A96093:541
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.
1. Unless we hunger after righteousness, we cannot §1obtain it; God will never throw away his blessings upon them that do not desire them. If a King shall say to a Rebel, Do but desire a pardon, and thou shalt have it; if through pride and stubbornness he disdains to sue out his pardon, he deserves justly to die; God hath set spiritual blessings at a low rate, Do but hunger and you shall have righteousness; ⟨p. 170⟩but if we refuse to come up to these terms, there is no righteousness to be had for us. God will stop the current of his mercy, and set open the sluice of his indignation.
1. Unlesse we hunger after righteousnesse, we cannot §1obtain it; God will never throw away his blessings upon them that do not desire them. If a King shall say to a Rebel, Do but desire a pardon, and thou shalt have it; if through pride and stubbornnesse he disdains to sue out his pardon, he deserves justly to die; God hath set spiritual blessings at a low rate, Do but hunger and you shall have righteousnesse; ⟨p. 170⟩but if we refuse to come up to these termes, there is no righteousnesse to be had for us. God will stop the current of his mercy, and set open the sluce of his indignation.
2. If we do not thirst here, we shall thirst when it is too late; if we do not thirst as David did, Psal. 42.2. my soul thirsteth for God; we shall thirst as Dives did for a drop of water, Luke 16.24. They who thirst not for righteousness, shall be in perpetual hunger and thirst; they shall thirst for mercy, but no mercy to be had. Heat increaseth thirst; when men shall burn in hell, and be scorched with the flames of Gods wrath, this heat will increase their thirst for mercy, but there will be nothing to allay their thirst. O is it not better to thirst for righteousness while it is to be had, than to thirst for mercy when there is none to be had? Sinners, the time is shortly coming when the draw-bridge of mercy will be quite pulled up.