A77608:137
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.
and so it ⟨p. 63⟩will be till they are quite in the bosom of Christ.
and so it ⟨p. 63⟩will bee till they are quite in the bosome of Christ.
6 Lastly, a man may have grace, and yet not see it, yet not know it; and this may arise from his non-searching, his non-examining, his non-ransacking of his own soul; there is gold in the Mine, and men might find it, if they would but dig and search diligently after it. There is grace in the heart, and you might see it, if you would but take the candle of the Lord, and look narrowly after it. Look as many a man upon a diligent search, may find his temporal estate to be better then he apprehends1 it: So many choice souls upon a diligent search may find their spiritual estate to be far better then they conceived or judged it to be; therefore souls cease from complaining, cease from rash judging, and dooming of your selves to hell, and be diligent in enquiring what the Lord hath done, and what the Lord is a doing in you, and for you; compare the books together, compare his working upon you, and others together; what is there no light? no love, no longings, no hungrings, no ⟨p. 64⟩thirstings after God; what is there no2 sighing, no complaining, no mourning under the sense of sin, and under the want of divine favour: Surely if you search, you will find some of these things; and if you do, prize them as jewels that are more worth then a world. God will not despise the day of small things; and will you? will you, dare you say that that is little, that is more worth then heaven? the least spark of grace shall at last be turned into a crown of glory. Well, remember this, that as the least grace, if true, and sincere, is sufficient to salvation; so the sense of the least grace should be sufficient to your consolation.