Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	know_v	speak_v	word_n	9,131	5	4.2861	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A56694	A sermon preached before the King, on St. Stephen's-day by Sy. Patrick ...	Patrick, Simon, 1626-1707.	1676 (1676)	Wing P839; ESTC R23416	11,988	37

more than any thing else the force and vertue of any mans mind As Complaints continual Repinings and violent Commotions argue weakness and infirmity so silent Meekness chearful Submission and quiet composed Patience when we suffer wrongfully speak an Heart indued with strength and fortitude The World indeed thinks those most powerful who can do wrong and not be punished for it they that can irresistably overpower and oppress others have gained the Titles of Mighty Illustrious and Magnanimous but in a right estimation of things these Titles belong to such Souls as can suffer all the evil that those men do with an humble constancy and meek resignation of themselves to the Will of God These are the truly Great and Unconquerable Spirits these ought most to be admired and renowned for they remain Victorious even over their insulting Enemies they triumph over those that lead them captive Who find a stop put to the course of their Conquests when they meet with such Spirits as cannot be subdued nay are in pain and inwardly grieved to see men suffer chearfully more than they can lay upon them Jacuit inter poenas poenis suis fortior Epist XXXIV c. says S. Cyprian of Celerinus He lay tormented stronger than the torments he indured freer in prison than they that shut him in higher when flat upon the ground than they that trampled on him more at liberty in chains than they that bound him sublimer by far when condemned than they that sate on the Bench and judged him It was a sublime Spirit indeed that posssed these mens Breasts for it raised them by these means not only above the common rank of mankind and above all those who had astonished the World with their Greatness and Power but far above those gods whom the Nations worshipped Most of which had left no Records but of their Amours their Pleasures and Volupteous Enjoyments and none of which had made themselves remarkable for patient Innocence and pious Passing by injuries without any thought or desire of revenge This was a thing proper to the Christian Hero's as the Martyrs and Confessors may be justly called who became hereby more than Men and as some of the Ancients ventured to say more than Angels 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the Agonies and Conflicts they endured in their bodies excelling those Natures which have no bodies and consequently no such pains and miseries to contend withal as those Souls incumbred with Flesh overcame Which proclaimed so loudly the Power of the Ineffable Father in them as Justin one of these Martyrs speaks that they won the hearts of sober Pagans to the Service of that God who inspired his worshippers with such meek and humble but resolved and undaunted Spirits Which is the second thing II. That Christianity was hereby marvellously promoted and made a great progress in the World though this seemed to be the ready way to extinguish it Celsus himself as great an enemy as he was to Christianity was put to his shifts and forced to quit his former Principles when he came to consider the sufferings of the Martyrs Though he was an Epicuraean in his other Writings Lib. 1. contra Cels as Origen tells us yet when he set himself to dispute against Christian Religion he could not but confess that it was a Generous and Worthy thing to lay down their Lives in the Defence of it and that nothing was more base than for a Man to flinch from a true Opinion for fear of danger For he goes on to acknowledg when he was in this good mood that there is in Man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 something better than his earthy part which is says he of kin to God And therefore all well-bred Souls desire to be near to their Original and would willingly know more of him A worthy Confession which the power of Truth sometimes extorts from its greatest Enemies And it was eminently verified in this holy Martyr of whom we may speak truly in his words that being well bred in the School of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he desired by all means to be with his Heavenly Kindred Which he knew would not lessen the Family of Christ here on earth but rather increase it and make it more numerous For as skilful Wrestlers says S. Greg. Nyss by yielding a little and bowing their bodies under those that contend with them more easily overthrow them and lay them flat on the ground So did this grrat Stephen bruise the mighty Adversary the Devil by falling to the earth himself Then it was that the Apostles were driven away from Jerusalem and began to run throughout the World This was the occasion of the Publishing of the Word every where to the ruine of the Devil's Kingdom And besides this his wonderful Piety and compassionate Kindness even to his Persecutors we may rationally think touch'd some of their Hearts and made them relent and turn to God For at that very time when they were murdering him he like a Spiritual Priest as the fore-named Father speaks whose blood was sprinkled against their will before God interceded with great charity for them saying Lord lay not this sin to their charge When their brutish fury was a little over and they reflected on what had passed with some coolness they could not sure but some of them be melted with such ardent love as well as astonished at such rare courage For in succeeding times it is certain Christian Patience had such effect upon many hearts that it gave a great stroke to their conversion unto Christ Justin whom I mentioned before professes That the first thing that inclined him to the faith of Christ was the devout constancy which he beheld in those who suffered for it And Tertullian avows in his Apology to all the Pagan world that Cicero Seneca Pyrrho Callinicus with all the rest of their great Writers who had exhorted men to indure pain and death could never make so many Disciples by their Eloquent words as simple Christians had done by their deeds Illa ipsa obstinatio quam ex probatis Magistra est That very obstinate Resolution which you upbraid us withal is a Mistress that instructs the world Who is there that beholds it and is not moved to enquire into the cause And who is there that takes the pains to enquire into the cause and doth not become a Proselyte to this Religion and who is there that becomes a Proselyte to it and is not ready also to lose his life for it that he may obtain the favour of God with the expence of his blood And indeed it may be questioned whether the Apostles and their followers did more amaze the world by the wonder of their Miracles or by their stupendious patience under the most cruel Torments This I think is certain That the Divine manner of their suffering was a thing less controverted than their prodigious astonishing works They I mean who disputed the last could not but admire and