A77608:220
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, tell me, O despairing souls, do you not do infinite wrong to the1 precious blood of the Lord Jesus? Three things are called precious in the Scripture, the blood of Christ is called precious blood, and faith is called precious ⟨p. 170⟩2faith, and the promises are called precious promises. Now what a reproach is it to this precious blood, that speaks better things, then the blood of Abel,3 for you to faint and sink under the power of despair? what doth this speak out? O, doth it not proclaim to all the world, that there is no such worth and virtue, no such power and4 efficacy in the blood of Christ, as indeed there is? O, how will you answer this to Christ in that day wherein his blood shall speak and plead, not only with the profane that have trodden it under their feet, but also with despairing5 souls that have undervalued the power, virtue, and merit of it? Hath not the blood of Jesus Christ washed6 away the sins of a world of notorious sinners, and is it not of virtue to wash away the sins of one sinner? Hath it7 had that virtue and power in it, as to bring many thousands to glory already, and is there not so much virtue left in it, as to bring thy soul to glory? Hath it actually delivered such a multitude from wrath to come, as cannot be numbered, and is the virtue of it so far spent, as that it cannot reach to ⟨p. 171⟩thy deliverance. Are there not yet millions of thousands that shall hereafter be actually saved and justified by this blood? Why then shouldst thou despair of being justified, and saved from wrath to come, by the virtue and power of this precious blood? There were five Monks that were studying, what was the best means to mortify sin: One said, To meditate on death; the second, To meditate on judgement; the third, To meditate of the joys of Heaven; the fourth, To meditate on the torments of Hell; the fifth, To meditate on the blood and sufferings of Jesus Christ; and certainly, the last is the choicest and strongest motive of all to the mortifying of sin. O despairing souls, despairing souls! if ever you would cast off your despairing thoughts, and get out of your present hell, then dwell much, muse much, and apply much this precious blood to your own souls: