A77608:567
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.
Thirdly, A well-grounded Assurance is (usually) strongly assaulted by Satan1 on all sides; Satan is such a grand enemy to the Joy and Peace, to the Salvation and Consolation of the Saints, that he cannot but make use of all his devices and stratagems, to amaze and amuse, to disturb and disquiet the peace and rest of their Souls. No sooner had Jesus Christ heard that lovely voice from Heaven, This is my 2beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased, but he is desperately assaulted by Satan in the Wilderness. No sooner was Paul 3dropped out of Heaven, after he had ⟨p. 550⟩seen such visions of glory, that was unutterable, but he was presently assaulted, and buffeted by Satan. Stand up, stand up assured Christians, and tell me whether you have not found the4 blast of the terrible one, to be as a storm against the wall; Since the Lord5 said unto you, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven you. Have not you found Satan to play the part, both of the Lyon and the Woolf, of the Serpent and the Fox, and all to weaken your Assurance; and to work you to question the truth of your Assurance, and to cast water upon your Assurance, and to take off the freshness and sweetness, the beauty and glory of your Assurance? I know you have. His malice, envy, and enmity, is such against6 Gods honour and glory, and your comfort and felicity, that he cannot but be very studious and industrious to make use of all traps, snares, methods, and ways, whereby he may shake the pillars of your Faith, and weaken and overthrow your Assurance▪ Pirates you know do most fiercely assault those ships and vessels that are most richly laden; so doth Satan those precious ⟨p. 551⟩