A77608:133
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.
Again, a man may have true grace, and yet want assurance, and this may arise from the resurrection of old sins; Ah when those sins which were long since committed, and long since lamented, and long since loathed, and long since crucified, when those old ⟨p. 58⟩sins, which hath cost a soul many prayers, and many tears, and many sighs, and may groans, and many complaints, when those sins that have been long buried, shall be again revived, and meet the soul, and stare upon the soul, and say to the soul, We are thine, and we will follow thee, we are thine, and we will haunt thee: Ah, how will this cause a mans countenance to be changed, his thoughts to be troubled, his joints to be loosed, and his heart to be amazed; David, and Job meeting with the sins of their youth (long after they were1 lamented and pardoned) makes their hearts startle and tremble. Upon the new risings of old sins, the soul begins to question all, and thus to expostulate the case, Surely my estate is not good, my pardon is not sealed, if it be, how comes these sins to be revived, to be remembered? hath not God engaged himself in the promises2 of Grace, that those sins that are pardoned, shall never be remembered? and surely if these sins be not pardoned, I have reason to fear that others be not pardoned; and if my ⟨p. 62⟩sins be not pardoned, how shall I escape being destroyed: Surely my repentance was not sound; my sorrow was not sincere, the blow, the wound I gave sin, was not mortal, if it had, how comes it to pass that it now meets me like an armed enemy. Thus these new risings of old sins keeps many a mans soul, and assurance asunder.
Againe, a man may have true grace, and yet want assurance, and this may arise from the resurrection of old sins; Ah when those sinnes which were long since committed, and long since lamented, and long since loathed, and long since crucified, when those old ⟨p. 58⟩sins, which hath cost a soule many prayers, and many tears, and many sighs, and may groans, and many complaints, when those sinnes that have been long buried, shall bee againe revived, and meet the soule, and stare upon the soule, and say to the soule, We are thine, and wee will follow thee, wee are thine, and wee will haunt thee: Ah, how will this cause a mans countenance to bee changed, his thoughts to be troubled, his joynts to be loosed, and his heart to be amazed; David, and Job meeting with the sins of their youth (long after they were