A77608:271
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 sixth Motive to provoke you1 to get Assurance, is this, Consider what labour, and pains, worldlings take2 to make sure the things of this life, to them and theirs. Ah what riding, running, plotting, lying, swearing, stabbing, and poisoning, is used by men of this world, to make sure the poor things of this world, that are ⟨p. 241⟩but shadows, and dreams, and mere nothings? How do many with Samson lay heap upon heap, to make their Crowns and Kingdoms sure, to make the tottering glory of this world sure to themselves? what bloody butchers do they prove, they will have the Crown, though they swim to it through blood? Men will venture life and limb, to make sure these things that hops from man to man, as the Bird hops from twig to twig. O, how should this stir and provoke us to be up and doing, to labour as for life, to make sure spiritual and eternal things. Is Earth better then Heaven? is the3 glory of this World, greater then the glory of the World to come. Are these riches more durable then those that corrupt not▪ that are laid up in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do•not break through, nor steal? No. O then be ashamed Christians, that worldlings are more studious and industrious to make sure Pebbles, then you are to make sure Pearls to make sure those things, that at last will be their burden, their bane, their plague, their ⟨p. 242⟩hell, then you are to make sure those things that would be your joy and crown, in life, in death, and in the day of your account. Pambus in the Ecclesiastical History, wept when he saw a Harlot dressed with much care and cost, partly to see one take so much pains to go to Hell, and partly because he had not been so careful to please God, as she had been to please a wanton lover. Ah Christians, what great reason have you to sit down and weep bitterly, that worldlings take so much pains to make themselves miserable, and that you have taken no more pains to get assurance, to get a pardon in your bosoms, to get more of Christ into your hearts?