A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

:52 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGhallowed fury possessed many heretics of old. Upon thisfalse ground the Don utists in the fourth century after Christoffered themselves willingly, and suffered death most courageously.And so did the JEuphemites, who for the multitudeof their supposed martyrs, would needs be called Martyrians.We also learn from history that Turks, Tartars,and Moors both fight and die most bravely for the blasphemousopinions of Mahomet; and that the Assassins*, acompany of blood-thirsty villains and desperate cut-throats,who would without all scruple or fear undertake to dispatchany man whom their general commanded them to murder,died oftentimes with great constancy and undismayedness ;and this they accounted a special point of religion. Butespecially at this day the Popish pseudo-martyrs (indeedtrue traitors) are stark mad with this superstitious rage.First, they drink full deep of the golden cup of abominable" fornication in the hand of the great whore ;" immediatelywhereupon they grow into an insatiable and outrageousthirst alter the blood of souls, poisoning them with the doctrineof devils, and also after the blood of whomsoeverwithstands their accursed superstitions, even though theywear imperial crowns upon their heads ; by plotting andpractising treasons, patricides, assassinations, poisonings,ruins of whole nations, barbarous massacres, blowing up ofparliaments, and a world of mischiefs, which cast an inexpiablestain and obloquy upon the innocency of the Christianreligion^ At last they come to Tyburn, or some otherpkce of just execution, and then they will needs persuadethe world that they are going towards heaven to receive acrown of martyrdom. They seem there already to triumphextraordinarily, and to contemn tortures. With an affectedbravery they trample upon the tribunals of justice ; kiss theinstruments of death in sign of happiness at hand ; andthrow many resolute and rejoicing speeches amongst thepeople, as though they liad one foot in heaven alreadywhen, alas! poor blind, misguided souls, while they thuswilfully and desperately abandon their lives upon a groundlessand graceless conceit that they shall become crownedmartyrs, they are like a man, who lying asleep upon a higharid steep rock, dreams that he is created a king, guardedwith a goodly train of ancient nobles, furnished with manyprincely houses and stately palaces, enriched with the revenues,majesty, and magnificence of a mighty kingdom,attended with all the pleasures his heart could desire ; butstarting up suddenly and leaping for joy, falls headlong and• A sect of Mahometan enthusiasts.