A96093:807
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. Preparing the heart before a duty: An unholy heart cares not how it rusheth upon an Ordinance, it comes without preparation, and goes away without profit: The pure heart is a prepared heart; it dresseth it self before it ⟨p. 245⟩comes to a Duty, by Examination and Ejaculation: When the Earth is prepared, then it is fit to receive the seed; when the Instrument is prepared and tuned, it is fit for Music.
1. Preparing the heart before a duty: An unholy heart cares not how it rusheth upon an Ordinance, it comes without preparation, and goes away without profit: The pure heart is a prepared heart; it dresseth it self before it ⟨p. 245⟩comes to a Duty, by Examination and Ejaculation: When the Earth is prepared, then it is fit to receive the seed; when the Instrument is prepared and tuned, it is fit for Musick.
2. Watching the heart in a Duty: An holy heart labours to be affected and wrought upon, his heart burns within him. There was no Sacrifice without fire; a pure Saint labours to have his heart broken in a duty. Psal. 51.17. The incense when it was broken, did cast the sweetest favour. Impure souls care not in what a dead perfunctory manner they serve God. Ezek. 33.31. They pray more out of fashion, than out of faith. They are no more affected with an Ordinance, than the Tombs of the Church. God complains of offering up the blind, Mal. 1.8. And is it not as bad to offer up the dead? O Christian, say to thy self, How can this deadness of heart stand with pureness of heart? Do not dead things putrefy?