N20568:9434
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.
John, and tell you the meaning thereof, if they think it expedient for you to know it, as I remember it is Tractatu iii. but I am not sure nor certain of that, because I did not see it since I was at Cambridge; and here I have not St. Augustine's works to look for it, but well I know ⟨p. 862⟩that there he teacheth us to know the christians from the antichristians, which both be christened, and both confess Jesus to be Christ, if they are asked the question: and yet the one part denieth it in the very deed. But to know the difference, we must not stand upon our talk, but not attend to our doings and conversation of life, whether we not only do put our endeavour thereto, but also persuade ourselves as though it were not necessary for us to accomplish such things, &c. but that is not enough to bear rule and authority over them, and to bestow ourselves wholly upon secular matters, pleasures, and pomps of this world. And yet we will appear, at the least to be of God alone, but they far otherwise confess Christ, who are approved to be of God by their confession.
AND yet as long as they minister the word of God, or his sacraments, or any thing that God hath ordained to the salvation of mankind, wherewith God hath promised to be present, to work with the ministration of the same to the end of the world, they to be heard, to be obeyed, to be honoured for God's ordinance sake, which is effectual and fruitful, whatsoever the minister be, though he be a devil, and neither church nor member of the same, as Origen saith, and Chrysostom; so that it is not all one to honour them and trust in them, St. Jerome saith: but there is required a judgment to discern when they minister God's word and ordinance of the same, and their own, lest peradventure we take chalk for cheese, which will edge our teeth, and hinder digestion. For as it is commonly said, The blind eateth many a fly, as they did which were persuaded by the high priests to ask Barabbas and to crucify Jesus: and ye know that to follow the blind guides, is to come into the pit with the same. And will you know, saith Augustine, how pertly they resist Christ, when men begin to blame them for misliving, and intolerable secularity and negligence? They dare not for shame blaspheme the name of Christ himself, but they will blaspheme the ministers and preachers by whom they be blamed.