A77608:332
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.
Fifthly, Is not your greatest, and your hottest conflicts, against inward pollutions, against those secret sins,1 that are only obvious to the eye of God, and your own souls? The light of natures education, and some common convictions of the Spirit, may put men upon combating with those sins that are obvious to every eye; but it must be a supernatural power and principle, that puts men upon conflicting with the inward motions, and secret operations of sin, Rom. 7. 23. the Apostle complains of a law in his members warring against the Law of his mind. The war was within doors, the fight was inward, the Apostle was deeply ⟨p. 309⟩engaged against a law within him, which made him sigh it out, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death? So David cries2 out, Who can understand his error? cleanse thou me from secret faults. So Hezekiah humbled himself for the3 pride of his heart, or for the lifting up of his heart, as the Hebrew hath it.4 His recovery from sickness, his victories over his enemies, and his rich treasures lifts up his heart. O but for those inward risings, and vauntings of heart. Hezekiah humbles himself, he abases and lays himself low before the Lord. A sincere heart weeps and5 laments bitterly over those secret and inward corruptions, that others will scarce acknowledge to be sins: Many a man there is that bleeds inwardly, and dies for ever; many a soul is eternally slain by the inward workings of sin; and he sees it not, he knows it not till it be too late. O but a true Nathaniel mourns over the inward motions, and first risings of sin in his soul, and so prevents an eternal danger. Upon every stirring of sin in the soul, the Believer cries out, O Lord help, O Lord ⟨p. 310⟩undertake for me. O dash these brats of Babylon in pieces; O stifle the first motions of sin, that they may never conceive, and bring forth, to the wounding of two at once, thy Honour, and my own Conscience.