N20568:9792
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.
AND lest, my lords, you may peradventure think, thus barely to the bishop of Rome Christ's adversary, or (to speak in plain terms) to call him Antichrist that it is done in mine anguish, and that I but rage, and as a desperate man do not care what I say, or upon whom I rail; therefore that your lordships may perceive my mind, and thereby understand that I speak the words of truth and sobriety. (as St. Paul said unto Festus) be it known unto your lordships, (the living Lord beareth me witness, before whom I speak) I do think many a good holy man, many martyrs and saints of God have sat and taught in that place Christ's gospel truly, which therefore justly may be called Apostolici, that is, true disciples of the apostles, and also that church and congregation of christians to be a right apostolic church: yea, and that certain hundred years after the same was first erected and built upon Christ, by the true apostolical doctrine taught by the mouths of the apostles themselves. If you will know how long that was, and how many hundred years, to be curious in pointing the precise number of the years, I will not be too bold, but thus I say, So long and so many hundred years as that see did truly preach and teach that religion, exercised that power, and ordered every thing by those laws and rules which that see received of the apostles, and (as Tertullian saith) the apostles of Christ, and Christ of God: so long, I say, that see might well have been called Peter and Paul's chair, and the bishop thereof Apostolicus, or true disciple and successor of the apostles, and a minister of Christ.
BUT since the time that that see hath degenerated from the trade of truth and true religion, which it received of the apostles at the beginning, and hath preached another gospel, hath set up another religion, hath exercised another power, and hath taken upon it to order and rule the church of Christ by other strange laws, canons, and rules, than ever it received of the apostles of Christ, which things it doth at this day, and hath continued so doing, (alas) too long a time, I say, that that state and condition of that see hath thus been changed, in truth it ought of duty and of right to have the names changed both of the see and of the sitter therein. For understand, my lords, it was neither for the privilege of the place or person thereof, that that see and bishops thereof were called apostolic; but for the true trade of Christ's religion, which was taught and maintained in that see at first, and of those godly men. And therefore as truly and justly as that see then, for that true trade of religion, and consanguinity of doctrine with the religion and doctrine of Christ's apostles, was called apostolic; so as truly and as justly for the contrariety of religion, and diversity of doctrine from Christ and his apostles, that see and bishop thereof, at […] day both ought to be called, and are indeed antichristian.