Gracious heavenly Father, we thank You for the comfort of the Gospel restored to Your Church on earth through the work of Thomas Cranmer, Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley, John Calvin, Martin Luther and other faithful pastors and leaders during the Reformation. We thank You that by Your lavish grace we have come to the sure knowledge that we stand justified before You, not by what we have done, but rather by faith in what Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, has done on our behalf. We ask You, defend Your Church from all enemies of Your saving Word. Cause Your eternal Gospel to be proclaimed in our time to every nation, tribe, tongue and people, and graciously preserve Your truth for generations to come; through the merits of Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

*For a helpful article on the Oxford Martyrs see: "Ridley, Latimer, And Cranmer: The Oxford Martyrs," by R. Scott Clark