A cloud of witnesses, or, The sufferers mirrour made up of the swanlike-songs, and other choice passages of several martyrs and confessors to the sixteenth century, in their treatises, speeches, letters, prayers, &c. in their prisons, or exiles, at the bar, or stake, &c. / collected out of the ecclesiastical histories of Eusebius, Fox, Fuller, Petrie, Scotland, and Mr. Samuel Ward's Life of faith in death, &c. and alphabetically disposed by T.M. ...

To the Reader.

Reader,

THe life present is onely preparative to that to come, as the hidden life in the womb to the more perfect and noble life in the world, 1 Col. 12. Salvation is not in∣stantaneous. The Heirs of Glory make their gra∣dual approaches to it, and enter upon their Inhe∣ritance by degrees, Rom. 13.11. And the neares they come to Heaven, the more heavenly their Spi∣rits are, Could a man but hear the last breathings and whispers of dying Saints, how would he melt and ravish? Like the Sun they appear most great and glorious at setting. God often leads them to the top of Pisgah, whence they have a prospect of Canaan, a little before they enter in to possess it.

But although God doth frequently indulge those that die in the Faith of Christ with rare and excel∣lent visions of Christ, yet ordinarily those that die for Christ as well as in Christ, have a Benjamin's portion in comparison of their Brethren. There is a joy proper to Martyrs, which is bestowed upon them as an honorarium, partly to reward their faith∣fulness in trials past; and partly to encourage them to break through the difficulties which yet remain.

In these joys Heaven is let down to Earth, glory antedated, and a short salvation here obtained, 1 Pet. 1.8. During the continuance of this glori∣ous frame, they are acted above the ordinary rate

of man, which makes the world stand at gize, and all that behold them to admire at them. Their a∣spect is rather angelical then humane, Acts 6.15. and they seem no longer fit to be reckoned to the Tribe of mortals on Earth, but rather ranked with the glorious Saints and Seraphims in Heaven; they no longer wrap themselves up in their gar∣ment of flesh, but the onely strife among them seems to be who shall first cast it off, to put on the garments of glory prepared for them.

Reader, wouldst thou see some of these Earthly Angels? men that are a little too low for Heaven, and much too high for Earth. Wouldst thou see poor frail Creatures trampling the World under their feet, and with an holy scorn smiling at the threats of Tyrants, who are the terrors of the mighty in the Land of the Living? Wouldst thou see shack∣led Prisoners behave themselves like Judges; and Judges stand like Prisoners before them? Wouldst thou see some of the rare exploits of Faith, in its highest elevation immediatly before it be swallow∣ed up in the beatifical vision? To conclude, Wouldst thou see the heavenly Jerusalem pourtraied on Earth, as the earthly Jerusalem once was upon a Tile, Ezek. 4.1. And wouldst thou hear the melo∣dious voices of ascending Saints, in a ravishing consort, ready to joyn with the heavenly Chorus, in their ravishing Hallelujahs? Then draw near; come and see. If thou be a man of an heavenly spi∣rit, here is brave & suitable entertainment for thy spirit. And after thou hast conversed a while with these excellent Spirits, it may be thou wilt judge as I do, That dead Saints are sweeter Companions (in some respects) for thee to converse with, then those that are living. And when thou shalt see the magnificent acts of their Faith, their invincible pati∣ence,

their flaming love to Christ, their strange contempt of the World, their plainness and sim∣plicity in the profession of the Gospel, and their servent love to each other; thou wilt mourn also with me to consider the scandalous and shameful relapse of Professors from these glorious heights, and to think how many degrees these Graces are gone back in the souls of Professors, as the Sun upon the Dial of Ahaz.

The Judicious Collector hath gathered this Posie from the Martyrs Graves, bound up in an excellent method, and presented it to thee. Here thou hast the Cream of the larger Martyrologies scum'd off, the very Spirits of them extracted, which is more cheap and less tiresome. He intends if God permit a Second Part speedily. And I assure thee he is a Person singularly qualified for the Work, having both Materials and Judgement to dispose his Col∣lections. Bless God for such profitable Instru∣ments, and improve their Labours. Such a Book hath been long desired, many have attempted it, but every one hath not that Furniture of Books & Parts for it. Solomon detecting some of those arti∣fices which the Buyer useth in Trading, Prov. 20.14 detects this as one, It is naught, it is naught (saith he Buyer) i.e. he disparageth the Commodity, to ••eat down the price, but when he is gone he boasteth. •• am mistaken if thou also do not boast of thy pen∣ny worth in this Book when thou art gone and hast well perused it, that it may reach the end upon thy ••eart for which it is designed, is the desire of thy ••riend to serve thee,

J. F.