A77608:224
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.
as a Husband doth a Wife that hath been false and unfaithful to him; and yet Gods heart and love is so set upon Jonah, that he will save him by a miracle, rather then he shall not be saved. Jonah was much in the heart of God, and God made his faith at last victorious. To these I shall add some other famous instances. In King James his time, there was one Mistress Honiwood of Kent, an ancient and religious Gentlewoman, who lived many years ⟨p. 176⟩in much horror and terror of Conscience, for want of assurance of the favour of God, and of her eternal wellbeing. She would very often cry out, She was damned; she was damned. Several men of eminent piety and parts, left no means unattempted, whereby her doubts might be answered, her conscience pacified, and her soul satisfied and cheered; yet she being strongly under the power of despair, persisted in crying out, O she was damned, she was damned. When these Gentlemen1 were about to depart, she called for a Cup of Wine for them, which being brought, she drank to one of them a glass of the Wine, and as soon as she had done, in an extreme passion she threw the Venice-glass against the ground, saying, As sure as this glass will break, so surely am I damned. The glass rebounded from the ground without any harm, which one of the Ministers suddenly caught in his hand, and said, Behold, a miracle from Heaven to confute your unbelief, O tempt God no more, tempt God no more. Both the Gentlewoman, and all the company, were mightily amazed at this strange accident, and all ⟨p. 177⟩glorified God for what was done; and the Gentlewoman by the grace and mercy of God, was delivered out of her Hell of despair, and was filled with much comfort, and joy, and lived, and died full of peace and assurance.
as a Husband doth a Wife that hath been false and unfaithful to him; and yet Gods heart and love is so set upon Jonah, that he will save him by a miracle, rather then he shall not be saved. Jonah was much in the heart of God, and God made his faith at last victorious. To these I shall adde some other famous instances. In King James his time, there was one Mistress Honiwood of Kent, an ancient and religious Gentlewoman, who lived many years ⟨p. 176⟩