A77608:293
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.
And hence it is, that assured souls1 live so sweetly, and walk so cheerfully, when their little all is upon their backs, and in their hands; whereas the great men of the world, that have the world at will, but want this assurance (that is more worth then the world) live as slaves and servants to their mercies; in the midst of all their abundance they are in straits and perplexities,2 full of fears, and cares, and nothing pleases them; nor is sweet unto them, because they want that3 assurance that sweetens to a Believer the ground he stands on, the air he breaths in, the seat he sits on, the bed he lies on, the bread he eats, the clothes he wears, &c. Ah were there more assurance among Christians, they would not count great mercies, small mercies, and small mercies no mercies; no, no, then every mercy on this side hell, would be a great mercy, then every mercy would be a sugared mercy, a perfumed mercy. Look as ⟨p. 264⟩the Tree that Moses cast into the4 waters of Marah, made those bitter waters sweet; so Assurance is that Tree of Life, that makes every bitter, sweet, and every sweet, more sweet.
And hence it is, that assured souls1 live so sweetly, and walk so chearfully, when their little all is upon their backs, and in their hands; whereas the great men of the world, that have the world at will, but want this assurance (that is more worth then the world) live as slaves and servants to their mercies; in the midst of all their abundance they are in straits and perplexities,2 full of fears, and cares, and nothing pleases them; nor is sweet unto them, because they want that3 assurance that sweetens to a Believer the ground he stands on, the air he breaths in, the seat he sits on, the bed he lies on, the bread he eats, the cloaths he wears, &c. Ah were there more assurance among Christians, they would not count great mercies, small mercies, and small mercies no mercies; no, no, then every mercy on this side hell, would be a great mercy, then every mercy would be a sugared mercy, a perfumed mercy. Look as