Actes and monuments of matters most speciall and memorable, happenyng in the Church. [vol. 1] with an vniuersall history of the same, wherein is set forth at large the whole race and course of the Church, from the primitiue age to these latter tymes of ours, with the bloudy times, horrible troubles, and great persecutions agaynst the true martyrs of Christ, sought and wrought as well by heathen emperours, as nowe lately practised by Romish prelates, especially in this realme of England and Scotland. Newly reuised and recognised, partly also augmented, and now the fourth time agayne published and recommended to the studious reader, by the author (through the helpe of Christ our Lord) Iohn Foxe, which desireth thee good reader to helpe him with thy prayer.

The Aunswere.

The childing or bearing woman,* 1.1 why may she not be Baptised: seeing that the fruitfulnes of the flesh is no fault before the eyes of almighty God. For our first parentes in Paradise, after they had transgressed: lost their immortal∣litie by the iust iudgement of God which they had takē be∣fore. Then, because almighty God woulde not mankinde vtterly to perish because of hys fall (although he lost nowe hys immortallitie for hys trespasse) yet of hys benigne pi∣etie, left notwithstanding to hym the fruit and generation of issue. Wherefore the issue and generation of mans na∣ture, which is conserued by the gift of almighty God, how can it be debarred from the grace of holy Baptisme?

As concerning the churching of women after they haue trauailed: where ye demaund after howe many dayes they ought to goe to the Church, this you haue learned in y^e old law,* 1.2 that for a man child .30. dayes, after a womā child .66. dayes be appoynted her to keepe in. Albeit this you must take to be vnderstād in a mistery. For if she should y^e houre after her trauayle enter into the Churche to geue thankes, she committed therein no sinne. For why the lust and plea∣sure of the flesh, and not the trauaile and payne of the flesh is sinne. In the coniunction of the fleshe is pleasure, but in the trauaile and bringing forth of the child is payne & gro∣nyng. As vnto the mother of all it is sayd: In sorrow thou shalt trauaile. Therefore if we forbid the woman after her labour to enter the church, thē what doe we els but count y^e same the punishment geuen vnto her, for sinne? Therefore for the woeman after her labour to be baptised,* 1.3 eyther that whiche shee hath trauailed foorth (if present necessitie of death doth so require) yea in the selfe same houre, eyther shee that hath brought foorth, eyther that which is borne in the same houre when it is borne, to be baptised we doe not forbid.

Moreouer,* 1.4 for the man to company with his wife, that he must not: before the child that is borne be wayned. But now there is a lewd and naughty custome risen in the con∣ditiō of maryed folks, that mothers do contemne to nourse their owne children, which they haue borne, but set them to other woemen out to nourse: whiche seemeth onely to come of the cause of incontinency. For while they will not contayne themselues, therefore they put from them their children to nourse. &c.

As concerning the woman in her menstruous course whether she ought to enter the Churche? To this I aun∣swere: she ought not to be forbid. For the superfluitie of nature in her ought not to be imputed for any fault, ney∣ther is it iust that she shold be depriued of her accesse to the Church, for that which she suffereth agaynst her wil. And if the woeman did well, presuming in touching the Lords coate in the tyme of her bloudy issue: why then may not that be graunted vnto all woemen infirmed by the fault of nature, which is commended in one person done in her in∣firmitie? Therefore to receaue the misterie of the holy com∣munion, it is not forbidden them. Albeit if she dare not so farre presume in her great infirmitie, she is to be praysed: but if she do receaue, she is not to be iudged. For it is a point of a good minde in some maner to knowledge hys sinnes there, where is no sinne: because manye times that

is done without fault, which commeth of fault. As when we be hungry, we care without fault, notwithstanding it commeth by the fault of our first father to vs that wee are hungrye, &c.

Where ye aske, if a man after the company with hys wyfe, may resort to the Church or to the holy Communi∣on, before he be purged with water. The law giuen to the old people, commaunded that a man after the companye wyth his wife, both shoulde be purified with water, and also should tary the Sunnes set before he came to the con∣gregation. Which seemeth to be vnderstand spiritually: for then most true it is, that the man companieth with the woman, when his minde through delectation is ioyned to vnlawfull concupiscence in his hart and cogitation. At what time, before the said fire of concupiscence shall be re∣mooued, let the person thinke himselfe vnworthye the en∣traunce to the congregation, through the viciousnes of his filthy will. But of this matter sondry nations haue euery one their sondry customes: some on way & some an other. The auncient maner of the Romanes frō our forefathers, hath beene, that in such case, first they purged themselues with water, then for a little they abstaine reuerently, and so resort to the Church. &c.

After many other words debated of this matter, thus he inferreth: but if any person not for voluptuousnes of the flesh, but for procreation of children, do company with his wife, that man concerning either the comming to the Church, or the receauing the misteries of the Lords body & bloud, is to be left to his owne iudgement: for he ought not to be forbid of vs to come, which when he lieth in the fire will not burne. &c.

There is an other question also to these adioyned, with his aunswere likewise to the same, concerning pollutions in the night, but I thought these at this present to our en∣glish eares, sufficient.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The aunswere.
• * 1.2

  The Churching of woemen.
• * 1.3

  He speaketh here after the custome of the tyme.
• * 1.4

  Mothers that nurse not their owne Children reprehended.