A67926:5537
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 if the Article be not heretical, it can not be offensive or slanderous, but only to such heretics as Antichrist is, and Satanists of all piety. See therefore how his shameless and most foolish Bull, whiles it condemneth in me one thing to be heretical, and an other offensive, doeth manifestly declare the authors thereof to be true heretics and the enemies of God in deed.1 So that now it may appear, that there is no knowledge nor counsel against the Lord, seeing blind impiety is thus caught in the words of his own mouth: so truly it is said, that he which casteth up a stone on high, it falleth down again upon his own pate. And (which is chiefest of all) by this their wicked contradiction it cometh to pass,2 that the cogitations of their own hearts be revealed, and that they them selves chiefly do utter and disclose their own wickedness which they covet most to conceal, that all men may see how ready they are to condemn all verity even at once. For when they affirm such Articles to be heretical, which neither they can, nor know, nor yet dare show or name to be heretical, what have we thereby to understand, but that they are the adversaries of Christ from the bottom of their hearts, and ready to impugn all trueth, and yet notwithstanding with their damnable hypocrisy they pretend themselves to be condemners of heresies? Learn, learn, ye beetle headed Asses with your blustering bulls,3 learn I say, what it is, Christ to be a sign of contradiction and a stone of offence. Howe soon and easily is all your inward impiety and your ignominy disclosed with the same covert of words,4 wherewith in vain ye went about to cloak the same? Thus then have we here proved by this first and manifest argument, that the foresaid Bull proceedeth from none other, then very Antichrist himself, the chiefest adversary of God and of all godliness. And now let either Eckius or the Pope acknowledge if he dare, and then consider what opinion we ought to have of him, or what name to give him: in whom all cursed names, as in one heap, do concur together and agree, as impiety, blasphemy, ignorance, foolishness, hypocrisy, lying, briefly, Satan himself with his Antichrist. Neither doeth this impiety any thing less appear in that also which I will now say.