A67926:613
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.
These & other such like reasons, being opened & laid before them, you shall then in our name exhort the foresaid princes, prelates, & people to awake, and employ their diligence how to gainestand: First the injury of these Lutherians toward God, & toward his holy religion: Secondly their villainy toward the whole nation of the Germans & their princes, & especially the shameful contumely toward their fathers & elders, whom in effect they condemn to hell. In consideration whereof you shall call upon them to remember themselves, & to proceed effectually to the execution of the apostolical sentence, & of the Emperors edict, giving pardon to them that will amend & acknowledge their fault: the other which obstinately persist in their error, punishing with the rod of district severity according to the decrees of the Canons and laws of the Church, that by their example, such as stand, may remain in faith, and they which are fallen may be reduced.
These & other such like reasons, being opened & layd before thē, you shal thē in our name exhort ye foresaid princes, prelats, & people to awake, and employ their diligēce how to gainestand: First the iniury of these Lutherians toward God, & toward his holy religiō: Secōdly theyr villany toward the whole nation of the Germanes & their princes, & especially the shamefull contumely toward theyr fathers & elders, whō in effect they condemne to hel. In consideratiō wherof you shal cal vpō thē to remēber thēselues, & to proceed effectually to the executiō of ye apostolicall sentēce, & of the Emperors edict, geuing pardon to thē that wil amend & acknowledge their fault: the other which obstinatly persist in their error, punishing with the rod of district seuerity according to the decrees of the Canons and lawes of the Church, that by theyr example, such as stand, may remaine in fayth, and they which are fallen may be reduced.
And if any shall object again, ye Luther was condemned by the apostolic see before he was heard, & that his cause ought first to have been heard & judged, before he was convinced: you shall answer, that those *things which pertain to faith, are to be believed for their own authority, & not to be proved. Take away (saith Ambrose) arguments, where faith is sought, there the fishers, not the Philosophers must be trusted. Truth it is, & we grant no less, but the lawful defence & hearing ought not to be denied in such cases, where the question is of the fact, whether it were done or not, as whether he spake, preached, writ, or not? But where the matter is of Gods law, or in cause of the sacraments, there must we always stand to the authority of holy fathers & of the Church. Now all things almost wherein Luther dissenteth from other, are reproved before by divers Councils. Neither ought those things to be called into question, which have been defined before by general councils, & the universal-Church, but ought to be received by faith: For else he doth injury to the Synod of the church, who so bringeth again into controversy things once rightly discussed & settled. Otherwise what certainty can there be amongst men, or what end shall there be of contending & disputing, if it shall be lawful for every lewd & presumptuous person, to decline from the things which have been received and ratified by the con sent, not of one, nor of few, but of so many ages, so many wise heads, & of the Catholic church, which God never permitteth to err in matters unto faith appertaining? And how can it otherwise be chosen, but that all must be full of disturbance, offences, and confusion, unless the things which have been once, yea many times by ripe judgement constituted, be observed of all men as inviolable? Wherefore, seeing Luther and his fellows do condemn the Councils