Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A54909
|
The history of the persecutions of the Protestants by the French king in the principality of Orange from the year 1660 to the year 1687 with a particular account of the author's fall through the violence of the persecution / written by Monsieur Pineton.; Larmes. English. Selections. 1689.
|
Chambrun, Jacques Pineton de, 1637-1689.
|
1689
(1689)
|
Wing P2265; ESTC R24057
|
71,622
|
78
|
vocatur caro Christi dicitur etiam corpus Christi non propriè sed impropriè non rei veritate sed significante mysterio ita ut is sit sensus hoc est corpus meum id est significat To this he also gave me the same Answer to wit That it must be understood in the sense of the Church But said I Sir it is in these Decretals which the Church explains her meaning and she says that we must understand these words This is my Body not that the Body of Jesus Christ is truly in the Sacrament but that it is represented and signified by the Sacrament The Answers which this Prelate made me let me clearly see that he had studied more Politicks than Divinity that he was more conversant among the leaves in the Archives of his Diocess that he might increase his Revenues than in the Holy Scriptures that he might be perfect in all good works and be the man of God according to St. Paul's Precept and in a word his Mind was more set upon the Greatness of this World and the Intrigues of the Court than upon the Humility of a true Bishop or upon the unfolding of the Mysteries of Religion To perswade me that it was Lawful to use Force to make erring Persons come into the Church according to that saying Coge eos intrare compel them to come in which was it seems much in use in those days He sent me the two Epistles of St. Austin which some had lately taken the pains to Translate into French The first was to Vincent a Donatist Bishop the other was to Boniface General of the Emperor's Army I was prepared to Answer these two Epistles but I was gone so far with him that I prevented his asking my Opinion of them I had before quoted to him this incomparable passage of one of the Ancients Nova haec inaudita praedicatio quae verberibus fidem suadere conatur This is a new and strange way of Preaching which goes about to perswade men into the Mysteries of Religion by blows and stripes However I had got ready for him some passages of the same Father and was resolved to tell him that although St. Austin was endow'd with a great many rare gifts that yet he was but a Man and for that Reason suffered himself to be a Court-Bishop I should be too tedious if I related the particulars of all I talk'd of with this Bishop concerning Religion I think it sufficient to say for the Edification of my Neighbour and my own satisfaction that since I let slip those rash words there hath not gone out of my Mouth any that have in the least been against my knowledge or contrary to the Dictates of my own Conscience on the contrary I have endeavoured as much as 't was possible for me to Edifie the Church of God exhorting all those I met with either to perseverance in case they were not yet fallen or if they were fallen to rise again by a speedy Repentance I never omitted the accustomed Exercises of Piety I prayed with all comers and goers I sang Psalms with a loud voice and although they continually told me if I took not care I should ruin my self I answered them that I would glorifie my God and that Death was far more dear to me than Life One day the Bishop reproach'd me I answered him briskly that I should all my Life think my self obliged to thank him that he could not reasonably speak against my Devotion seeing he had told all his Diocess that our Prayers were good and that there was no fault to be found with our Psalms Two Months and a half I continued in that City with a dejection of Mind not to be conceiv'd My Thoughts were so taken up that I scarce was sensible of the pains of my Body which has almost perswaded me into that Opinion that pain subsists only in the Thought The Bishop's Commissary of War for the Province of Dauphine came to see me he was going to Orange to carry 500 Pistols to free those Roman Catholicks which were poor from Quartering Souldiers by which one may judge at the Expence the Protestants have been put to This Commissary offered me Money for which I did not vouchsafe to thank him He exhorted me also to write the motives of my pretended Conversion and set before me the Example of the Minister Vigné I told him I was not such a one as he took me for that he had forgot the Dragoons and Drummers which he sent me whose terrible noise had made me forget my Latin and thus I briskly sent him away laughing at him and his offers And since the mention of this Commissary hath brought to my Mind the Minister Vigne I cannot forbear noting here that this Apostate being come to Valence to get himself received a Counsellor in the Presidial Court came to see me accompanied by two of the Bishop of Valence his Men. He came into my Chamber all trembling and pale I received him very coldly and after a short discourse of Civility which he thought fit to make me I spoke to him in Latin because there were some Persons I had no mind should understand us I desired him to tell me in what condition his Conscience was since his change He was extreamly surprized at my Question and seemed at a great loss But nevertheless after a short silence he answered me with a stammering voice that his Conscience was at rest upon which I told him that mine was in Hell although I had not done what he had done I have no quiet Night nor Day for an ill word which I spoke and yet you say that your Conscience is in perfect Peace Ah! Sir you do not consider as you should you had much better confess your sin to God than to withstand Truth unjustly Says he to me I am re-united to the Roman Church that so I may not be guilty of Schism which is so hurtful to our Salvation I am re-united positively but I am separated from her negatively Said I to him if you were speaking to some ignorant Country-man you might throw some dust in his Eyes by this distinction but do you believe me so ignorant as not to understand your Jargoon Can you say that you are separated negatively from the Roman Church in rejecting the Doctrine and Worship which we disapprove Have not you very lately publish'd a Letter directed to your pretended new Converts in which you maintain what you tell me now is not the object of your Faith Have a care that in lying to Men you do not lie to God. In all likelihood he did not expect that I durst talk to him with so much Courage but that in Policy I would dissemble with him my Opinions so that he withdrew in some confusion and went directly to the Bishop's House where 't is very likely he made him a partial recital of our Discourse but yet the Bishop never took the least notice to me of it As
sending them to the Gallows particularly Mr. Petit whom he told positively that he should be hang'd the next day He had scarce patience to suffer them one moment in his presence before he sent them to Prison without being so civil as to hear them say one word in their own defence These faithful Servants of God were no sooner committed but the Count sent an Officer with two Dragoons to my House one of which he posted by my Bed-side telling him his Life should answer for my Appearance and the other at the Door of my House to hinder any from coming to me When I saw my self under this Confinement I lifted up my Heart to God in a fervent Prayer imploring the assistance of his Grace to support me in this Conflict to perfect his strength in my weakness and that he might be glorified whether by my Life or Death I can aver with a safe Conscience that though I was in such deplorable Condition I did not so much reflect upon my own Sufferings as those of my dear Collegues and my poor Flock I entreated my Wife Mrs. Louise de Chavanon my Nephews and others of my Relations that could be near me to give me their Assistance and not to discourage me by their Tears telling them that in that miserable estate to which my Pains and Afflictions had reduced me we ought all of us rather to Arm our selves to fight together that good Fight and to defend the precious Pledge of our Faith which God had put into our hands that as to my own particular my trust in God was so strong that I was firmly persuaded that neither Death nor Life nor Persecution nor Nakedness nor the Sword could ever separate me from his blessed love That I fore-saw that I should be treated with the extreamest Rigor as well for Reasons of State as upon account of Religion but whatever happened I found I had Courage enough to endure the utmost Cruelties they could inflict upon me But alas I have found by too sad Experience that the stoutest Heart cannot bear up if it be not strengthened by the invincible power of Grace and that our strongest Resolutions are but vain Illusions when they have no better Foundation than meer confidence in our selves When they had secur'd me and my Collegues they dismiss'd the Guard which they had planted round the City into which the Dragoons made their entry as into a place conquer'd They Quarter'd one third part of them upon the Romanists and the other two thirds upon those of the Religion You may more easily conceive than I can express the outrages committed from that Night forward All that Barbarity and Violence could suggest to them was employed in tormenting my poor Flock 'T is true their Fury for seventeen days was not altogether so great and Tesse gave out that his Business there was not to make us change our Religion but yet he placed his Guards at all the Avenues of the City to hinder any body from going out He was pleased likewise to remove the Dragoon that was placed in my Chamber being informed of the sad condition I was in and that there was no fear I should make my escape the misfortune I lay under being a heavier Chain than all the Irons they could have loaded me with The Bishop gave me to understand by a Person that was sent to me that I was obliged to him for those petty Favours and I returned him my Thanks for the same But for all that the Door of my House was guarded by Sentinels that were relieved every hour and there were but a very few suffered to enter The Guard that was placed in my Chamber incommoded me extreamly hindring me from discoursing freely with those Persons that stood in need of Comfort But when he was removed I had the Opportunity of conferring with several that came to me a private way the Dragoons knew not of The day after the Arrival of these cruel Persecutors being the 26th of October came the first Batallion of Du Plessis Believre about Two in the Afternoon and was followed the day after by the second The great number of the Souldiers obliged Count de Tesse to overcharge the Inhabitants with those new Guests who though they had extraordinary Pay viz. the Dragoons 30 and the Infantry 10 Sous a day yet for all that they forced their Landlords to give them Free Quarter And Happy was he that was forced only with dry blows to grant them what they demanded No sooner was the first Batallion come but the Count de Tesse sent the Major of the Regiment accompanied with the Bishop's Secretary to me to demand the Keys of our Churches I answered him that I was not the Church-Warden This Answer put him into a Passion and he told me he had Orders to receive the Keys from my own Hands I reply'd again that I was not the Church-Warden and that it was in vain for him to expect that I should deliver him them Then he began again to use Threatning Language to oblige me to do what he required But finding me after all firm to my Resolution he ordered some of the Souldiers to go and see for the Church-Warden and they not finding him made one of his Daughters come along with them to me with the Keys in her Hand The poor Girle came into my Chamber all in Tears The Major ordered the Maid to deliver the Keys to me but I refused to receive them He commanded me in the Count de Tesse's Name to take them and deliver them to him I absolutely refused to do either the one or the other At last after a Debate of about a quarter of an hour he snatch'd them out of the Maid's Hand and went to tell the Count de Tesse what he had done The Count in the mean time tarry'd at the Gate of the great Church impatiently expecting the Keys and as soon as he got them he entred the Church accompanied by the Bishop saying by way of Derision Farewel poor Jerusalem The first thing those honest Gentlemen did in that Holy Place was to tear in pieces the Bibles and the Psalm-Books Then they went up into the Pulpit where they uttered a thousand profane Expressions After that they tore down his Highness's Arms which were placed over the Parliament-Seat And in fine they shewed themselves so Inhumane as to do violence even to the Ashes of the great Christopher Count de Dona that were reposited in that Sacred Structure which by his means had been built by Order and at the Charge of the great Prince Fredrick-Henry The Reader I hope will excuse me for not relating all the indignities they put in practice to profane our Churches which fills me with so great a horror that my Soul even sinks under it It will suffice to tell him that they ran to the Poors Box to take away the Money and finding but little there they discharged there Fury upon Mrs. Chion my Collegue's Wife whom they sent