Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	worthy_a	write_n	year_n	14	3	4.4744	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B11843	The tragedies of tyrantes Exercised vpon the church of God, from the birth of Christ vnto this present yeere. 1572. Containing the causes of them, and the iust vengeance of God vpon the authours. Also some notable comfortes and exhortations to pacience. Written by Henrie Bullinger, and now Englished.; Von der schweren, langwirigen Verfolgung der heiligen Christlichen Kirchen. English	Bullinger, Heinrich, 1504-1575.; Twyne, Thomas, 1543-1613.	1575 (1575)	STC 4078; ESTC S106917	68,333	200

therin all that euer was as well men as goodes that there was not one that escaped Besides there are many other cruell tortures and punishmentes recited in y same boke of Eusebius wherby infinit multitudes of christians wer executed to death made away in Arabia Cappadocia Mesopotamia Alexādria Antioche and lykewise in Pontus But after that these bloudthirstie dogges Dioclecianus and Maximianꝰ departed from the empire there succéeded in their place other tyrantes maxentius sunne to Maximian Galerius Maximinus who persecuted the church nolesse cruelly then theyr predicessours did neither made they any ende or moderation or measure of punishing staynge or sheadinge of blood At Alexandria a noble honest virgin Dorothe was by Maximinus spoyled of all her goods with other virgines also whiche would not consent to his filthie lust tormented and slayne At Rome Sophronia wife to the gouerner of the cittie chose rather to die with her owne hand then to bée defiled by a beastly tirant By this Tyrant very many christians were driuen into exyle punished and slayne as Eusebius copiously declareth in thenéeinth and last booke of his storie Howbeeit the moste famous amongst them all are thrée ministers of Christe and his Churche Syluanus of Tyre Peter of Alexandria and Luciā of Antioche who had traueiled very mutch in the scriptures as S. Ierom reporteth These woorthie men not only by their teachinge and writinge but also by their bloud and death haue borne testimony to y christian faith and haue cleaued vnto christ constantly to death This cruell and rare kinde of persecution continued from the yeere of Christe 306 vnto the yere 320. that is to say about .xv. yéere in the whole For in the yeere of Christe 321. Constantinus the emperour in the .x. yéere of his reigne gaue peace and rest to the miserable torne and almost oppressed Church indéede from the time that Christe suffred his passion vnto that present there was no persecution more cruell or that continued longer then this wherin notwithstandinge the Church through faith preueiled ouerthrew and caste downe al false religion and Idolatrie But that I may returne vnto the accustomed talke whiche I haue vsed before this in the discourse of most persecutions is there anie man I béeséech you which dareth avoutch that the Ethnick religion of the Romanes was therefore iust and true bycause the Romane emperours defended and enlarged the same castinge downe and defilinge the faith of the Christians with their owne blood most cruelly bicause the● obtained prosperus successe against the Christians the Christiās the mean season tastinge none other but the crosse afflictions miseries and most cruell death And who is hée now that will dispute with God why hée suffred sutch naughtie knaues and wicked varlets with so many and diuerse kyndes of calamities molest and trouble sutch men as were dearely beloued vnto him Who will de●aunde whether hée did well or ill since God doth no vniuste thing But hée proueth his seruantes with the crosse and afflictions like as Gold and Siluer are by woorkmen tried in the fier This the faithfull know very well and therfore if our wretched and impatient fleash do mooue any contrary thoughtes as it often chanceth immediatly they suppresse them And Saint Peter saith humble your selues vnto the mightie hand of god and hee will exalt you when hee seeth his time and cast all your cares vpon him for it is hee that is carefull for you ¶ Of the. 16. Tragicall Acte or persecution vnder Iulian the Emperour of the 17. vnder the Emperour Valens also of the. 18. vnder Genserick and Hunerick Kinges of the Vandales Chapter X. FRom the tenth yéere of the reigne of Constantinus Magnus the church of Christe enioyed peace and tranquillity when as within xxi yéeres for so many yéeres are accoumpted from the tenth yéere of Constantine vnto the. 31. which was the last yere of his reigne it encreased more then at any other time since the natiuitie of Christe But not longe after the death of Constantine the learned teachers and ministers of the Churches vnthankfully abused their peace minglynge many contentions and cauilles with y simple doctrine of their religion and mutch disagréeinge and contendinge amonge themselues they drew the simple people from the vnitie of the Church into sundry sectes and pluckyng them from the purenesse and plainesse of the true faith with their doubtfull doctrine they filled their heades with sundrie altercatiōs At which time sprange vp the blasphemous doctrine of Arrius who affirmed that our Lorde Iesus Christe the sunne of God was not of one essency or béeinge with the father nether very and eternall god With this poyson at that time Constantius one of Constantinus sunnes was infected for Coustantinus left béehind him thrée sunnes béetwéen whom he deuided the empire Constantinus the second Constantius Constās This Constantius was offended with the true faithfull ministers of y Churches which withstood the doctrine of Arrius and sent them into exile But he persecuted most vehemētly Blesied Athanasius and with him many m● wherof some he threw into most strait prisons greuously afflicting the faithful as is declared at large in the ecclesiasticall history This persecution béegan aboute the yéere of Christ 343. but bicause valens y emperour who was also difiled with the herésie of Arrius renued this persecution wée will atribute them both to the Arrians comprehendinge them vnder the name of Valens persecution God chastised his Church for contentions falling out disagréements scismes not only in this Arrian persecution but also in an Ethnick the like wherof it suffred many before the reigne of Constantinus as wée haue hether to declared For the emperour Iulian opposed himself sharply against the Church of Christe laboring to bring it back vnto the aun●ient superstitions of the gentiles about the yéere of Christ 366. This Iulian was at the first a Christian and a reader in the holy Catholick Church but when he had falne into acquaintance and frindship with certayne Philosophers and chiefly with Libanius the Sophist he began by litle and litle to fall from the Christian faith and at last receiued the relygion of the Gentiles againe wherin he became so blind and hard harted that he washed awaye the Baptisme of Christ yea he was so farre possessed by the Diuell that he vsed very much Magicall arts applying his whole studye vnto sutch thinges as were plesant exceptable to the diuell But after that he came to the empire hauing obtained a great victorie against the Almaynes nigh to the citie Strausbrough of whom he slew xxx M with all his power hée bent him selfe against the christian religion The temples of Idoles which Constantinus had shutte vp and in which vpon paine of death he cōmanded that none should do sacrifice Iulian set them open agayne and sacrificed in them vnto Idols and gaue all men leaue to sacrifice So y the Gentile