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A81687 The clergies honour: or, the lives of St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Neo-cæsarea, and St. Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople. Drawn by way of parallel Dowell, John, ca. 1627-1690. 1681 (1681) Wing D2055C; ESTC R223910 54,058 112

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life Wilt thou O Christian learn that wisdom with which the Teacher of the World was endued consider how he clearly discovers that whatsoever seems illustrious in the World is really nothing Mark the Language that he useth 1 Cor. 4. 17. The things that are seen say abundance of Riches if you alledge Lustre Glory and Majesty if Dominion Power if Empires if Thrones and Crowns all these things are seen and are Temporal their continuance is but short and the enjoyment of them but for a moment If these things that are seen are but Temporal what things O blessed Paul wouldst thou have us to pursue He returns things not seen things which corporal eyes cannot behold If any one shall object who is it that counsels us to neglect visible and pursue invisible things Heavenly Paul replies the nature of the things counsel and command you see these things you see them uncertain and the continuance of them short but those things which we cannot see are Eternal they know no end nor admit of a Period This he says was the subject of his continued Labours and daily Sermons So that that by the Apostle pronounced concerning the Patriarchs may be applyed to these great persons Heb. 11. 14. They that say such things declare plainly that they seek another Country Basil having consumed his body by vast labours as a glorious Lamp that Their deaths and Burials wasts it self with its own fire and goes out with the greatest flame So Basil with continual fasting in perpetual prayers study and preaching cast himself into a perpetual sickness which caused him to study Physick His incessant disease made him a Physician he scarce ever being in good health Recovering out of a former disease he was very much troubled that being near the Haven a contrary wind should drive him into the Sea again But after he had gloriously ruled the Church for 8 years and 2 months Anno 378. he fell into his last sickness which was a violent Feaver it disturbed not his Reason nor Religion his Soul burnt with Divine ardours and he cast the flames of love to God in all his discourses When he could hardly speak and ready to give up the last Gasp he called for several of the Clergy and other Religious persons and gave them most prudent most sacred most religious admonitions concerning both the guiding of their own lives and ordering of the Church of God and interrupting that discourse his strength being wasted he breaks out into this Ejaculation O Lord into thy hands I commit my Spirit and with that aspiration his Soul flew to Heaven and left the Body of Basilius for the society of Angels expecting to receive it in the resurrection of the Just The news of his death being spread throughout the City filled all with sorrow and horrour In him the very Children thought they had lost their Parents Wives their Husbands Parents their Children the Glory the Protection of the City they thought was gone and his Funeral was celebrated by the confluence of all sorts of people The Desarts were emptied of all their Religious persons the Country became unpeopled Jews and Gentiles flocked to attend his Herse in so great a croud many thronging to be within the shadow of the Herse or to touch the Bier perished in so great a multitude many were pressed to death as unwilling to survive that great Person being his funeral Victims they would offer themselves willingly a Sacrifice to this great Saint The memory of him was so famous that his very Gestures his Speech his Garb his Gate every thing the most excellent Persons endeavoured to imitate and they thought them admirable who could express in themselves any thing of Basilius Alass these were but faint representations of his Virtues as Ecchoes rebound but the last sillable so scarce any could express the meanest of his Excellencies His fame was so glorious that he hath acquired the name of Great Pompey and Alexander gained the same Title by their Arms and Victories but he by Grace and the Triumphs of Religion The universal testimony of the Church hath canonized him for a Saint his Laurels grow out of his grave and the glory of his Memorial shall never lose its lustre The Emperours anger continuing still against Chrysostom prohibited the conversation of Letters with him caused him to be removed from Place to Place that it might be unknown where he was Arriving at Caesarea Pharetrius Bishop of that place and successor of Basil a man infinitely inferiour to his Predecessor and of a different humour denied him Lodgings in the City prohibited a Religious Lady that lived 5 miles distant from Caesarea to entertain him The famous Bishop gave the foreign Communion to Strangers Pagans to Hereticks but how differently contrary is Pharetrius who permits not an entertainment to Chrysostom the most glorious Prelate of the World After one years rest and civil usage at Cucusum he was hurried to Petiuntum the Souldiers having received a special command from the Emperour that they should not permit him any quiet nor suffer his decayed body to receive any refreshment by ease in violent storms he should have no shelter in great heats he should not have the benefit of the shades but be carried from place to place Yet in all these troubles his mind was elevated always comforting disconsolate Christians Thus he whilst he was gloriously fighting in the Front of the Battle encouraged the Souldiers in the Rear Carried to Comanum he as the customs of holy men were to enter the Church goes to the Temple of Basiliscus to pray after which his Feaver increasing worn with labours wasted by travels in holy prayers and Ejaculations he gives up the Ghost Anno 407. having sat in the See 9 years 7 months and 8 days He enter'd a Temple to pray immediately before he was to enter into that Temple where the Lamb is the light thereof A period is put to the Travels of this Pilgrim his banishment finds an end now he enters into the City of God that new Jerusalem and is in that place where there remains a rest for the Servants of God The news of his death flying into Armenia and the adjacent Countries they were all struck with an excessive grief the Inhabitants forsook their Country to celebrate the Funeral of this great Person He was carried to the grave upon the shoulders of the most Religious persons people of divers Nations being attendants of that solemnity Divers Languages conspired in one praise all tongues sent up the same Halelujahs With Prayers Psalmodies with Hymns the people of all estates and conditions of various Countries celebrated that sad solemnity and being carried to the Church of St. Basiliscus he was there interred He lived with great Fame his enemies could never obscure but encrease his glory his Memorial can never be buried in oblivion His enemies raced his name out of the sacred Dipticks but it will always remain in the Book of life The consent of the universal Church hath reckoned him amongst the Catalogue of Saints A very considerable part of Constantinople separated from the Church and had their conventions under some Bishops the favourites of Chrysostom These were called Joannites against whom the Emperour made severe Edicts for they would not be forced to communicate at the Altar whose Dipticks admitted not the name of Chrysostom and by reason of that great injury done to this famous Bishop and Saint the whole Western Church refused a communion with the Constantinopolitan Proclus formerly a Deacon under Chrysostom was advanced to the Archbishoprick of Constantinople He prevailed upon that most excellent and Religious Emperour Theodosius the younger the Son of Arcadius that the body of Chrysostom should be translated from Comanum to Constantinople which was performed 38 years after his decease The Corps were received with the highest joy mixed with infinite shame and sorrow with the extreamest shame and sorrow that so great a Prelate so admirable a Preacher so holy a man Christians should banish into the remotest parts of the World What infinite sorrow to conceive that a Christian City should be deprived of so glorious a Person and his death to be hastened by the hands of Christians whose life deserved to be prolonged by all possible care and industry Yet what joy to see the Empire changed the City all attending the Ship that brought the Corps of their banished Archbishop Theodosius himself an Emperour composed with valour and goodness a person of the greatest courage and sweetest temper in the World being the chief Mourner And thus Chrysostom is carried with all imaginable pomp and with all the sacred solemnities to the Church of St. Sophia his holy name is re-inserted into the Sacred Dipticks and in the grave of Chrysostom all contentions were buried the Eastern and Western Churches reconciled no private conventions maintained but all met in the unity of the Spirit and bond of peace The works of this person are many and incomparable his Auditors after they came from Church would usually cry O Golden Mouth While he lived and two ages at least after his death he was known by common discourse and writing by the name of John but afterwards the glory of his writings gave him the cognomen of Chrysostom and indeed nothing can shine in greater lustre then he in the excellency of Eloquence piety and industry Thus these two great persons as the Phoenix having made a Nest which is her Funeral Pile of the odoriferous branches which the Aromatick Trees of Arabia afford by an agitation of the Air through the nimble motion of her wings causeth the Solar Beams to set it on fire which being kindled she lays her self quietly in those flames and there with great content expires knowing that of those ashes another more Juvenile and sprightly Phoenix shall arise so these great persons having prepared for themselves by their actions more fragrant and sweet then the odours of the East an Eternal Monument are laid in the grave in the sweetest repose knowing that out of their ashes there shall arise those Bodies which are in this World embalmed with the perfumes of a great Fame and the odours of glorious actions that shall be invested with light and immortality FINIS