A77608:303
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.
If thou wouldst not be always a Babe in Grace, and a stranger to Assurance, then see that thy Lamp be always burning, see that the Golden Wheels of Grace be always going.
Secondly, If you would, Christians,1 attain unto assurance, then you must mind your work more then your wages; you must be better at obeying, then at disputing; at doing, at walking, then at talking, and wrangling. Assurance is heavenly wages that Christ gives, not to loiterers, but to holy labourers; though no man merits assurance by his obedience, yet God usually crowns obedience with assurance. ⟨p. 275⟩John 14. 21, 22, 23. He that 2hath my Commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth me, shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest my self to him. Vers. 22. Judas saith unto him, (not Iscariot) Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thy self unto us, and not unto the world? Vers. 23. Jesus answered and said unto him, If any man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. In these words you see, that doing Christians, working Christians, are the only Christians that shall have most of the love of the Father and the Son; and that shall have the choicest manifestations of grace and favour, and that shall have most of their presence and company. So in Psal. 50. 23▪ Unto him 3that ordereth his conversation aright, 4will I declare the salvation of God: That is, I will declare my self to be his Saviour. I will show him Salvation, and I will show him his interest i Salvation, I will save him, and I will make him see, that I have saved him; he shall see the worth of Salvation, and