Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	worship_v	zeal_n	zealous_a	12	3	8.2547	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44364	The spirit of the martyrs revived in a brief compendious collection of the most remarkable passages and living testimonies of the true church, seed of God, and faithful martyrs in all ages: contained in several ecclesiastical histories & chronological accounts of the succession of the true church from the creation, the times of the fathers, patriarchs, prophets, Christ and the Apostles.	Hookes, Ellis, d. 1681.	1664 (1664)	Wing H2663A; ESTC R224173	399,190	375

notwithstanding to receive him whereupon six Bishops take their oppertunity to left him out of his Bishoprick Athanasius is exiled afterwards by the consent of all the Bishops assembled at Jerusalem to consecrate the Temple built by the Emperor Athanasius is Exiled The thirtieth Year of Constantine was expired while these thing were doing yet he saw no peace among the Christians Arius with his Company returning to Alexandria they set the whole City in an uproar for they were not only disturbed with the return of Arius but the Banishment of Athanasius The Emperor sends for Arius again The Emperor understanding the perverse mind and corrupt purpose of Arius sends for him again to Constantinople to render an account of the Tumult and Sedition he had raised afresh the City being divided into two parts one for the Niceen Creed the other for Arius Arius being come to Constantinople the Emperor demands of him to sign the Niceen Creed His juggle with the Emperor he subscribes it cheerfully he puts him to his Oath he swares it also his juggle is said to be this he wrote his own Opinion in a piece of Paper the same he carries under his Arm in his Bosom coming to the Book he takes his Oath that he verily believed as he had written the Emperor believing he had dealt plainly commanded the Bishop of Constantinople to receive him to communion this was on Saturday saith the History the day after he looked to be received by the Church but see what happened upon his leud and bold enterprize saith the History being departed out of the Emperors Hall passing through the City in great pomp coming nigh Constantine's Market he was suddainly taken with a great lask and faintness and inquiring for a Draught or Jakes being got thither he avoided his Guts and Excrements and immediately dieth like a Dog saith the History and the Jakes was then to be seen when the History was wrote and the Passengers were wont as they went by to point their Fingers thereat in rememberance of the miserable end of Arius Anno. Shortly after the Emperor died but neither with the death of Arius years since Christ 348 nor of Constantine was there an end of the troublesome discord that was among the Christians for a Council being called by both the Emperors at Sardis Socrat Lib. 2. Cap. 16. the Bishops of the East would not come to the Bishops of the west unless they would bare Paulus and Athanasius of their company which the Bishops of the west not brooking the Eastern Bishops departed and at Phillipy a City in Thracia there assembled a private Council and thence-forth openly began to curse the Creed condemning the Clause of one Substance and in writing to s●w abroad there Opinion that the Son of God was not of one Substance with the Father The Western Bishops that continued at Sardis first condemned them which fled from the hearing of their Cause next deposed from their Dignities the Accusers of Athanasius afterwards ratified the Creed of the Niceen Council and abrogated the Heretical Opinion which said that the Son was of a different Substance from the Father lastly they set forth more plainly the Clause of one Subance and wrote Letters thereof and sent them throughout the whole World And thus things often changed and altered men having lost that which should give a weighty understanding in these matters and going about to make Faiths and force and compel one another thereto and also to determine and give Judgment in things beyond their reach being in their fallen Wisdom they turned the World upside down in reference to confirmity to their Faith and brake asunder the Bond of Unity and Concord which once flourished among the true Christians But these cruel Divisions Socrat Li. 3. Cap. because of Faith and Doctrines in Relation unto God was not let pass without rebukes from the Lord for the Persians Proclaimed Wars against the Romans and now Constantine the Emperor dyes Constantine dyes Julianus Succeeds him who though he was brought up a Christian Julianus Suc ceeds turn to Paganisme yet had a secret inclination unto Paganism who set open the Idols Temples and Idols Groves and Sacrificed to Pictures and entitled himself a High Priest The Christian suffer again In the reign of this Julian called the Apostate by reason of his inclining to Heathenism the Christians suffered very deeply and saith the History some were run through with Swords some brained with Clubs some Stoned to death some Strangled with Halters some Nailed to Trees casting in their Teeth the Death of the Cross one Friend fell upon another one Brother sought anothers life Parents put their Children to death and to be short one cut the others Throat This blood and murder the Emperor Julian seemed to be troubled at thinking it might give a suddain start to his settlement in the Empire therefore he writes a cruel angry Letter to those of Alexandria shewing his dislike of their enterprize Shortly after Julian puts forth a Proclamation Cap. 11. that such as would not renounce the Christian Faith should Warfare no longer in the Emperoos Palace The Christians no fighters but all should prepare to do Sacrifice that no Christian should bear Office in the Common-wealth for their Law saith he forbiddeth the use of the Sword unto such as deserve death and therefore they were not fit to be Magistrates As a Scourge for Julian who undertook these Enterprizes against the Christians Wars broke out against Julian Wars brake out against him and considering that many inconveniences and evils attended War and great sums of Money were requisite he set a great Fine on the Heads of those that would not Sacrifice so that the Christians were assessed and he wonderfully enriched himself with wonderous heaps of Money unjustly exacted then did the Gentiles insult over the Christians the Phylosophers solemnizing their detestable rights and Ceremonies He oppresseth the Christiant by Assesments making slaughter of Infants sparing neither Sex using their intrales for South-saying they tasted of their tender Flesh these detestable practices were both at Athens and Alexandria and else-where At Marais in Phrygia Amachius the Governor commanded the Temple to be set wide open and to be cleansed Chap. 13. and set himself to the worshipping the Idols which pricked not a little in Conscience saith the History the zealous Christians wherefore Masidonius Theodulus and Tattanus brake in the night-Season into the Temple The Zeal of three Christians against Idols threw down their Idols and stampt them to powder at which when the Governor was exceeding wrath and threatned to execute divers of the Citizens the men aforesaid presented themselves who were the Authors thereof that the guiltless of that act might not suffer and chose to dye themselves for the Truth the Governor commanded them to clear themselves by Sacrifice threatning severely to punish them They are put to cruel

pitiful Persecution certifying him that there were very many thousands of them daily put to death of which none did any thing contrary to the Roman Laws worthy persecution saving that they used to gather together in the Morning before day and sing Hymns to a certain God whom they worshipped called Christ in all other their Ordinances they were godly and honest and for proof hereof saith he I caused two Maidens to be laid on the Rack and with Torments to be Examined about the same but finding nothing in them but only lewd and immoderate superstition I resolved to surcease farther enquiry till I receive further Instructions from you in this matter Trajan having read this Epistle returned answer that it was his mind that the Christians should not be sought after but if they were brought and convicted that then they should suffer Execution Whereof Tertullian speaking said Oh confussed Sentance he would not have them sought for as men Innocent and yet would have them punished as men guilty This Trajan sent a Command to Jerusalem that whosoever could be found out of the Stock of David should be inquired for and put to death In this Persecution suffered Phocas Bishop of Pontus whom Trajan because he would not worship Neptune caused to be cast into a hot Lime-Kill and afterwards to be put into a scaulding Bath where he ended his life in the cause of Christ Then also Ignatius Bishop of Antioch was apprehended and sent to Rome where he was devoured of wild Beafts and beside these many thousands more were martyred In the Reign of Antolius Verus a great Number of the Christians suffered most cruel punishments and torments Policarpus suffered especially in Asia and France among whom was Policarp Bishop of Smyrna who was burnt at a Stake at Smyrna About this time also suffered Blandina and Ponticus a youth of fifteen years old who defying their Idols and constantly cleaving to Christ were put to all the Torments their inraged Enemies could devise till at last the youth gave up the Ghost Blandina was first pitifully whiped and then thrown to the wild Beasts then tormented on the Gridiron and at last slain Comolus the Emperour upon his Birth day calling the People of Rome together in a great Royalty cloathed in his Lions skin sacrificed to Hercules causing it to be proclaimed that Hercules was the Patron of the City whereupon Vinsencicus E●sebius Perigrenous and Potentionous learned men being stirred up with Zeal went about from place to place converting the Heathen to the Faith of Christ and hearing of the Madness of the Emperour and People they reproved that Idolatrous blindness exhorting them to believe in the true and living God and that forsaking the worship ping of Divels they should honour God alone The Emperour hearing thereof caused them to be Apprehended required them to Sacrifice Hercules which they refusing to do he caused them to be grievously tormented and pressed to death with weights of Lead Severus another Emperour put forth Proclamations that no Christians should be suffered to live hereby a great Persecution was stirred up on every side and an infinite number of Martyrs were slain Potamtena was tormented with boyling Pitch poured upon her Potamtena persecuted and afterwards with her Mother Mersila and Rhais was burnt in the Fire and when Basilides Captain having the Maid to execution as he led her to the place he repressed the raging of the Multitude who followed with raging and reviling which she seeing prayed to the Lord for his Conversion to the true Faith and so with admirable patience suffered Martyrdom Shortly after Basilides being required to give an Oath in the behalf of his fellow Souldiers he denied the same plainly Basilides suffered affirming that he was a Christian and therefore he could not Swear they which heard him thought he jested at first but when he had constantly affirmed it they had him before the Judge who committed him to Ward the Christians wondering at it went to him and inquiring the cause of his Conversion he told them that Potamiena prayed for him and so he saw a Crown put upon his head adding that it should not be long before he received it and accordingly the next day he was beheaded A certain Christian being examined before the Judge and through fear being ready to shrink back there were certain persons standing by who were ready to burst for grief making signs to him by their hands and jestures to be constant which being observed they were ready to be laid hold on but they of their own accord pressed up to the Judge professed themselves to be Christians which much emboldened the weak Christian and terrified the Judge this being done they departed away rejoycing for the Testimony they had given of their Faith The crimes and charges laid to the Christians The Crimes and Accusations that was laid to the charge of the Christians by the Persecutors were That they refused to worship Idols and the Emperours and that they professed the Name of Christ yet besides all the Calamities and evils that happenedin the World as Wars Famine Pestilence c. were imputed only to the Christians But Cyprian and Tertullian confuting these Slanders proved That the special cause of all those Miseries which befel the Empire proceeded from the sheding of the Innocent Blood of the Christians Cyprian was at last condemned to have his Head cut off who patiently and willingly submitted his Neck to the stroke of the Sword Sixtus Bishop of Rome with his six Deacons for the Christian Faith were all beheaded Laurence also another of hi● Deacons following Sixtus Laurence Martyred as he went to his Execution complained that he might not suffer with him but that he was seeluded as the Son from the Father to whom the Bishop answered That within three days he should follow him bidding him in the mean time to go Home and if he had any Treasures to distribute them amongst the Poor the Judge hearing mention of Treasures supposing that Laurence had great store in his custody commanded him to bring the same to him Laurence craved three days respit promising then to declare where the Treasure might be had in the mean time he caused a good number of Christians to be gathered together and when the day of his answer was come the persecutors strictly charged him to make good his promise but Valiant Laurence streaching his Arms over the Poor said These are the pretious Treasures of the Church these are the Treasures indeed in whom Christ hath his Mansion c. But the Tyrant in a great fury and madness cryed kindle the Fire make no spare of Wood hath this Villain deluded the Emperour Away with him whip him with Sourges jerk him with Rods buffet him with Fists brain him with Clubs jesteth the Traytor with the Emperour Pinch him with fiery Tongs gird him with burning Plates bring out the strongest Chains and Fire-forks and the Grate of Iron