N20568:4956
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.
WHEN a man hath▪ by seeking the word of God, found out what the things above be, then must he (as St. Paul saith) set his affections upon them. And this commandment is more hard than the other. For man's knowledge many times seeth the best, and knoweth there is a life to come, better than this life present, (as you may see how daily men and women can praise and commend, yea, and wish for heaven, and to be at rest there) yet they set not their affections upon it: they do more affect and love indeed a trifle of nothing in this that pleaseth their affection, than the treasure of all treasures in heaven, which their own judgment saith is better than all worldly things. "Wherefore we must set our affections on the things that be above;" that is to say, when any thing worse than heaven, upon the earth, offereth itself to be our's, if we will give our good wills to it, and love it in our hearts, then ought we to see by the judgment of God's word, whether we may have the world without offence to God, and such things as be for this worldly life without his displeasure. If we cannot, St. Paul's commandment must take place▪ "Set your affections on things that are above." If the riches of this world may not be gotten nor kept by God's law, neither our lives be continued without the denial of his honour, we must set our affections upon the riches and life that is above, and not upon things that are on the earth. Therefore this second commandment of St. Paul requireth, that our minds judge heavenly things to be better than things upon the earth, and the life to come better than the life present; so we should choose them before the other, and prefer them, and have such affection to the best, that in no case we set the worst before it, as the most part of the world doth and hath done, for they choose the best and approve it, and yet follow the worst.
WHEN a man hath▪ by seeking the word of God, found out what the things above be, then must he (as St. Paul saith) set his affections upon them. And this commandment is more hard than the other. For man's knowledge many times seeth the best, and knoweth there is a life to come, better than this life present, (as you may see how daily men and women can praise and commend, yea, and wish for heaven, and to be at rest there) yet they set not their affections upon it: they do more affect and love indeed a trifle of nothing in this that pleaseth their affection, than the treasure of all treasures in heaven, which their own judgment saith is better than all worldly things. "Wherefore we must set our affections on the things that be above;" that is to say, when any thing worse than heaven, upon the earth, offereth itself to be our's, if we will give our good wills to it, and love it in our hearts, then ought we to see by the judgment of God's word, whether we may have the world without offence to God, and such things as be for this worldly life without his displeasure. If we cannot, St. Paul's commandment must take place "Set your affections on things that are above." If the riches of this world may not be gotten nor kept by God's law, neither our lives be continued without the denial of his honour, we must set our affections upon the riches and life that is above, and not upon things that are on the earth. Therefore this second commandment of St. Paul requireth, that our minds judge heavenly things to be better than things upon the earth, and the life to come better than the life present; so we should chuse them before the other, and prefer them, and have such affection to the best, that in no case we set the worst before it, as the most part of the world doth and hath done, for they chuse the best and approve it, and yet follow the worst.