Excerpt from The Dawn of the English Reformation: Its Friends and FoesThe biographical treatment of the subject is in accordance with the mode in which the Almighty Himself is generally pleased to carry out His designs on the great theatre of human life. Individuals raised up by God from time to time, and educated by His Providence to their appointed task, proclaim the truths they are commissioned to teach, and animate and train their contemporaries, inspiring them with their own convictions and thus stamp their impress, first on their own day, and then on posterity. History shows this by numerous examples, both in ancient and modern times. But especially does this rule hold good as regards religious systems, and the results which follow from them.Moreover, such a method of individual treatment is after the highest model - the literary precedent of the Inspired Volume itself. The sacred account of the vicissitudes and progress of the chosen race, the germ and centre of true religion for the whole globe, starts with the personal careers of Abraham, Jacob and Joseph. Subsequently Moses, Joshua, Samuel, and other appointed instruments take their places conspicuously upon the canvas. In the New Testament the biographical element appears yet more prominently.

'the Gospels, ' says Archbishop Whately, are not merely historical, but strictly biographical.' The earliest ecclesiastical history also, the Acts of the Apostles, deals chiey with individuals. Even after the astonishing growth and spread of Christianity in the world, which its earlier records imply chiey by track ing individual careers, its latter pages trace with more exact detail the missionary labours of one eminent teacher.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy.

In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.