A77608:336
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.
Thirdly, The Members are subject to the head constantly, unweariedly; the Members are never weary of obeying the head; they obey in all places▪ cases, and times; so are the real Members of Christ, Acts 24. 16. And ⟨p. 312⟩herein do I exercise my self, to have always 1a conscience void of offence, toward God, and toward men. I use all diligence, skill, cunning, and conscience to be sincere and inoffensive, in all my motions and actions towards God, and towards men. So David in Psal. 119. 112. I have inclined my heart (or rather as the Hebrew word signifies, I have stretched 2out my heart, as a man would do a piece of parchment) to do thy statutes (the Hebrew3 word signifies to do accurately, exactly, perfectly) alway, even unto the end. A gracious soul is not like a deceitful bow, nor like the morning dew; but he is like the Sun that rejoiceth to run his race; he is like the stone in Thracia, that neither burneth in the fire, nor sinketh in the water. Now tell me, pray tell me, O you doubting souls, whether you do not, First, Labour in all duties and services to approve your hearts to God? Secondly, Whether you do not endeavour to get up to the very top of holiness, and to live up to your own principles? Thirdly, Whether it be not your greatest desire and endeavour, that sin may be cured rather then covered▪ ⟨p. 313⟩Fourthly, Whether you are not taken with Christ as chief? whether you do not in your judgements and affections, lift up Christ above all, as God the Father doth? Fifthly, Whether your greatest, and hottest conflicts, and combats, be not against inward pollutions against those secret stirrings and operations of sin, which are only obvious to the eye of God, and your own souls? Sixthly, Whether you do not (in respect of the general bent & frame of your hearts) subject to Christ, as your Head? 1. Freely and sweetly? 2. Universally, in one thing as well as another, without any exception or reservation? 3. Constantly and unwearily? Yes, we do these things, we should belie the grace of God, if we should say otherwise, these things the Lord hath wrought in us, and for