1570 Edition | Book 11 | Page 1926 
Marginalia1555. Septem.CHRISTES Church dare not adde or diminish, alter or chaunge his blessed testament: but they be not afrayde to take away all that CHRIST instituted, and go a whooring (as the Scripture sayth) with their own inuentions,Marginalia3. Note. Act. 7.Et lætari super operibus manuum suarum.
CloseEt laetari super operibus manuum suarum.
To glory and reioyce in the workes of their own handes.
et laetabantur in operibus manuum suarum
[Note the slight differences between the Foxe text and the Vulgate, probably to accommodate the syntax of Foxe's narrative.]
The Church of CHRIST is, hath bene, and shal be in all ages vnder the Crosse, persecuted, molested and afflicted, the world euer hatyng them, because they be not of the world. But these persecute, murther, slay and kyl such as professe the true doctrine of CHRIST, be they in learning, liuing, conuersation and other vertues neuer so excellent.
[Back to Top]Marginalia5. Note. Ioh. 5.CHRIST and hys Church reserued the triall of their doctrine to the word of God, and gaue the people leaue to iudge thereof by the same woord: Search the scriptures: But this Church taketh away the woorde from þe people, & suffereth neither learned nor vnlearned to examine or proue their doctrine by the woorde of God.
[Back to Top]Marginalia6. Note to know the church.The true Church of God laboureth by all meanes to resist and wythstand the lustes desires, and motions of the world, the flesh, and the deuil. These for the most part, geue them selues to all voluptuousnes, and secretly commit such things, which (as S. Paule sayth) it is shame to speake of.
[Back to Top]By these and such lyke manifest probations they do declare them selues to be none of the church of Christ, but rather of the Sinagoge of Sathan.Marginalia
Ephes. 5.
Compare the procedinges and doinges of the Popes church with the true members of Christes church and you shall see what they are. It shall be good for you oftentimes to conferre and compare their proceedings and doinges, wyth the practise of those whom the worde of God doth teach to haue bene true members of the Church of God, and it shall woorke in you both knowledge, erudition, and boldnes to withstand wyth suffering, their doinges. I lykened them therefore to Nemrod,MarginaliaThe church of the valiāt Papistes compared to Nemrod, and why? whom the scripture calleth a mightye Hunter or a stout Champion, telling them that that which they could not haue by þe word, they would haue by the sword, and be the Church whether men wyll or no, and called them with good conscience, as CHRIST called their forefathers, the children of the deuyll: and as their father the deuyll is a lyer and a murtherer, so their kyngdome and Church (as they call it) standeth by lying and murtheryng.MarginaliaThe Popes church standeth all in lying and murdering.
Haue no fellowship wyth them therefore, my deare wyfe, nor with their doctrine & traditions, lest you bee partaker of their sinnes: for whom is reserued a heauy damnation, without speedy repentaunce. Beware of such as shall aduertise you somthing to beare wyth the world as they do, for a season. There is no dallying wyth Gods matters: It is a fearefull thing (as S. Paule saith) to fall into the handes of God. Remember the Prophet Helias: Why halt you on both sides?Marginalia3. Reg. 18. Remember what CHRIST sayth: MarginaliaLuke. 9.He that putteth hys handes to the plough and looketh backe, is not worthy of me. And seing God hath hetherto allowed you as a good Soldiour in þe foreward, play not the coward, neither draw backe to the rereward.MarginaliaThe Popes church vnder paine of damnation is to be auoyded.MarginaliaApoca. 2. S. Iohn numbreth among them that shall dwell in the fiery lake, such as be feareful in Gods cause. Set before your eyes alwayes the examples of such as haue behaued them selues boldly in gods cause: as Steuen, Peter, Paule, Daniel, the three Children, the wydowes sonnes, and in your dayes, Anne Askewe, Laurence Saūders, Iohn Bradford, with many other faithfull witnesses of CHRIST. Be not afraid in nothing, sayth S. Paule,Marginalia
Phil. 1.
He exorteth to be bold in Christ. of the aduersaries of CHRISTES doctrine: the which is to them the cause of perdition, but to you of euerlasting saluation. CHRIST commaundeth the same, saying: Feare them not. Let vs not follow the example of hym which asked tyme, first to take leaue of his frendes. If we so do, we shall finde few of them that wyll encourage vs to go forward in our busines, please it God neuer so much. We reade not that Iames and Iohn, Andrew and Simon, when they were called, put
of the tyme tyll they had knowen their fathers and friendes pleasure, but the scripture sayth: They forsoke all, and by and by followed CHRIST. CHRIST lykened the kyngdome of God to a precious pearle,MarginaliaMath. 13. the which whosoeuer findeth, selleth all that he hath for to buy it. Yea, whosoeuer hath but a litle taste or glimering how precious a treasure the kingdome of heauen is, wyll gladly forgo both lyfe and goodes for the obtayning of it. But the most part now adaies be lyke to MarginaliaWorldly christians resembled to æsopes Cocke.æsopes Cocke, which when he had found a precious stone, wished rather to haue found a barely corne. So ignorant be they howe precious a iewell the woord of God is, that they choose rather the thinges of thys world, which being cōpared to it, be lesse in value thē a barely corne.
[Back to Top]If I woulde haue geuen place to worldly reasons, these myght haue moued me: MarginaliaWorldly alurementes and motions of drawing back, by Gods grace withstanded.First the forgoing of you and my children: the consideration of the state of my children beyng yet tender of age and young, apt and inclinable to vertue and learning, & so hauing the more neede of my assistance, being not altogether destitute of giftes to helpe them withall: possessions aboue the cōmon sort of men: because I was neuer called to bee a Preacher or Minister: and (because of my sickenes) feare of death in imprisonment before I shoulde come to my aunswere, and so my death to bee vnprofitable. But these and such lyke, I thanke my heauenly father (which of hys infinite mercy inspired me with his holy Ghost, for hys sonnes sake my onely Sauiour and redeemer) preuailed not in me: but when I had by the wonderful permission of God, fallen into their hands, at the first sight of the Shiriffe, nature a little abashed: MarginaliaExperience of the Lordes assistance in confirming his seruauntes.yet ere euer I came to þe prison, by the working of god and through hys goodnes, feare departed. I sayd to the Shiriffe at hys comming vnto me: What matter haue you Maister Sheriffe to charge me withall? Hee aunswered: you shall know whē you come before the Masters: and so taking me with him, I looked to haue ben brought before the Masters, and to haue heard what they could haue burdened me withall: but contrary to my expectation, MarginaliaM. Glouer committed to the Iayle, before any cause was declared.I was cōmitted forthwith to the Iaile not being called to my aunswer, litle iustice being shewed therein. But the lesse iustice a man findeth at theyr hands, MarginaliaGods mighty consolatiō vpō Rob. Glouer in prison.the more consolation in conscience shall he finde from God: for whosoeuer is of the world, the world wyll loue hym. After I came into prison, and had reposed my selfe there a while, MarginaliaM. Glouer weepeth for ioye in prison.I wept for ioy and gladnes my belly full, musing much of the great mercies of God, and (as it were) saying to my selfe after this sort: O Lord who am I, on whom thou shouldest bestowe thus thy great mercy, to be nūbred among the Saints that suffer for thy Gospels sake? And so beholding and considering on the one side my imperfection, vnablenes, sinfull misery, and vnworthines, and on the other side the greatnes of Gods mercy, to be called to so high promotion, I was, as it were, amazed & ouercome for a whyle with ioye and gladnes, concluding thus wyth my selfe in my hart: O Lord thou shewest power in weaknes, wysedome in foolishnes, mercy in sinfulnes: who shall let thee to choose where and whom thou wilt? As I haue zelously loued the confession of thy word, so euer thought I my selfe to be most vnworthy to be partaker of the affliction for the same.
[Back to Top]Not long after, came vnto me M. W. Brasbrige, M. C. Phinees,
CloseThis is 'Catherine Phinehas' in Rerum, p. 529 and 'Katherin Phines' in the1563 edition. In the Letters of the Martyrs, this is arbitrarily changed to 'Maister C. Phinehas', apparently because Bull felt that it was inappropriate for a woman to be advising Glover on what he should do. (For other examples of Bull rewriting letters so that female figures appeared as males see Thomas S. Freeman, '"The Good Ministrye of Godlye and Vertuouse Women": The Elizabethan Martyrologists and the Female Supporters of the Marian Martyrs,' Journal of British Studies 39 [2000], pp. 8-33). Foxe followed Bull's emendation: it was 'M. C. Phinehas' in the 1570 edition and all subsequent editions.
[Back to Top]
CloseNicholas Hopkins in Rerum, p. 529 and 1563. In the Letters of the Martyrs and in the second, third and fourth editions of the Acts and Monuments, the name Nicholas is replaced with the initial 'N'.