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.

*Here beginneth the reformation of the church of Christ, in the tyme of Martine Luther.

ALthough it can not be sufficiently expressed with toūg or pen of man,* 1.1 into what miserable ruine & desolation the church of Christ was brought in those latter dayes: yet partly by the reading of these storyes aforepast, some intel∣ligence may be geuen to them, whiche haue iudgement to marke or eyes to see: in what blindnes and darckenes the world was drowned during the space of these 400. yeares heretofore and more. By the viewing and considering of which times and histories, thou mayst vnderstand (gentle reader) how the religion of Christ, which onely consisteth in spirit and veritie, was wholy turned into outward ob∣seruations, ceremonies, and idolatry. So many Sainctes we had, so many gods, so many monasteries, so many pil∣grimages. As many churches, as many reliques forged & teyned we had. Agayne, so many reliques, so many lyeng miracles wee beleued. In stede of the onely liuing Lorde▪ we worshipped dead stocks and stones. In place of Christ immortall, we adored mortall bread. In stead of his bloud we worshipped the bloud of duckes, How the people wer led, so that the priestes were fed, no care was taken. In stead of Gods word, mans worde was set vp. In stead of Christes testament, the Popes testament, that is the Ca∣non lawe: in stead of Paule, the mayster of sentence tooke place, and almost full possession. The law of God was li∣tle read: the vse and end therof was lesse knowne. And as the ende of the lawe was vnknowne, so the difference be∣tweene the Gospell and the lawe, was not vnderstanded, y^e benefite of Christ not considered, the effect of faith not ex∣pended. Through the ignoraunce wherof, it cannot be told what infinite erroures, sectes and religious crept into the church ouerwhelming the world, as with a floud of igno∣raunce and seduction. And no maruell, for where the foun∣dation is not well layd, what building can stand and pros∣per? The foundation of all our Christianitie is onely this: The promise of God,* 1.2 in the bloud of Christ hys sonne, ge∣uing and promising life vnto all that beleeue in him: Ge∣uing (sayth the Scripture) vnto vs, and not barganing or indenting with vs: And that freely (sayth the Scripture) for Christes sake,* 1.3 and not condicionally for our merites sake.

* 1.4Furthermore freely (sayth the scripture) by grace that the promise might be firme and sure, and not by the wor∣kes that we doe,* 1.5 which are alwaies doubtfull. By grace (sayth the scripture) through promise to all and vpon all y^t beleue, and not by the law vpon them that do deserue. For if it come by deseruing, thē is it not of grace: If it be not of grace,* 1.6 thē is it not of promise. And contrariwise if it be of grace and promise, then is it not of works sayth S. Paul. Upon this foundatiō of Gods free promise and grace first builded the Patriarckes,* 1.7 kinges and prophets. Upon the same foundation also Christ the Lord builded his church. Upon the which foundation the Apostles likewise builded the Church Apostolicall or Catholicall.

This Apostolicall and Catholicke foundation, so long as the Church did retayn, so long it continued sincere and sound: which endured a long seasō after the apostles time. But after, in proces of yeares, through wealth and negli∣gence crept into the Church, so soone as this foundation be¦gan to be lost, came in newe builders, which would build vpon a new foundation, a new Churche more glorious, which we call now the Church of Rome. Who beyng not contented with the olde foundation and the head corner stone, whiche the Lord by his word had layd, in place ther∣of, they layde the ground worke vppon the condition and strength or the lawe and workes. Although it is not to be denyed, but that the doctrine of gods holy law, and of good workes according to the same, is a thing most necessary to be learned and followed of all men: yet is not that y^e foun∣dation, wherupon our saluation consisteth, neither is that foundation able to beare vp the weight of the kingdome of heauen: but is rather the thing, which is builded vppon the foundatiō: which foundatiō is Iesus Christ, according as we are taught of Saint Paul, saying:* 1.8 No man can lay any other foundation, beside that whiche is layde, Christ Iesus. &c.

But this auncient foundation with the olde auncient Church of Christ (as I sayd) hath bene now of long tyme forsaken, & in stead therof a new Church,* 1.9 with a new foun¦dation hath bene erected and framed, not vpon gods pro∣mise & his free grace in Christ Iesus, nor vpon free iustifi∣cation by fayth, but vpon merits & desertes of mens wor∣king. And hereof haue they planted al these their new deui∣ses, so infinite that they cannot wel be numbred as masses, trecenares, diriges, obsequies, mattens and houres sin∣ging seruice, vigiles, midnightrising, barefootgoing, fish∣tasting, lentfast, imberfast, stations, rogations, iubiles, ad∣uocatiō of saints, praying to images, pilgrimage walking, workes of supererogation, application of merites, orders rules, sectes of religion, vowes of chastitie, wilful pouer∣ty, pardons, relations, indulgences, penaunce and satisfac¦tion, with auricular confession, sounding of Abbaies, buil∣ding of Chappels, geuing to Churches, And who is able to recite all their laborious buildinges: falsly framed vpon a wrong ground, and all for ignoraunce of the true founda¦tion, whiche is the free iustification by fayth in Christ Ie∣sus the sonne of God.

Moreouer to note,* 1.10 that as this new founde Church of Rome was thus deformed in doctrine: so no lesse was it corrupted in order of life & deepe hipocrisie, doing al thin∣ges onely vnder pretenses and dissembled titles. So vn∣der y^e pretence of Peters chayre, they exercised a maiestie a¦boue Emperours and kinges. Under the visour of their vowed chastitie, reigned adultery, vnder the cloke of pro∣fessed pouerty, they possessed the goodes of the temporalty.* 1.11 Under the tytle of being dead vnto the world, they not on∣ly reigned in y^e world, but also ruled the world: vnder the colour of y^e keyes of heauē to hang vnder theyr girdle, they brought all the states of the worldes vnder theyr girdle, & crept not onely into the purses of men, but also into theyr consciences: they heard theyr confessions: they knew their secrets: they dispensed as they were disposed, & loosed what them listed: And finally when they had brought the whole world vnder theyr subiection, yet dyd theyr pryde neyther cease to ascend, neyther could their auarice be euer satisfied. And if the example of Cardinall Wolsey and other Cardi∣nalles and popes cannot satisfie thee, I beseech the (gentle Reader) turne ouer the foresayd booke of the ploughmans tale in Chaucer aboue mencioned, wher thou shalt vnder∣derstād much more of theyr demeanour, then I haue here described.

In these so blynd and miserable corrupt dayes of darck¦nes and ignoraunce,* 1.12 thou seest good Reader (I doubt not) howe necessary it was, and high time, that reformation of the Church should come, which now most happily & gra∣ciously began to worke, through the mercifull and no lesse needfull prouidence of almightye God. Who although he suffered hys Church to wander and start aside through the seduction of pride and prosperitie a long time, yet at length it pleased his goodnes to respect hys people, and to reduce hys church into the prestine foundation and frame againe, from whence it was pitiously before decayed. Whereof I haue now consequently to intreat, intending by the grace of Christ: to declare how and by what meanes, first this re¦formation of the church began, and howe it proceeded, in∣creasing by little and little into this perfection which now we see, and more I trust shall see.

And herein we haue first to behold the admirable work of Gods wisedome.* 1.13 For as the first decay and ruine of the church, before began of rude ignoraunce, & lacke of know∣ledge in teachers: so to restore y^e church agayne by doctrine and learning, it pleased God to open to man y^e arte of prin∣ting, the time wherof was shortly after y^e burning of Hus and Hierome. Printing being opened, incontinent mini∣stred to the Churche, the instrumentes and tooles of lear∣ning & knowledge, which were good bookes and authors, which before lay hid and vnknowne.* 1.14 The science of Prin∣ting being found, immediately followed the grace of God: whiche styrred vp good wittes aptly to conceiue the light of knowledge and of iudgement: by which light, darcknes

began to be espied, and ignoraunce to be detected, trueth from errour, religion from superstition to be discerned as is aboue more largely discoursed, where was touched the inuenting of printing. pag. 707.* 1.15

Furthermore, after these wittes styrred vp of God, fo∣lowed other more, increasing dayly more and more in sci∣ence, in tongues, and perfection of knowledge: who now were able, not onely to discerne in matters of iudgement but also were so armed and furnished with y^e helpe of good letters that they did encounter also with the aduersary, su¦stayning the cause & defence of learning against barbaritie of veritie, against errour: of true religion, against super∣stition. In number of whom, amongest many other here vnnamed were, Picus, and Franciscus Mirandula, Laur. Valla, Franc. Perarcha. Doct. Wesalianus, Reuelinus, Grocinus, Coletus Rhenamus, Erasmus. &c. And here began the first pushe and assault to be geuen against the ignoraunt & barbarous fa∣ction of the popes pretensed Churche. Who after that by their learned writinges and laborious trauaile, they had opened a window of light vnto the worlde, and had made (as it were) a way more ready for other to come after: Im¦mediately, according to Gods gracious appointment, fo∣lowed Martine Luther, with other after him, by whose ministery it pleased the Lorde to worke a more full refor∣mation of his churche, as by their actes and proceedinges hereafter shall followe (Christ willing) more amply to be declared.

And now comming to the tyme and storye of Martine Luther, whom the Lord did ordayne and appoint to be the principall organe and minister vnder him, to reforme reli∣gion and to subuert the sea of the pope, first before we enter into the tractation hereof, it shall not be impertinent to y^e purpose, to inferre such prophecies and forewarninges, as were sent before of God, by diuers and sundry good men, long before the time of Luther, which foretold and prophe¦cied of this reformation of the Church to come.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The corruption of the Church described.
• * 1.2

  The foundation of Christian re∣ligion.
• * 1.3

  Rom 6.
• * 1.4

  Rom. 4.
• * 1.5

  Rom. 4.
• * 1.6

  Rom. 3.
• * 1.7

  Rom. 11.
• * 1.8

  1. Cor. 3.
• * 1.9

  The doc∣trine of the church cor∣rupted.
• * 1.10

  The life and maners of the church corrupted.
• * 1.11

  Habentes speciem pie∣tatis, sed vi∣m eius abn••¦gantes. 2. Tim. 3·
• * 1.12

  The refor∣mation of the Church necessary.
• * 1.13

  The first be∣ginning of reformatiō, how and by what means
• * 1.14

  Printing the fountain of reforma∣tion.
• * 1.15

  Vid. supra. pag. 707.