A77608:266
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 fourth Motive to provoke you1 to labour after a well-grounded assurance, is, To consider that Satan will labour with all his art and craft, with all his power and might, to keep you from attaining a well grounded assurance of your happiness and blessedness. Such is Satan's envy and enmity against a Christians joy and comfort, that he cannot but act to the utmost of his line, to keep poor souls in doubts and darkness. Satan knows that assurance ⟨p. 235⟩is a Pearl of price that will make the soul happy for ever; he knows that assurance makes a Christians wilderness to be a paradise; he knows that assurance begets in Christians, the most noble and generous spirits; he knows that assurance is that which will make men strong to do exploits, to shake his tottering Kingdom about his ears, &c. And therefore he is very studious and industrious to keep souls2 off from assurance, as he was to cast Adam out of Paradise. It is no wonder, that Satan, who envied the first seeds of Grace, that divine Love sowed in thy soul, that he should envy the increase of thy grace, yea, thy assurance, which is the top and royalty of grace. When thou wast a Babe, Satan cast water upon thy smoking flax, that it might not flame forth into assurance; and now thou art grown up to some more maturity, he is raised in his enmity; so that he cannot but put out his power and policy to keep thee from assurance of felicity and glory. Satan envies thy candle-light, thy torch-light, thy star-light, how much more, that the Sun should shine upon ⟨p. 236⟩thee. Satan envies thy eating of the crumbs of Mercy under the Table, how much more, that as a child thou shouldst sit at Wisdoms Table, and eat and drink abundantly of Wisdoms delicates. Satan envies thy feeding upon Husks among the Swine, how much more that thou shouldst eat of the fatted Calf. Satan envies thy fitting with Mordecai at the Kings Gate, how much more that thou shouldst wear the Kings Robes. Satan envies thy tasting of the least drop of comfort, how much more thy swimming in those pleasures that be at Gods right hand for evermore. He envies thy sitting upon Gods knee, how much more then thy lying in his bosom. He envies thy being admitted into his service, how much more that thou shouldst be of his Court and Counsel.