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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86056	The life of the apostle St Paul, written in French by the famous Bishop of Grasse, and now Englished by a person of honour.	Godeau, Antoine, 1605-1672.	1653 (1653)	Wing G923; Thomason E1546_1; ESTC R209455	108,894	368

this unknown voyage he spent eight yeares during which time the Church lost many of her Masters and Children or rather sent them to heaven by a glorious martyrdom The death of S. James who was called the brother of our Lord according to the testimony of Jesephus himselfe drew upon the city of Hierusalem the horrid calamities of that famous siege which ruined it intirely Hee had governed that Church twenty nine yeares with so great a reputation of sanctity that the people when hee walked in the streets thought themselves very happy if they could but touch the hemm of his garment Eusebius and before him Hegesippus sayes that he was sanctified in his mothers womb that he ever abstained from all sort of liquours which might cause drunkenness and from flesh that a rasor never toucht his head that hee was never in the bathes and that by his long continuance in prayer there was a scale like to the skin of a Camel grown over his knees The Scribes Pharisees alwaies the same could not support the credit reputation of this man who converted sinners by his example as well as words Wherefore in a great assembly of the people they endeavoured to perswade him publickly to profess Judaism which hee refusing was forthwith precipitated from the top of the Temple where at the foot a dyer with a Lever killed him out-right We have a Canonical Epistle of his in which hee labours principally to prove the necessity of good works to refute the error of Simon the Magician who said faith alone was sufficient to salvation After him Simon the son of Cleophas also called the brother of Jesus Christ because he was his cozen was chosen Bishop of Hierusalem S. Barnaby the faithfull companion of the Apostle in his peregrinations at the same time time received also the crown of martyrdom in the Isle of Cyprus On the other side Mark the disciple of S. Peter and one of the Evangelists after he had governed the Church of Alexandria with great sanctity was taken on a Sunday by the Gentiles who put a rope about his neck and so dragged him for two dayes together about the streets and in rough and uneven places where in the end he finished his life The Christians that were under his conduct led a marvelous holy life Philo the Jew composed a book expresly in their praise called The Contemplative Life wherein hee gives them the name of Essens taking them for Jewes because in that time they retained many legal Ceremonies I know there are great disputes among learned men upon this passage but since I write not for them it were to little purpose to go about to cleare tha difficulty more curious then profitable wee shall doe better to return to Rome where the Church was agitated with a horrible persecution Nero in the tenth of his Empire increasing in wickedness as he grew up in years gave fire himself to the Citie of Rome The streets were too narrow for him and he had a mind to rebuild it that it might bear his name The fire began in that part of the Cirque which joyned to the Mounts Palatine and Caelius and from thence meeting with Magazines filled with combustible matter and being carried with the winde which began to rise it spread it selfe with such violence that remedies were too late to resist its fury The air ecchoed with the lamentable cryes of Women and children who in that apprehension of fear knew not whither to go for safety and hindered those that would have helpt them for whilest some either expected or would secure others they so troubled one another that they found themselves encompassed with flames In the narrow streets where there were many turnings the throng was so great there was no passing When men were gotten so far as they thought the fire could not reach them then they were suddenly surprised by it as it seemed rather to flie then to creep along Many to save their wives perisht themselves and others would not out-live them although they might easily have been saved Fathers lost their lives staying by their children in fine never was seen so horrible a spectacle such as would have brought water or pulled down houses before the fire were hindered with Officers who at the corners of streets throwing about fiery balls cryed out that what they did was by order meaning by the command of the Emperour who as is commonly reported during this sad calamity was singing on the stage the Burning of Troy Notwithstanding he sought to suppress this opinion causing many hutts to be built in his gardens for those who had lost their houses by the fire Of fourteen quarters which composed the city there were but four left intire The houses of three of them were intirely levelled with the ground and in the other seven there remained onely the tops of buildings half burnt and ruined Thus all the riches heaped together since the foundation of the Common-wealth of so many Statues so many Pictures and other other rarities transported from all the Nations of the world of so many Temples built with such magnificence and by the Superstition of the people rendered so famous and renowned there remained onely a little heap of Ashes a sad example of the vanity of all humane things But to see that great City all in flames was not so dreadfull as afterwards to behold a great number of Christians tormented by Nero as authors of the fire without distinction either of age or quality and adding derision to his cruelty hee commanded some to be covered with the skins of wilde beasts to the end they might be worried to death by fierce dogs Others he nailed upon Crosses and caused their bodies to be rubbed over with pitch and other things apt to take fire that in the night time they served for torches to light those who passed by whilest they consumed like living holocausts for the defence of the name of J. Christ His gardens were the theatre of this abominable execution Although the Christians were odious to the Romanes who distinguished them not from the Jewes Hereticks of that time whose abominations indeed by right deserved their publick hatred yet they had compassion of these for every one saw they perished not for their own crimes but to satisfie the unsatiable cruelty of the Emperor who would justifie himself at their costs This was the first persecution in which God would try his Church amongst the Gentiles It was a while interrupted by a conspiracy discovered against this Tyrant in which Seneca being accused to have a hand was forced to make satisfaction with his life let out by his veins a greater resolution could not be desired then what he shewed in his death but me thinks 't is yet to be deplored since this constancy was only Philosophical not Christian Plautus Lateranus whose Palace was afterwards changed into a Church which yet bears the name of Lateran many other persons of quality perished for

by the Law for Nazarites who had made their vow but for a time or whose vow was intermitted by some legal pollution he by chance was known by some Jewes of Asia who began to cry out that this was the mortal enemy of the law of Moyses and not content to spread his doctrine in remote Provinces was so impudent and wicked as to introduce Gentiles into that holy place They meant Trophimus for having seen him in his company in the city they believed or would have others to believe that he had brought him into the Temple with him At the name of Paul all the town was in commotion the people got together from all parts dragged him out of the Temple and he had certainly been killed if Lysias who commanded a band of Souldiers appointed for the guard of the Temple on festival daies to prevent seditions had not been informed of the Tumult that was beginning and come in haste with his Captaines and Souldiers to appease them The sight of him stopped a little the fury of the people who then ceased to strike and abuse the Apostle Lysias made him presently be bound with two chaines and asked him what he had done and what he was But the noise and cries of the multitude were so great as neither the question nor the answer could be understood Wherefore Lysias was constrained to conduct him to Antoninus Tower that hee might secure him which hee had no small trouble to do for the people who followed would have faln upon him crying out upon every one to kill him Not long before there was an Egyptian in Hierusalem who counterfeited himself to be a Prophet and that by a word onely he could make the walls of the City to fall down this man had got a great multitude of followers amongst them divers murderers The Governour Felix having notice of it sent presently a party of Souldiers who falling upon these poore abused people killed or took the greatest part of them The Egyptian saved himselfe but some of those murthering villaines continued to stirre up the people and to burn the villages where they found any resistance Lysias asked S. Paul if he was not the Commander of those rebels He answered him that hee was a Jew and native of Tharsus in Cilicia a Municipal town well known After the Apostle had made him this answer he desired leave that he might speak to the people which being granted he began his discourse relating how hee had persecuted the Church his miraculous conversion of which wee spake in the first book of this History he added moreover that when hee came to Hierusalem which I believe was the first voyage he made thither Jesus Christ appeared to him as he was praying in the Temple and said to him Depart quickly out of Hierusalem for they will not receive the testimony which thou givest of me and he answering that they ought not to suspect his testimony having shewed himself so zealous in defence of the Law and was not only present at the death of Stephen but consenting to it kept the garments of those that stoned him Our Lord replied again Go do that which I command for I will send thee unto Nations At this word of Nations the Jews lost all patience breaking silence which they had willingly kept hearing him to speak in their tongue they cryed out in a fearfull tone He is a wicked man and ought not to live longer upon the face of the earth let him be put to death they added to those clamours actions which sufficiently manifested their fury for they shook their garments and gathering up dust threw it into the aire to make it known they detested him that had spoken to them This great commotion made Lysias command that he should be led into the Tower of Antoninus for S. Paul had spoken to the people from the top of the staires which lead up to it Lysias his designe was to extort by stripes from him the reason of this great uprore The Apostle would willingly have suffered this great ignominy for the love of his Master but a secret inspiration of the holy Ghost moved him to tell a Captain who was at hand and had charge to see the orders of Lysias put in execution That they should take heed what they did for besides his innocency which ought to exempt him from being whipped he was a Citizen of Rome This was presently told to Lysias who would be assured of it from his owne mouth saying That the Priviledge of a Citizen which he boasts of had cost him a great summe of money The Apostle answered it had cost him nothing for my birth saies he obtained me this honour Indeed amongst many other Priviledges which Julius Caesar Augustus had bestowed on Tharsis in recompence of the services done by the Inhabitants of that place in the warres of Pompey and Brutus one was to be Citizens of Rome Now by a Law of Valerius Publicola confirmed after by a Law of Sempronius and by the Law Porcien Magistrates were forbidden to whip a Citizen of Rome Whereupon Lysias caused the chaines to be taken off the Apostle and that he might sound the depth of this business commanded the Priests of the Jewes to assemble themselves the next day in some place near the fortress which accordingly they did Thither they led this Criminal which made a great uprore and when silence was made he began his discourse with a Protestation that he had lived untill till that time without any reproach both before God and man But he was presently interrupted by the Prince of the Priests there assembled who was called Ananias This man very unworthy of the rank he held being transported with fury against the cause as well as against the advocate or it may be offended in that the Apostle had not given him those titles of honour which he expected saluting them all by the name of Brothers commanded those who were next the Apostle to buffet him S. Paul having as yet advanced no proposition of the Gospel in revenge of which to have received this injury would have been delightfull and judging that in this occasion he ought to defend the honor of his Masters ministery told Ananias in a prophetick spirit and in the tone of a Master God will strike thee whited wall Thou sittest here to judge me according to the Law and contrary to the Law thou makest me to be abused before I have said any thing to deserve this usage Whereupon one of the assistants sayed What doest thou mean to threaten and injure the high Priest of God in this manner The Apostle whom passion had not transported and who perhaps had heard the voice of Annanias and not observed his person in regard of the disorder in the Assembly whence perhaps he sat not in the accustomed place which was used in meetings or for some other reason which imports not much to know replied quietly Brethren if I had