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A96372 A treatise of the power of godlinesse: consisting of three parts. 1 wherein it consists. 2 cautions against, and discoveries of, several mistakes and hinderances, most common to the people of God. 3 several means and helps for attaining of it. / By Thomas White, preacher of Gods Word in London. White, Thomas, Presbyterian minister in London. 1658 (1658) Wing W1848; Thomason E1848_1; ESTC R209711 168,479 438

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of the Priests being cloathed all in white which he doing Alexander as soon as he saw him fell prostrate before him his Army wondering at his carriage Parmenio asked him what he meant to worship the High-Priest when all others worshipped him He answered he did not worship the High-Priest but that God whom the High-Priest served For saith Alexander when I was in Dio considering what to do in my wat 's God appeared unto me in this very artire and wished me to go on and hee would prosper me and I never since saw any in that attire before now and therefore it is that I do shew that respect to the High Priest and then giving the High-Priest his hand was conducted by him into the Temple and offered Sacrifice according to his directions who also did shew him the Prophesie of Daniel wherein he told him it was prophesied that one of the Grecians should destroy the Persians and hee supposed that hee was the person meant by the Prophecy of which Alexander was very joyful and bestowed great favours both on the High-Priests and the rest of the Jewes Now because of all the stories of the Martyrs either in the time of the Primitive Church or since by the far greater cruelty of the Popish persecution I do not know that ever I read any story equal to this which is recorded by Josephus of the Martyrdome of the seven sons of one Mother I thought good to insert this story which though as for the substance of it it is in the book of Macchabees yet being exceeding more large in Josephus I have transcribed it out of him and the rather do I set down this story because generally Expositors do think that the Apostle in Hebrewes 11.35 hath relation to the sufferings of these worthy Martyrs and it was thus Antiochus whom the Prophet Daniel calls a vile person Dan. 11.21 after he had Martyr'd Eleazer a man of great age reverence piety and constancy caused seven brethren who were brought up and instructed by that blessed fore-named Martyr Eleazer to be brought forth to Martyrdome the Tyrant beholding them and their Mother amongst them with merry and gladsome countenance hee thus spake unto the children I wish your good O admirable young men for so both your beauty of body and Noble parentage perswade mee do not therefore like mad men resist my command avoid not only torments but death also for I desire not only to exalt you unto honour but also to encrease your riches and possessions contemn the superstitious and superfluous belief of your Countrymen and imbrace our Religion which if you refuse to do as I hope you will not I will devise all torments whereby I may by a lingring and painful death consume you and to the end hee might terrifie them the more hee commanded all instruments of torments to bee presented to their view so wheels rods hooks rakes racks cauldrons cages gridirons were brought forth and engines to torment the fingers and hands gauntlets bellowes brazen pots and frying pans Then Antiochus said Consent unto mee O prudent young men for if that I command you to commit a sin yet do not you offend in doing it seeing you commit it only upon compulsion But the young youths guided by a Divine Spirit contemned so many kindes of torments and despised the Tyrants threats and flatteries and with one consent denied to eat of the Sacrificed Swines flesh as they were commanded wherefore said they doest thou persecute us that are innocent wee both desire and wish to die and will until such time as death expelleth life firmly keep that which God commanded and Moses taught us and do not thou seek to seduce us by protesting feigned love towards us the pardon which thou dost offer is to us more dangerous than punishment we are arm'd with contempt of death and esteem not thy words as being by our late Master Eleazer taught to despise them Why then dost thou think such pusillanimity to bee in us young men seeing of late thou foundest such courage in an old man we follow him thou canst not try and know our mindes except by tearing our bodies thou search them out Wee will safely and securely suffer for our God any thing and leaving this earth we shall bee entertained into heaven and thou for so tyrannizing most cruelly upon innocent souls shalt bee reserved unto hell fire Antiochus being greatly moved to see that hee could neither prevail by fair promises nor threatnings hee caused them to bee beaten with Bulls Pisles and first hee commanded the eldest of the seven brethren to be stript and stretched out upon a rack and his hands to bee bound behinde him and then to bee most cruelly beaten who wearied his tormentors by his sufferings so that they more desired to leave beating him than hee desired they should leave This done hee was put upon a wheel and a weight hang'd upon his feet and so stretched round about it that his sinews and intrals brake and so his pains encreased yet for all the pain his mouth was not hindred from calling upon God who beheld all and reproving the Tyrant that devised those torments for the innocent hee cryed out after this manner O thou that persecutest the Majesty of God I whom thou thus tormentest am no Conjurer nor Murderer but one that dies for the truth and observing of the Lawes of God Then the Tormentors wishing him to yeeld Your wheels said hee are not so sharp and cruel that I thereby will bee forced to forsake heaven whereon my minde is fixed tear my flesh yea if it so please you roast it at the fire torture each part of my body with several cruelties you shall for all this finde your selves unable to force us young men to sin As hee thus spake a fire was kindled and hee as hee was upon the wheel racked was so thrown into the fire And thus hee was so burned that his bowels appeared he being nothing moved though his flesh was out of the midst of the fire cryed thus to his brethren O beloved brethren learn by mee an example of constancy contemn and despise the alluring baits of this world and rather obey God than Antiochus who can if hee please humble the proud and mighty and exalt the lowly and dejected As thus he spake hee was taken out of the flame and flean alive his tongue was pull'd out of his mouth and hee put into a Frying-pan and so hee ended his dayes After him the second Brother being haled by the Souldiers Antiochus before hee asked him whether hee would relent caused all those instruments of torments to bee shown him also thereby to terrifie him but hee nothing thereat moved and denying to eat of their foresaid Sacrifice his hands were bound with iron chains and hee being hang'd up by them the Skin of his body was flean from the Crown of his head unto his knees so that the intrals in his brest appeared naked yet in such manner