A96093:1358
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.
3. The third suffering grace is patience*; patience is a grace made and cut out for suffering*; patience is a sweet submission to the will of God, whereby we are content to bear any thing that he is pleased to lay upon us. Patience makes a Christian invincible, it is like the Anvil that bears all strokes. We cannot be men without ⟨p. 387⟩patience; passion doth unman a man, it puts him beside the use of reason; we cannot be Martyrs without patience, patience makes us endure, James 5.10. We read, Rev. 13.2. of a beast like unto a Leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a Bear, and the Dragon gave him his power, &c. This Beast is to be understood of the Antichristian power. Antichrist may be compared to a Leopard for subtlety and fierceness; and on his head was the name of blaspheming, ver. 1. which agrees with that description of the man of sin. 2 Thes. 2.4. He sitteth in the Temple of God, showing himself that he is God; and the Dragon gave him power, Ver. 2. that is the Devil; and it was given to him to make war with the Saints, Rev. 13.7. Well, how come the Saints to bear the heat of this fiery trial? Ver. 10. Here is the patience of the Saints; patience overcomes by suffering. A Christian without patience, is like a Soldier without arms; faith keeps the heart up from sinking, patience keeps the heart down from murmuring; patience is not provoked by injuries, it is sensible, but not peevish; patience looks to the end of sufferings; this is the Motto; — Deus dabit his queque finem. As the Watchman waits for the dawning of the morning, so the patient Christian suffers and waits, till the day of glory begins to dawn upon him; faith saith, God will come; and patience saith, I will stay his leisure; these are those suffering graces which are a Christians Armour of proof.