A96093:792
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.
3ly. A sincere heart dares not act in the least against his conscience; he is the most magnanimous, yet the most pusillanimous; he is bold in suffering, Prov. 28.1. but fearful of sin, Gen. 39.9. He dares not get an estate by sinful shifts, or rise upon the ruins of another. Jacob got his fathers blessing by fraud; but that is not the way to get Gods blessing.
3ly. A sincere heart dares not act in the least against his conscience; he is the most magnanimous, yet the most pusillanimous; he is bold in suffering, Prov. 28.1. but fearful of sin, Gen. 39.9. He dares not get an estate by sinful shifts, or rise upon the ruines of another. Jacob got his fathers blessing by fraud; but that is not the way to get Gods blessing.
Fourthly, a sincere heart is a suspicious heart. The Hypocrite suspects others, and hath charitable thoughts of himself; the sincere Christian hath charitable thoughts of others, and suspects himself; he calls himself often to account, O my soul, hast thou any Evidences for Heaven? are they not to seek when they should be to show? Is there no flaw in thy Evidences? thou mayest mistake common grace for saving. Weeds in the Corn-fields look like flowers. The foolish Virgins Lamps looked as if they had oil in them; O my soul, is it not so with thee? The sincere soul being ever jealous, plays the Critic upon himself, and doth so traverse things in the Court of conscience, as if he were presently to be cited to Gods Bar. This is to be pure in heart.
Fourthly, a sincere heart is a suspitious heart. The Hypocrite suspects others, and hath charitable thoughts of himself; the sincere Christian hath charitable thoughts of others, and suspects himself; he calls himself often to account, O my soul, hast thou any Evidences for Heaven? are they not to seek when they should be to shew? Is there no flaw in thy Evidences? thou mayest mistake common grace for saving. Weeds in the Corn-fields look like flowres. The foolish Virgins Lamps looked as if they had oyle in them; O my soul, is it not so with thee? The sincere soul being ever jealous, playes the Critick upon himself, and doth so traverse things in the Court of conscience, as if he were presently to be cited to Gods Bar. This is to be pure in heart.