N20568:7824
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 11 › Letter 1: LTTER I. From Mr. SHETERDEN to his MOTHER.
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 I. From Mr. SHETERDEN to his MOTHER.
LTTER I. From Mr. SHETERDEN to his MOTHER.
AFTER my humble and bounden duty remembered, well-beloved mother, this shall be to with you increase of grace and godly wisdom, that you may see and perceive the crafty bewitching of Satan our mortal enemy, who as I have divers times declared unto you, doth not openly show himself in his own likeness, but under a colour of devotion deceiveth them that keep not a diligent eye upon him; but having confidence in men's traditions and customs of the world, leaving the commandments of God and testament of his Son Christ Jesus our Lord, do grow more into superstition and hypocrisy, than into wisdom and true holiness. For this is most true, that Satan, the enemy of Souls, doth by his ministers make many believe, that those things which they compel us unto for their bellies' sake, have many godly significations, although they be most contrary to God's will, as doubtless they be, even as the serpent did in paradise to our first mother Eve. What, said he, hath God commanded you shall not eat of the trees in the garden? The woman said, of the fruits of the trees in the garden we may eat: but of the tree in the midst of the garden, said God, see ye eat not, left ye die." Even so our ministers now-a-days, say, Hath God commanded you shall not make you any image or likeness of any thing? Yea, forsooth. Tush, say they, what harm can they do? May we not remember God the better, when we see his image or picture? For they are good books for the lay-men; but indeed they be better for the priests, because they receive the offerings.
AFTER my humble and bounden duty remembered, well-beloved mother, this shall be to with you increase of grace and godly wisdom, that you may see and perceive the crafty bewitching of Satan our mortal enemy, who as I have divers times declared unto you, doth not openly shew himself in his own likeness, but under a colour of devotion deceiveth them that keep not a diligent eye upon him; but having confidence in men's traditions and customs of the world, leaving the commandments of God and testament of his Son Christ Jesus our Lord, do grow more into superstition and hypocrisy, than into wisdom and true holiness. For this is most true, that Satan, the enemy of Souls, doth by his ministers make many believe, that those things which they compel us unto for their bellies' sake, have many godly significations, although they be most contrary to God's will, as doubtless they be, even as the serpent did in paradise to our first mother Eve. What, said he, hath God commanded you shall not eat of the trees in the garden? The woman said, of the fruits of the trees in the garden we may eat: but of the tree in the midst of the garden, said God, see ye eat not, left ye die." Even so our ministers now-a-days, say, Hath God commanded you shall not make you any image or likeness of any thing? Yea, forsooth. Tush, say they, what harm can they do? May we not remember God the better, when we see his image or picture? For they are good books for the lay-men; but indeed they be better for the priests, because they receive the offerings.