N20568:4784
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.
Volume 1 › Book 2 › Chapter 1 › Letter 7: LETTER VII. To Mrs. LUCY HARRINGTON.
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.
LETTER VII. To Mrs. LUCY HARRINGTON.
GRACE and mercy, &c. It happeneth oftentimes that abundance of matter bringeth with it much vehemency of friendly affection, maketh men dumb, and even then chiefly when there is most eager purpose of speaking, silence doth suppress, and causeth the party so affected imperfectly to express what he goeth about to utter. Such impediment by much matter, mingled with fervency of affection, feel I sometimes in myself, hindering the utterance, either by tongue or writing, of the abundance of the heart. The love of our most gracious God and heavenly Father, bestowed upon us in the merits of Christ our Saviour, who may, by conceit of mind, comprehend, passing indeed all understanding' Much less may the same by any means be expressly uttered. And as such heavenly blessings, which by faith we fetch from above, are inexplicable, so it is hard to utter, when the faithful are set o• fire by love, their readiness to reach forth and to give by charity, as by faith they have received. "But, alas! we carry this treasure in earthen vessels." Many times faith is feeble, and then love loseth her favour. Pray we therefore, Lord increase our faith, and love forthwith will be on fire. And immortal thanks be given unto our God, who in our Christ hath bestowed upon us the first fruits of his Spirit, who crieth in our hearts, Abba, Father. And, as St. Paul saith, "Seeing we have the sam• Spirit of •aith, according as it is written; I believed, and therefore have I spoken: we also believe, and therefore we speak." Yea, G•d knoweth, this Spirit putteth us in a mind to speak, but in attempting