediation of peace, nor exhortation to agreement that will serve between these two contrary doctrines, but either the Popes errors must give place to Gods word, or else the verity of God must give place unto them.