A77608:392
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 second Property of that Faith that accompanies Salvation, is this, It is of a growing and increasing nature; it is like the waters of the Sanctuary, that rise higher and higher, as Ezekiel speaks; it is like a tender Plant that naturally grows higher and higher;1 it is like a grain of Mustard-seed, which though it be the least of all Seeds, yet by a Divine power it grows up beyond all humane expectations. Faith is imperfect, as all other graces are, but yet it grows and increases gradually. Rom. 1. 17. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed, from Faith to faith: As it is written, The just shall live by Faith. As a gracious soul is still a adding knowledge to knowledge, love to love, fear to fear, zeal to zeal; so he is a adding faith to faith. A gracious soul knows, That if he be rich in Faith, he cannot be poor in other Graces; he knows the growth of faith, will be as the former and the latter rain, to all other graces; he knows that there is no way to out-grow his fears, but by growing in Faith; he knows that all the pleasant fruits of paradise, viz. Joy, comfort, and ⟨p. 382⟩peace, flourishes as faith flourishes; he knows that he hath much work2 upon his hands, that he hath many things to do, many temptations to withstand, many mercies to improve, many burdens to bear, many corruptions to conquer, many duties to perform: And this makes the believing soul thus to reason with God; Ah Lord, whatever I am weak in, let me be strong in Faith, whatever dies, let Faith live, whatever decays, let Faith flourish: Lord, let me be low in repute, low in parts, low in estate; so thou wilt make me high in Faith: Lord, let me be poor in any thing, poor in every thing; so thou wilt but make me rich in Faith: Lord, let the eye of Faith be more opened, let the eye of Faith be more quick-sighted, let the eye of Faith be the more raised, and it shall be enough to me, though Joseph 3be not, though Benjamin be not. It was the glory of the Thessalonians, that their faith growed exceedingly: A growth in Faith, will render a man glorious in life, lovely in death, and twice blessed in the morning of the Resurrection; so will not a growth in