A96093:803
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.
2. A pure heart avoids the suspicion of sin out of reverence and respect to the holiness of God. God hates the very appearance of evil: God abhors hypocrites, because they have no more than the appearance of good; and he is angry with his children, because they have so much as the appearance of evil. A gracious heart knows God is a jealous God, and cannot endure that his people should border upon sin, therefore he keeps aloof off, and will not come near the smell of infection.
2. A pure heart avoids the suspition of sin out of reverence and respect to the holiness of God. God hates the very appearance of evil: God abhors hypocrites, because they have no more than the appearance of good; and he is angry with his children, because they have so much as the appearance of evil. A gracious heart knows God is a jealous God, and cannot endure that his people should border upon sin, therefore he keeps aloof off, and will not come near the smell of infection.
3. A pure heart avoids the show of sin in regard of the godly. The appearance of evil may scandalize a weak brother: A gracious heart is not only fearful left he should defile his own conscience, but lest he should offend his brothers conscience; were it only in a thing indifferent, yet if it be an appearance of evil, and may grieve another, we are to forbear*. For when we sin against the Brethren, and wound their weak conscience, we sin against Christ, 1 Cor. 8.12. The weak Christian is a member of Christ, therefore the sinning against a member, is a sinning against Christ.
3. A pure heart avoids the shew of sin in regard of the godly. The appearance of evil may scandalize a weak brother: A gracious heart is not only fearful left he should defile his own conscience, but lest he should offend his brothers conscience; were it only in a thing indifferent, yet if it be an appearance of evil, and may grieve another, we are to forbear