A77608:144
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.
The fifth Proposition is this, That1 those choice souls that have assurance, may lose it, they may forfeit it, the freshness and greenness, the beauty, lustre, and glory of assurance may be lost. It is true, believers cannot lose the habits, the seeds, the root of grace, yet they may lose assurance, which is the beauty and fragrancy, the crown and glory of Grace. These two lovers, Grace and Assurance, are not by2 God so nearly joined together, but that they may by sin on our side, ⟨p. 69⟩and justice on Gods, be put asunder.3 The keeping of these two Lovers, Grace, and Assurance together, will yield the soul two heavens, a heaven of joy and peace here, and a heaven of happiness and blessedness hereafter; but the putting these two Lovers asunder, will put the soul into a hell here, though it escape a hell hereafter. This Chrysostom knew well, when he professed that the want of the enjoyment of God, would be a4 far greater hell to him then the feeling of any punishment. As you would keep your Christ, as you would keep your Comfort, as you would keep your Crown, keep Grace and Assurance together, and neither by lip, nor life, by word, nor works, let these be put asunder. It is possible for the best men so to blot and blur their Evidences for felicity and glory, as that they may not be able to read them, nor understand them. They may so vex and grieve the Spirit (either by gross enormities, or by refusing his5 comforts and cordials, or by neglecting, or slighting his gracious actings in themselves and others, or by ⟨p. 70⟩mis-judging his work, as calling faith fancy, or sincerity hypocrisy, &c. or by fathering those brats upon him that are the children of their own distempered hearts) as that he may refuse to witness their interest in him,6