A67927:785
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 2] 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 2] 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.
So that now we have no need to say, who shall clime into heaven,1 or who shall go down into the depth, to tell us what is needful to be done? Christ hath done both and hath commended unto us the word of faith, which also is abundantly declared unto us in his word written so that hereafter if we walk earnestly in this way, to the searching out of the truth, it is not to be doubted, but thorough the certain benefit of Christs spirit,2 which he hath promised unto his, we may find it, and obtain everlasting life. Should men ask counsel of the dead for the living, saith Isaiah? Let them go rather to the law, and to the testimony.3 &c. Christ sendeth them that be desirous to know the truth, unto the scriptures, saying: search the scriptures. I remember a like thing well spoken of Hierome:4 Ignorance of the scriptures, is the mother and cause of all errors. And in an other place, as I remember in the same author: The knowledge of the scriptures is the food of everlasting life.5 But now me thinketh I enter into a very broad sea in that I begin to show, either out of the scriptures themselves, or out of the ancient writers, how much the holy scripture is of force to teach the truth of our religion. But this is it, that I am now about, that Christ would have the church his spouse in all doubts to ask counsel at the word of his father written, & faithfully left, and commended unto it in both Testaments, the old and the new. Neither do we read that Christ in any place hath laid so great a burden upon the members of his spouse, that he hath commanded them to go to the universal Church.6 What soever things are written saith Paul, are written for our learning. And it is true that Christ gave unto his Church, some Apostles, some Prophets, some Evangelists, some shepherds and teachers, to the edifying of the saints, till we come all to the unity of faith. &c. But that all men should meet together out of all parts of the world, to define of the articles of our faith, I neither find it commanded of Christ nor written in the word of God.