Heaven on Earth Book Summary
Heaven on Earth, written by the 17th-century English Puritan preacher Thomas Brooks, is a profound and enduring treatise on the doctrine of Christian assurance. First published in 1654, this classic work addresses a pressing concern for many believers of Brooks’ time: the certainty of their salvation. With a blend of theological depth, biblical insight, and practical guidance, Brooks seeks to help Christians attain and maintain the assurance that they are truly saved, describing this confidence as a foretaste of "heaven on earth."
Context and Author
Thomas Brooks (1608–1680) was a prominent Puritan minister known for his pastoral care and accessible theological writings. Living during a period of religious turbulence in England, he preached and wrote to guide his congregation through spiritual challenges. In Heaven on Earth, Brooks tackles a topic that was especially significant to Puritans, who often grappled with doubts about their standing before God. His goal is to provide believers with the tools to experience the peace and joy that come from knowing they are secure in God’s grace.
Main Theme: Assurance of Salvation
The central focus of Heaven on Earth is the assurance of salvation—the confident knowledge that one is in a state of grace and bound for eternal life. Brooks argues that assurance is not only attainable but essential for a vibrant Christian life. He asserts that it brings strength, joy, and boldness to believers, while its absence can lead to spiritual instability and fear. Drawing extensively from Scripture, Brooks demonstrates that God desires His children to enjoy this privilege, grounding his arguments in passages from the Psalms, Romans, and the writings of the Apostle John.
Key Points and Structure
Brooks organizes the book to explore various dimensions of assurance, offering both theological clarity and practical advice:
- The Nature of Assurance: He defines assurance as a God-given confidence in one’s salvation, distinguishing it from mere presumption—a false sense of security rooted in self-deception.
- Attaining Assurance: Brooks encourages believers to pursue assurance through self-examination, prayer, and meditation on God’s promises, urging them to look for evidence of genuine faith such as love for Christ and a holy life.
- Maintaining Assurance: He provides counsel on how to preserve this confidence during trials, temptations, and periods of spiritual dryness.
- The Fruits of Assurance: Brooks highlights the peace, joy, and spiritual resilience that flow from a well-grounded assurance, describing it as a taste of heavenly glory.
A key element of Brooks’ teaching is his warning against false assurance. He stresses the importance of distinguishing true faith from superficial confidence by examining one’s heart and actions. He also emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit in confirming a believer’s salvation and the necessity of living in obedience to God’s will.
Heaven on Earth
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Introduction
To the Right Honorable The Generals of the Fleets of the Commonwealth of England, and to those Brave Heroes (my much Honored Friends) who, along with the Noble Generals, have risked their lives many times at sea out of love for their country's well-being and respect for the cause of Christ and the faithful people of this Commonwealth, may you receive the honor and happiness promised to all who love and honor the Lord Jesus.
Dear esteemed gentlemen,
The better something is, the more it will want to share itself, because "goodness is self-communicative." There are two types of goods: there are Goods of the Throne, like God, Christ, Grace, Assurance, etc., and there are Goods of the Footstool, like Honors, Riches, etc. A person can have enough of the Footstool goods to weigh them down, but never enough to truly satisfy them. A person's happiness and blessedness, their true joy and glory, lie in possessing the Goods of the Throne. To help you achieve this, I humbly ask you to carefully read the following treatise.
It was a wise saying by Lewis of Bavaria, Emperor of Germany: "Such goods are worth getting and owning, as will not sink, nor wash away, if a shipwreck happen, but will wade and swim out with us." The goods presented in this following discussion are like that; in all storms, tempests, and shipwrecks, they will stay with the soul. They will walk and lie down with the soul, and they will go to the grave and to heaven with the soul. In the greatest storms, they will be an ark for the soul. I have noticed in some terrible storms that I have been in, that the sailors and passengers who lack assurance and the other valuable treasures presented in this treatise have had their faces change and their hearts melt. It has made them stagger and reel like drunk men, like people at their wits' end. Meanwhile, others who have assurance and their pardon in their hearts have stood strong, slept peacefully, and walked cheerfully. They have practically said, like Alexander once did when he was in great danger, "Now here is a danger fit for the spirit of Alexander to encounter." So, they say, here are storms and dangers fit for assured, pardoned souls to face.
Gentlemen, I am not offering this following discourse to you because it needs your protection, since truth stands in the open fields. It will make those who love it stand, triumph, and overcome. Great is truth, and it shall prevail. However, I present it to you for the following reasons.
First, you have honored God by helping Him against powerful and influential people, and He has honored you by supporting you, standing by you, acting on your behalf, and making you successful and victorious over a nearby enemy, a strong enemy, an angry enemy, a determined enemy, a clever enemy, a prepared enemy, and a proud enemy. Therefore, I feel compelled to honor you by dedicating the following treatise to the service of your souls.
Secondly, because you are my friends, and the genuine love and friendship I have received from you have made me hold you in very high regard. The ancients depicted friendship as a young man with no hat, wearing simple clothes, with "Life and Death" written at the bottom and "Summer and Winter" at the top. His chest was open so his heart could be seen, with "longe, prope," meaning "a friend near and far," written on it. Truly, your undeserved love and respect have made me willing to open my heart to you in this letter and in the following treatise, as to friends whom I love and honor. When someone asked Alexander if they could see his treasure, he told one of his servants to show them not his money, but his friends. It seems he valued them more than all his wealth. Faithful friends are an invaluable treasure, and their rarity greatly increases their worth.
Thirdly, because it is extremely useful and perfectly suited to your situations. I have spent some years at sea, and by God's grace, I can say that I wouldn't trade my experiences at sea for all of England's wealth. I am not completely unaware of the troubles, trials, temptations, dangers, and deaths that you face. That's why I felt compelled to share the following discussion with you. It reveals the nature of assurance, the possibility of achieving assurance, the causes, sources, levels, excellencies, and characteristics of assurance. It also covers the special times when God gives assurance and answers several important questions about assurance. Additionally, in this treatise, like looking into a mirror, you can clearly and fully see these ten special things explained and revealed.
1. What kind of knowledge comes with salvation
2. What kind of faith comes with salvation
3. What repentance is that accompanies salvation
4. What kind of obedience comes with salvation
5. What kind of love comes with salvation
6. What kind of prayer goes along with salvation
7. What perseverance is that which accompanies
8. What hope accompanies salvation
9. The difference between true assurance and fake assurance
10. The big difference between the testimony of the Spirit and the deceitful whispers of the old serpent
Ladies and gentlemen, you hold your lives in your hands, and there is only a short step between you and eternity. I truly wish for all of you to be happy forever. With that in mind, I humbly ask you to take some time from your many important tasks to read this treatise, which I respectfully present to you. Please follow the advice I am about to give you with love and sincerity. My goal in all of this is your happiness now and your blessedness in the future.
First, have and maintain a relationship with God; your ability to stand firm and resist all attacks comes from your relationship with God. This connection with God will help you stand strong and overcome all enemies, challenges, dangers, and even death. When Samson maintained his relationship with God, no enemy could defeat him; he kept winning and piling up victories. But when he lost that connection, he quickly and sadly fell before his enemies. As long as David maintained his relationship with God, no enemies could defeat him; but when he lost it, he fled from his own son. Job kept his relationship with God and defeated Satan even while suffering. Adam lost his connection with God and fell to Satan in Paradise. Communion is the result of union; it is a mutual exchange between Christ and a faithful soul. It's like Jacob's Ladder, where Christ comes down into the soul, and the soul, through divine influence, rises up to Christ. A relationship with God is like a shield on land and an anchor at sea; it's a sword to protect you and a staff to support you; it's a balm to heal you and a tonic to strengthen you. A deep relationship with Christ will give you two heavens: one on earth and one after death. If you lack a relationship with God, you have nothing; if you have it, you lack nothing. Therefore, above all else, seek a relationship with Christ and, above all, maintain it. Losing anything else is not as significant as losing your relationship with Christ. If you lose it, you lose your comfort, strength, and everything. It won't be long before you are captured, like Samson, and suffer greatly (Judg. 16:20-21).
Secondly, make a quick and thorough use of all opportunities for grace and mercy. Don't sleep during harvest time; don't waste your market hours or your golden seasons. You have a lot to do in a short time: you have a God to honor, a Christ to rely on, a race to run, a crown to win, a hell to escape, and a heaven to obtain. You have weak graces to strengthen and strong corruptions to weaken. You have many temptations to resist and afflictions to endure. You have many mercies to make the most of and many services to perform, and so on. Therefore, take advantage of all opportunities and benefits that can strengthen and improve your noble part. Be careful not to say "tomorrow, tomorrow" when God says, "Today, if you will hear my voice, do not harden your hearts" (Heb. 3:15). Manna must be gathered in the morning, and the precious pearl is formed from the morning dew. It's very sad for someone to start dying before they start living. Neglecting a golden opportunity only brings a lot of misery, as Saul and many others have learned through sad experiences. To do a good deed effectively, you must not miss your season. The men of Issachar were famous in David's account for wisdom because they acted at the right time and with good timing. God will consider and recognize a person as wise who knows and observes the right times for action. There have been people who, by giving a glass of water at the right time, have gained a kingdom, as seen in the story of Thaumastus and King Agrippa. Time, as someone said, would be a valuable commodity in hell, and trading it would be very profitable, where for one day, a person would give ten thousand worlds if they had them. Someone walking through the streets of Rome, seeing many women playing and amusing themselves with monkeys and baboons and such things, asked if they had no children to play and enjoy themselves with. So when people waste their precious time and golden opportunities, playing and toying with this vanity and that, we may ask if these people have no God, no Christ, no Scripture, no promises, no blessed experiences, no hopes of heaven's glories to delight and entertain themselves with. Certainly, we should only count the time we carefully and well spend as part of our lives, since even the heathen could say, "He was long, he did not live long." I have read of one Barlaam, who, when asked how old he was, answered, "Forty-five years old," to which Josaphah replied, "You seem to be seventy." "True," he said, "if you count from when I was born, but I don't count the years spent in vanity."
Most people spend most of their time on things that are unimportant or worthless. For example, Domitian, the Roman Emperor, wasted his time killing flies; Artaxerxes spent his time making knife handles; Archimedes was busy drawing lines on the ground when the famous city of Syracuse was captured; and Myrmecides took more time to make a tiny bee than some people take to build a house.
Friends, I urge you to remember that it was Cato, a non-Christian, who said that we must account not only for our work but also for our free time. In saying this, he is simply echoing what the Scripture says. But oh, what a sad account some will have to give! As Cleopatra said to Mark Antony, "It is not for you to be fishing for small fish, but for towns, forts, and castles." In the same way, I say to you, esteemed and beloved, it is not for you to waste your time on trivial matters, but on those important and noble things that most benefit Christ's cause and your country. Titus, a pagan emperor, once said, "Amici, diem perdidi," meaning "My friends, I have lost a day," when he spent it without doing any good. The Egyptians depicted Time with three heads to show its different aspects: the first, a greedy wolf, for the past, because it has devoured the memory of many things that cannot be recalled; the second, a crowned lion, for the present, because it is the chief time for action; the third, a deceitful dog, for the future, because it misleads people with false hopes. I read about a man on his deathbed who would have given anything for more time, crying out day and night, "Call time again, call time again." Similarly, a great lady of this land, on her deathbed, cried out, "Time, time, a world of wealth for an inch of time." Hermanus, a prominent courtier in Bohemia, lamented on his deathbed that he had spent more time in the palace than in the temple and contributed to the court's vices instead of reforming them, dying to the horror of those around him. I have dwelt on this because I have sadly witnessed people wasting their time and missing valuable opportunities, both at sea and on land. Although I speak this way (knowing this treatise will reach others besides you), I hope for better things from you, to whom I dedicate it, things that lead to salvation.
Thirdly, don't accept any truths without testing them first. In 1 John 4:1, it says, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they be of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world." This time is full of deceivers, so test the spirits like jewelers test their stones or goldsmiths test their metals. A fake stone can look as good as a real diamond, and many things shine besides gold. The Bereans were praised because they searched the Scriptures daily to see if what Paul and Silas said was true, and this made them more noble than those in Thessalonica. True Christian nobility is the best, where God is the head of the family, and religion is the foundation. Compared to this, all other forms of nobility are just shadows. A father with three sons wanted to test their wisdom by giving each an apple with a rotten part. The first son ate the whole apple, rotten part and all; the second son threw the whole apple away because part of it was rotten; the third son picked out the rotten part and ate the good part. The third son was the wisest. Some people today accept everything, both good and bad; others reject all truth because not everything they hear is true. But the wisest people know how to choose the good and reject the bad.
You shouldn't, like Pythagoras' students, blindly accept the words of the greatest scholars, especially when it comes to things that are eternally important for your souls. Just as you test and measure gold like your fathers did, do the same with the truth you hear. Don't let anyone convince you, like Anaxagoras, that snow is black. Basil says that truth is hard to catch and must be discovered by carefully observing its signs from every angle. Many people are like those mentioned by Clemens, who thought truth was cruelty.
Fourthly, be a good example to those around you and those you lead. A good leader makes a good follower. Precepts may instruct, but examples persuade. Truly, your examples will greatly influence those under you. People naturally pay more attention to what their leaders do than what they say. Therefore, you need to be like angels in your actions and behavior; you are like lights on a hill, like landmarks, and everyone will be watching you. Those who won't listen to what you say will still see what you do. Both scripture and experience show that the examples of good people have done a lot of good in the world. On the other hand, the bad examples of important people are very dangerous. Charles the Fifth used to say that just as a solar eclipse signals great disturbances, the mistakes and wrongdoings of great people bring great troubles and evils to the places and people where they live. So, be exemplary in your words and actions, so that others, seeing your good works, may glorify your Father in Heaven. Make sure your life is like a commentary on Christ's life. "Talk not of a good life, but let thy life speak," said the philosopher. Alexander wanted the Greeks and Barbarians to be distinguished not by their clothes but by their behavior; similarly, Christians should be distinguished by their lives and examples. "The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me, he that rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of the Lord" (2 Sam. 23:3). An excellent leader is always better than an excellent law; no matter how good the laws are, if the lawmakers are bad, everything will fail. People often look to the scripture, "Have any of the rulers believed on him?" Abraham was an example of righteousness in Chaldea, Lot was just in Sodom, Daniel was an example of holiness in Babylon, Job was an example of uprightness in the land of Uz, which was a land of much wickedness and superstition, Nehemiah was an example of zeal in Damascus, and Moses was an example of meekness among the complaining Israelites. Above all, Christ was exemplary in all piety and sanctity, in all righteousness and holiness, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. So why shouldn't you be exemplary among those poor creatures (those dark angels, I almost said) among whom you walk? Trajan, a Spaniard and the first foreigner to reign among the Italians, said, "As the king is, so are the subjects." Subjects become good by a good king's example; the same goes for soldiers and sailors with their superior commanders. Commanders who are examples of righteousness and holiness to others are certainly high in worth and humble in heart; they are the glory of Christ and the honor of religion.
Fifthly, since you are in public positions, dedicate yourselves fairly to the common good of everyone who has a stake in you or relies on you. This is what Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Nehemiah, Ezra, Daniel, and especially Christ himself did. You exist more for the people's benefit than they do for yours. Leaders are in charge of the people, but they are also servants for the people's well-being. Just as everyone should serve them, it is their role to serve everyone. It's not a contradiction to say that leaders are the greatest servants. In ancient times, they used to place statues of their rulers by fountains, suggesting that they were, or should be, sources of public good. A counselor once said that a person in a public position should give their will to God, their love to their leader, their heart to their country, their secrets to their friends, and their time to work. It's a low and unworthy attitude for someone to make themselves the center of all their actions. Even a non-believer could say that a person's country, friends, and others deserve a large part of them. The sun, which is the leader of lights, serves everyone equally—the peasant as well as the prince, the poor as well as the rich, the weak as well as the strong; you must be like the sun. The Sun of Righteousness had a noble public spirit; he healed others but was hurt himself, he fed others but was hungry himself, he gave himself for the public good. "That pilot dies nobly," says Seneca, "who perishes in the storm with the helm in his hand." It is truly your praise among the saints that you have risked danger, fire, and drowning to save the ship of the commonwealth from sinking.
Friends, don't get tired of public work. It's a great honor that God wants to use you to carry out His plans in the world. He is a faithful rewarder, and Heaven will make up for everything in the end. You will reap the rewards if you don't give up. I truly believe that God will use you to do greater things at sea than have been done before. The Lord has begun to take action on the sea, and His enemies should be afraid. God will not allow His glory to be hidden in the depths. He is shaking the nations and will continue until the one who is the desire of all nations comes. The Lord has said that He will "overturn, overturn, overturn" until the rightful one comes to wear the crown and diadem, and He will give it to him (Ezek. 21:27). Until then, there will mostly be uprooting and breaking down. So, be brave and follow the Lamb wherever He goes. You don't need to fear any enemies when you have Christ the Conqueror on your side.
Sixth and finally, make it your main focus to prepare abundantly for the eternal well-being of your souls. Your souls are worth more than ten thousand worlds. Everything is fine if the soul is fine; if the soul is safe, everything is safe. If the soul is lost, everything is lost—God, Christ, and glory are lost if the soul is lost.
Dear Sirs, while others may treat their souls carelessly like courtiers, please don't do the same. Courtiers do everything late—they wake up late, eat lunch late, have dinner late, and even repent late.
Friends, is it foolish to feed a servant well while neglecting your wife? Isn't it even more foolish to take care of your body but neglect your soul? To provide generously for the body but not at all for the soul? Don't those who prioritize their bodies over their souls deserve even greater condemnation? I think our souls should be like a ship, narrow at the bottom but wide and open at the top. Above all else, take care of your souls, watch over them, and make sure they are provided for. Once this is done, everything is done; until this is done, nothing is accomplished that will bring comfort in life, joy in death, and confidence before the Judgment Seat. Callenuceus tells of a nobleman from Naples who used to say, irreverently, that he had two souls in his body—one for God and another for whoever would buy it. Truly, those who sell their souls to gain the world will find it a bad deal (Mark 8:36).
Dear sirs, I had much more to say, but I'm worried that I've already kept you too long from enjoying the sweetness of God's word, from drinking at the source. I've held you too long at the entrance, so I'll just ask that you bear with my straightforwardness and overlook my weaknesses. Remember, other approaches might seem more flattering than sincere, more strategic than pious, and would be both unattractive in me and displeasing to you.
May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ bless you and your family with all spiritual blessings from heaven, and help you become even more useful for His glory and the good of this nation. May your names always be cherished among His people, and may they continue to keep you in their prayers before the Lord. This is, and will always be, the sincere and constant prayer of the one who is.
Right Honorable and Worthy Sirs,
Yours in all Christian respect, Thomas Brooks.
To all saints who stay connected to Christ the Head and who live according to the principles of the New Creation
May grace, mercy, and peace be multiplied to you from God the Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ
Dear friends in our beloved Lord,
You are those remarkable people of whom this world is not worthy; you are the leaders who prevail with God; you are those excellent ones in whom Christ takes great delight; you are his glory. You are his chosen, special instruments that he will use to carry out his best and greatest work against his worst and greatest enemies in these latter days. You are a seal upon Christ's heart, you are engraved on the palms of his hands; your names are written upon his chest, just like the names of the Children of Israel were on Aaron's breastplate (Ex. 28:29). You are the letter of Christ; you are the anointed of Christ; you have the spirit of discernment; you have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16). You have the greatest advantages and the best privileges to help you test truth, understand truth, apply truth, defend truth, strengthen truth, uphold truth, and improve truth. Therefore, to whom should I dedicate this following discourse but to you? You have the next place to Christ in my heart; your good, your gain, your glory, your edification, your satisfaction, your confirmation, your consolation, your salvation, have motivated me to contribute my small, small offering to your treasure.
Dear friends, you know that during the time of the Law, God kindly accepted offerings like goat's hair, badger skins, turtle doves, and young pigeons, as these were the best things some of His children had to offer. He accepted these just as He accepted gold, jewels, silk, and purple from others. I hope you will show the same God-like attitude towards me by kindly accepting what is offered in this treatise for your wise and serious consideration. I wish it could be better for your sake, but it is with all love and humility that I present it to you, asking the Lord to make it a lasting and eternal benefit to you.
I will briefly share with you the reasons that have motivated me, though I am unworthy and the least of all saints (who am not worthy to be counted among the saints), to present this following discourse to the public; and they are as follows.
First, to respond to the desires and fulfill the sincere and devout requests of several dear souls who wish to have these teachings imprinted on their hearts (by the work of the Spirit) just as they are printed in this book. God speaks clearly through the serious and heartfelt desires of the Saints, and this has made me willing to respond to their wishes. If the desires of important people are seen as commands, why should the desires of good people be viewed with suspicion? Seneca, a non-Christian, once said that "the very looks of a good man delight one." How much more, then, should the desires of a good person influence us?
Secondly, the positive reception and good feedback that my previous works, especially the book called "Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices," have received from those who respect the Lord, have encouraged me to share this new work with the public. I trust that the Lord will bless it to benefit many people, just as He has done with my earlier work. I will continue to pray that my humble efforts are accepted by the believers and that their love grows more and more in knowledge and understanding. I hope they will recognize what is excellent and be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness that come through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God (Phil. 1:9-11).
Thirdly, it is extremely useful for believers at all times, but especially during changing times, when everyone is asking, "Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?" and the watchman replies, "The morning is coming, and also the night" (Isa. 21:11-12). Oh Christians, the Lord is shaking heaven and earth, he is humbling the pride of all glory, he is staining his garments with the blood of his enemies; he is tearing apart, burning, and breaking, he is uprooting and tearing down. Now, in the midst of all these upheavals and changes, those souls who have gained a well-grounded assurance of heavenly things are truly blessed. Such souls will not faint, sink, or shrink in a time of temptation; they will keep their garments pure and white and will follow the Lamb wherever he goes. Assurance is a believer's ark, where they sit quietly and calmly like Noah in the midst of all distractions and destructions, chaos and confusion. Those who have neither heaven nor earth, neither temporary nor eternal things secured in changing times, are doubly miserable.
The fourth reason I'm sharing this treatise with the public is because there is very little solid assurance among Christians. Most Christians live between fear and hope, feeling like they're caught between heaven and hell. Sometimes they hope their situation is good, and other times they fear it's bad. At one moment, they hope everything is well and will continue to be well forever; the next moment, they fear they will be overcome by a particular sin or temptation. They are like a ship tossed around in a storm. To strengthen these weak souls, establish these unstable souls, and comfort these troubled souls, I have shared this tract with the world. I believe that if the Lord leads them to seriously read it, they will find (with God's blessing) that it will greatly help them achieve a full assurance of their eternal happiness and blessedness, as well as help them keep and maintain that full and blessed assurance. To ensure this happens, I will support it with my prayers.
Fifthly, I have published the following discussion, remembering that my life is just a disappearing vapor and that my time in this world will be short. Human life is so brief that Augustine wondered whether to call it a dying life or a living death. Our life is just like the shadow of smoke, the dream of a shadow. This present life is not life, but a journey towards life; the life of a Christian is more of a step towards life than actual life. Yet, I believe that it is not death, but life, that connects a dying person to Christ, and it is not life, but death, that separates a living person from Christ.
I know I won't be speaking to friends, saints, or sinners for much longer, so I was eager to take the chance to preach to you even after I'm gone. Just like Abel, who "being dead yet speaks" through his faith (Heb. 11:4), this writing might continue to speak and live on after I have gone to my eternal home and rest in the arms of Christ. Christ, His prophets, and apostles, even though they are now in heaven, still preach to the saints on earth through their teachings, examples, and writings. Zizka wanted his skin to be used by the Bohemians in their wars when his body could no longer help them. Oh, how I wish that I, who have only been a little helpful to the saints in my life, might be much more helpful to them after my death through this and my previous humble efforts! Books can preach when the author cannot, when the author may not, when the author dares not, and even more so, when the author is no longer here.
Sixthly, I want to show my sincere love and affection to all true followers of Christ and let them know that they are all precious to me, even if they have different practices. I thank God that I am, and I want to be more and more, united with everyone who is united with Christ. I wish to have as open, large, and kind a heart towards believers as Christ does. It's normal for a wolf to attack a lamb, but for a lamb to attack another lamb is unnatural. It's common for Christ's followers to be among thorns, but for them to become thorns and hurt each other is shocking and strange. Oh Christians, can Turks and pagans get along? Can Herod and Pilate get along? Can Moab and Ammon get along? Can bears and lions, can wolves and tigers get along? Even more, can a legion of devils agree in one body, and yet the saints, who will all be in the same heaven, not agree? Pancirollus tells us that the most precious pearl the Romans had was called Unio. Oh, the unity of the saints is an invaluable pearl! A heathen man, by the light of nature, could say that the strongest wall of a city in peace and the safest defense in war is unity. Truly, all saints are one in Christ; all saints share the same Spirit, promises, graces, and privileges. All saints are fellow members, fellow soldiers, fellow travelers, fellow heirs, fellow sufferers, and fellow citizens. Therefore, I cannot, and I dare not, do anything but love them all and value them all. To show this, I have dedicated this treatise to serve all their souls.
Seventhly and lastly, to protect and strengthen the souls of genuine, serious Christians against those irrational ideas, fanciful theories, imaginary revelations, and enthusiastic fantasies with which many are sadly misled and deceived, almost to their eternal ruin, I might say.
I have briefly explained the reasons why I decided to publish this treatise and dedicate it to you. Let your hearts focus on truth, just like a bee focuses on a flower; every truth is a flower from paradise, worth more than the whole world.
May the God of all grace fill your hearts and souls with all the fruits of righteousness and holiness, so that you may reach a full assurance of your everlasting happiness and blessedness. This is the sincere, earnest, and constant desire of the one who is
Your soul's servant, Thomas Brooks.
Preface on the Nature of Assurance
Being in a state of true grace means you are no longer miserable; it means you are happy forever. A soul in this state is close and dear to God; it is a soul much loved and highly valued by God. It is a soul sheltered in God, safe in everlasting arms, and fully involved in all the highest and noblest privileges. Being in a state of grace makes a person's condition happy, safe, and secure. But seeing and knowing yourself to be in such a state is what makes life sweet and comfortable. Being in a state of grace will give a person heaven in the future, but seeing yourself in this state will give you both heaven now and heaven later; it will make you doubly blessed, blessed in heaven, and blessed in your own conscience.
Assurance is when a believer clearly and obviously recognizes that they are in a blessed and happy state. It is a strong feeling and understanding that they are in a state of grace and have the right to a crown of glory. This assurance comes from seeing the unique and special qualities of Christ in themselves, through the light of the Spirit of Christ, or from the testimony and confirmation of the Spirit of God. The Spirit bears witness with their spirit that they are a child of God and an heir to glory (Rom. 8:16).
It's one thing for me to have grace, and another thing for me to recognize my grace; it's one thing for me to believe, and another thing for me to be sure that I believe; it's one thing for me to have faith, and another thing for me to know that I have faith. Assurance comes from a clear, certain, and evident understanding that I have grace and that I do believe.
This assurance is the highlight and peak of a Christian's glory in this life; it usually comes with the strongest joy, the sweetest comforts, and the greatest peace. It is a pearl that most people lack, a crown that few wear. A person is safe and happy if their soul is adorned with grace, even if they don't see it or know it.
Assurance is not essential to being a Christian; it is needed for the well-being and the comfortable and joyful life of a Christian, but it is not necessary for simply being a Christian. A person can be a true believer and still wish they could give everything in the world to know for sure that they are a believer. To have grace and to be certain that we have grace is like having glory on the throne; it is like having heaven on this side of heaven. You will find more about these things in the following discussion, which I encourage you to read.
Chapter 1: Showing that believers can achieve a solid assurance of their eternal happiness and blessedness in this life
(1) First, the reason the Apostle Paul is confident isn't because of any special revelation, but because of a foundation that all believers share. This is clear in Romans 8:32-34: "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us." From these words, it's evident that the Apostle's strong confidence isn't from a direct revelation, but from arguments that apply to all believers. Therefore, it follows that believers can, in this life, achieve a well-founded confidence in their eternal happiness and blessedness. Similarly, Hezekiah's confidence came from a principle shared by all believers (2 Kings 20:3).
(2) Secondly, the main purpose of the Scripture is to help believers gain a strong assurance of their eternal happiness and blessings. John says, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life" (1 John 5:13). These believers already had eternal life because of the promise of eternal life and because Christ, their leader, had already secured their place in heaven. Christ represents all his people, and they had eternal life in the sense that it had already begun in them. Grace is like the beginning of glory, and glory is grace fully realized. Even though they had eternal life in these ways, they didn't realize it; they believed, but they didn't believe that they truly believed. That's why the Apostle, in his important letters, works hard to provide many arguments to help everyone, especially those weak in faith, to have a strong assurance of their eternal well-being.
The whole purpose of the Scripture is to first introduce people to Christ, then to accept Him, and finally to give them a strong assurance of their relationship with Him. This is why Luther said he wouldn't want to live in Paradise without the Word, but with the Word, he could even live in hell. No histories compare to those in Scripture for their age, uniqueness, variety, brevity, clarity, harmony, and truth. The Word shows truth, exposes lies, fights against foolishness, reveals mercy, and assures believers of eternal happiness. Hebrews 6:18 says God has given us His word, oath, and seal so our comfort can be strong and our salvation sure. What comfort can a believer have without assurance? It's the assurance of my share in the land of Canaan, in Gospel comforts, in precious promises, and in Christ that brings joy to my soul. Just knowing there are treasures, a land of milk and honey, isn't enough to bring joy; it's knowing I have a share in them that does. Knowing about these things without having a share in them is more frustrating than comforting. Knowing there's a feast but not having a taste, knowing there are fountains but dying of thirst, knowing there are royal robes but dying in rags, knowing there's a pardon but being condemned, knowing there's advancement but staying poor—such knowledge adds to my frustration, not my comfort. It was more sorrowful than joyful for people in the old world to know there was an Ark when they were shut out, and for the Israelites to know there was a brazen serpent that cured others while they died from snake bites. How can it comfort me to know there's peace, pardon, righteousness, riches, and happiness in Christ for others but not for me? This knowledge would torment me rather than bring joy and comfort. But God has shown in Scripture who will be eternally happy and how they can be sure of their happiness and glory, which made someone say they wouldn't trade the world for one page of the Bible. The Bible is a Christian's Magna Carta, their main evidence for heaven. People highly value and carefully keep their charters, privileges, conveyances, and assurances of their lands. Shouldn't the saints value and keep the precious Word of God in their hearts even more, as it assures them of their maintenance, deliverance, protection, confirmation, comfort, and eternal salvation?
(3) Thirdly, other believers have usually reached a comforting assurance of their eternal happiness and blessedness. The Apostle says on behalf of the Saints, "We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens; for in this we groan earnestly, desiring to be clothed upon with our house, which is from heaven" (2 Cor. 5:1-2). Their assurance lifts them up in triumph. We have a house, a house above, a house in heaven, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. We have a heavenly house, made by the greatest wisdom and highest love, a house that surpasses all the royal palaces in the world in honor, pleasures, riches, safety, stability, glory, and permanence. It is a house not made with hands, but eternal in the heavens. So the Church says in Solomon's Song, "My beloved is mine, and I am his" (Song of Sol. 2:16). The Spouse confidently says that Jesus Christ is hers; she can boldly affirm it. He is her head, husband, Lord, Redeemer, Justifier, Savior; and she is his. She is as sure that she is his as she is sure that she lives. She is his by purchase, by conquest, by donation, by election, by covenant, and by marriage; she is wholly his, peculiarly his, universally his, eternally his. This she knows well, and this knowledge is her joy in life and her strength and crown in death. So the Church says in Isaiah, "Doubtless thou art our Father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: Thou, O Lord, art our Father, and our Redeemer, thy name is from everlasting" (Isa. 63:16). David could say, "The Lord is my portion forever" (Ps. 73:26); and at another time, he could sweetly sing, "I am thine, save me" (Ps. 119:94). Job could look through the darkest cloud and see that his Redeemer lives (Job 19:25). Thomas cried out, "My Lord and my God" (John 20:28); and Paul declared that nothing should separate him from the love of Christ and that he had fought a good fight, finished his course, and that there was laid up for him a crown of righteousness (2 Tim. 4:7-8). From what has been said, it is clear that other believers have obtained assurance in a usual way, and therefore believers today can also reach a comforting assurance of their eternal happiness and blessedness. Certainly, God is as loving, and his compassion is as strong towards believers now as it was towards believers of old; and it honors God, lifts up Christ, silences the wicked, and brings joy to the righteous for God to give assurance now, just as it did then.
(4) Fourthly, God has promised to assure His people of their happiness and blessedness. "The Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly" (Ps. 84:11). If He won't withhold any good thing, then surely He won't always withhold assurance, which is the greatest good thing, the main thing, the special thing that believers seek. In Ezekiel 34:30-31, it says, "Thus shall they know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are My people, says the Lord God. And you, My flock, the flock of My pasture, are men, and I am your God, says the Lord God." In John 14:21, 23, Jesus says, "He that has My commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves Me; and he that loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will manifest Myself to him. If anyone loves Me," says Christ, "he will keep My words, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him." Now, has the Lord spoken it, and will it not happen? People say things and then take them back; they go back on their words as soon as they've spoken them. But will God do that? Surely not. He is faithful who has promised. All the promises of God in Him are "yes," and in Him "Amen," meaning they are stable and firm and will truly be fulfilled. The promises are a precious book; every page is filled with Myrrh and Mercy. So, sit down and draw from these sources, warm yourself by this fire. God has always been as good as His word; in fact, He has sometimes been better than His word. He has always fulfilled, and He has over-fulfilled. He promised the children of Israel only the land of Canaan, but He gave them, besides the whole land of Canaan, two other kingdoms which He never promised. Ah! How often has God surprised us with His blessings and given us mercies that are far beyond our hopes and what we deserve? How has God, in these days of darkness and blood, exceeded the prayers, desires, hopes, and confidences of His people in this land, beyond what we could read in the Book of the Promises? Satan promises the best but delivers the worst: he promises honor and gives disgrace; he promises pleasure and gives pain; he promises profit and gives loss; he promises life and gives death. But God delivers as He promises; all His payments are made in pure gold. Therefore, take these promises where God has committed to assuring you of His love, and present them before the Lord. Tell Him that it serves both His honor and your comfort, His glory and your peace, that He should assure you of your everlasting happiness and blessedness.
(5) Fifthly, all believers have the beginnings of assurance, so they can reach full assurance. Precious faith is one source of assurance, and all believers have it, though in different amounts (2 Pet. 1:1). Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, writes to those who have received the same precious faith as us, through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ. Over time, faith will naturally grow into assurance. Faith is a personal grace; it looks at God and says with David, "This God is my God forever and ever, and he will be my guide until death." It looks at Christ and says with the bride, "I am my Beloved's, and his desire is towards me." It looks at an eternal crown and says with Paul, "From now on, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness." It looks at the righteousness of Christ and says, "This righteousness is mine to cover me." It looks at the mercy of Christ and says, "This mercy is mine to pardon me." It looks at the power of Christ and says, "This power is mine to support me." It looks at the wisdom of Christ and says, "This wisdom is mine to direct me." It looks at the blood of Christ and says, "This blood is mine to save me," and so on.
Just like faith, hope is another source of assurance (Col. 1:27). Paul says, "Christ in you, the hope of glory." In Hebrews 6:19, it says, "which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil." Hope firmly grabs hold of heaven itself, the holy of holies. A Christian's hope is not like Pandora's, which might escape and leave the soul, like the hope of hypocrites does. No, it is like the morning light; even the smallest ray will grow into full sunshine, shining brighter and brighter until it becomes a perfect day. When Alexander went on a hopeful mission, he gave away his gold, and when asked what he kept for himself, he answered, "the hope of greater and better things." Similarly, a Christian will give up anything rather than their hope; they know that hope will keep the heart from aching and breaking, from fainting and sinking. They know that hope is a ray from God, a spark of glory, and nothing will put it out until the soul is filled with glory. Souls that are full of hope will soon have sweet assurance. God does not like to see a hopeful soul always sighing and mourning for lack of a good word from heaven, for not yet having what it hopes to enjoy in time. Hold on to hope and patience a little longer, and the one who promised to come will come and will not delay.
Again, a good conscience is another source of assurance. In 2 Corinthians 1:12, it says, "For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward." Similarly, in 1 John 3:21, it says, "Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God." A good conscience brings sure confidence; the person who has it can sit calmly, like Noah, in the midst of chaos and distractions, with sincerity, peace, uprightness, and boldness. A good conscience and good confidence go hand in hand. Just like the disciple said to Jesus in Matthew 8:19, "Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest," a good conscience says to the believer, "I will follow you from duty to duty, from ordinance to ordinance; I will stand by you, I will strengthen you, I will uphold you, I will be a comfort to you in life, and a friend to you in death; even if everyone else leaves you, I will never forsake you." A good conscience can see through the darkest clouds and find a smiling God. Just as an evil conscience is filled with the greatest fears and doubts, a good conscience is filled with the greatest clarity and sweetness. While there is no hell in this world like an evil conscience, there is no heaven in this world like a good conscience. The person with a good conscience has one of the best sources of assurance. It won't be long before God whispers to such a person, saying, "Son, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven you."
