N20568:7337
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 10 › Letter 5: LETTER V. From Mr. BRADFORD to the Town of WALDEN.
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.
THEREFORE, my dear friends, waver not in Christ's religion truly taught you, and set forth in the days of king Edward. Never shall the enemies be able to burn, imprison, or keep it in bonds. They may bind and burn us as they please, so long as God shall give them leave; but our cause, religion, and doctrine which we profess, they shall never be able to put away. Their idolatry and popish religion, shall never be built in the consciences of men that love God's truth. As for those that love not his gospel, that have no pleasure in his ways, over those the devil shall prevail: for God will give them up to strong delusions that they may believe lies. Therefore, dear brethren, I humbly beseech you in the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, as I am now going to death for the testimony of Jesus, and as I have often pressed you from the pulpit, that you love the Lord's truth; so love it, that you frame your lives according to it. Alas, you know the cause of all these plagues now falling upon us, which God's enemies daily triumph in, that it is for our not loving God's word as we ought to do.
YOU know that we were gospellers in lips and not in life. We were glutted with, and tired of the word of God: ⟨p. 670⟩yea, we loathed it, as the children of Israel did the manna in the wilderness; and therefore as the Lord's wrath waxed hot with them, so it doth with us. So that there is no other remedy, but that (for it is better late to turn, than never to turn) we confess our faults even from the bottom of our hearts, and with hearty repentance, (which God grant to us all) we run unto the Lord our God, who is exorable, merciful, and sorry for the evil poured out upon us; and cry unto him with Daniel, saying, We have sinned, we have grievously sinned, O Lord God, against thy majesty; we have heaped iniquity upon iniquity: the measure of our transgressions floweth over, so that thy vengeance and wrath is justly fallen upon us. For we are very miserable, for we have contemned thy long suffering, we have not hearkened to thy voice. When thou hast called us by preachers, we hardened our hearts, and therefore now we justly deserve to have our hearts hardened like Pharaoh, to have eyes and see not, ears and hear not, hearts and understand not, lest we should turn and be saved. O be merciful unto us; spare us, good Lord, and all thy people whom thou hast dearly bought. Let not thine enemies triumph altogether, and always against thee, for then they will be puffed up. Look down and behold the pitiful complaint of the poor; let the sorrowful sighing of the simple come into thy sight, and be not angry with us for ever. Turn us, O Lord God of hosts, unto thee, and turn thou unto us, that thou mayest be justified in thy sweet sentences, and overcome when thou art judged, as now thou art by our adversaries. For they say, Where is their God? Can God deliver them now? Can their gospel serve them? O Lord, how long? for thy honour's sake, in the bowels and blood of Jesus Christ, we humbly beseech thee, come and help us, for we are very miserable.