A29699:87
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.
Fourthly, That they shall be sure to suffer with a witness, that §4refuse to suffer, or are afraid to suffer, when Christ calls them to a suffering state. No men can suffer so much for Christ, as they shall be sure to suffer from Christ, if through weakness or wickedness they either disdain or refuse to suffer for Christ; Mark 8. 35. For whosoever will save his life, shall lose it; but whosoever 1shall lose his life for my sake and the Gospels, the same shall save it. 'Tis a very dangerous thing for men to prefer the safety of their natural lives before the Glory of Christ, the cause of Christ, the Gospel of Christ, and the Profession of his name. 'Tis certain that the Glory of Christ ought to be more dear and precious to us than our very lives: Christ, for our Redemption and Salvation, freely and readily lays down his life, I lay down my life for 2my sheep; and shall we stand with him for ours, when our call is clear, to lay them down for his sake and the Gospel's sake. He that shall attempt to save his life by crossing his light, by shifting off the truth, or by forsaking of Christ, shall lose it. 'Tis a gainful loss to suffer for the truth; 'tis a lossful gain, by time-serving and base complying with the times, the lusts, the wills, the humours of the men of this Age (in whom the spirit of Cain ⟨image 21⟩and Fsau works so furiously) to provide for our present safety, security, plenty, peace and ease, &c. either by denying the truth or by betraying the truth, or by exchanging the truth, or by forsaking the truth Mat. 10. 39. He that findeth his life shall lose it. This is a strange expression, a riddle to the world, a seeming contradiction, such as natural reason can never reconcile. He that 3findeth his life, that is, redeemeth it with the forfeiture of his Faith, with the shipwreck of his Conscience, makes a loser's bargain; he make• more haste than good speed, whilst in running from death as far as he can, he runs to it as fast as he can: See it in some great instances, when Henry the fourth of France