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.

¶To a friend of his, instructing hym how he should aunswer his aduersaries.

MY good brother, our mercifull God and deare Father through christ, opē your eyes effectually to see,* 1.1 & your heart ardently to desire the euerlasting ioy which he hath prepared for his slaughter sheep, that is, for such as shrink not from his truth for any such stormes sake. Amen.

When you shall come before the Magistrates to geue an aunswer of the hope which is in you, do it with all re∣uerence and simplicity. And because you may be somthing afrayd by the power of the Maiestrates & cruelty which they will threaten against you, I would you set before you the good father Moses to follow his example:* 1.2 for hee set the inuisible God before his eyes of fayth, and with them looked vpon God and his glorious Maiestie and power, as with his corporal eies he saw Pharao and all his feare∣full

terrors. So doe you my dearely beloued: let your in∣ward eies geue such light vnto you, that as you know you ar•• before the magistrates, so and much more, you & they also are present before the face of God, which will geue such wisedome to you, fearing him and seeking his prayse, as the enemies shall wonder at, and further, he will so or∣der their harts and doyngs, that they shall, will they, ••ill they, serue Gods prouidence towards you (which you can not auoyd though you would) as shall be most to his glo∣ry, and your euerlasting comfort.

Therefore my good brother, let your whole study bee onely to please God: put hym alwayes before your eies, for he is on your right hand lest you should be mooued, he is faithfull, and neuer will suffer you to be tempted aboue that hee will make you able to beare. Yea euery haire of your hed he hath numbred, so that one of them shal not pe∣rish without his good will, which cannot be, but bee good vnto you, in that he is become your father▪ through Christ, and therfore as he hath geuen you to beleue in hym (God increase this beliefe in vs all) so doth hee now graciously geue vnto you to suffer for his names sake: the which you ought with all thankefulnesse to receiue, in that you are made worthy to drinke of the self same cup, which not on∣ly the very sonnes of God haue dronke of before you, but euen the very natural sonne of God himself hath brought you good lucke. Oh he of his mercy make vs thankefull to pledge him agayne. Amen.

Because the chiefest matter they will trouble you and go about to deceiue you withall, is the Sacrament, not of Christes body and bloud,* 1.3 but of the aulter (as they call it) thereby destroieng the Sacrament which Christ institu∣ted: I would you noted these two things: First, that the Sacrament of the aulter which the Priest offereth in the Masse, and eateth priuately with himselfe, is not the Sa∣crament of Christes body add bloud instituted by him, as Christes institution plainely written and set foorth in the scriptures, beyng compared to their vsing of it, playnely doth declare.

Againe, if they talke with you of Christes Sacrament instituted by him, whether it be Christes body or no: aun∣swer them, that as to the eyes of your reason, to your tast and corporall senses it is bread and wyne, and therfore the Scripture calleth it after the consecration so: euē so to the eyes, taste, and senses of your faith, which ascendeth to the right hand of God in heauen, where Christ sitteth, it is in very deed Christs body and bloud, which spiritually your soule feedeth on to euerlasting life in faith and by faith, euē as your body presently feedeth on the sacramentall bread and sacramentall wyne.

By this meanes as you shall not allow transubstan∣tiation, nor none of their popish opinions: so shal you de∣clare the Sacrament to be a matter of faith, and not of rea∣son, as the Papistes make it. For they deny Gods omni∣potencie, in that they say Christ is not there, if bread bee there:* 1.4 but fayth looketh on the omnipotencie of God, ioi∣ned with this promise, and doubteth not but that Christ is able to geue that he promiseth vs spiritually by fayth, the bread still remaining in substāce, as wel as if the substance of bread were takē away: for Christ saith not in any place this is no bread. But of this geare God shal instruct you, if you hang on his promise, and pray for the power & wis∣dome of his spirit, which vn••oubtedly as you are bounde to looke for, praying for it, so he hath bound himselfe by his promise to geue it: the which thing graunt vnto vs both, and to all his people, for his names sake, thorough Christ our Lord, Amen.

Iohn Bradford.

Notes

• * 1.1

  An other letter 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Bradf•••••• his fri•••••• with i••••structi•••• how ••••••swere 〈◊〉〈◊〉 aduers••••••••••
• * 1.2

  Examp•••• Moyses ••••••swering ••••••fore king Pharao.
• * 1.3

  〈1 paragraph〉〈1 paragraph〉
• * 1.4

  〈1 paragraph〉〈1 paragraph〉