A67926:652
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.
¶Complaint of excommunication abused.
Item, at Rome and in other places many Christians are excommunicate by the Archbishops, Bishops, or by their Ecclesiastical judges, for profane causes, through the desire and covetousness of money, & lucre.1 The consciences of men which are weak in faith, thereby are burdened and brought unto desperation: and finally, for money & lucre, a matter of no importance is made to tend to the destruction both of body & soul, contrary both to the law of God and man, for so much as no man ought to be excommunicate but only for heresy, or for some heinous fact perpetrate, nor to be counted as separate from the Christian Catholic Church, as the Scriptures do witness: Therefore the princes, nobles, states, & laity of the Sacred Empire, desire & require the Popes holiness, that as a faithful Christian & loving father, he will remove the said burden of excommunication used both in the sea of Rome, & also in the seas of all other Archbishops and Ecclesiastical Judges: and finally, decree that no man shall hereafter be excommunicate, but only for a manifest convict crime of heresy. For it is to wicked a thing, that faithful Christians for every light offence, touching any temporal goods or gain, or for any other worldly matter, but only for obstinacy of heresy or some great enormity, should be excluded from almighty God, and the Catholic congregation.
ITem, at Rome and in other places many Christiās are excōmunicate by the Archbyshops, Byshops, or by their Ecclesiastical iudges, for prophane causes, through the desire and couetousnes of money, & lucre.1