A29699:65
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.
Dedication: To his honoured Friends, Sir John More, Knight and Alderman of the City of London, and…
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.
The tenth word of advice and counsel is this, Set the highest Scripture examples and patterns before you of grace and holiness for your Imitation; In the point of1 Faith and Obedience set an Abraham before you; in the point of meekness set a Moses before you; in the point of courage set a Joshua before you; in the point of uprightness set a David before you; in the point of zeal set a Phinehas before you; and in the point of patience set a Job before you; make Christ your main pattern, [Be ye followers of me as I am of Christ.] And next to him2 set the patterns of the choicest Saints before you for your Imitation; the nearer you come to those blessed copies3 that they have-set before you, the more will be your joy and comfort, and the more God will be honoured, Christ exalted, the Spirit pleased, Religion adorned, the mouths of Sinners stopped, and the hearts of Saints rejoiced: He that shooteth at the Sun, though he shoot far short; yet will shoot higher than he that aimeth at a shrub; it is safest, it is best to eye the highest and worthiest examples. Examples are 1. More awakening than precepts. 2. More convincing than precepts.4 3. More encouraging than precepts; and that because in them we see that the exercise of Godliness, though difficult, yet is possible when we see men subject to like passions with our self to be so and so mortified, self-denying, ⟨image 16⟩humble, holy, &c. what should hinder but that it may be so with us also? Such as begin to work with the needle, look much on their sampler and pattern; it is so in learning to write, and indeed in learning to live also. Observe the gracious conversations and carriages of the choicest Saints, keep a fixed eye upon their wise, prudent, humble, holy, and heavenly deportment; write after the fairest copy you can find, labour to imitate those Christians that are most eminent in grace. I shall conclude this head with that of the Heathen: Optimum est majorum sequi vestigia si rectè praecesse 5ri•t, It is best to tread in the steps of those who are gone in a safe and good way before us. But