A96093:1347
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.
2. Faith works in the heart a contempt of the world; faith gives a true map of the world, Eccles. 2.11. Faith shows the world in its night-dress, having all its jewels pulled off; faith makes the world appear in an Eclipse; the believer sees more Eclipses than the Astronomer; faith shows the soul better things than the world; it gives a sight of Christ and glory, it gives a prospect of heaven; as the Mariner in a dark night climbs up to the top of the Mast, and cries out, stellam video, I see a star; so faith climbs up above sense and reason into heaven, and sees Christ, that bright morning star; and the soul having once viewed his superlative excellencies, becomes crucified to the world; oh saith the Christian, shall not I suffer the loss of all these things, that I may enjoy Jesus Christ!
2. Faith works in the heart a contempt of the world; faith gives a true map of the world, Eccles. 2.11. Faith shews the world in its night-dress, having all its jewels pul'd off; faith makes the world appear in an Eclipse; the believer sees more Eclipses than the Astronomer; faith shews the soul better things than the world; it gives a sight of Christ and glory, it gives a prospect of heaven; as the Mariner in a dark night climbs up to the top of the Mast, and cries out, stellam video, I see a star; so faith climbs up above sense and reason into heaven, and sees Christ, that bright morning star; and the soul having once viewed his superlative excellencies, becomes crucified to the world; oh saith the Christian, shall not I suffer the loss of all these things, that I may enjoy Jesus Christ!
3. Faith gets strength from the promise; faith lives in a promise; take the fish out of the water, and it dies; take faith out of a promise, and it cannot live; the promises are breasts of consolation; the child by sucking the breast gets strength; so doth faith by sucking the breast of a promise. When a Garrison is besieged, and is ready almost to yield to the enemy, Auxiliary forces are sent in to relieve it; so when faith begins to be weak, and is ready to faint in the day of battle, then the promises muster their forces together, and all come in for faiths relief, and now it is able to hold out in the fiery trial.