N20568:4667
The new and complete book of martyrs; or, An universal history of martyrdom: being Fox's Book of martyrs, revised and corrected, with additions and great improvements. : Containing an authentic account of the lives, persecutions and sufferings of the holy martyrs; and the many dreadful persecutions against the Church of Christ in all parts of the world, by pagans, Jews, Turks, papists, and others, from earliest ages of the church to the present period. ... The whole forming at once a general Christian martyrology, and a complete history of persecutions. / By the Rev. Mr. John Fox, M.A. late of Magdalen College, Oxford. ; Now revised, corrected and improved, with many additional articles, relating to the acts and monuments of the church. By Paul Wright, D.D. ; Embellished with forty elegant copper plate engravings. ; In two volumes. Vol. I[-II].The new and complete book of martyrs; or, An universal history of martyrdom: being Fox's Book of marytrs, revised and corrected, with additions and great improvements. : Containing an authentic account of the lives, persecutions and sufferings of the holy martyrs; and the many dreadful persecutions against the Church of Christ in all parts of the world, by pagans, Jews, Turks, papists, and others, from earliest ages of the church to the present period. ... The whole forming at once a general Christian martyrology, and a complete history of persecutions. / By the Rev. Mr. John Fox, M.A. late of Magdalen College, Oxford. ; Now revised, corrected and improved, with many additional articles, relating to the acts and monuments of the church. By Paul Wright, D.D. ; Embellished with forty elegant copper plate engravings. ; In two volumes. Vol. I[-II].
New-York: printed by William Durell, 1794
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
KING EDWARD also by parliament, according to God's word, set the marriage of priests at liberty, abolished the popish and idolatrous mass, changed the Latin service, and set up the holy communion; the whole clergy consented hereunto; many of them set it forth by their preaching; and they all by practising confirmed the same.
NOTWITHSTANDING, now when the state is altered, and the laws changed, the papistical clergy, with other worldlings, as men neither fearing God neither flying worldly shame, neither yet ⟨p. 428⟩regarding their consciences, oaths or honesty, like wavering weather-cocks turn round about, and putting on harlot's foreheads, sing a new song, and cry with an impudent mouth, Come again, come again to the catholic church, meaning the antichristian church of Rome, which is the synagogue of Satan, and the very sink of all superstition, heresy, and idolatry.
OF what force, I pray you, may a man think these parliaments to be, which scarcely stand a year in strength? Or what credit is to be given to these law-makers, who are not ashamed to establish contrary laws, and to condemn that for evil, which before (the thing itself and the circumstances remaining all one) they affirmed and decreed to be good. Truly you are so ready, contrary to all right, to change and turn for the pleasure of man, that at length, I fear, God will use you like changelings, and both turn you out of his kingdom, and out of your own country.
YE charge the gospel-preachers with the undoing of this realm: nay, it is the turning papists, which have not only set to sale their country like traitors, but also troubled the simple people, so that they cannot tell what they may believe. For that which they affirmed in king Edward's days, now they cry against it, as it were most abominable heresy. This fault, I trust, you shall never find at our hands.
THEREFORE to conclude that which I purposed, forasmuch as the acts of parliament of these latter times are one contrary to another, and those which you now have established in your time are contrary to God's most manifest word, as is the usurped supremacy of the bishop of Rome, the idolatrous mass, the Latin service, the prohibiting of lawful marriage, (which St. Paul calleth the doctrine of devils) with many other things: I say, it is not only lawful for any private man, which bringeth God's word for him, and the authority of the primitive and best church, to speak and write against such unlawful laws; but it is his duty, and he is bound in very conscience to do it. Which thing I have proved by divers examples before, and now will add but one other, which is written in the fifth of the Acts, where it appeareth that the high priests, elders, scribes, and pharisees, decreed in their council, and gave the same commandments to the apostles, that they should not preach in the name of Christ, as you have also forbidden us; notwithstanding when they were charged therewithal, they answered, We ought rather to obey God than man: even so do we answer you; God is more to be obeyed than man; and your wicked laws cannot so tongue-de us, but we will speak the truth.
THE apostles were beaten for their boldness, and they rejoiced that they suffered for Christ's cause. You have also provided rods for us, and bloody whips: yet when you have done that which God's hand and counsel hath determined that you shall do, be it life or death, I trust that God will so assist us by his holy spirit and grace, that we shall patiently suffer it, and praise God for it: and whatsoever become of me and others, which now suffer for speaking and professing of the truth, yet be you sure, that God's word will prevail and have the upper hand, when your bloody laws and wicked decrees, for want of sure foundation, shall fall in the dust: and that which I have spoken of your acts of parliament, the same may be said of the general councils of these latter days, which have been within these five hundred years, where the Antichrist of Rome, by reason of his usurped authority, ruled, and decreed such things as made for his gain, not regarding God's glory: and therefore are they to be spoken, written, and cried out against of all such as fear God and love his truth.
AND thus much I purposed to have said concerning the first point.
NOW touching the second point. That whereas my lord chancellor had the day before said his pleasure of them that ruled the realm while he was in prison, and also rejoiced as though God had made this alteration, even for his sake, and his catholic church, as he called it, and to declare as it were by miracle, that we were before in a schism and heresy, and the realm was now brought unto an unity, and to a truth▪ to which I was fully purposed to have spoken. Secondly, my lord, whereas you, yesterday, so much dispraised the government of them that ruled in innocent king ⟨p. 429⟩Edward's days, may it please your lordship to understand, that we poor preachers, whom you so evil treat, did most boldly and plainly rebuke their evil government in many things, especially their covetousness, and neglect to live after the gospel, as also their negligence to occasion others to live thereafter, with more things than I can now rehearse. This all London can testify with us. I would also have told him, what I myself for my part did once at Paul's-Cross, concerning the mis-use of abbeys, and other church goods: and I am right well assured, that never a papist of them all did ever so much therein as I did, I thank the Lord therefore: I was also, as is well known, fain to answer before all the council, and many of my brethren did the like, so that we, for the not rebuking of their faults, shall not answer before God, nor be blameworthy before men. Therefore let the gentlemen and courtiers themselves, and all the citizens of London, testify what we did.
BUT, my lord, you could not abide them, for that which they did unto you, and for that they were of a contrary religion unto you. Wherefore in that you seem so inveterate against them, it is neither any just or public cause, but it is your own private hate that maketh you to report so evil of their governance, and you may now say what you please of them, when they are partly dead and gone, and partly, by you, put out of office.
BUT what shall be said of you when your fall shall follow, you shall then hear. And I must say my conscience to you: I fear, you have, and will, with your governance, bring England out of God's blessing into a warm sun. I pray God you do not.
I am an Englishman born, and, God knoweth, do naturally wish well to my country. And my lord, I have often proved that the things, which I have much feared would come to pass, have indeed followed I pray God I may fail of my guessing in this behalf: but truly, that will not be with expelling the true word of God out of the realm, and with the shedding of innocent blood.
AND as touching your rejoicing, as though God had set you aloft to punish us by miracle, (for so you report and brag openly of yourself) and to minister justice, if we will not receive your holy father's mercy, and thereby do declare your church to be true, and our's false; to that I answer thus: God's works are wonderful, and are not to be comprehended and perceived by man's wisdom, nor by the wit of the most wise and prudent.
BUT here they will cry out. Lo these men will be still John Baptist, the apostles, and prophets, &c.
I answer, We make not ourselves like unto them, in the singular virtues and gifts of God given unto them; as of doing miracles, and of many other things. The similitude and likeness of them and us consisteth not in all things, but only in this, that is, that we be like them in doctrine, and in the suffering of persecution and infamy for the same.
WE have preached their very doctrine, and no other thing: that we are able sufficiently to declare by their writings; and by writing for my part, I have proffered to prove the same, as is often said. And for this cause we suffer the like reproach, shame, and rebuke of the world, and the like persecution, losing of our lives and goods, forsaking (as our master Christ commandeth) father, mother, sister, brethren, wives, children, and all that there is, being assured of a joyful resurrection, and to be crowned in glory with them, according to the infallible promises made unto us in Christ, our only and sufficient mediator, reconciler, priest, and sacrifice, which hath pleased the Father, and quieted and pacified his wrath against our sins, and made us without spot or wrinkle in his fight by imputation, although we, of and in ourselves, are blotted with many filthy sins, which if the great mercy granted in Christ did not put away, by not imputing them unto us of his unspeakable mercy and love to save us, they would have brought us to everlasting damnation: and herein, and in no other, do we affirm ourselves to be like unto our head Christ, and all his apostles, prophets, martyrs, and saints. And herein ought all christian men to be like them, and herein are all true christian men and women like them, every one according to the measure of the faith that God hath dealt unto them, and to the diversity ⟨p. 430⟩of the gifts of the Spirit given unto them. But let us now consider, that if it be God's good will and pleasure to give his own beloved heart, that is, his beloved church, and the members thereof, into the hands of their enemies, to chasten, try, and prove them, and to bring them to the true unfeigned acknowledging of their own natural stubbornness, disobedience towards God and his commandments, as touching the love of God and of their brethren or neighbours, and their natural inclination, readiness, and desire to love creatures, to seek their own lust, pleasures, and things forbidden of God, to obtain a true and earnest repentance, and sorrowfulness thereof, and to make them sigh and cry for forgiveness of the same, and for the aid of the Spirit, daily to mortify and kill the said evil desires and lusts:
WE have preached their very doctrine, and no other thing: that we are able sufficiently to declare by their writings; and by writing for my part, I have proffered to prove the same, as is often said. And for this cause we suffer the like reproach, shame, and rebuke of the world, and the like persecution, losing of our lives and goods, forsaking (as our master Christ commandeth) father, mother, sister, brethren, wives, children, and all that there is, being assured of a joyful resurrection, and to be crowned in glory with them, according to the infallible promises made unto us in Christ, our only and sufficient mediator, reconciler, priest, and sacrifice, which hath pleased the Father, and quieted and pacified his wrath against our sins, and made us without spot or wrinkle in his fight by imputation, although we, of and in ourselves, are blotted with many filthy sins, which if the great mercy granted in Christ did not put away, by not imputing them unto us of his unspeakable mercy and love to save us, they would have brought us to everlasting damnation: and herein, and in no other, do we affirm ourselves to be like unto our head Christ, and all his apostles, prophets, martyrs, and saints. And herein ought all christian men to be like them, and herein are all true christian men and women like them, every one according to the measure of the fath that God hath dealt unto them, and to the diversity
yea, and often falling into gross outward sins, as did David, Peter, Magdalen, and others, to rise again also, with a mighty crying for mercy, with many other causes. Let us also consider, what he hereafter doth with the same enemies, into whose hands he hath given his render beloved darlings to be chastened and tried: whereas he but chasteneth and crosseth them for a small while, according to his good pleasure, as all fathers do with their children, Heb. xii. Prov. iii. he utterly destroyeth, yea, and everlastingly damneth the unrepentant enemies. Let Herod tell me what he got by killing James and persecuting Peter and his church. Verily God thought him not worthy to have death ministered unto him by men or angels, or any worthy creatures; but those small, yet vile vermin, lice and worms, must consume and kill his beastly, vile, and tyrannous body. Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar, for all their pride and most mighty power, must at length let God's darlings go freely away out of their land, yea, out of their bands and tyranny. For when it could not be obtained of their hands, that God's congregation might have true mercy ministered unto them, but the counterfeit mercy of these our days, that is to say, extreme cruelty, and even the most horrible and cruel death, God arose and awoke out of his sleep, and destroyed those enemies of his flock with a mighty hand, and stretched-out arm. Pharaoh did with most great and intolerable labours and burdens oppress and bring under the poor Israelites, and yet did the courtiers undoubtedly noise abroad, that the king was merciful unto them, to suffer them to live in the land, and to set them to work, that they might get them their livings. If he should thrust them out of his land, whither should they go, like a sort of vagabonds and runagates? This title and name of mercy would that tyrant have, and so did his flattering false courtiers spread his vain praise abroad. Have not we the like example now-a-days? O that I had now time to write certain things pertaining to our Winchester's mercy! How merciful he hath been to me and my good brethren, I will not speak of, neither yet unto the duke of Suffolk's most innocent daughter, and to her as innocent husband. For although their fathers were faulty, yet had their youth and lack of experience deserved a pardon by all true merciful men's judgments.
yea, and often falling into gross outward sins, as did David, Peter, Magdalen, and others, to rise again also, with a mighty crying for mercy, with many other causes. Let us also consider, what he hereafter doth with the same enemies, into whose hands he hath given his render beloved dearlings to be chastened and tried: whereas he but chasteneth and crosseth them for a small while, according to his good pleasure, as all fathers do with their children,
