Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
virtue_n	flow_v	grace_n	substance_n	1,023	5	11.4430	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A36461	The triumph of Christianity, or, The life of Cl. Fl. Julian, the Apostate with remarks, contain'd in the resolution of several queries : to which is added, Reflections upon a pamphlet, call'd Seasonable remarks on the fall of the Emperor Julian, and on part of a late pernicious book, entituled, A short account of the life of Julian, &c.	Dowell, John, ca. 1627-1690.	1683 (1683)	Wing D2057; ESTC R8708	83,984	256

the Prefect performs the Emperors command by a fine trick without the knowledge of the Citizens sends him into Banishment and then takes Macedonius into his own Coach and carries him into the Church the people were disconted the multitude was so great that what by the throng and the Sword of the Soldiers a passage was made for him to the Throne by the Corps of One thousand Three hundred and Fifty When possessed of that See what cruelties did he not exercise banishments confiscation of estates were but lighter punishments those that would not communicate with him he Imprisoned some he Tortured Women and Children he caused to be severely Scourged he forced the mouths of those that would not communicate with him to be opened and his Mysteries to be put into them he caused Eggs to be heated and cast upon the Breasts of Women he made the Breasts of other Women to be put between burning Plates and seared off he acted such Cruelties upon the Christians that were unheard of to the Heathens with an excessive pride without the consent of the Emperor he removed the Corps of Constantine the Great out of the Church in which he was inter'd into the Church of Acasius the Martyr This fact was endeavoured to be hindred by the Orthodox Christians of whom he killed many the Floor of the Church and Street adjoyning flowed with the Blood of them Were these sanguinary Acts the product of Religion No but of pride and his temporal Interest Qu. VI. Wherein the Christian Graces have a real preferency to the Pagan and Philosophical Vertues IT will not be unworthy to discuss this Great Question Wherein the Graces and Lives of Christians are superior to the Actions and Vertues of the Heathens Julian against whom these Papers are chiefly design'd was a Prince conspicuous by many excellent endowments Amongst the Heathens there were many Philosophers and Statesmen Orators Generals and Princes eminent in their singular qualifications Is Valour a Virtue Many were patient in bearing Calamities and none more daring in undertaking great actions Is Justice a Virtue they were diligent hearers of Causes and unbiassed in their final determinations Is Temperance a Virtue They were to a Miracle Abstemious Is Charity a Virtue they were Bountiful and haters of the base sin of Covetousness If a composure of mind by which persons are fitted for admirable Actions If industry and vigorous prosecution of Employments be excellent Ornaments in them they might glory To all which may be added in the Exercise of Religion which is the foundation of Virtue they were very devout To all these they made a great pretence Some of those Eminences must be granted yet to the Question it will with clear Reason and certain Truth be replied That the excellency of Christian Graces and Virtues are superlatively to be prefer'd to Pagan Eminences To evince which these Axioms must be premis'd 1. Bonum ex integra causa Malum ex quocunque defectu An Vniversal concurrence of Causes is required to make a thing good when any deficiency suffices to render it evil One obliquity makes a Line crooked when a continued recital is necessary to constitute a strait Line 2. When Virtues are intense then they are concatenated there is a Conspiration of all Virtues where the degrees are Heroical 3. That the fam'd Philosophers agree in this That there is a true God whose Will is the rule of Virtue 4. That then it must evidently follow That they who worship not the true God are not Virtuous 5. 'T is evidently perspicuous that Virtues must have a respect to their adequate objects He that is Temperate must both eat and drink moderately he that is Just must be so to all persons 6. That to the Constitution Prudence is required If this were not the Guide of the Pagan Virtuosi then it must of necessity follow they were not truly virtuous My Pen shall not be too crabbed nor my sentiments too bold in censuring the state of dead Philosophers What sentence the Divine Power hath passed upon them is known to him only to whom belongs righteousness and forgiveness I am not daring to peep into the dark but confident that the highest pitch of Virtue the severest Pagan arriv'd at is much beneath Christian perfection and the sublime life of Christian Philosophers 1. Let the actions of any person be never so exact and congruous to those Laws which goodness prescribe yet if the end be vain-glory they are not true Virtues Ambition is that deformity which sullies the splendor of the best Conversation in that life which seems to be a mirror to give the liveliest image of Goodness As the purest Chrystal is by breath so that by popular applause is stain'd which vice is infinitely oppos'd by Christian Religion Humility being adopted as a part of it it 's one of its prime constitutions enforced by the example of the Holy Jesus How guilty the Ethnick Philosophers were of this crime is notoriously known They were termed Vanoe glorioe mancipia How trifling was that temper of Demosthenes who was hugely pleased that the murmurs of a Rivulet from him gliding brought to his Ears the noise of a Woman speaking to her Companion This is the very Demosthenes Cic. Tusc Quest lib. 5. And Tully himself that great Orator and Virtuoso and famous Moralist Trahimur omnes glorioe studio optimus quisque maximè glorià ducitur The chiefest aim of the best men he makes to be Glory by Plutarch accused of Ambition and so judg'd by his Friends Crecens by Justin call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And of himself Cicero saith Orat. ad pop before his Banishment Quam virtutis gloria summâ cum laude ad coelum extulit He was infinitely affected with those expressions of kindness which he receiv'd from the Romans after his return from Banishment that he cries out I am come to Rome upon the Shoulders of all Italy As for Julian how vain-glorious he was take it from the Pen of Marcellinus he rejoyced very much in vulgar applause he was an immoderate hunter after praise even from the least things that were His affecting popularity made him to converse with mean and abject persons Christianity commands not to seek the praise of men but of God That he who glorieth may glory in the Lord. The glory which we receive from men is but small imperfect inconstant and makes not the person the better the glorying in God is raised perfect perpetual and makes the person really happy 2. We shall rarely find that there was a Concatenation of all Virtues in Heathen Philosophers and in them their Virtues had not a respect to their adequate objects which is otherwise in Christians In many thousands of them gloriously appear'd a concurrence of all Graces 'T is a Christian Axiom He that offends in one is guilty of all Christian Graces are like a Crown or Circle in which if there be any part taken away that ceaseth to be a Circle From the

Dignity whose 12 years Laurels withered at the battel of Leipsick where the fortune of Gustavus put to flight 24000 Captains every one of his Soldiers deserving that Honour fighting under the Command and Conduct of the most valiant Tilly who after he had beaten General Horn and was passing the river Leck was set upon by part of Gustavus's Cavalry considering the number on both sides the fight was the most Bloody of any in Germany where Tilly lost his Life but not his Honour In this declining estate of the Empire a General was to be chosen none by the Emperors Council was thought fit to command the Army but Wallestine who remembring this removal from the General seemingly denyed that great employment politickly covering his ambitious revenge The Empire wanted an experienced Generalissimo and none was so able to give a check to Gustavus as Wallestine a Soldier politick and valiant but as Capricious as any that ever was in the Head of an Army after he had left the World Know Gustavus was not immortal and he having given a check to the Swedish Victories opened his tumour and discovered his Latent revenge for his crafty dealings with the Emperor had procured an unlimited Commission at Aegyra in Bohemia where he commanded his Soldiers to take an absolute Oath to himself not mentioning the Emperor and to confirm them in this design he gave three months pay to the Army but the Emperor prevented him by securing Prague Duke Pernard durst not trust him Gordon Leasly two Noble Scottish Gentlemen and Butler no less excellent an Irish Gentleman inviting four of his Principal Officers to Supper which were his greatest confidents the entertainment ending with the life of the Guests the gallant Butler runs up to Wallestine's Chamber Kills the Guard breaks open the Door with astonishing Salutation O Traytor to the Empire and Emperor art thou there By this Surprize he makes him uncapable of Defence unable to command his reason and by his Partizan destroys him and throwing his Body into the Yard of the the Court reduced an Army of 40000 men to the obedience of the Empire Marcellinus enviously charges Constantius with being a Coward upon what reason I know not 'T is true his Arms were not so successful against the Persians as he desired Augustus called the Darling of Fortune made the River Euphrates to be the utmost Eastern bound of the Roman Empire but whether his fear or envy was the reason of that Determination the politick Historian saith he could not give a good conjecture Euphrates was a sufficient defence against the attempts of the Persians The passing of that River was certainly fatal to any Prince if his Enemy would decline a Battel for he must fight with Hunger and Sands Julian found the sad experience of this Alexanders matchless valour became victorious by the confidence of effeminate Darius What could withstand the order and discipline of Tammerlin's numerous Army How fatal the Turkish expeditions have been against Persia the fate of the illustrious Bassa Ibrahim sufficiently evidences It 's impossible that Constantius should be justly accused of Cowardize who was constantly Victorious over all the Barbarous Nations that invaded the Empire destroyed all Rebels continued a terror to the Persians and always fought in the Head of his Army and in all humane probability had destroyed Julian if Death had not prevented him It seems very strange that Constantius did not sooner discover Julian's ambition so true is that of St. Augustine Lib. 5. Cap. 21. De civit Dei Qui Constantino Christiano ipso Juliano Apostatoe c. He who gave the Empire to Constantine a Christian did likewise give it to Julian the Apostate whose admirable parts his Sacrilegious ambition soiled and abused Constantius sets spies upon Julian narrowly to watch him whether he wavered in his Religion yet Constantius appointed Mardonius and Editius to teach him and in his Journey to Ephesus he fell into the familiarity of Jamblicus and Proeretius at Athens he was a great Admirer of Libanius these instill'd the principles of Idolatry into him It seems very strange that Constantius did not suspect him for Constantius was wholly devoted to Christian Religion and very watchful to preserve the Dignity of it Companions may discover the humour of a Person those spies were certainly faithless If Constantius had known that he conversed with heathen Philosophers and those that were known Magicians certainly he would have suspected him as to his Religion His own words and the acclamations of the People manifested that his design was the Empire When he came to Vienna he received News that the Barbarians had taken and sacked Colonia Agrippinoe now Colen a great and well fortifyed City which made him break out into these expressions I shall dye invested with Honours and encompassed with dangers words that import the height of his Ambition for what is great that is not difficult The people encouraged him in his journey by their acclamations When he entred into Vienna an Old Blind Woman at the joyful noise of the People enquired what great Person came into the City it was returned Julian Coesar she replied that It was he that should repair the Temples of the gods I cannot but wonder that this passage should not be carried to the Ears of Constantius Julian when he was in his Asian journey convers'd the Heathen Magicians and by them was instructed in the Heathen Rites and in the mystery of Divination to which he was extreamly addicted Eunapius saith of him That before he was Caesar none knew what gods he Worshipped he did secretly worship the Heathen gods whilst he publickly professed Christianity Hypocrisy is a Virtue becoming an ambitious person and this he practised so perfectly that he fully imposed upon Hilarius himself Constantius adhered to the Arrians and was an enemy of those who professed the one Substance amongst which Hilarius was a great favorour of that Faith him Constantius banished in vindication of himself he writes and presents an Apology to Constantius in which he hath these words Nec levem habeo querelae meae testem Religiosum Coesarum tuum Julianum I have no mean witness for the justness of my complaint Religious Caesar your Julian will sufficiently testify it This Eulogium that he was a Religious Coesar could not drop from the Pen of Hilary if he had not believed Julian a Christian and a Catholick Christian I have shewed before his dissimulation he favoured Hilarius restored the Bishops whom Constantius banished He had Poyson in his perfumed Gloves as the Stellio has various and beautiful spots upon its back which it changes yet the venom which lies in the Belly continually remains Thus Julian tho' he altered his inchanting measures yet his dire intention to extirpate Christianity continued It seems no less strange to me that Julian being Six years Coesar Constantius did not plainly and timely detect the ambition of Julian as he might easily have done At some slight suspition he