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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77608	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.	Brooks, Thomas, 1608-1680.	1654 (1654)	Wing B4943; Thomason E1446_1; ESTC R209539	332,772	663

will shew it self at the Spring and so will the habits of Faith break forth into acts when the Sun of Righteousness shall shine forth and make it a pleasant spring to thy soul And thus much for this second particular The third Property of that Faith that accompanies Salvation is this It makes those things that are great and glorious in the worlds account to be very little and low in the eyes of a Believer Faith makes a Believer to Heb. 11. 9. live in the Land of Promise as in a strange Country it is nothing to live as a stranger in a strange Land but to live as a stranger in the Land of Promise this is the excellency and glory of Faith Faith will make a man set his feet where other men sets their hearts Faith looks with an eye of scorn and disdain upon the things of this world What sayes Faith are earthly treasures to the treasures of Matth 6. 19 20. Heaven what are stones to silver dross to gold darkness to light Hell to Heaven No more sayes Faith are all the treasures pleasures and delights of this world to the light of Psal 4. 6 7. thy countenance to the joy of thy spirit to the influences of thy grace I see nothing sayes David in this wide world onely thy Commandments are exceeding Heb. 11. 24 25 26. broad Faith makes David account his Crown nothing his treasures nothing his victories nothing his attendants nothing c. Faith will make a man write nothing upon the best of worldly things it will make a man trample upon the Pearls of this Phil. 3. 8. world as upon dross and dung Faith deadens a mans heart to the things of this world I am crucified to the world Gal. 6. and the world is crucified to me sayes Paul This world sayes Faith is not my house my habitation my home I 2 Cor 5. 1 2. look for a better Country for a better City for a better home He that is adopted Heir to a Crown a Kingdom looks with an eye of scorn and disdain upon every thing below a Kingdom below a Crown Faith tells the soul that it hath a Crown a Kingdom 2 Tim 4. 8. in reversion and this makes the soul to set light by the things of this world Faith raises and sets the soul high And hath raised us up together Ephes 2. 6. and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus saith the Apostle Faith makes a man live high our conversation Phil. 3. 20. is in Heaven and the higher any man lives the less the lower will the things of this world be in his eye The fancy of Lucian is very pleasant who placeth Charon on the top of an high Hill viewing all the affairs of men and looking on their greatest richest and most glorious Cities as little Birds Nests Faith sets the soul upon the Hill of God the Mountain of God that is A high Mountain and from thence Faith gives the soul a sight a prospect of all things here below And ah how like Birds Nests does all the riches braveries and glories of this world look and appear to them that Faith hath set upon Gods high Hill Faith having set Luther upon this high Hill he protests that God should not put him off with these poor low things Faith set Moses Heb. 11. high it set him among invisibles and that made him look upon all the treasures pleasures riches and glories of Egypt as little Birds-Nests as Mole-hills as dross and dung as things that were too little and too low for him to set his heart upon Verily when once Faith hath given a man a sight a prospect of Heaven all things on Earth will be looked upon as little and low And so much for this third Property of Faith The fourth Property of that Faith that accompanies Salvation is this It purifies the heart it is a heart-purifying Acts 15. 9. faith Purifying their hearts by faith Faith hath two hands one to lay hold on Christ and another to sweep the heart which is Christs house Faith knows that Christ is of a Dove-like nature he loves to lie clean and sweet Faith hath a neat Huswifes hand as well as an Eagles eye Faith is as good at purging out of sin as it is at discovering of sin There is a cleansing quality in Faith as well as a healing quality in Faith Sound faith will purge the soul from the love of sin from a delight in sin and from the Ezek. 16. reign and dominion of sin Sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are Rom. 6. 14 21. not under the Law but under Grace Now Faith purges and cleanseth the heart from sin sometimes by pressing and putting God to make good the promises of Sanctification Faith takes that promise in Jere. 33. 8. And I will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will purifie them is an allusion to the purifications prescribed in the Law for the cleansing of polluted persons till which purifications were performed they could not be admitted into the Camp or Congregation c. cleanse them from all their iniquity whereby they have sinned against me and that promise in Micah 7. 19. He will turn again he will have compassion upon us he will subdue our iniquities and thou wilt cast all their sins into the bottom of the sea And that promise in Psal 65. 3. Iniquities prevail against me as for our transgressions thou shalt purge them away And that promise in Isai 1. 25. And I will turn my hand upon thee and purely purge away thy dross and take away all thy Tin And spreads them before the Lord and will never leave urging and pressing seeking and suing till God makes them good Faith makes the soul divinely impudent divinely shameless Lord sayes Faith are not these thine own words hast thou said it and shall it not come to pass art thou no● a faithful God is not thine honor engaged to make good the promises that thou hast made Arise O God and let my sins be scattered turn thy hand upon me and let my sins be purged And thus Faith purifies the heart Again sometimes Faith purifies the heart from sin by engaging against sin in Christs strength as David engaged against Goliah not in 1 Sam. 17. 45. his own strength but in the strength and name of the Lord of Hosts Faith leads the soul directly to God and engages God against sin so as that the combate by the wisdom of Faith is changed and made now rather between God and sin then between sin and the soul and so sin comes to fall before the power and glorious presence of God that is a choice word Psal 61. 2. From the ends of the earth will I cry to thee When my heart is over-whelmed lead me to the Rock that is higher then I. Look as a childe that is set upon by one that is stronger then he cryes

earth for the discovery of rich mines and treasures Which made one of the Rabbins cry out veniat Messias at ego non videam let the Messias come but let not me see him Church much in selfe-examining selfe-judging selfe-loathing c. upon this ground That God had hid his face and drawne a curtaine between him and them and stood at a distance from them and would not speak comfortably and friendly to them Now if you aske me why God will put his children upon those duties of Religion that are most costly and contrary to flesh and blood I answer first That his strength and power may appear in their weaknesse 2 Cor. 12. 7 8 9. 2 To discover not onely the truth but also the strength of their graces a little grace will put a man upon those Religious duties that are easie and pleasing to flesh and blood and not chargeable but rather profitable and pleasureable but it must bee strength of grace that puts a man upon those services that are costly and crosse to the Old man 3 That they may bee more fully and eminently conformable to Christ their Head who from first to last who even from the cradle to the crosse was most exercised in those duties and services that were most costly and crosse to flesh and blood as is most evident to all that study the writings of the Holy Ghost more then the writings of men 4 Because in the performance of such duties they do in a more singular way bear up the name and credit the honour and glory of God Christ and the Gospel in the world the very world will cry out Ah these are Christians indeed 5 Because the more they are in the exercise of such duties the greater at last will be their reward 6 That Satans plots and designes Heb. 11. 7. may be the better prevented and the wicked world more justly condemned who doe not onely despise the hardest duties of Religion but also neglect Mat. 25. 4. 46. the easiest The third Reason why God denies Assurance to his most precious ones is Ier. 2. 19. that they may be the more cleerly and fully convinced of that exceeding sinfulnesse and bitternesse that is in sinne Ah Lord sayes the soule that sits sighing and mourning under the want of Assurance I see now that sinne is not onely evil but the greatest evill in the world in that it keeps mee from an Assurance of my interest in thee who art the greatest good in the world and from an Assurance of that favour of thine that is better then life Sin is Malum Catholicum T is aeterna macula T is corruptio optimi pessima Ps 63. 3 4. Ps 4 7. and from the light of thy sweet countenance that is better then corne and wine and oyle and from those joyes and comforts that can onely make a Paradise in my soule Ah This made one cry out Quid restat O peccator nisi ut in tota vita tua deplores rotam vitam tuam O what then remains but in our whole life to lament the sins of our whole life Lord now I finde sinne not onely to bee bitter but to bee the very quintessence of bitternesse Ah no bitternesse so bitter as sinne that keeps my soule from that sweet assurance that is not onely the top and crowne of mercy but also the sweetner of all mercie misery and glory Oh what unspeakable evill do I now see in that evil that keeps me from the most desirable good Oh what bitternesse do I now find in that which Satan the Heb. 3. 13. Sin hath its original from a deceitfull subtle Serpent and is the ground of all the deceit in the world and is the great couzner of souls Yea peccatum est Deicidium Sin is a killing of God world and my owne deluded heart told me I should finde sweetnesse in Ah now I finde by experience that to be true which long since the faithfull Messengers of the Lord have told me viz. That sinne debaseth the soule of man that it defiles and pollutes the soule of man that it renders the soule most unlike to God who is optimum maximum the best and greatest who is omnia super omnia all and above all and renders it most like to Satan who is a very sea and sinke of sinne That it hath robbed the soule of the image of God the holinesse of God the beauty of God the glory of God the righteousnesse of God and that keepes the soule from wearing this Golden Chaine of Assurance A fourth reason why God denies Assurance to his dearest ones is because Christus op er nostra non tam actibus quam finibus pensat Zanchius The glory of God must consume all other ends as the Sun puts our the light of the fire they seeke Assurance more for themselves then they doe for his honour and glory more that they may have joy without sorrow comfort without torment peace without trouble sweet without bitter light without darknesse and day without night then that he may bee exalted and admired and his name alone made great and glorious in the world Many Christians are like the Bee that flyes into the field to seek honey to eat but brings it not into the Masters hive So they seek for Assurance that they may feed upon that sweet hony-comb more then to fill their Lord and Masters hive with thanks and praise That servant that mindes his wages more then his worke must not wonder if his Master be slacke in paying no more should hee that mindes comfort more then obedience that minds It was a notable saying of Nazianzen Let me sayes he be cast into the Sea let me lose my place rather then the name of Christ should suffer so tender was he of the honour and glory of Christ assurance more then divine honour wonder that God delayes the givings in of assurance though it bee sought with many prayers and teares He that is most tender of Gods honour shall finde by experience that God is most mindful of his comfort God will not see that soule fit long in sackcloath and ashes that makes it his businesse to set him up upon his Throne He that minds Gods glory more then his owne good shall quickly finde that God will even obscure his owne glory to doe him good If wee are not wanting to Gods glory he will not long bee wanting to our joy A fifth reason why God denies Assurance to his children is that when they have it they may the more highly prize it the more carefully keep it the more wisely improve it and the more affectionately and effectually blesse God for it none sets such a price upon light as hee that hath laine long in a Dungeon of darknesse Life without light is but a life-lesse life Mich 7. 8 9. So none sets such a price upon Assurance as those children of light that have walked most in spirituall darknesse Ah!

but dig and search diligently after it There is grace in the heart and you might see it if you would but take the candle of the Lord and looke narrowly after it Looke as many a man upon a diligent search may finde his temporall estate to bee better then hee apprehends Worthlesse Dayses grow in sight upon the surface of the earth but the precious and richest rarities are hid within the bowels of the earth You are wise and know how to apply it it So many choice soules upon a diligent search may finde their spiritual estate to bee far better then they conceived or judged it to bee therefore soules cease from complaining cease from rash judging and dooming of your selves to hell and be diligent in enquiring what the Lord hath done and what the Lord is a doing in you and for you compare the books together compare his working upon you and others together what is there no light no love no longings no hungrings no thirstings after God what is there no The cry that was heard in the Temple was migremus hinc Let us go hence Let us go hence sighing no complaining no mourning under the sense of sinne and under the want of divine favour Surely if you search you will finde some of these things and if you doe prize them as jewels that are more worth then a world God will not despise the day of small things and will you will you dare you say that that is little that is more worth then heaven the least sparke of grace shall at last be turned into a crowne of glory Well remember this that as the least grace if true and sincere is sufficient to salvation so the sense of the least grace should be sufficient to your consolation The fourth Proposition is this viz. The fourth Proposition That God may deny assurance long and yet give it in to his children at last after patient waiting God appears to David and brings him out of an horrible pit or out of a pit of noise and Psal 4. 1 2 3 4. sets his feet upon a rocke and puts a new song into his mouth After the Church in the Canticles had run through Chap. 3. 5. many hazards and hardships many difficulties and dangers she findes him whom her soule loved The Prophet sits Psal 69. 2 3. downe and bewayles his sad condition Vers 20. thus I am weary of my crying my throat is dried mine eyes faile while I wait for my God And I am full of heavinesse and I looked for some to take pity but there was none and for comforters but I found none I but at last God appears and then sayes he I will praise the name of Vers 30. Job 8. 9. God with a song and will magnifie him with thanksgiving Job sighs it out Behold I goe forward but he is not there and backward but I cannot perceive him On the left hand where he doth worke but I cannot behold him he hideth himselfe on the right hand that I cannot see him Chap. 27. 5 6. But after this sighing he sings it out Till I dye I will not remove my integrity from me My righteousnesse I hold fast and will not let it goe my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live Mr. Frogmorten was as holy and as choice a Preacher as most was in England in those dayes and hee lived seven and thirty yeers without assurance and then dyed having assurance but an houre before hee dyed he went to dye at Mr. Dods who is now with the Lord and did dye there in full Assurance of the justification of his person Experience doth abundantly evidence that this is the manner of Gods dealing with abundance of those precious souls of whom this world is not worthy I could say much to this point from my owne knowledge but I must forbear lighting a candle to see the Sun at noon the remission of his sinnes and the salvation of his soule God denied assurance a great while to Mr. Glover though hee sought it with many prayers and tears and yet when hee was in sight of the fire the Lord shined forth in his favor so sweerly upon him that he cries out to his friend He is come he is come meaning the Comforter So Mrs. Katherine Bretterge after many bitter conflicts with Satan the day before she dyed she had sweet assurance of that Kingdome that shakes not of those riches that corrupt not and of that Crowne of righteousnesse that sades not away I have read of three Martyrs that were bound and brought to the stake and one of them gets from under his chaine to admiration and falls downe upon the ground and wrastles earnestly with God for the sense of his love and God gave it him then at that instant and so he came and imbraced the stake and died cheerfully and resolutely a glorious Martyr God delayed till he was bound and then le ts out himself sweetly and gloriously to him Now God doth delay the giving in of assurance to his dearest ones and that partly to let them know that hee will be waited on and that assurance Voluntas Dei necessitas rei God will have every childe of his to put his fiat his places to Gods go it never so much against the hair is a jewel worth waiting for The least smile from God when our last glasse is running will make our soules amends for all their waiting and partly that wee may know that hee is free in his workings and that he is not tied to any proportions or qualifications in the creature but is free to come when he will and goe when hee will and stay as long as hee will though the soule doth sigh it out How long Lord how long will it bee before my mourning bee turned into rejoycing Again God delayes the giving in of assurance not because he delights to keep his children in feares and doubts nor because hee thinks that assurance is too rare too great too choice a jewel to bestow upon them Isa 59. 1 2. Jer. 5. 25. but it is either because he thinks their soules doe not stand at a sufficient distance from sinne or because their soules are so taken up and filled with creature-enjoyments as that Christ is put to lodge in an out-house or else Luke 2. 7. it is because they pursue not after assurance with all their might they give not all diligence to make their calling 2 Pet. 2. 5. and election sure or else it is because their hearts are not prepared are not low enough for so high a favour Now Gods delaying assurance upon these weighty grounds should rather worke us to admire him to justifie him and quietly to wait for him then to have any hard thoughts of him or to carry it unkindly to him or impatiently Jud 5 28. to say Why is his Chariot so long a comming The fifth Proposition is this That

of baseness and wickedness yet upon his resolution to return his Father meets him and instead of killing him he kisses him instead of kicking him Vers 22 23. he embraces him instead of shutting the door upon him he makes sumptuous provisions for him And how then dost thou dare to say O despairing soul that God will never cast an eye of love upon thee nor bestow a crumb of mercy on thee The Apostle tells you of some monstrous miscreants that were unrighteous fornicators idolaters 1 Cor. 6. 9 10 11. adulterers effeminate abusers of themselves with mankinde theeves covetous drunkards revilers extortioners and yet these monsters of mankinde thorow the instant goodness and free-grace of God are washed from the filth and guilt of their sins and justified by the Righteousness of Christ and sanctified by the Spirit of Christ and decked and adorned with the precious Graces of Christ Therefore O despairing souls are you good at burning that you have no mercy on your selves but to argue to your own undoing do not say O despairing soul that thou shalt die in thy sins and lie down at last in everlasting sorrow Did it make for the honor and glory of his free grace to pardon them and will it be a reproach to his free-grace to pardon thee Could God be just in justifying such ungodly ones and shall he be unjust in justifying of thee Did not their unworthiness and unfitness for mercy turn the stream of mercy from them No. Why then O despairing soul shouldst thou fear that thy unworthiness and unfitness for mercy will so stop and turn the stream of mercy as that thou must perish eternally for want of one drop of special Grace and Mercy Again tell me O despairing soul Is not the Grace of God free-grace is Sub laudibus naturae latent inimici gratiae Aug. The Patrons of mans freewil are enemies to Gods free-grace not mans salvation of free-grace By grace ye are saved Ephes 2. 8. Every link of this golden chain is Grace It is free-grace that chose us Rom. 11. 5. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of Grace It is free-grace that chuses some to be Jewels from all eternity that chuses some to life when others are left in darkness The Lord Jesus Christ is a gift of free-grace Christ is the greatest the sweetest the choicest the cheifest gift that ever God gave and yet this gift is given by a hand of love God so loved the John 3 16. Isa 9. 6. world that he gave his onely begotten Son c. Here is a sic without a sicut God Joh● 4 10. But God O thou desp●i●ing soul is Pater mis●rationum he is al 's b●wels he will not stand upon giving his most lovely Son to most unlovely souls so loved the world so freely so vehemently so fully so admirably so unconceivably That he gave his onely Son His Son not his servant his begotten Son not his adopted son yea his onely begotten Son I have read of one that had four sons and in a Famine being sore opprest with hunger the Parents resolved to sell one for relief but then they considered with themselves which of the four they should sell they said The eldest was the first of their strength therefore loth they were to sell him the second was the very picture of the Father and therefore loth they were to part with him the third was like the Mother and therefore they were not willing to part with him the fourth and the yongest was the childe of their old age their Benjamin the dearly beloved of them both and therefore they were resolved not to part with any of them and so would rather suffer themselves to perish then to part with any of their children O but Gods heart is so strongly set upon sinners Heb. 1. 1 2 3. Matth. 3. ul● that he freely gives Jesus Christ who is his first-born who is his very picture who is his beloved Benjamin who is his cheifest joy who is his greatest delight as Solomon speaks Then I was Prov. 8. 30. by him as one brought up with him and I was daily his delight in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his delights that is his greatest delight rejoycing always before him or sporting greatly before him as little ones do before their parents Why then O despairing soul dost thou sit down sighing and walk up and down mourning and sadly concluding that there is no mercy for thee Hold up thy head O despairing Christ is called the gift of God and the free gift of God five times together in Rom. 5. 15 16 17 18. soul Jesus Christ himself is a gift of free-grace the consideration of his free boundless bottomless and endless love may afford thee much matter of admiration and consolation but none of despairation And as Jesus Christ is a gift of free-grace or a free-grace gift so the precious Covenant of Grace is a gift of grace Gen. 17. 2. I will make my Covenant betwixt me and thee but in the Original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is I will give thee my Covenant Here you see that the Covenant of Grace is a free gift of grace God gave the Covenant of the Priest-hood unto Phineas as a gift so God gives the Num 25. 12 Covenant of Grace as a gift of favor and grace to all that he takes into Covenant with himself from first to last all is from free-grace God loves Hosea 14 4. freely I will heal their back sliding I will love them freely c. So Moses The Lord saith he set his love upon you Deut 7. 7 8. to take you into Covenant with him not because you were more in number then other people but because he loved you and chose your Fathers The onely ground God will have all blessings and happiness to flow from free-grace 1. That the worst of sinners may have strong grounds for hope and comfort of Gods love is his love the ground of Gods love is onely and wholly in himself There is neither portion nor proportion in us to draw his love there is no love nor loveliness in us that should cause a beam of his love to shine upon us there is that enmity that filthiness that treacherousness 2. For the praise of his own glory 3. That vain man may not boast 4. That our mercies and blessings may be sure to us unfaithfulness to be found in every mans bosom as might justly put God upon glorifying himself in their eternal ruine and to write their names in his black Book in characters of blood and wrath And as God loves freely so God justifies us freely Rom. 3. 24. Being justified freely by his grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ And as poor sinners are justified freely so they are pardoned freely Acts 5. 31. Him hath God exalted speaking of Christ

evil report and good report They went thorow many weaknesses sicknesses wants and deaths they had nothing and yet possest all things they had burden upon burden cast upon them by the Churches by false Apostles and by an uncharitable world and yet they chearfully bore all burdens without a burden thorow the power of a wel-grounded assurance Assurance makes heavy afflictions 2 Cor. 4. 16 17 18. light long afflictions short bitter afflictions sweet Where a man wants assurance there the shadow of a burden frights him and the weight of the least burden sinks him such a man is still a crying out No mans burdens to my burden my burden is greater then others my burden is heavier then others The want of assurance often times makes mens very mercies a burden their comforts a burden their relations a burden yea their very lives a burden unto them Job 7 20. Ah Christians you will never bear burdens without a burden till you come to attain an assurance of better things This will inable you to leap under the weight of any cross to rejoyce under the weight of any Mountain Assurance fits a mans heart to his condition and when a mans heart is fitted to his condition nothing proves a burden to him Assurance of better I have read of Albas Paulus who handled Serpents and Scorpions and cut them in pieces without any hurt and said If a man be holy all things are subject to him as to Adam before his sin in paradise Surely assurance will inable a man to do much this way things takes away the sting the poyson that attends these lower things and the sting and the poyson being taken away the very worst of these things are so far from being a burden to a man that they become rather a pleasure and a delight unto him When the sting is taken out of this or that venomous Creature a man may play with it and put it in his bosom Ah assurance pulls out the sting that is in every cross loss c. And this makes the assured soul to sit down singing when others under far less crosses and losses sits down sighing mourning and complaining Our burdens are greater then we are able to bear If there were but more assurance of better things among Christians there would be less complaints among them of this burden and that Mole-hills then would be no longer Mountains Christians it is not new notions new opinions new nothings as I may say in your heads but the gaining of a wel-grounded assurance in your hearts that will inable you to bear all kinde of burdens without a burden The eighth Motive to provoke you Motive 8. to get assurance is drawn from those particular commands of God whereby he engages Christians to get assurance The Saints in Heaven have felix necessitas an happy necessity of obeying God alway but we infelix necessitas an unhappy necessity of disobeying continually The precepts of God saith Lactantius do so change the whole man and make him new that you can hardly know him to be the same Lactant. de falsa sapient lib. 3. cap. 27. A thing which Philosophy hath much labored in but could never archieve Christians The pressing of those very commands last cited upon your own hearts may produce that comfort and peace and make such a bless●d change in your inward condition as may bespeak much admiration as that in the 2 Pet. 1. 10. Wherefore the rather Brethren give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure for if ye do these things ye shall never fall So 2 Cor. 13. 5. Examine your selves whether ye be in the Faith prove your own selves know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates or unapproved as the Greek imports So Heb. 6. 11. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end Ah you dull doubting drousie Christians you should take all these commands of God and press them with all the power and authority you can upon your hearts to awaken them and provoke them to get assurance of your eternal wel-being Take one command and charge that upon the heart if the heart be stout and will not yeeld then take another command and press that upon the heart if that will not do it then take another and lay that home upon the heart and never leave this work till your souls be effectually stirred up to labor for assurance with all your might Christians on should tell your souls that the commands of God binds directly and immediately that they binde absolutely and universally You must obey God intuitu voluntatis upon the bare sight of his Will and in one thing as well as another Christians if I am not much mistaken you should make as much conscience of those commands of God that requires you to get assurance of your future happiness as you do of those commands that requires you to pray to hear c. It is very sad to consider that many that complain much of the want of assurance should make no more care and conscience of those commands of God that requires them to get assurance then some of the Heathens have done of the commands of their gods who when they have called for a man have offered a candle or as Hercules who offered a painted man in stead of a living Verily Christians while you make light of any of Gods commands God will make as light of your comforts Did you make more conscience to act answerable to the forementioned commands I am very apt to believe that the Sun of Righteousness would certainly and speedily cause his love and glory to beam out upon you Minde Gods commands more then your own wants and complaints and light will break in upon you By obeying Christs commands you shall gain more then you can give by kissing the Son you shall even command him and make him and assurance yours The ninth Motive to provoke you Motive 9. to get assurance is this You cannot gratifie Satan more nor injury your selves more then by living without assurance by living without assurance you lay your selves open to all Satans snares and temptations yea you do instigate and provoke Satan to tempt you to the worst of sins to tempt you to the greatest neglects to tempt you to the strangest shifts and to reduce you to the saddest straits Ah Christians in what in what hath Satan so gratified you that you should thus gratifie him hath he not robed you of your glory in innocency hath he not kept your souls and your Saviour long asunder when with Joshua you have been standing before Zech. 3. 1 2. the Lord hath not he stood at your right hand as an adversary to resist you hath he not often set the glory Matth. 4. of the world before you that he might bewitch you and ensnare you hath he not often