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.

¶Another letter of the Lady Iane to M. Harding, late Chaplayne to the Duke of Suffolke her father, and then fallen from the truth of Gods most holy worde.

SO oft as I call to mynde the dreadfull and fearefull say∣ing of God: That he which layeth holde vpon the plough, and looketh backe,* 1.1 is not meete for the kingdome of heauen: and on the other side, the comfortable words of our Saui∣our Christ to all those that forsaking themselues, do folow him: I can not but maruell at thee and lament thy case: which seemedst somtime to be the liuely member of Christ, but now the deformed impe of the deuil, sometime the beu∣tifull temple of God, but now the stinking and filthy kenel of Sathan, sometime the vnspotted spouse of Christ, but now the vnshamefast paramour of Antichrist, sometyme my faythfull brother, but now a straunger and Apostata, sometime a stoute Christen souldiour, but now a coward∣ly runneaway. Yea, when I consider these things, I can not but speake to thee, and cry out vpon thee, thou seede of Sathan, and not of Iuda, whome the deuill hath decey∣ued, the world hath begiled, and the desire of life subuer∣ted, and made thee of a Christian an Infidell: wherefore hast thou taken the Testament of the Lord in thy mouth? * 1.2 Wherfore hast thou preached the law and the wil of God to others? Wherefore hast thou instructed other to be strong in Christ, when y^u thy selfe doest now so shamefully shrinke, and so horrible abuse the Testament and lawe of the Lord? When thou thy selfe preachest, not to steale, yet most abhominably stealest, not from men but from God, and committing most haynous sacriledge, robbest Christ thy Lorde of his right members thy bodye and soule, and chosest rather to liue miserably with shame to the worlde, then to dye and gloriously with honor to reigne with christ in whome euen in death is life? Why doest thou now shew thy selfe most weake, when in deede thou oughtest to bee most strong? The strength of a for•• is vnknowne before the assault: but thou yeldest thy hold before anye battrie be made.

Oh wretched and vnhappy man, what art thou but dust and ashes? and wilt thou resist thy maker that fashi∣oned thee and framed thee? Wilt thou nowe forsake hym y^t called thee from the custome gathering amōg y^e Romish Antichristians, to be an Ambassadour & messenger of hys eternall worde? Hee that first framed thee, and since thy first creation and byrth preserued thee, nourished and kept thee, yea and inspired thee with the spirit of knowledge (I cannot say of grace) shall he not now possesse thee? Darest thou deliuer vp thy selfe to an other,* 1.3 being not thine owne but his? How cāst thou hauing knowledge, or how darest thou neglect the law of the Lord, and follow the vayn tra∣ditions of men:* 1.4 and whereas thou hast bene a publicke professor of his name, become now a defacer of his glorye? Wilt thou refuse the true God, and worship the inuention of man, the golden calfe, the whore of Babilon, y^e Romish Religion, the abhominable Idoll, the most wicked masse? Wilt thou torment agayne, rent, and teare the most preci∣ous body of our Sauior Christ with thy bodily and flesh∣ly teeth? Wilt thou take vpon thee to offer vp anye sacrifice vnto God for our sinnes, considering that Christ offered vp himselfe (as Paule sayth vppon the crosse a liuely sacri∣fice once for all? Can neither the punishment of the Israe∣lites (which for their Idolatry they so oft receaued) nor the terrible threatninges of the Prophetes, nor the curses of Gods owne mouth feare thee to honour anye other God then him? Doest thou so regard him that spared not hys deare and onely sonne for thee, so diminishing, yea, vtterly extinguishing his glory that thou wilt attribute the prayse and honour due vnto him to the Idols, which haue mou∣thes and speak not, eyes and see not, eares and heare not: which shall perish with them that made them?

What sayth the Prophet Baruc,* 1.5 where hee recited the Epistle of Ieremy written to the captiue Iewes? Did hee not forwarne them that in Babilon they should see Gods of gold, siluer, wood, & stone borne vpon mens shoulders, to cast a feare before the Heathen: But be not ye afrayd of them (sayth Ieremy) nor doe as other doe? But when you see other worship thē, say you in your hartes: it is thou (O Lord) that oughtest onely to be worshipped: for as for those Gods, the Carpenter framed them and polished them, yea gilded be they, and layde ouer with siluer, and vayne thinges and cannot speake. He sheweth moreouer, the abuse of theyr deckings, howe the Priestes tooke off their ornamentes and aparel∣led their women withall: how one holdeth a scepter, an o∣ther a sworde in his hand, and yet can they iudge in no matter, nor defend themselues, much lesse anye other, from either battell or murther, nor yet from gnawing of wor∣mes, nor any other euill thing. These, & such like wordes, speaketh Ieremy vnto them, whereby he proueth them to be but vayne thinges, and no Gods. And at last he conclu∣deth thus: Confounded be they that worship them. They were warned by Ieremy, and thou as Ieremye hast war∣ned other, and art warned thy selfe by many Scriptures in many places. God sayth: he is a ielous God, which will haue all honour, glory, and worship geuen to him onely. And Christ saith in the 4. of Luke to Sathan which temp∣ted him: euen to the same Sathan, the same Belzebub, the same deuill, whiche hath preuayled agaynst thee:* 1.6 It is writ∣ten (saith he) thou shalt honor the Lord thy God, and him one∣ly shalt thou serue.

These and such like doe prohibite thee and all Christi∣ans to worship anye other God then whiche was before all worldes, and layd the foundations both of heauen and earth: and wilt thou honour a detestable Idol, inuented by Romish Popes, and the abhominable Colledge of craftye Cardinals? Christ offered himselfe vp once for al, and wilt thou offer him vp agayne dayly at thy pleasure?* 1.7 But thou wilt say, thou doest it for a good intēt. O sinck of sinne: Oh child of perdition: doest y^u dreame therein of a good intent, where thy conscience beareth thee witnes of Gods threat∣ned wrath against thee? How did Saule? who for that hee disobeyed the worde of the Lorde for a good intent was

throwne from his worldlye and temporall kingdome. Shalt thou then that doest deface Gods honour, and rob him of his right, inherite the eternall and heauenly king∣dome? Wilt thou for a good intent dishonour God, offend thy brother, and daunger thy soule, wherefore Christ hath shed his most precious bloud? Wilt thou for a good intent plucke Christ out of heauen, and make his death voyde, and deface the triumph of his crosse by offering him vp dayly? Wilt thou either for feare of death, or hope of life, de∣nie and refuse thy God, who enriched thy pouertie, healed thy infirmitie, and yeelded to thee his victory, if thou coul∣dest haue kept it? Doest y^u not consider that the threed of thy life hangeth vpon him that made thee, who can (as hys will is) eyther twine it harder to last the longer, or vn∣twine it againe to breake it the sooner? Doest thou not then remember the saying of Dauid a notable King, to teach thee a miserable wretch, in his 104. Psalme, where he sayth thus: When thou takest away thy spirit (oh Lord) from men, they die and are turned agayne to their dust:* 1.8 but when thou lettest thy breath go foorth, they shall be made, and thou shalt renue the face of the earth. Remember the saying of Christ in hys Gospell: Whosoeuer seeketh to saue his life, shall lose it: but whosoeuer will lose his life for my sake, shall finde it. And in the same place: Whosoeuer loueth father or mother aboue me, is not meete for me.* 1.9 He that will follow me, let him forsake hym∣selfe, and take vp his crosse and follow me. What crosse? the crosse of infamy and shame,* 1.10 of misery and pouerty, of af∣fliction and persecution for his names sake. Let the oft fal∣ling of those heauenly showers, pearce thy stony hart. Let the two edged sword of Gods holy word there asunder the sinowes of worldly respects,* 1.11 euen to the very marrow of thy carnall hart, that thou mayest once againe forsake thy selfe and embrace Christ. And like as good subiects will not refuse to hazard all in the defence of their earthly and tem∣poral Gouernour, so flie not like a white liuered milkesop from the standing wherein thy chiefe captaine Christ hath set thee in array of this life. Viriliter age, confortetur cor tu∣um,* 1.12 sustine dominum. Fight manfully, come life, come death: the quarell is Gods, and vndoubtedly the victory is ours.

But thou wilt say, I will not breake vnitie. What? not the vnitie of Sathan and his members? not the vnitie of darkenes,* 1.13 the agreement of Antichrist and his adherents? Nay thou deceauest thy selfe with the ••ond imagination of such an vnitie as is among the enemies of Christ. Were not the false Prophetes in an vnitie? Were not Iosephes bre••thren and Iacobs sonnes in an vnitie? Were not the Heathen, as the Amelechites, the Ph••resites and Iebu∣sites in an vnitie? Were not the Scribes and Phariseis in an vnitie? Doth not King Dauid testifie: Conuenerunt in vnum aduersus dominum? Yea theeues, murtherers, conspi∣ratours, haue their vnitie. But what vnitie? Tully sayeth of amitie: Amicitia non est, nisi inter bonos. But marke my friend, yea friend, if thou be not Gods enemie: there is no vnitie but where Christ knitteth the knot among such as be his. Yea, be well assured, that where his truth is resi∣dent, there it is verified that he himselfe sayeth: Non veni mittere pacem in terram, sed gladium, &c. but to set one against another, the sonne against the father, and the daughter a∣gainst the mother in lawe. Deceaue not thy selfe therefore with the glittering and glorious name of vnitie:* 1.14 for Anti∣christ hath this vnity, not yet in deede, but in name. The agreement of ill men is not an vnitie, but a conspiracie.

Thou hast heard some threatnings, some curses, and some admonitions out of the scripture to those that loue themselues aboue Christ. Thou hast heard also the sharpe and biting words to those that denie him for loue of lyfe:* 1.15 Sayth he not: He that denieth me before men, I will denie him before my father in heauen? And to the same effect writeth Paule Heb. 6.* 1.16 It is impossible (sayth he) that they which were once lightned, and haue tasted of the heauenly gifte, and were partakers of the holy Ghost, and haue tasted of the good word of God, if they fall and slide away, crucifyeng to themselues the sonne of God afresh, and making of him a mockingstocke, should be renued againe by repentance.* 1.17 And againe saith he: if wee shall willingly sinne after we haue receiued the knowledge of his truth, there is no oblation left for sinne, but the terrible expecta∣tion of iudgement and fire which shall deuoure the aduersaries. Thus S. Paule writeth, and this thou readest, and doest thou not quake and tremble?

Well, if these terrible and thundring threatnings can not sturre thee to cleaue vnto Christ, and forsake the world: yet let the sweete consolations and promises of the scriptures, let the example of Christ and his Apostles, holy Martyrs and Confessours encourage thee to take faster holde by Christ.* 1.18 Harken what he sayth: Blessed are you when men re∣uile you,* 1.19 and persecute you for my sake: reioyce and be glad, for great is your reward in heauen: for so persecuted they the Pro∣phetes that were before you. Heare what Esay the Prophet sayth: Feare not the cursse of men, be not afrayde of theyr blas∣phemies, for woormes and mothes shall eate them vp like cloth and wooll, but my righteousnes shall endure for euer, and my sa∣uing health from generation to generation. What art thou then (sayth he) that fearest a mortall man, the child of man which va∣deth away like the flower: and forgettest the Lord that made thee, that spread out the heauens, and laid the foundation of the earth▪ I am thy Lorde thy God, that make the sea to rage, and be still,* 1.20 whose name is the Lorde of hostes. I shall put my word in thy mouth, and defend thee with the turning of an hand. And our Sauiour Christ saith to his Disciples: They shall accuse you and bring you before Princes and Rulers for my names sake,* 1.21 and some of you they shall persecute and kill: but feare you not (saith he) nor care you not what you shall say:* 1.22 for it is the spirit of your father that speaketh within you. Euen the very hea••es of your head are all numbred. Lay vp treasure for your selues (sayth he) where no theefe commeth, nor moth corrupteth. Feare not them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soule, but feare hym that hath power to destroy both soule and body. If ye were of the world, the world would loue his owne:* 1.23 but because ye are not of the world, but I haue chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

Let these and suche like consolations taken out of the Scriptures, strengthen you to godward. Let not the ex∣amples of holy men and women go out of your minde, as Daniel and the rest of the prophets, of the three children, of Eleazarus that constāt father, of the vij. of the Machabies children, of Peter, Paule, Steuen, and other Apostles and holy Martyrs in the beginning of the Church: As of good Symeon Archbishop of Seloma, and Zetrophone, with infinite other vnder Sapores the King of the Persians and Indians, who contemned all torments deuised by the tyraunts for their sauiours sake. Returne, returne agayne into Christes warre,* 1.24 and as becommeth a faithfull warri∣our, put on that armour that S. Paule teacheth to be most necessary for a Christian man. And aboue all things take to you the shield of fayth, and be you prouoked by Christes own example to withstand the diuell, to forsake the world, and to become a true and faythfull member of his mysticall body, who spared not his owne body for our sinnes.

Throw downe your selfe with the feare of his threat∣ned vengeaunce for this so great and haynous an offence of Apostasie: and comfort your selfe on the other part wyth the mercy, bloud and promise of him that is ready to turne vnto you whensoeuer you turne vnto him. Disdayne not to come agayne with the lost sonne, seing you haue so wā∣dred with him. Be not ashamed to turne againe with hym from the swill of straungers, to the delicates of your most benigne and louing father, acknowledging that you haue sinned against heauen and earth. Against heauen, by stay∣ning the glorious name of God, and causing his most sin∣cere and pure word to be euill spoken of through you. A∣gainst earth, by offending so many of your weake brethren to whom you haue bene a stumbling blocke through your sodaine sliding. Be not abashed to come home againe with Mary, and weepe bitterly with Peter, not only with she∣ding the teares of your bodily eyes, but also powring out the streames of your hart, to wash away out of the sight of God the filth and mire of your offensiue fall. Be not aba∣shed to say with the Publicane,* 1.25 Lord be mercifull vnto me a sinner. Remember the horrible hystory of Iulian of olde, and the lamentable case of Spyra of late, whose case (me thinke) should be yet so greene in your remembrance, that being a thing of our time, you should feare the like incon∣uenience, seeing you are falne into the like offence.

Last of all, let the liuely remembrance of the last day be alwayes afore your eyes, remembring the terrour that suche shall bee in at that time, with the runnagates and fugitiues from Christ, which setting more by the worlde then by heauen, more by theyr lyfe, then by him that gaue them lyfe, dyd shrinke, yea, did cleane fall away from him that forsooke not them: and contrarywise, the inestimable ioyes prepared for them, that fearing no perill, nor drea∣ding death, haue manfully fought, and victoriously tri∣umphed ouer all power of darkenesse, ouer hell, deathe, and damnation, thorough theyr most redoubted Captaine Christ, who nowe stretcheth out his armes to receaue you, ready to fall vppon your necke and kysse you, and last of all to feast you with the deynties and delicates of his owne precious bloud, which vndoubtedly, if it might stand with his determinate purpose, he woulde not set to shed againe, rather then you should be lost. To whome with the Father and the holy Ghost be all honour, prayse and glory euerlasting. Amen.

Be constant, be constant, feare not for no payne, Christ hath redeemed thee, and heauen is thy gayne.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Luke 9. A sharpe letter or ex∣hortation of the ••ady Iane to M. Harding.
• * 1.2

  This man a little before K. Edward dyed, was heard o∣penly in his 〈◊〉〈◊〉 in London to ex∣hort the people with great vehe∣mency after thys so••te: that if trouble came, they shoulde neuer shrinke from the true doctrine of the Gospell whiche they had receiued, but should take it rather for a tryall sent of God to proue them whe∣ther they would a∣bide by it or no All which to be true, they can testify that heard him, and be yet aliue: who also foreseeing the plague to come were then muche confirmed by hys wordes.
• * 1.3

  Anno. 1554.
• * 1.4

  Februarye.
• * 1.5

  Baruch. 6.
• * 1.6

  Math. ••.
• * 1.7

  Good inten••.
• * 1.8

  Psal. 104.
• * 1.9

  Math. 10.
• * 1.10

  Math. 16.
• * 1.11

  The crosse for Christes sake.
• * 1.12

  Psal. 26.
• * 1.13

  Antichrist also hath his vnitie, which is not to be kept.
• * 1.14

  The agreements of euill men is no vnitie but a conspiracie.
• * 1.15

  Math. 10.
• * 1.16

  Heb. 6.
• * 1.17

  Rom. 10.
• * 1.18

  Math. 5.
• * 1.19

  Esa. 51.
• * 1.20

  Math. 10.
• * 1.21

  Luke 12.
• * 1.22

  Math. 10.
• * 1.23

  Iohn. 15.
• * 1.24

  Ephes. 6.
• * 1.25

  Luke. 1••.