N20568:9432
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.
I do marvel why our christian congregations be so greatly grieved that lay-people would read the scripture, seeing that St. Jerome alloweth and approveth of the same, which compareth not here the unchristened to the christened, but the lay-people christened to their curates christened, under which they have been rocked and locked asleep in a subtle trade a great while full soundly, though now of late they have been awaked, but to their pain, at least to the pain of those that awakened them with the word of God; and it is properly said of St. Jerome to call themselves masters and not servants, meaning that servants teach not their own doctrine, but the doctrine of their master Christ, to his glory. Masters teach not Christ's doctrine, but their own, to their own glory; which masterly curates cannot be quiet, till they have brought the people asleep again: but Christ, the very true master, saith, Watch and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither my ways your ways, saith the Lord: and there be those who have gone about counsels, which they could not establish, I pray God give our people grace so to awake, that their works may be approved, and our masters so to sleep, that their idleness do not rebuke them. For who is so blind as not to see how far our christian congregation doth gainsay St. Jerome, and speaketh after another manner? God amend what is amiss; for I understand we be something wide.
I do marvel why our christian congregations be so greatly grieved that lay-people would read the scripture, seeing that St. Jerome alloweth and approveth of the same, which compareth not here the unchristened to the christened, but the lay-people christened to their curates christened, under which they have been rocked and locked asleep in a subtle trade a great while full soundly, though now of late they have been awaked, but to their pain, at least to the pain of those that awakened them with the word of God; and it is properly said of St. Jerome to call themselves masters and not servants, meaning that servants teach not their own doctrine, but the doctrine of their master Christ, to his glory. Masters teach not Christ's doctrine, but their own, to their own glory; which masterly cur•tes cannot be quiet, till they have brought the people asleep again: but Christ, the very true master, saith, Watch and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither my ways your ways, saith the Lord: and there be those who have gone about counsels, which they could not establish, I pray God give our people grace so to awake, that their works may be approved, and our masters so to sleep, that their idleness do not rebuke them. For who is so blind as not to see how far our christian congregation doth gainsay St. Jerome, and speaketh after another manner? God amend what is amiss; for I understand we be something wide.