A77608:479
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 first is this, True Love to the Saints is spiritual, it is a love for the Image of God, that is stamped upon the Soul. Col. 1. 8. Epaphras hath declared to us your love in the Spirit. A Soul that truly loves, loves the Father for his own sake, and the children for the Fathers sake. Many there are that love Christians for their goods, not for their good; they love them for the money that is in their purse, but not for the grace that is in their hearts. Many like the Bohemian Cur, fawn upon a good suit: Love to the Saints, for the Image of God stamped upon them, is a flower that grows not in Natures Garden. No man can love Grace in another mans heart, but he that hath grace in his own. Men doth not more1 naturally love their parents, and love their children, and love themselves, then they do naturally hate the Image of God upon his people, and ways. ⟨p. 470⟩True love is for what of the Divine Nature, for what of Christ and Grace shines in a man: It is one thing to love a godly man, and another thing to love him for godliness. Many love godly men, as they are Politicians, or Potent, or Learned, or of a sweet Nature, but all this is but natural love; but to love them, because they are spiritually lovely, because they are all 2glorious within, and their raiment is of embroidered gold, is to love them as becometh Saints, it is to love them at so high and noble a rate, that no Hypocrite in the world can reach to it. Tho Wasps fly about the Tradesman's shop, not out of love to him, but the Honey and the Fruit that is there: This age is full of such Wasps.3
The first is this, True Love to the Saints is spiritual, it is a love for the Image of God, that is stamped upon the Soul. Col. 1. 8. Epaphras hath declared to us your love in the Spirit. A Soul that truly loves, loves the Father for his own sake, and the children for the Fathers sake. Many there are that love Christians for their goods, not for their good; they love them for the money that is in their purse, but not for the grace that is in their hearts. Many like the Bohemian Cur, fawn upon a good suit: Love to the Saints, for the Image of God stamped upon them, is a flower that grows not in Natures Garden. No man can love Grace in another mans heart, but he that hath grace in his own. Men doth not more