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,…

Though life be sweet, and every creature makes much of it, from the highest Angel to the lowest Worm; yet woe, woe to him that is set upon saving of it when Christ calls upon him to lay it down for his sake, or the Gospels sake. No fool to him that thinks to avoid a less danger, by running himself into a greater danger; who thinks to save his body, by losing his soul; and to save his temporal life, by losing eternal life. There is no loser to him who by sinful attempts to save his life, shall lose a better life than ever he can save. But

Though life be sweet, and every creature makes much of it, from the highest Angel to the lowest Worm; yet wo, wo to him that is set upon saving of it when Christ calls upon him to lay it down for his sake, or the Gospels sake. No fool to him that thinks to avoid a less danger, by running himself into a greater danger; who thinks to save his body, by losing his soul; and to save his temporal life, by losing eternal life. There is no loser to him who by sinful attempts to save his life, shall lose a better life than ever he can save. But

Fifthly, Consider, That of old there hath been a very great willingness, readiness, forwardness and resoluteness in the people of God, cheerfully to suffer for Christ, his Truth, his Gospel, his Worship, his Ways, his Ordinances, his interest, his honour: Consult the Scriptures in the margin, and many others of the like import, which all knowing Christians can turn to at¹ pleasure. To these I shall add a few examples amongst a multitude of those blessed souls, who willingly, readily, cheerfully, resolutely, hazarded all for Christ while they were on earth, and are now a receiving their reward with him in heaven: Oh, how my heart leapeth for joy (said Mr. Philp•t the Martyr) that I am so near the apprehension of eternal life; I with my fellows were carried to the Cole-house, where we do rouse together in the straw as cheerfully (we thank God) as others do in their beds of Down. Mr. Glover the Martyr wept for joy of his imprisonment: And Mr. Bradford put off his cap, and thanked the Lord, when his Keeper's Wife brought him word that he was to be burnt the next day: and Mr. Taylor fetched a pleasant delightful frisk when he was come near to the place where he was to suffer: Mr. Rogers. the first that was burnt in Queen Mary's days, did sing in the flames: Vincentius laughing at his tormentors, said, that death and tortures were to Christians (socularia & ludiera) matters of sport and pastime; and he joyed and gloried when he went upon hot burning Coals, as if he had trod upon Roses. Fire, Sword, Death, Prison, Famine, are all pleasures, they are all delightful to me, saith Basil; and in his Oration for Barlaam that famous Martyr, saith, that he delighted in the close prison as in a pleasant green Meadow; and he took pleasure in the several inventions of tortures, as in several sweet flowers: William Tim. Martyr, in a letter to a friend of his a little before his death, writeth thus; Now I take my leave of you till we meet in heaven, and hic you after, I have tarried a great while for you; and seeing you are so long in making ready, I will tarry no longer for you, you shall find me merrily singing Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabbath