A77608:491
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.
Arcesilaus, in Plutarch, visiting his sick friend, and perceiving his necessity that he wanted, and yet his modesty that he was ashamed to ask, that he might satisfy the one, and yet salve the other, secretly conveyed money under his Pillow; which his friend finding after he was gone, was wont to say, Arcesilaus stole this: So Christ steals secret kindnesses upon his people, and that draws them out to be much in secret, in closet services.
Arcesilaus, in Plutarch, visiting his sick friend, and perceiving his necessity that he wanted, and yet his modesty that he was ashamed to ask, that he might satisfie the one, and yet salve the other, secretly conveyed money under his Pillow; which his friend finding after he was gone, was wont to say, Arcesilaus stole this: So Christ steals secret kindnesses upon his people, and that draws them out to be much in secret, in closet services.
Thirteenthly, That Love that accompanies Salvation, shows it self by breathing after more clear evidence, and full assurance of Christs love. To ⟨p. 484⟩the soul, Divine love would fain have her drop turned into an Ocean, her spark into a flame, her penny into a pound, her mite into a million. A soul that truly loves, can never see enough, nor never taste enough, nor never feel enough, nor never enjoy enough of the love of Christ; when once they have found his love to be better then Wine, then nothing will satisfy them but the kisses of his mouth. Cant. 1. 3. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth. Not with a kiss, but with the kisses of his mouth. A soul once kissed by Christ, can never have enough of the kisses of Christ; his lips drop myrrh, and mercy; no kisses to the kisses of Christ. The1 more any soul loves Christ, the more serious, studious, and industrious will that soul be, to have the love of Christ discovered, confirmed, witnessed, and sealed to it. That is a sweet word of the Spouse,