A29699:138
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,…
Paradise opened, or, The secrets, mysteries, and rarities of divine love, of infinite wisdom, and of wonderful counsel laid open to public view also, the covenant of grace, and the high and glorious transactions of the Father and the Son in the covenant of redemption opened and improved at large, with the resolution of divers important questions and cases concerning both covenants ... : being the second and last part of The golden key / by Thomas Brooks ...Paradice opened, or, The secreets, mysteries, and rarities of divine love, of infinite wisdom, and of wonderful counsel laid open to publick view also, the covenant of grace, and the high and glorious transactions of the Father and the Son in the covenant of redemption opened and improved at large, with the resolution of divers important questions and cases concerning both covenants ... : being the second and last part of The golden key / by Thomas Brooks ...
London: printed for Dorman Newman, 1675
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
So Balilus the Martyr, when1 he was to die, requested this favour of his Persecutors, […]. That he might have his chains b[…]ed with him, as the Ensigns of his honour. What are we, poor worms, full of vanities and lies2 (said Calvin) that we should be called to be maintainers of the Truth; for Sufferings for Christ are the Ensigns of Heavenly Nobility. To die for Christ is the greatest promotion that God3 can bring any in this Vale of Misery unto, said Mr. Philpot the Martyr. A French Soldier, for his zealous Profession of the reformed4 Religion, was condemned to the fire with others, only he should have the favour of going to the St•ke without a With; but he desired that he might wear such a Chain as his fellows did, esteeming this rebuke of Christ more glorious than the Ensigns of St Michael's Order. 'Twas an excellent saying of Prudentius; 5Their names (saith he) that are written in red letters of Blood in the Churches Calendar, are written in Golden Letters in Christ's Register, the Book of Life. The Passion-days of the Martyrs were anciently called the Natalitia salutis, the Birth-days of Salvation, the Day-break of Eternal Brightness. We count it a great honour6 to have Princes to be our Companions: Christ, the Prince of Peace; and the Angels, those Princes of Glory, are our Companions in all our Sufferings: Such is the honour that God puts upon his Suffering Saints, that nothing shall hinder him from being their Companion in all their Sufferings, in all their afflictions, in all their Temptations; and this, believe it, is no small honour. I have read, how that in the Primitive times, when some7 good people came to comfort some of the Martyrs that were in Prison, and ready to suffer, they called them blessed Martyrs: O, no, said they, we are not worthy of the name of Martyrs: