suggesting to my memory those texts, What hast thou, that thou didst not receive? And, by the grace of God, I am what I am: and, Not I, but the grace of God which was with me: and others, with which I foiled the enemy, and quenched his fiery darts. I thank my God, therefore, through Christ, who has vouchsafed me the victory; and I have a certain persuasion in my own breast, that satan shall not be permitted to return, or molest me any more, in my passage to glory: but that I shall, without any pain of body, or agony of soul, sweetly and peacefully exchange this wretched life for that blessed and immortal one, which is through Christ Jesus." Then evening prayers were said; and being asked, whether he could hear them distinctly? he answered, "Would to God you all heard with such ears, and perceived with the same mind, as I am enabled to do! And now, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.' Whereupon certain symptoms of immediate death appearing, he was desired to give some sign, whereby they might know, that he died in the stedfast belief and enjoyment of those gospel truths, which he had taught when living; and, likewise, of his comfortable assurance of a blissful immortality through Christ. On which, as if he had received fresh strength, he triumphantly lifted up his hand toward heaven, and continued waving it for a considerable time; and then quietly departed to the rest which remaineth for the people of God, on Nov. 24, 1572, about eleven o'clock at night.

К

11

LIFE*

OF

MR. FOX, THE MARTYROLOGIST.

MR. John Fox was born at Boston, in Lincolnshire, A. D. 1517; the very year when Luther began the reformation in Germany.

His father died when he was very young; and his mother marrying again, he came under the tutelage of a father-in-law: with whom he dwelt until the age of sixteen, at which time he was entered of Brasen Nose College, Oxford; and was chamber fellow with the celebrated Dr. Alexander Nowel, afterwards dean of St. Paul's. Mr. Fox plied his academical studies with equal assiduity, improvement, and applause. In 1538, he took the degree of Bachelor in Arts; and that of Master in 1543. The same year, he was elected Fellow of Magdalen College.

When he first removed to the university, and for some time after, he was strongly attached to the heresies and superstitions of popery. To his zeal for these, he added a life strictly regular and moral: and, laughing at the idea of justification by faith in the imputed righteousness of Christ, thought himself sufficiently safe in the imaginary merit of his own self-denial, penances, alms-deeds and compliances with the rites of the church.

But he was a chosen vessel; and, therefore, divine grace would not let him remain a pharisee. Through the effectual breathings of God's holy Spirit, his stu

* Biogr. Britannica.

dies were over-ruled, not only to the abundant advantage of posterity at large; but, also, to the endless benefit of his own soul in particular. His indefatigable and profound researches, into ecclesiastical history, and the writings of the primitive fathers; and, above all, his thorough acquaintance with the holy scripture, in its original languages; became the means of convincing him, to what an immense distance the Romish church has departed, from the faith, practice, and spirit of Christianity.

In order to make himself a yet more competent judge of the controversies, then in debate between protestants and papists, he searched, with indefatigable assiduity, into the ancient and modern history of the church. Here he learnt at what periods, and by what means, the religion of Christ flourished; and by what errors it began to decline. He considered the causes, and weighed the importance, of those various dissensions, which had, from time to time, obtained in the professing world and quickly perceived, that, in every age, the mistakes, follies, and vices of mankind, are more similar in their nature, operations, and effects, than is generally imagined. What is the far greater part of civil and ecclesiastical history, but a register of the weakness and wickedness which divide almost the whole human race between them?

With such zeal and industry did Mr. Fox apply himself to these inquiries, that, before he was thirty years of age, he had read over all the Greek and all the Latin fathers; all the scholastic writers; together with the acts of all the councils: and, moreover, made himself master of the Hebrew language. But, from this strict and severe application, by night as well as by day; from forsaking his old popish friends, and courting the most sequestered retirement; from the dubious and hesitating manner, in which, when he could not avoid being in company, he spoke of religious subjects; and,

above all, from his sparing attendance on the public worship of the church, which he had before been remarkable for strictly and constantly frequenting; arose the first surmises of his being alienated from the reigning superstitions, and infected with (what the bigotted Romanists had either the ignorance or the insolence to term) the " new heresies."

Snares

Thus, even the humble and benevolent Mr. Fox was not without his enemies; who narrowly watched his conduct, and waited for an opportunity to injure him. His singular openness and sincerity did not long leave them at a loss for ways or means. were laid for him, and his generous honesty betrayed him into them. A moderate portion of dissimulation (commonly called, prudence and circumspection) would perhaps have secured him a while, from the machinations of his adversaries. But he chose rather to suffer affliction with the people, and for the cause of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season: mindful of that decisive and alarming declaration, Whosoever is ashamed of me, and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father, with his holy angels. Through grace, our author determined to venture the loss of all things, for Christ's sake in consequence of which, he openly professed the gospel, and was publicly accused of heresy. His college passed judgment on him, as an heretic convicted; and, presently after, he saw himself expelled from the university. His enemies maintained, that he was favourably dealt with by that sentence; and might think himself happily off, to incur expulsion instead of death.

Mr. Fox's troubles sat the heavier on him, as they lost him the countenance and good offices of his friends, who were afraid to assist and protect a * person condemned for a capital offence. His father

in-law, particularly, seized this opportunity to withhold from Mr. Fox the estate which his own father had left him thinking, that he who stood in danger of the law himself, would with difficulty find relief by legal methods.

Being thus forsaken and oppressed, he was reduced to great straights: when God raised him up an unexpected patron in sir Thomas Lucy, of Warwickshire; who received him into his house, and made him tutor to his children. Here he married a citizen's daughter of Coventry; and continued in sir Thomas' family, until his pupils were grown up: after which, he with some difficulty, procured entertainment with his wife's father at Coventry; from whence, a few years before the death of Henry VIII. he removed to London.

For a considerable time after his arrival in the capital, being without employment or preferment, he was again reduced to extreme want. But the Lord's good providence relieved him at length, in the following extraordinary manner. As he was sitting one day in St. Paul's church, his eyes hollow, his countenance wan and pale, and his whole body emaciated (or rather, within a little of being literally starved to death); a person whom he never remembered to have seen before, came and sat down by him and accosting him familiarly, put a respectable sum of money into his hand, saying, Be of good comfort Mr. Fox; take care of yourself, and use all means to preserve your life: for, depend upon it, God will, in a few days give you a better prospect, and more certain means of subsistence. He afterwards used his utmost endeavours to find out the person, by whose bounty he had been so seasonably relieved: but he was never able to gain any discovery. However, the prediction was fulfilled: for, within three days from that memorable incident, he was taken into the duchess of Richmond's family, to be tutor to her nephew the earl of Surrey's chil