Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	faith_n	holy_a	jesus_n	7,332	5	5.7358	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

hee should speake in the language of a Francke but being ignorant of the language he pawsed a while and then said that he was a Christian Francke which is as much as to say in the Persian tongue a Christian Catholique or one that yeeldeth obedience to the Pope afterwards the Chan asked Cassadir Cousin to Elia what he was and whither he went and vpon what affaires and finding him to be a Christian newly Baptized who went to accompany his Cousin and that they had no other businesse but to carie the Letters hee found about them out of the hatred hee bore to Christians the Chan begun to be enraged like a dogge and endeauoured by diuers meanes that is to say by threatnings torments perswasions and promises to make these two new Disciples of Iesus Christ to deny the holy faith and to returne to the false obseruance of Mahomet But GOD who neuer abandoneth those which trauaile for him and put their trust in him fauoured them with so great aboundance of his graces that they set light by the threats and torments and respected not the promises of the Tyrant but freely confessed that they were Christians and that GOD had shewed his fauour vnto them to draw them out of the darknesse of infidelity and the false sect and doctrine of Mahomet to the end they might know the true and onely faith of Iesus Christ in which they were both of them resolued to liue and dye The words of Elia like darts pierced the heart of the Chan who inraged with new indignation commaunded them to be caried into the sight of Ormus eight dayes distant from that place where they were at that time and in the presence of the Christians of that Citie to bee put to death in such manner as heare after shall bee declared In these eight dayes of trauaile they were most inhumanely handled and iniured induring hunger thirst and watching to which the cruell instruments of the diuell fierce in heart and sauage in behauiour added another more greater which was to labour diuers times to take from them the precious treasure of the sacred faith sometimes by threats other whiles by promises now by flatteries and againe by stripes vnder pretext to make them Runnagates and Apostataes But these true seruants of God tried like fine gold in the midst of so many persecutions suffered and indured all these cruelties with ioy of spirit and vnspeakeable constancie yeelding thankes to our good Lord Iesus Christ for the grace he bestowed on them in making them worthy to suffer and endure anything for his loue and for the holy faith which they had receiued in Baptisme Being argued in sight of Ormus these fierce and cruell ministers flayed an Asse and sowed the Martyr Elia in the skinne and afterwards nayled him on high to a great peece of wood he liued in this most cruell torment some houres praising and blessing God and preaching the faith of Iesus Christ after the best manner he could Cassadir was alwayes present at this spectacle who in stead of astonishment and loosing his courage for the torments that were inflicted vpon his Cousin was the more animated and remained alwayes constant confessing Iesus Christ and reiecting with an holy disdaine all those that counsailed him to returne vnto the Sect of Mahomet which was the cause that they tyed him to a Stake and ripped vp his belly Thus those two holy Martyrs finished their fraile life to the end to possesse and begin another eternall and happy insomuch as the ministers of cruelty and those other Infidels that were there present remained confused and astonished at the constancie of those two Martyrs I could not as yet vnderstand what became of the bodies of these two glorious Martyrs but I hope that God will preserue and reserue so great a treasure The Chan of Sciras being informed by these two glorious Martyrs Elia and Cassadir what those three other Christians were which according to the Fathers Letters were to be sent to Ormus and hauing notice both of their names by which they were baptized as for the others they had when they were yet Mahometans signified the whole proceedings by his Letters to the King of Persia and sent him those Letters which the holy Martyr Elia was to carie to Ormus The King hauing receiued this newes who at that time was three Leagues from the Citie commanded the foresaid three Christians to be apprehended who were not as yet departed and commanded the Daraga that is to say the Gouernour of the Citie of Haspaphan and the Captaine of the Campe to repaire vnto our Couent and shut vs vp therein which they punctually performed locking and sealing vp the Cells of the Couent and shutting all of vs together in one Chamber After this they asked Father Iohn whether hee thought he had done well or that it were fitting that hee should be the cause of such a matter considering that the King had alwayes entertained and honoured him Wherevnto the Father answered that hee came not into Persia for the honours and fauours which the King had bestowed on him but for the only hope he had not only to conuert the King but his whole Kingdome to the faith of Iesus Christ. With this answer the Gouernour and the Captaine of Iustice departed leauing the Monastarie full of Souldiers God so would that one of the Fathers was yet fasting notwithstanding that it was more then two of the clocke afternoone and thus consumated hee the holy Sacrament That night they forbad vs to performe our accustomed spirituall exercises beleeuing that we would set some Charmes and Sorceries a worke Yet did wee that which vpon such like occasion the Prophet Daniel did Your Reuerence may consider in what estate we were the house being full of Watchmen and Sergeants that were Infidels the gates of the Monastarie locked when as we might not speake to any of our friends or know what was done but were all of vs closed vp in a Chamber preparing our selues to giue our liues for Iesus Christ One onely thing afflicted vs which was that wee could not giue succours to the new Christians knowing for certaine that they suffered great necessity of all things and for that wee could not counsell and animate them being doubtfull of their perseuerance in the faith At that time wee betooke our selues to our prayers beseeching our Lord to giue them force and perseuerance offering vp our prayers to the two holy Martyrs Elia and Cassadir to the end they should interceede and pray for them Wee remained prisoners thus for three dayes space during which time each of vs prepared himselfe to dye and made a generall confession after the best manner we could The first day we read the life of St. Ignatius the Martyr the second of St. Lawrence and the third that of St. Katherine I cannot expresse vnto you the consolation and inward ioy that we felt nor the feruour or sensible apprehension and zeale of the Fathers euery houre

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