A77608:330
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.
Fourthly, Are not your souls taken with Christ as chief? is he not in your eye the chiefest of ten thousand, is1 he not altogether lovely? Yes. Have you any in Heaven but he, and is there any on Earth that you desire, in comparison of him? No. Do not you ⟨p. 306⟩lift up Jesus Christ as high as God the Father lifts him; God the Father lists up Christ above all principalities and2 powers; he lifts up Christ above all your duties, above all your privileges, above all your mercies, above all your graces, above all your contentments, above all your enjoyments. Do not you thus lift up Jesus Christ? Yes. As he is the Fathers chiefest Jewel, so3 he is your choicest Jewel, is he not? Yes. Verily none can lift up Christ as chief, unless Christ have their hearts, and they dearly love him, and believe in him; for Christ is only precious to them that believe▪ 1 Pet. 2. 7. Luther 4had rather be in Hell with Christ, then in Heaven without him: Is not that the frame of thy heart? Yes. Why then doest thou say, thou hast no grace, thou hast no Christ; surely none but those that have union with Christ, and that shall eternally reign with Christ, can set such a high price upon the person of Christ. The true believer (Amat Christum propter Christum) loves Christ for Christ; he loves Christ for his personal excellencies, Cant. 5. 10. to ult. What Alexander ⟨p. 307⟩said of his two friends, is applicable to5 many in our days, says he, Haphestion loves me as I am Alexander, but Craterus loves me as I am King Alexander. One loved him for his person, the other for the benefits he received by him. So some Nathaniels there be that love Christ for his person, for his personal excellency, for his personal beauty, for his personal glory, they see those perfections of grace and holiness in Christ, that would render him very lovely and desirable in their eyes, though they should never get a Kingdom, or a Crown by him: But most of those that bear any love and good will to Christ, do it only in respect of the benefits they receive by him. It was Augustine's complaint of old (Vix deligitur Jesus propter Jesum) that scarce any loves Christ, but for his rewards. Few follow him for love, but