A77608:394
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 third Property of that Faith that accompanies Salvation, is this, It makes those things that are great and glorious in the worlds account, to be very little and low in the eyes of a Believer. Faith makes a Believer to1 live in the Land of Promise, as in a strange Country; it is nothing to live as a stranger in a strange Land, but to live as a stranger in the Land of Promise, this is the excellency and glory ⟨p. 385⟩of Faith. Faith will make a man set his feet, where other men sets their hearts. Faith looks with an eye of scorn and disdain, upon the things of this world: What, says Faith, are earthly treasures, to the treasures of2 Heaven? what are stones to silver, dross to gold, darkness to light, Hell to Heaven? No more, says Faith, are all the treasures, pleasures, and delights of this world, to the light of3 thy countenance, to the joy of thy spirit, to the influences of thy grace. I see nothing, says David, in this wide world, only thy Commandments are exceeding 4broad. Faith makes David account his Crown nothing, his treasures nothing, his victories nothing, his attendants nothing, &c. Faith will make a man write nothing upon the best of worldly things; it will make a man trample upon the Pearls of this5 world, as upon dross and dung. Faith deadens a mans heart, to the things of this world, I am crucified to the world, 6and the world is crucified to me, says Paul. This world, says Faith, is not my house, my habitation, my home, I7 look for a better Country, for a better ⟨p. 386⟩City, for a better home. He that is adopted Heir to a Crown, a Kingdom, looks with an eye of scorn, and disdain, upon every thing below a Kingdom, below a Crown. Faith tells the soul, that it hath a Crown, a Kingdom