A77608:452
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.
Secondly, That Love that accompanies Salvation, is Obediential Love, it is Operative and Working Love; the Love of Christ makes a man subject to the commands of Christ; If any 1man love me, he will keep my Commandments. And again, He that hath my Commandments and keepeth them, he it is that 2loveth me. Divine Love is very Operative. Psal. 116. 1. I love the Lord, says David. Well, but how doth this Love work? Why says he, I will walk in his ways: I will pay my vows: I will take the cup of salvation: I will offer the ⟨p. 449⟩of thanksgiving; and I will call upon the Name of the Lord, as long as I live, Vers. 2, 9, 13, 14, 17. Divine Love is not stinted nor limited to one sort of duty, but is free to all: He that loveth, flieth; he that loveth, runneth; he that loveth, believeth; he that loveth, rejoiceth; he that loveth, mourneth; he that loveth, giveth; he that loveth, lendeth; he that loveth, beareth; he that loveth, waiteth; he that loveth, hopeth, &c. Heb. 6. 10. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love. Love makes the soul laborious; that Love that accompanies Salvation, is very Active and Operative, it is like the virtuous Woman in the Proverbs, that sets all her Maidens on work; it is never quiet, but in doing the Will of God; it will not suffer any Grace to sit idle in the Soul; it will egg and put on all other Graces, to act and operate. Love sets Faith upon drawing from Christ, and Patience upon waiting on Christ, and Humility upon submitting to Christ, and Godly-sorrow upon mourning over Christ, and Self-denial upon forsaking of the nearest and dearest comforts for Christ, &c. ⟨p. 450⟩As the Sun makes the Earth fertile, so doth Divine love make the Soul fruitful in Works of Righteousness and Holiness. He that loves, cannot be idle nor barren; Love makes the Soul constant and abundant in well-doing, 2 Cor. 5. 14. The love of Christ constraineth