A96093:455
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.
Answ. The meek are said to inherit the Earth, not that the Earth is their chief inheritance, or that they have always the greatest share here; but
1. They are the inheritors of the Earth, because though §1they have not always the greatest part of the Earth, yet they have the best right to it. The word inherit saith Ambrose, notes the Saints title to the Earth*. The Saints title is best, being members of Christ, who is Lord of all: Adam did not only lose his Title to Heaven when he fell, but to the Earth too; and till we are incorporated into Christ, we do not fully recover our Title; I deny not but the wicked have a civil right to the Earth which the Laws of the Land give them, but not a sacred right. Only the meek Christian hath a Scripture-title to his Land; we count that the best title which is held in capite; the Saints hold their right to the ⟨p. 148⟩Earth in capite, in their head Christ, who is the Prince of the Kings of the Earth, Rev. 1.5. In this sense, he who hath but a foot of Land, inherits more than he who hath a thousand Acres, because he hath a better and more judicial right to it.
1. They are the inheriters of the Earth, because though §1they have not always the greatest part of the Earth, yet they have the best right to it. The word inherit saith Ambrose, notes the Saints title to the Earth*. The Saints title is best, being members of Christ, who is Lord of all: Adam did not only lose his Title to Heaven when he fell, but to the Earth too; and till we are incorporated into Christ, we do not fully recover our Title; I deny not but the wicked have a civil right to the Earth which the Laws of the Land give them, but not a sacred right. Only the meek Christian hath a Scripture-title to his Land; we count that the best title which is held in capite; the Saints hold their right to the