A77608:359
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.
What advantage had the men of the old world, by their knowing that there was an Ark, or by their clambering about the Ark, when they were shut out and drowned in the flood. What doth it profit a man to see heaps of Jewels, and Pearls, and mountains of Gold and Silver, when he is moneyless and penniless? It is rather a torment then a comfort to know that there is a pardon for other malefactors, but none for me; that there is bread for such and such hungry souls, but none for me; that there is water and wine to cheer, comfort, and refresh such and such, but not a sip a drop for me; my bottle is empty, and I may die for thirst, whilst others are a drinking at the fountain head: That there is houses and clothes to shelter such and such from colds, storms, and tempests, whilst I lie naked with Lazarus at Dives door exposed to the miseries of all weathers. This kind of knowledge doth rather torment men then comfort them, it does but add fuel, to the fire, and make their hell the hotter▪ the knowledge that Devils and Apostates ⟨p. 339⟩have of God, Christ, and the Scriptures, &c. being only notional, is so far from being a comfort to them, that it is their greatest torment,1 it is a worm that is eternally gnawing them, it makes them ten thousand times more miserable then otherwise they would be: They are still a crying out, O that our light, our light were put out; O that our knowledge, our knowledge were extinguished. O that we might but change rooms, change places with the Heathens, with the Barbarians that never knew what we have known. O how happy would damned Devils and Apostates judge themselves in hell, if they should escape with those dreadful stripes that shall be eternally laid upon the backs of fools. Remember Reader, that a little heart knowledge, a little experimental knowledge, is of greater efficacy and worth then the highest notions of the most acutest wits. He doth well that discourses of Christ; but he doth infinitely better, that by experimental knowledge feeds, and lives on Christ. It was not Adams seeing •ut his tasting of forbidden fruit that made ⟨p. 340⟩him miserable; and it is not your seeing2