A77608:309
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 fifth Means to obtain Assurance,1 is, wisely and seriously to observe, What gift of God there is in thee that brings thee within the compass of the promises of eternal mercy? Now let the gift, be this or that, if it be a gift that brings thee within the compass of the promise of Eternal Mercy? that gift is an infallible evidence of thy Salvation: For the better and further opening of this Truth, premise with me these two things.
- 1Means 5.
First, No man can have any sure evidence to himself of his Happiness and Blessedness, from absolute promises: Absolute promises do not describe to whom Salvation, and all Eternal1 Blessings, do belong; the promise of giving Christ, of giving the Spirit, of giving a new heart, and of pardoning and blotting out sin, are all absolute promises. Now God is free ⟨p. 282⟩to make good these to whom he pleases; therefore he often steps over the rich, and chooses the poor; the learned, and chooses the ignorant; the2 strong, and chooses the weak; the noble, and chooses the ignoble; the sweet nature, and chooses the rugged nature, &c. That no flesh may glory, and that all may shout out Grace, Grace.
First, No man can have any sure evidence to himself of his Happiness and Blessedness, from absolute promises: Absolute promises do not describe to whom Salvation, and all Eternal1 Blessings, do belong; the promise of giving Christ, of giving the Spirit, of giving a new heart, and of pardoning and blotting out sin, are all absolute promises. Now God is free