A history of the work of redemption. Containing the outlines of a body of…

France also is another country, which, since the Reformation, in some respects, perhaps more than any other, has been a scene of dreadful cruelties suffered by the Protestants there. After many cruelties had been exercised towards the Protestants in that kingdom, there was begun a persecution of them in the year 1571, in the reign of Charles IX. King of France. It began with a cruel massacre, wherein 70,000 Protestants were slain in a few days time, as the King boasted: and in all this persecution, be slew, as i• supposed, 300,000 mary•s. It is reckoned, that about this time, within thirty years, there were martyred in this kingdom, for the Protestant religion, 39 princes, 148 counts, 234 barons, 147,518 gentlemen, and 760,000 of the common people.

But all these persecutions were, for exquisite cruelty, far exceeded by those which followed in the reign of Lewis XIV. which indeed are supposed to exceed all others that ever have been; and ⟨p. 228⟩being long continued▪ by reason of the long reign of that King, almost wholly extirpated the Protestant religion out of that kingdom, where had been before a multitude of famous Protestant churches all over the kingdom. Thus it was given to the beast to make war with the saints, and to overcome them.

There was also a terrible persecution in England in Queen Mary's time, wherein great numbers in all parts of the kingdom were burnt alive. After this, though the Protestant religion has been for the most part established by law in England, yet there have been very severe persecutions by the high church men, who symbolize in many things with the Papists. Such a persecution was that which occasioned our forefathers to fee from their native country, and to come and settle in this land, which was then an hideous howling wilderness. These persecutions were continued with little intermission till King William cme to the throne.