Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	adam_n	child_n	sin_n	4,076	5	5.2451	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49900	The lives of Clemens Alexandrinus, Eusebius, Bishop of Cæsarea, Gregory Nazianzen, and Prudentius, the Christian poet containing an impartial account of their lives and writings, together with several curious observations upon both : also a short history of Pelagianism / written originally in French by Monsieur Le Clerc ; and now translated into English.	Le Clerc, Jean, 1657-1736.	1696 (1696)	Wing L820; ESTC R22272	169,983	390

Christians did against the Opinion of Fate He says that if it be true there should be no Laws nor Punishments against Malefactors quos ferrea Fata Cogunt ad facinus inevitabile mergunt Quin velle adigunt pravum insinuantia votum Ne liceat miseris vetitum committere nolle That Unmoveable Fate doth unavoidably force to Sin That it disposes the Will to do Ill so that Men cannot forbear being willing to do what is forbidden 4. The Heathen Orator vaunted much the Institution and Chastity of the Vestales But Prudentius who did not suffer himself to be surprized by fine words when the Question was about Paganism replied * Ver. 1065. That it must be observed that the Vestales were chosen in their Childhood before they came to despise the lawful Bond of Marriage of their own motion and kindled with the love of Virginity and Religion They Consecrate says he their Chastity before the Altars against their Wills and those poor Wretches are deprived of a Pleasure which they take away from them but they have not despised it If they are Chaste as to the Body they are not so as to the Mind They enjoy no Rest in their Beds where an Invisible Wound makes them sigh after the Nuptial Torches The same Argument cannot be made use of against the Christian Nuns of that time who were permitted to Marry if they were not content with Celebacy But some things have happen'd since among a part of Christians by the means whereof we see now-a-days upon the Theater of Christianity its several Parties act the same Scene between themselves which was acted formerly by the Pagans and Christians VII Lastly There are Forty nine Quadrants to be found in the Works of Prudentius upon several Histories of the Old and New Testament which make up a little Book entitled Enchiridion whereby the Style is still less Poetical than that of the other Works of our Poet. THE HISTORY OF PELAGIANISM IN the Fourth Century a vast number of People went to visit the Holy Places in Pulestine which made the Books of Origen to be known in the West where they were unknown before Rufinus amongst others a Priest of Aquileia having lived thirty Years in the East and studied under Evagrius an Origenist not only embraced the Opinions of Origen but being returned into Italy spread them every where by translating several of his Works Pelagius and Celestius learned of him at Rome that Doctrine of which I shall speak hereafter They were both Monks and of Great Britain Celestius was a Scotch-man and Pelagius an English-man The latter's Name was Morgan in the Language of his Countrey that is Born of the Sea or in Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Name which he took out of his Native Countrey If we believe * In Proem Dial. cont Pelag. St. Jeram Pelagius was an ignorant Fellow who knew not how to express himself who deserved more to be pitied than envied and Celestius a Solecism-maker But St. Augustine speaks well of their Parts in several Places and indeed it appears by their Fragments which remain in his Works that they did not express themselves so ill as St. Jerom says We have still two Pieces of Pelagius among the Supposititious Writings of this latter whereof one is a Letter to Demetriades and the other is entitled Symboli Explanatio ad Damasum whereas it should be called Professio Fidei ad Innocentium for Pelagius sent it to Innocent This last Piece is also to be found in Baronius and in the First Volume of the Councils of Cologne in 1606. Pelagius made a long stay at Rome where he got a great Reputation by his Works and Conduct Hence it is that Augustin Bishop of Hippo praised him and wrote a very obliging Letter to him before he fell a Disputing with him He calls him in his Book De Peccatorum Meritis † Cap. 1 3. Vir ut audio sanctus nec parvo profectu Christianus bonus ac praedicandus Vir As I hear says he he is a Holy Man and very much improved in Piety a Good Man and worthy of Praise Petavius in his Book * Dogm Theol. T. 3. p. 586. De Pelagianorum Semi-Pelagianorum Dogmatum Historia observes that St. Augustin wrote the Book in which he speaks so advantageously of Pelagius after the Condemnation of Celestius in the Council of Carthage in 412. From whence he concludes that St. Chrysostom doth not mention the same Pelagius in his Fourth Letter wherein he laments the Fall of a Monk of the same Name 'T is not more likely that Pelagius the Hermit to whom St. Isidorus of Damietto wrote † Lib. 1. Ep. 314. sharp Censures was the same whose History I write and whose Life was always unblameable as it appears by St. Augustin's Testimony Rome having been taken by the Goths in the Year 410 ‖ Vid. Vsser Brit. Eccl. Antiq. c. 9. p. 16. Pelagius who was there left it and sailed into Africa but he did not stay there having presently set out for the East In the mean time Celestius his Disciple stay'd at Carthage and aspired to be Priest of that Church but because he made no scruple to maintain the Opinions of his Master he was accused by Paulinus a Deacon of the same Church in a Council wherein Aurelius Bishop of Carthage presided in the before-mentioned Year Celestius was Condemned and Excommunicated as having maintained these Seven Propositions 1. That Adam was created a Mortal Man and would have died whether he had sinned or not 2. That Adam's Sin had prejudiced none but himself not all Mankind 3. That the Law brought Men to the Heavenly Kingdom as well as the Gospel 4. That before the Coming of Jesus Christ Men were without Sin 5. That New-born Children are in the same Condition in which Adam was before his Fall 6. That all Men do not die through the Death and Prevarication of Adam as all Men do not rise through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ 7. That Man is without Sin and may easily obey God's Commands if He pleases Celestius answered all those Heads but we have only some Fragments of his Answers in St. Augustine's Book that is to say we have no other Witnesses of his Doctrine but his Adversaries who took no great care to propose their Accusations clearly and to apprehend well of the Opinions of those whom they accused as it appears by the Obscurity of the before mention'd Heads * Aug. de Pecc Orig. c. 3. Celestius said among other things that as for what concerns the Propagation of Sin He had heard many Catholick Priests and especially Rufinus deny it He presented a Request to the Council wherein he consest that Children were Redeemed by Baptism But he was Condemned notwithstanding and being obliged to leave Africa he went into Sicily where he wrote some Books in his Vindication From thence some short Questions were sent to St. Augustine which Celestius

many Christians to leave the Places of their Abode wherein they were too well known to give way to the Violence of the Persecution This seems to have given Clemens occasion to prove that it was lawful to run away in time of Persecution * Strom. l. 4. p. 503 seq Having said that Martyrdom cleanses from all Sins and exhorted those who are called to it to suffer it he observes That we ought to shew as well by our Manners as our Words that we are persuaded of the Truth of the Christian Religion Afterwards he explains that place of the Gospel When they persecute you in this City flee ye unto another The Lord says he doth not command us to flie as if to be Persecuted was an * That Reasoning is grounded upon the Principles of the Stoicks who deni'd that Pain was an Evil. Evil and doth not bid us avoid Death by flying as if we ought to fear it He will not have us to engage or help any Body to do ill c. Those who do not obey are rash and expose themselves to no purpose to manifest Dangers If he who kills a Man of God sins he who presents himself before a Judge's Tribunal is also guilty of his own Death c. He helps as much as lies in him the Wickedness of him who persecutes him If he exasperates him he is really the cause of his own Death just as if he had exasperated a Wild Beast that devoured him A little while after the Apostles some had been seen to look for Martyrdom but some having challenged the Executioners and having scandalously faln short of Christianity at the sight of the Torments that Conduct † Vid. Dodwel Diss Cyp. XII § 49. was found dangerous and those who willingly offered themselves to Martyrdom were Condemned as it appears by many Passages of the Antients and that of Clemens which I have just now quoted As we ought not to avoid Martyrdom when it cannot be done without renouncing Christianity or a Good Conscience so we ought to preserve our Lives as long as we can whilst 't is likely that we do Christians greater service by prolonging it if we fly than by losing it for the sake of Truth by staying in those Places where the Persecution rages and which we may come out of without ceasing to profess the Truth Those who blame or make some difficulty to justifie some Protestant Ministers who came out of a Kingdom wherein they could not stay without imminent Danger if they continued to perform their Functions should before prove that such a Conduct would have been more advantagious to Christianity than their Retreat Methinks the Solution of that Question which hath been lately moved viz. Whether they did well to retire depends upon this Clemens seems about that time to have left Alexandria since we read that he made some stay at Jerusalem with Alexander who a little while after was Bishop of that City and to whom he dedicated his Book entituled The Ecclesiastical Rule against those who follow the Opinions of the Jews Whilst he staid there he was very useful to that Church as it appears by a Letter of Alexander to the Church of Antioch of which Clemens was the Bearer * Euseb l. 6. p. 11. wherein that Bishop says That he was a Man of great Vertue as the Church of Antioch knew and would know it again and that being at Jerusalem by an Effect of God's Providence he had confirm'd and encreased the Church of God there From Antioch Clemens returned to Alexandria where 't is not known how long he lived All that can be said is that he survived Pantoenus at least some Years and that he was not Old when he writ his Stromata since he himself * Strom. l. 1. p. 274. says That he made them to serve him as a Collection in his Old Age when his Memory should fail History is silent concerning his Death but we may believe that his Memory was Blessed at Alexandria if we consider those words of the Bishop of Jerusalem whom I have just now mentioned who in a Letter to Origen says † Euseb ib. c. 14. That they both acknowledged for Fathers those Blessed Men who went out of this Life before them and with whom they should be in a short time viz. the Blessed Pantoenus and Pious Clemens of whom he had received great Help Amongst the many Works which Clemens wrote there are but Three extant that are considerable The First is An Exhortation to the Heathens Wherein he confutes their Religion and endeavours to persuade them to embrace Christianity The Second is entitled Paedagogus In which he directs the Manners of Young Men and gives them some Rules to live like Christians wherein he mixes some Maxims extremely severe and very remote from our Customs The Third is his Stromata that is to say Hangings which he entitled so * Ibid. l. 1. p. 276. l. 4. p. 476. l. 7. p. 766. because of the Variety of Matters which he handles in it He shews what Conformity there is between several Opinions of the Heathen Philosophers and those of the Jews and Christians He Censures what was Bad as he thinks in the Heathen Philosophy Defends and Explains the Christian Religion Refutes the Hereticks and shews every where a great Erudition But he observes little or no Order as he himself says at the End of the Seventh Book He takes occasion from one thing to pass to another without framing any Plan of what he is to say and without having any other Design but to collect the most useful things he had learned by Study and Meditation His Style in this latter Work is more harsh than in the two foregoing ones wherein notwithstanding there is more Affectation than Elegancy and Neatness He pretends that he had some Reason for it But there are Two great Inconveniences in such a Method The First is That for want of Order not only the strength of the most solid Proofs is not perceived but also an Author confounds himself often repeats the same thing and heaps up an infinite number of Arguments which prove nothing The Second is That a Carelesness of Style often makes what one says unintelligible for 't is not only Elegancy but Clearness that is wanting in it Now an Affected Obscurity in Difficult Matters as those are which Clemens treats of is so much the more to blame because 't is no easie thing to be understood even in Matters that are clear of themselves if One does not express himself neatly As we are to speak only to be understood so there is nothing can excuse an Author for not speaking clearly but an absolute impossibility of expressing himself better And indeed we are apt to believe that those who have an Obscure Style have no clear Head and that they speak so because they do not apprehend things more clearly than they speak ' em 'T is true that the affected Ornaments