Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	alive_a	dead_a	life_n	5,787	5	5.0987	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09493	A briefe relation of the late martyrdome of fiue Persians conuerted to the Catholique faith by the reformed Carmelites, who remaine in the mission of Persia, with the King of Persia, in his citty of Haspahan. And of the increase of the Christian faith in those parts. Gathered out of the letters, which the Fathers labouring in the said mission, haue written vnto their generall: which letters are printed in the Italian and French, and are now translated into English for the good of the Church	Garayzabal, M.	1623 (1623)	STC 19776; ESTC S114576	12,166	38

glorious seruant of God because the Execution was sodaine and without the Citty wee onely know that the Reliques are in the handes of the Christians and are kept by them with honour and reuerence The other eight that is to say the two Christians and the sixe Catechumens who had beene brought before the King with the holy Martyr Alexander were by his Maiesties commaundment led vnto Father Iohn to know which were the two that were Baptized for all of them had denyed themselues to be Christians We thus locked vp as wee haue signified vnto you the next day following about an houre within Night whilest we were occupied in mentall Prayer which we vse to make for one houre in the Euening and another in the Morning behold the Eight inchayned Prisoners together with the ministers of Cruelty came vnto vs commaunding the Father to certifie them which of those were the two Christians The Father animated and exhorted them to confesse the true and holy Faith which he had taught them and that God had engraued in them by holy Baptisme and which they with so much gladnes had at that time testified and also shewed vnto them that it was not lawfull for Christians to deny the Name of Iesus Christ at such time as they are constrained to confesse the same and afterwards hee tolde these whom the King had sent that Ioseph and Hebrain were the two which he had Baptized for the Father knew that the King was well informed of all one of these two relented a little because the Father had discouered him vttering forth certaine wordes whereby hee discouered his apprehension of the danger the other spake not one word Heere we haue an occasion wonderfully to admire the meanes which his Diuine Maiesty vsed at this time to assist those two soules and to crowne them with the crowne of holy Martyrdome prouoking euen the very ministers of Cruelty who led them to Martyrdome to animate them vnto Death for the loue of Iesus Christ for one of them said be not afraid of Death because it is our most assured heritage Thou art a Christian dye then in the Faith of Iesus Christ Another said this life passeth in a moment you shall goe and liue with Iesus Christ The last said Iesus Christ is aliue and is not dead as Mahomet is continue constant and you shall ascend to the fourth Heauen of Iesus Christ The next day earely in the morning they brought vs backe the Eight that were chayned together and with them a Portugall called Sebastian Duz taken Prisoner by the Kings Souldiers in his Warres and for that cause detained in Prison in Haspahan this did God ordaine for his greater Glory and the ayde of these new Christians Father Iohn issued out of the Gate with Bread to distribute amongst them and to refresh them a little but the Catechumens would take none yet did Ioseph and Hebrain receiue the same and gaue thereof likewise to Sebastian Duz entertaining Father Iohn with a ioyfull countenance and great contentment who called all the other Fathers and Religious for the common consolation of all and after he had exhorted the two Christians to perseuerance and without feare to confesse their God and Sauiour who gaue himselfe for our Redemption and to esteeme it to bee a great grace and blessing to be reputed his Martyrs and to remember themselues of the vertue courage and constancy of their three companions Elia Cassadir and Alexander who like glorious Saints enioy and for euer shall enioy Eternall glory whose intercession he promised them as also our prayers but aboue all the ayde and assistance of Iesus Christ in their passion and that their torments would seeme sweet and pleasant vnto them After this each one with teares in our eyes imbraced each other enuying their happines and reputing our selues not worthy of so great a fauour we tooke our leaue of them and they departed comforted ioyfull and inuested with a new Spirit but we remained sad and afflicted for that we were depriued of the Crowne of Martyrdome which wee so much desired wee setled our selues to prayers to assist them the best that wee could considering that it was not permitted to vs to doe otherwise neither to accompany them as wee desired and as we endeauored to doe But Sebastian Duz sufficiently supplyed our places heartning comforting and inciting them alwayes to behaue themselues like the true souldiers of Iesus Christ They two with the other seauen which were in chaynes that is to say Sebastian Duz with the sixe Catechumens in religion were led through the Citty of Haspahan and turned three times about the same and were then conueyed to the Kings presence meane while Sebastian Duz with the two new Christians confessed alwayes both passing thorough the Citty and in the way with a loude voyce and in the Kings presence the Name of Iesus Christ The King seeing this commaunded that Ioseph and Hebrain should bee stoned to Death and their Bodyes to be burned and that Sebastian Duz with the sixe Catechumens should be led backe to Prison and to this purpose it was Proclaimed throughout the Citty of Haspahan that those that loued Mahomet should repaire to the Execution place with Stones to chastice those who had denyed the Faith of Mahomet Being arriued at the place where this Execution of these two happy Christians was to bee performed The Gouernour of the Citty who is an Apostata and hath abiured Christian Religion alighted from his Horse taking the Mulaz with him to ass●●t him enforced himselfe to perswade these two Martyrs to make profession of the Law of Mahomet attempting them with their ordinary carnall and temporall reasons promising them not onely their liues and the Kings pardon but also great Rewards considering that not onely the matter concerned and hazarded their reputation but also the credit of their Prophet Mahomet Ioseph answered with great courage saying That although he were the first that denyed himselfe to bee a Christian at such time as the King questioned him thereupon yet now in no sort hee would commit such an errour for that the offence he had committed was too great already when in the Kings presence hee had denyed himselfe to bee a Christian hoping that our Lord Iesus Christ who had shewed him so much fauour as to call him to become a Christian would now giue him grace and force to suffer Death for his loue Whereupon they that were about him and particularly the Mulaz tooke vp stones to stone him which whilest they performed the Saint hauing his Head already broken and in peeces cryed out with a loude voyce Blessed bee the holy Name of Iesus his Faith is holy and true and that of Mahomets is false and no man can be saued thereby But Brethren God pardon you and giue you his holy light telling them further that hee felt no paine Hebrain that was the last to dye for Iesus Christ was tempted and likewise assaulted anew to deny the holy Faith

was vnto vs a thousand whilst we expected to giue vp our liues for Iesus Christs sake and no lesse able am I to expresse vnto you the desire which we had that our deaths might be accompanied with many torments neither the feruent acts which we did to that effect We tasted deare Father of the force and efficacie of Gods grace and the fidelity which God vseth towards those who expose themselues to dangers by the meanes of holy obedience in such sort that mee thought I saw that which in such like occations God operated in the Primitiue Church The second day of our imprisonment the King sent these Letters to Father Iohn by a Secretarie to the Gouernour of the Citie which hee had written by the holy Martyr Elia to Father Baltaser and the Captaine of Ormus with the interpretation of the same but vnfaithfully and corruptly translated by the direction of the Chan of Sciras commanding him to certifie him whether these Letters were his and whether they were well interpreted and that hee should interpret them himselfe and call to his remembrance what honours and fauours he had done him and whether this was the acknowledgement which he ought him and the reward of the bread and salt they had eaten together intending hereby how often times the King had inuited our Fathers to eate with him perticularly vpon the occasions of the arriuall of great Ambassadours and at Feasts at which time the King is accustomed to make great banquets to which hee alwayes inuited Father Iohn with some other Fathers honouring them very much vpon such like occasions placing them alwayes neere himselfe feasting them at his owne dish and doing such like things This is a phrase amongst the Persians to say they inuite them to eate bread and salt when they inuite to a banquet Father Iohn read the interpretation of his owne Letters which the King had sent him and finding them full of lyes and falshoods hee interpreted them and signified to the Messenger which was sent vnto him by the King that hee acknowledged the graces and honours which he had alwayes receiued at his Maiesties hands that those were his Letters and that it was true that he had baptized those fiue And being demanded why he Baptized them the Father answered why doth the King inforce Christians to forsake their faith and become Mahometans as his Maiestie endeauoureth for Mahomet so will I doe my vttermost for Iesus Christ in whose place I am here set and for this cause who so euer they be that desire to become Christians those will I freely baptize being onely sent into these Countries with these my Companions to that intent The Ministers deliuered the answere which the Father sent to the King who was highly contented both with the interpretation which the Father had made of his owne Letters which he had sent vnto Ormus being much different from those which were sent him by the Chan of Sciras translated wholy into a contrary sence and as it may be thought by some enemies of our holy faith as also with his constancie and for that cause the King said the Father had reason Full two hundred Mulaz which are the Doctors of Mahomets law were present with the King when the Fathers answere was brought vnto him who making some tumult and noyse and almost mad with anger were assembled there to the end to complaine vnto his Maiestie for that the law of Mahomet grew out of request and for that we had sent more then fiue thousand baptized Persians into Christendome inciting him to remedy the same and prouoking his displeasure against vs. The King being much displeased turning himselfe towards them after hee had heard the Fathers answere reuiled and taunted them with bitter speeches telling them that the Father had reason but that they were villaines and old crafty Foxes commaunding them out of his presence saying for sixteene yeeres space I haue frequented the Fathers company yet hath he neuer told me any vntruth neither haue I found any ill beseeming behauiour amongst the Fathers and I hold them for honest men Hereupon the Mulaz departed confused At this time the King expressed the affection which hee bare to Father Iohn which truly is very great whereupon wee suppose that the seuerity which at this present he sheweth and heretofore vsed towards the Christians his Subiects as to the Armenians and others euill intreating them and permitting sometimes that their children should be made slaues and forcing some of them to deny their faith is to no other end but to giue some satisfaction to the Mulaz and the people in that hee feareth some reuolt hauing perticularly discouered diuers times conspiracies against himselfe whereby he stoode in danger both of his life and Kingdome wherein one of his sonnes was intended to be placed which hath beene the cause that he hath put two of his sons to death and as it is presumed hath caused the third in like sort to be slaine to the intent to leaue one of his eldest sonnes children to succeede him in the Kingdome who as yet is a little Infant and incapable of the Empire True it is also that the King naturally is both angry and chollericke both by reason of the conspiracies which haue beene also addressed against him as for the death which he hath inflicted on his owne naturall children so that this passion hath gotten so great power ouer him that sometimes he seemeth to be out of his wits and at that time acteth beastly resolutions All these thinges being thus past betwixt the King and the Father the King commaunded those three prisoners to be brought before him that were imprisoned in the Citie of Haspahan by reason of the intelligence the Chan of Sciras had giuen him together with these sixe other who desired to bee Christians and were ready to receiue sacred baptisme being for this cause also committed to prison The King himselfe asked them whether they were Christians or no to whom these Catechumen answered together with two of the three other Christians that is to say Ioseph and Hebrain that they were none Alexander onely answered with great courage that he was a Christian The King commaunded him to forsake his faith and to returne to Mahometisme Whereupon Alexander with greater feruour and freenesse of spirit said that he would neuer commit such a sinne as to seperate himselfe from the true faith of Iesus Christ for the false Doctrine of Mahomet and that he hoped through the mercy of God to liue and die a Christian The King being strangely moued by this free and confident answere as one who was vnaccustomed to heare replyes and contradictions to his commaundements sentenced him to bee presently stoned to Death and afterwards burned to Ashes The ministers sodainly executed the Kings commaund and happy Alexander publiquely confessing Iesus Christ gaue him thankes for that hee thought him worthy to loose his life for his sake We cānot as yet learne the other particularities of this