A96093:1111
The beatitudes
The beatitudes: or A discourse upon part of Christs famous Sermon on the Mount. Whereunto is added Christs various fullness. The preciousness of the soul. The souls malady and cure. The beauty of grace. The spiritual watch. The heavenly race. The sacred anchor. The trees of righteousness. The perfume of love. The good practitioner. By Thomas Watson, minister of the word at Stephens Walbrook in the city of London.The beatitudes: or A discourse upon part of Christs famous Sermon on the Mount. Wherunto is added Christs various fulnesse. The preciousnesse of the soul. The souls malady and cure. The beauty of grace. The spiritual watch. The heavenly race. The sacred anchor. The trees of righteousnesse. The perfume of love. The good practitioner. By Thomas Watson, minister of the word at Stephens Walbrook in the city of London.
London: printed for Ralph Smith, 1660
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.
Object. 2 Object. 2. But sometimes Gods children are under the black clouds of desertion; is not this far from love?
Concerning desertion, I must needs say this is the saddest condition that •an betide Gods children; when the Sun is gone, the Dew falls; when the Sun-light of Gods countenance is removed, then the Dew of tears falls from the eyes of the Saints. In desertion God rains hell out ⟨p. 323⟩of heaven (to use Calvins expression;) The arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirits, Job. 6.4. This is the poisoned arrow that wounds to the heart. Desertion is a taste of the torments of the damned. God saith, in a little wrath I hid my face from thee, Isa. 54.8. I may here gloss with Saint Bernard, Modicum illud vocas Domine? Lord dost thou call that a little wrath when thou hidest thy face? is it but a little? What can be more bitter to me than the eclipsing of thy face? God is in Scripture called a light and a fire; the deserted soul feels the fire, but doth not see the light. But yet, thou who art adopted mayest spell love in all this. They say of Hercules his club, that it was made of the wood of Olive; the Olive is an emblem of peace; so Gods club whereby he beats down the soul in desertion, hath something of the Olive; there is Peace and Mercy in it. I shall hold forth a spiritual Rain-bow, wherein the children of God may see the love of their Father in the midst of the clouds of desertion. Therefore I answer,
Concerning desertion, I must needs say this is the saddest condition that •an betide Gods children; when the Sun is gone, the Dew falls; when the Sun-light of Gods countenance is removed, then the Dew of tears falls from the eyes of the Saints. In desertion God rains hell out