A77608:436
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 proud have forged a lie against me; but I will keep thy Precepts with my whole heart. The whole heart includes all the faculties of the soul, and all the members of the body; says David, I will put hand and heart, body and soul, all within me, and all without me, to the keeping and observing of thy Precepts. Here is a soul through-paced in his obedience, he stands not halting nor halving of it; he knows the Lord loves to be served truly and totally, and therefore he obeys with an entire heart, and a sincere spirit. I have read of a very strange speech that dropped out of the mouth of Epictetus, a Heathen, If it be thy will (says he) O Lord, command me what thou wilt, send me whither thou wilt, I will not withdraw my self from any thing that seems good to thee. Ah how will this Heathen at last rise in judgement against all Sauls, Jehues, Judases, Demases, Scribes, Pharisees, Temporaries, who are partial in their obedience, who while they yield obedience to some commands, live in the habitual breach of other commands? ⟨p. 430⟩Verily, he that lives in the habitual breach of one command, shall at last be reputed by God guilty of the breach1 of every command, and God accordingly will in a way of Justice proceed against him, Ezek. 18. 10, 11, 12, 13. It was the glory of Caleb and Joshua, 2that they followed the Lord fully in one thing, as well as another. So Cornelius, 3We are present before God to hear whatsoever shall be commanded us of God; He doth not pick and choose: So in Acts 13. 22. I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will; or rather as it is in the Greek, he shall fulfil all my 4wills: To note the universality and sincerity of his Obedience. A sincere heart loves all commands of God, and prizes all commands of God, and sees a Divine Image stamped upon all the commands of God, and therefore the main bent and disposition of his soul, is to obey all, to subject to all. God commands universal obedience,