A77608:168
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.
Fourthly, Suffering times are times1 wherein the Lord is pleased to give his people some sense of his favour; when they are in sufferings for Righteousness sake, for the Gospels sake, then usually God causes his face to shine upon them. Now they shall hear best news2 from Heaven, when they hear worst from Earth; God loves to smile most upon his people, when the world frowns most, when the world puts their Iron chains upon their legs, then God puts his Golden chains about their necks; when the world puts a bitter Cup into their hands, then God drops some of his honey, some of his goodness and sweetness into it; when the world is ready to stone them, then God gives them the white stone, and when the world is a tearing their good names, then he gives them a new name, that none knows but he that hath it, a name that is better then that of sons and daughters; when the world cries out, Crucify them, crucify them, then they hear that sweet voice from Heaven, These are my beloved ones, in whom I ⟨p. 101⟩am well pleased; when the world clothes them with rags, then the Lord puts on his Royal Robes, and makes a secret Proclamation to their spirits, Thus shall it be done to the men whom the King is pleased to honour; when the world gives into one hand a Cup of Water, God gives into the other a Cup of Nectar, a Cup of Ambrosia; when the world gnasheth upon them, and presents all imaginary tortures before them, then the Lord opens paradise to them, as he did to Stephen; when Paul and Silas were in prison for the3 Gospel sake, then God fills them with such unspeakable joy, that they cannot but be singing; when others were sleeping, God turns their prison into a palace, a paradise, and they turn his mercies into praises. Paul and Silas found more pleasure then pain, more joy then sorrow, more sweet then bitter, more day then night in the prison. God will make some beams of his goodness and glory to break through stone walls, to warm and glad the hearts of his suffering-ones. When John was banished into the Isle of Fathmos, for the Word of God, and ⟨p. 102⟩the testimony of Jesus, then he is filled with the Spirit, and hath the choicest manifestations, and the most glorious Revelations that ever he had all his days. Now God makes him one of his Court and Counsel, and tells him what glorious and mighty things shall be in the latter days.