A77608:526
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.
Fourthly, A gracious Soul looks and lives more upon God in Prayer, then upon his Prayer: He knows, though Prayer be his Chariot, yet Christ is his food: Prayer may be a staff to support him, but Christ is that Manna that must nourish him; and upon him he looks, and lives. Psal. 5. 3. In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, (or Martial, and set in order my Prayer, as it is in the Hebrew) and will look up (or look out, as it is in the Hebrew)1 as a watchman looks out to discover the approaches of an enemy: But vain men, they live and look more upon their Prayers, then they do upon God; Nay, usually they never look after their Prayers, they never observe what returns they have from Heaven; they are like those that shoot Arrows, but do not mind where they fall. Wicked men think it is Religion enough for them to pray, and to look after their prayers, to see how their prayers speed ⟨p. 510⟩is no Article of their Faith: But a gracious Soul is of a more noble spirit, when he hath prayed he will stand upon his watch-tower, and observe what God will speak. Psal. 85. 8. I will hear that God the Lord will speak; for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his Saints: But let them not return to folly; or as the Hebrew may be read, And they shall 2not return to folly, Veal jashubu le Chislah. Wicked men would have God to be all ear, to hear what they desire, when themselves have never an ear to hear what he speaks. But deaf ears shall always be attended with dumb answers. Justice always makes mercy dumb, when sin hath made the sinner deaf.
Fourthly, A gracious Soul looks and lives more upon God in Prayer, then upon his Prayer: He knows, though Prayer be his Chariot, yet Christ is his food: Prayer may be a staff to support him, but Christ is that Manna that must nourish him; and upon him he looks, and lives. Psal. 5. 3. In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, (or Martial, and set in order my Prayer, as it is in the Hebrew) and will look up (or look out, as it is in the Hebrew)