Actes and monuments of matters most speciall and memorable, happenyng in the Church. [vol. 2, part 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.

Notes.

* 1.1Is not here good Catholike stuffe (christen Readers) trow you? Conferre I beseech you this doctrine wyth the doctrine of the Apostles, which teach vs that we are fullye complet in Christ, and I wil referre me to no better iudge then to your own conscience. And now therfore, if any mā haue bene in doubt in tymes past of the doctrine and pro∣ceedings of the church of Rome,* 1.2 whether it be rightly char¦ged with blynd errors, with blasphemy intollerable, & I∣dolatry abominable or not, here now may he be fully cer∣tified & resolued. For where was euer idolatry or blasphe∣my to be found, if it be not here in this Mattins & Psalter of our Lady?* 1.3 If Idolatry be to make an idoll to bee wor∣shipped as God, which is no God, what doe we here but make an idoll of our Lady (as we call her) to be worship∣ped with no lesse dignity, glory, authority, reuerence, and seruice, then is the Lord God himselfe. As he is called our Lord, so she is called our lady. And if he be kyng, yet she is the queene of heauē.* 1.4 And though he haue the name of god, yet she bereth so the title of the mother of God, that as mo∣thers haue authority ouer their children, so she is willed to shew her selfe to be his mother, to cause him to grāt our petitions. Finally, if he be our patron, yet is she our patro¦nesse. The commandement saith: Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and hym only shalt thou serue. And what worship or seruice can we geue to God, more then we doe ascribe vnto her? Or what benefit is to be asked at y^e hands of Christ our Sauiour, which is not equally asked of her? To saue our soules, to geue vs peace, to graunt grace, to comfort the desperate, to loose our captiuity, to release our sinnes,* 1.5 to deliuer from the fiend, to bryng to heauen. &c. to her we pray, we cry, we creepe, we sigh, we grone, wee knock and kneele, to her we trust, and if we beleue not al∣so in our Lady,* 1.6 we be heretikes ipso facto.

Furthermore, as Christ our onely Lord and Sauiour hath his Church and Congregation which professeth hys name, of whom we are called Christians: so neither is she likewise without her chapels, her cloisters, her Chapters, fraternities and brotherhoods, which professing her name in like sort, are called our Ladies brethren, or white friers, besides an innumerable sort of other patrons of churches, of whom euery one hath his peculiar church and religion by himselfe, yet all these together be included vnder the ge∣nerall deuotion of our Lady their supreme patronesse and gouernesse.

Now to proceed further to the other prrt of the com∣maundement, which sayeth: Him onely shalt thou serue: What seruice hath the Lord in all the church, but our Lady also iointly with him hath the lyke? Her Masse, her Mat∣tins, her Euensong, her Houres and Complin, her Rosa∣ries, her Anthems, her Collects, her Primer, her Psalter, her holydaies likewyse, yea fiue to one. Finally, as y^e Lord hath his prayer called the Lordes prayer, so hath shee her Aue Maries, yea x. Aues to one Pater noster: yea, & read further in the said Bonauenture,* 1.7 and ye shal see her also to haue her Te Deum, her Benedictus, her Magnificat, and also her Quicunque vult.

If the Lorde our God had not expressed vnto vs hys own will by playne worde, limiting vnto vs by expresse iniunction, what to beleue, what to folow, & how to wor∣ship and serue him, & how to receiue from him our salua∣tion, but had left vs to the imagination of our owne inuē∣tions, euery man to shift for himself after his own pollicy, then peraduenture this way taken by the Popes Church, to make frends & mediators betwene God and vs, for re∣conciliation, remission & saluation, might haue some ryme or reason: but now gods word doth bynde vs, doth pre∣scribe and limite vs precisely in euery point touching sal∣uation, what to beleue, & what to do, shewing vs plainly, that we cannot be saued, but by the bloud of hys sonne on∣ly, neither cā be iustified but by faith only in y^e same Christ his sonne. Wherfore not to beleue that which he hath pro∣mised is infidelitie, and to follow any other beliefe then he hath set vs, is plaine idolatry.* 1.8 The which ij. special errors most commonly doe followe the doctrine of the Romish church, as not only in this primer and psalter of our Lady aforesaid, but also in all their proceedings, teachings, and preachings besides, may well appeare.* 1.9 For where the scripture perfectly doth promise and pronounce vs to bee iustified through our fayth in Christ, & willeth vs to seeke our saluation no where els, but onely in the merits of Ie∣sus: the institution of the church of Rome neyther wyll receiue that God hath freely geuen (wherein standeth in∣fidelity) neither yet will seek the same there where as they should, but in the merites and prayers of our Lady, of S. Iohn Baptist, s. Peter and Paule, s. Andrew, s. Nicholas, s. Thomas of Canterbury, & by the worthines of the ma∣teriall crosse, and such other vnlawfull meanes, wherein standeth plaine idolatry. And yet such bookes as these can be suffered among the Catholikes to be currant, as good, wholesome and lawfull bookes, where as the other which lead vs the true way from infidelitie and blynd idlatry, to true christianitie in no wise can be sufferable. But of this to complaine, it is vaine. Wherfore to passe from this pro∣clamation, let vs proceede (God willing) in the course of our history.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The Church of Rome examined
• * 1.2

  The Church of Rome conn••ct of manifest idola∣try.
• * 1.3

  Our Lady made equall with God in the Church Rome.
• * 1.4

  The doctrine of the Romish Church directly against the first commaundemēt of God.
• * 1.5

  To trust and be∣leeue in our Lady.
• * 1.6

  Our Lady hath her Church as well as Christ.
• * 1.7

  10. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to one P••••ter noste••▪
• * 1.8

  Infidelity▪ Idolatrye.
• * 1.9

  The 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of Rome charged with Infi∣delitye 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Idolatry••▪ The church of Rome neyther ta∣keth 〈◊〉〈◊〉 which Go•• doth geue neyther doth see•••• for that which 〈◊〉〈◊〉 would haue, by lawfull meanes.