A67926:597
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.
Book 7 › ¶The usual prayer of Martin Luther.Book 7 › ¶The vsuall prayer of Martin Luther.
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 lastly after the Imperial decree of our well beloved son Charles, elect Emperor of the Romans, and Catholic king of Spain, being divulged through the whole nation of Germany, yet hath neither been by order restrained,1 nor of himself hath refrained from his madness begun, but daily more and more forgetting and contemning all Christian Charity and Godliness, ceaseth not to disturb and replenish the world with new books, fraught full of errors, heresies, contumelies, and sedition (whether upon his own head, or by the help of other) and to infect the country of Germany, and other Regions about, with this pestilence,2 and endeavoureth still to corrupt simple souls, and manners of men, with the poison of his pestiferous tongue: and (which is worst of all) hath for his fautors and supporters, not of the vulgar sort only, but also divers personages of the Nobility: in so much that they have begun also to invade the goods of priests (which perhaps is the chief ground of this stir begun) contrary to their obedience which they owe to ecclesiastical and temporal persons, and now also at last have grown unto civill war and dissension among themselves, which thing how unfortunately it falleth out now, at this present season, especially amongest us Christians, you may soon repute with your selves and consider. For although the Apostle hath told us before,3 that heresies must needs be, that they which be tried, may be made manifest. &c. yet was there never time, either so unconuenient to raise up heresies, or so necessary for the repressing thereof, when any such are raised, as now. For whereas the Devil, the perpetual enemy of mankind, roaring in the shape of a Lyon, by the power of the Turks, doth continually invade the flock of Christ, how can we then resist the violent invasions of him, oppressing us without, so long as we nourish at home the same Devil,4 under the colour of a wily Dragon, sowing such heresies, discords, and seditions among our selves: And albeit it were in our power easily to vanquish these foreign adversaries, yet were that but labour lost, serving to no profit, to subdue our enemies without, and at home with heresies and schisms to be divided. We remember, before the time of our Papacy, when we were in Spain, many things we heard then of Luther, and of his perverse doctrine.