A77608:126
Heaven on Earth
Heaven on earth or a serious discourse touching a well-grounded assurance of mens everlasting happiness and blessedness. Discovering the nature of assurance, the possibility of attaining it, the causes, springs, and degrees of it, with the resolution of several weighty questions. By Thomas Brooks, preacher of the Gospel at Margarets Fishstreet-Hill.Heaven on earth or a serious discourse touching a wel-grounded assurance of mens everlasting happiness and blessedness. Discovering the nature of assurance, the possibility of attaining it, the causes, springs, and degrees of it, with the resolution of several weighty questions. By Thomas Brooks, preacher of the Gospel at Margarets Fishstreet-Hill.
London: printed by R.I. for John Hancock, 1654
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.
Augustus in his solemn feasts, gave trifles to some, but gold to others; honours, and riches, &c. are trifles that God gives to the worst of men;1 But Assurance is that tried gold, that God only gives to tried friends. Among ⟨p. 49⟩those few that have a share or2 portion in the special love and favour of God, there are but a very few that have an assurance of his love. It is one mercy for God to love the soul, and another mercy for God to assure the soul of his love. God writes many a mans name in the Book of life, and yet will not let him know it till his hour of death, as the experience of many precious souls doth clearly evidence. Assurance is a flower of Paradise that God sticks but3 in a few mens bosoms. It is one thing to be an heir of heaven, and another thing for a man to know, or see himself an heir of heaven. The child in the arms may be heir to a Crown, a Kingdom, and yet not understand it; so many a Saint may be heir to a Crown, a Kingdom of glory, and yet not know it. As the babes that passes the pangs of the first birth, do not presently cry Father, Father; so the new borne Babes in Christ that have4 past the pangs of the second birth, do not presently cry Abba Father, they do not presently cry out, Heaven, Heaven is ours; Glory, Glory is ours.
Augustus in his solemne feasts, gave trifles to some, but gold to others; honours, and riches, &c. are trifles that God gives to the worst of men;1 But Assurance is that tryed gold, that God onely gives to tried friends. Among ⟨p. 49⟩those few that have a share or2 portion in the special love and favour of God, there are but a very few that have an assurance of his love. It is one mercy for God to love the soule, and another mercy for God to assure the soule of his love. God writes many a mans name in the Book of life, and yet will not let him know it till his houre of death, as the experience of many precious soules doth cleerly evidence. Assurance is a flower of Paradise that God sticks but