A77608:166
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.
Then thirdly, Waiting times, are times wherein God is pleased to give his people some sweet tastes of his love, and to lift up the light of his countenance upon them. I waited patiently 1for the Lord (saith David) and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry: 2He brought me up also out of an horrible pit (or out of a pit of noise,) out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings: And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God. After God had exercised Davids patience in waiting, he sweetly breaks in upon him, and knocks off his bolts, and opens the prison doors, and takes him by the hand, and leads him out of the pit of noise and confusion, in which he was, and causes his love and goodness so to beam forth upon him, as causes his heart to rejoice, and his tongue to sing. So after devout Simeon had waited for the consolation3 of Israel, that is, for Christs coming, the Holy Ghost falls upon him, and leads him to a sight of Christ in the Temple; and this makes the good old ⟨p. 98⟩man sing, (nunc dimittas) Now let thy servant depart in peace. Ah says Simeon, I have lived long enough, now I have got Christ in my heart, and Christ in my arms; who is my light, my life, my love, my joy, my crown; let me depart according to thy Word. Ah Saints, I appeal to you, have not many of you found by experience, the sweet breathings of Christ upon you, even whilst you have been waiting at the door of Mercy; while you have been weeping and waiting, hath not the Lord Jesus come in, and said, Peace be to you, waiting souls, be of good cheer, it is I, be of good cheer, your sins are pardoned? surely you have: Hath not God made that word good unto you, Wait 4on the Lord, be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord; yes. And hath he5 not made that good to you, They shall not be ashamed that wait for me; that is, they shall not be deceived, or disappointed of their hopes and expectations, that wait for me? yes. And have you not found that word made sweet to your souls, Therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious; blessed are