A77608:505
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.
First, To pray in a right manner, is to pray understandingly, to pray knowingly, 1 Cor. 14. 15. I will pray with understanding. He that doth not pray understandingly, doth not pray, but prate; as that Parrot in Rome, that could distinctly say over the whole1 Creed. John 4. 22. Ye worship ye know not what (says Christ.) So many pray they know not what. Without knowledge, ⟨p. 491⟩the mind cannot be good, Prov. 19. And can the Prayer be good, when the mind is bad? A blind mind, a blind Sacrifice, and a blind Priest, are abominable to God. It was a good saying of one, God heareth not the words of one that prayeth, (saith he) unless he that prayeth, heareth them first himself: And verily, God will never understand that Prayer, that we do not understand our selves.
First, To pray in a right manner, is to pray understandingly, to pray knowingly, 1 Cor. 14. 15. I will pray with understanding. He that doth not pray understandingly, doth not pray, but prate; as that Parrot in Rome, that could distinctly say over the whole1 Creed. John 4. 22. Ye worship ye know not what (sayes Christ.) So many pray they know not what. Without knowledge, ⟨p. 491⟩the minde cannot be good, Prov. 19. And can the Prayer be good, when the minde is bad? A blinde minde, a blinde Sacrifice, and a blinde Priest, are abominable to God. It was a good saying of one, God heareth not the words of one that prayeth, (saith he) unless he that prayeth, heareth them first himself: And verily, God will never understand that Prayer, that we do not understand our selves.