Paradise opened, or, The secrets, mysteries, and rarities of divine love, of infinite wisdom,…Paradice opened, or, The secreets, mysteries, and rarities of divine love, of infinite wisdom,…

Fourthly and lastly, When a Christian, to the best of his understanding, §4has seriously weighed all things and circumstances, and is well satisfied in his mind and conscience, that his sufferings will be the exaltation of Christ, the furtherance of the Gospel, the stopping of the mouths of the wicked, the confirmation of those that are strong, and the strengthening and encouraging of those that are weak; then he may safely conclude that Christ calls him to suffer But

Eighthly, Consider that the Sufferings of the Saints in these days §8are light and easy to the sufferings that were inflicted upon the¹ Jews in the days of Antiochus; and on Christians, in the times of the ten notorious Persecutions under the Roman Emperors; and to those that have been inflicted upon the Martyrs since: So cruel was the sight of those Tortures which Persecutors inflicted, as exceeds all expression: Constant Christians had their flesh •orn from their backs with Rods, Scourges, Whips and Cords, to as their bones lay bare; and the raw parts of their bodies were washed with Vinegar and Salt: They were stretched on Racks, their legs were broken, and so left miserably to perish: They were gored with sharp pricks under the lowest parts of their² nails: their bodies were scraped with thels to death, their backs were flayed; their skins were pulled over their heads, from the brow to the chin: Their noses, lips, ears, hands and feet were cut off; and they, as Sacrifices, cut in gobbe•s: Their tongues were cut out by the roots, and pulled out of their jaws: Their eyes were bored, and digged out: Their bodies were rent and pulled in pieces by strong boughs forced together by instruments, and let loose when the limbs of the bodies of Martyrs were tied fast unto them: Their limbs were also pulled to pieces with wild horses: Their brains were knocked out with Fullers clubs: Their legs were broken in pieces: They were burnt with fire: They were a long while together parched with hot burning coals: Being hanged by the heels, and their heads downward, over a soft fire, they were choked with smoke: They were roasted at the fire, as flesh to be eaten used to be roasted: They were leisurely broiled on Grid-irons set over the fire: They were fried in read hot iron chairs, as in a frying-pan, which annoyed the standers by with a stench: Hot boiling lead was poured down their throats: They clapped fiery plates of Brass upon the most tender parts of