N20568:4672
The new and complete book of martyrs; or, An universal history of martyrdom: being…
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.
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.