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.

A letter to his brother VVater Sheterden,

* 1.1I Wishe you healthe in Christe, true knowledge of hys word & a faithful obedient hart vnto y^e same. It is shew¦ed me my brother, y^t yee willed me by a letter made to a frend of yours, to perswade with me, that I shoulde be ruled by mine Uncle, which saith he wil bestow his goods very largely vpon me, If I shoulde not stand to highe in mine own conceipt. But my good brother, I trust ye doe not iudge so euill of me, that I should haue a fayth to sell for money. For though he or you were able to geue me the treasure of the whole countrey, yet I thanke my Lorde God, I do iudge it but an heape of dongue, in respecte of y^e treasure hid w^tin: yet I do esteme a buckle of your shoe, if it come with good wil. And for to be counselled and ruled by him or you, or any other my frends: I do not, neither haue refused it, if they require no more of me then my power, & that which belongeth to mortall men. But if they require of me any thing which pertayneth to God onely, there is neither high nor low, frend nor foe, I trust in God, shall get it of me, nor yet the Aungels in heauen.

For though I be not learned (as the vayne men of the world call learning) yet I thanke my Lorde God,* 1.2 I haue learned out of Gods booke, to know God from his crea∣tures, and to know Christ from hys sacramentes, and to put a difference betweene the merites of Christes Passion and hys Supper, & a difference betwene y^e water of Bap∣tisme, and the holy Ghost, and not to mixe and mingle all thinges confusely together, so that if one aske me a questi∣on or a reason of my fayth, I must say thus, I beleeue as holy Church beleeueth: if he aske me what is the order of that fayth, I should be so ignoraunt that I could not dis∣cerne God from his creatures, nor Christ from his sacra∣mentes. If I should so monstrously vtter my faythe, that I were not able to iudge betweene Christes byrth and his buriall, nor which were first, of his mortification, and hys glorification, who would beleue that my faith wer sound?

For some affirme that Christ did not geue to his Apo∣stles a mortall and a passible bodye, but an immortall & glorified body, so that he should haue a glorified bodye be∣fore his death & so his glorification was before hys resur∣rection: and that he was risen before he was crucified, and crucified before hys Baptisme, and then they may as well say, he was Baptised before his Byrth, and borne before hee was conceiued, and conceiued before he was promised & that were euen right Antichrist to turne al things back∣ward, & then say: Oh ye must beleue, for God is almighty he can do all things &c. Truth it is that God is almighty in deede,* 1.3 and yet I may not beleeue thinges contrarye to hys word, that Christes body was glorified before he dy∣ed: for Gods omnipotency doth not stand in thinges con∣trary to hys will, but in performyng his will at his plea∣sure in tyme, Neither doth he require of vs to iudge or be∣leue of his almighty power, that he hath made the ende of the world to come, before the beginning, or yet the fruit to come before y^e blossome, & yet is he neuertheles almightye.

But if peraduenture yee shall thinke with youre selfe, Why, they are learned:* 1.4 it were maruell but they shoulde know what is the trueth, as well as other whiche neuer kept no such study. &c. To that I answere, that if they had studied Gods word the author of truth, as they haue done Logicke, and Duns, with the Legend of lyes, they shuld haue bene as expert in the truth, as they be now in balde reasons. But thus hath God fulfilled his promise, y^t suche should be deluded with lyes, which would not beleue nor walke in his truth.

And agayne: this is a good cause to make vs thynke surely, that thys was the cause that God gaue them ouer at the first to erroure, after the Apostles time by litle & li∣tle, as they grewe in sinne. For seeing wee had hys trueth now among vs a few yeares, because we did not obey vn¦to it, we see what a sodayne chaunge God hathe brought vpon vs for our sinnes sake. And why shuld not we think that this and such lyke disobedience was the cause y^t God tooke his word from all Christendome at the first, and cast a darkenes vpon them that would not walke in his light.* 1.5 For it is euident enough to see how lyke theyr doynges be to Christes and hys Apostles, and that seene, eyther wee must iudge Christes doings very slender, and theirs good or els that in deede they be the very Antichristes, whiche should come and turne all thinges out of frame. Thus I haue bene bold to trouble you, which I trust shall not bee altogether in vayne. Pray for me, as I doe for you.

Your brother Nicholas Shetterden, prisoner for the truth in Westgate.

Notes

• * 1.1

  My vncle hath bene with me & made great promises and great threates also.
• * 1.2

  So should he haue 2. bodyes at once, one glo∣rified, and an o∣ther mortall. No order nor reason in the popes doctrine.
• * 1.3

  We are bound 〈◊〉〈◊〉 beleeue what 〈◊〉〈◊〉 hath ex∣pressely willed, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 what 〈◊〉〈◊〉 able to d••▪
• * 1.4

  He spea∣keth not a••gaynst the true vse of Logike.
• * 1.5

  Why God taketh 〈◊〉〈◊〉 worde 〈◊〉〈◊〉 realme••••.