A96093:144
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.
SECT. 2.
Use 2 IF blessed are the poor in spirit, then by the rule of contraries, Cursed are the proud in spirit, Prov. 16.5. There is a generation of men who do commit idolatry with themselves; (no such idol as self.) They admire their own parts, moralities, self-righteousness; and upon this stock graft the hope of their salvation. There are many are too good to go to heaven; they have commodities enough of their own growth, and they scorn to live upon the borrow, or be beholding to Christ. These bladders the Devil hath blown up with pride, and they are swelled in their own conceit; but it is like the swelling of a dropsy-man whose bigness is his disease; thus it was with that proud Justiciary, Luke 18.11. The Pharisee stood and prayed, God I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this Publican; I fast twice in the week, I give tithes, &c. Here was a man setting up the top-sail of pride; but the Publican who was poor in spirit, he stood a far off, and would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote ⟨p. 46⟩upon his breast saying, God be merciful to me a sinner; This man carried away the Garland; I tell you (saith Christ) this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; Saint Paul before his conversion thought himself in a very good condition, Touching the Law blameless, Phil. 3.6. He thought to have built a Tower of his own righteousness, the top whereof should have reached to heaven; but at last God showed him there was a crack in the foundation, and then he gets into the Rock of ages; Phil. 3.9. That I may be found in him; There is not a more dangerous precipice than self-righteousness; this was Laodicea's temper,