PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Select Works of Thomas Watson — Body of Divinity and Sermons
Thomas Watson, d. 1686 · 632,849 words · 737 reading sections
OF THE SECOND PETITION IN THE LORDS PRAYER.
3. They sit upon the throne with Christ, Rev. iii. 21. Allien Csesar returned from conquering his enemies, there was set for him a chair <»f state in the senate, and a throne in the theatre. Thus the saints in glory, after their heroic victories, shall sit upon a throne with Christ. Here is royal bounty in God, to best…
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6. Branch. It shews us what little cause the children of God have to envy the pros- perity of the wicked. Qnis csrario qnis pie- nis loculis indiget, Sen. The wicked have the " waters of a full cup wrung out to them," Ps. Ixxiii. 10. As if they had a mo- no})oly of happiness, they have all they can desire ; nay, they h…
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2. If the godly are so happy when they die, they go to a kingdom ; then, what lit- tle cause have we to mourn immoderately for the death of godly friends? Shall we mourn for their preferment ? AV^hy should] we shed tears immoderately for them who have all tears wiped from their eyes ? Wliy should we be swallowed up of …
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]. Branch. It reproves such as do not at all look after this kingdom of glory ; as if all we say about heaven were but a ro- mance, they do not mind it. That they mind it not, appears, because they do not labour to have the kingdom of grace set up in their hearts. If they have some thoughts of this kingdom, yet it is i…
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4. Branch. It reproves such as were once great zealots in religion, and did seem to be touched with a coal from God's altar, but since they have cooled in their devotion, and have left off the pursuing the celestial king- dom, IIos. viii. 3., " Israel hath cast off the thing that is good ;" there is no face of re- ligi…
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land, to gather up his debts owina him but he desires to be in his own kingdom and nation ; so we are here a wKile as in a strange land, but our desire is chiefly after the kingdom of heaven, whei'e we shall be for ever. The world is the place of a saint's abode, not his delight : is it thus with us ? Do we, like the p…
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1. Branch. If there be such a glorious kingdom to come, believe this great truth. Socinians deny it. The Rabbins say, the great dispute between Cain and Abel, was about the world to come ; Abel affirmed it, Cain denied it. This should be engraven upon our hearts as with the point of a dia- mond, there is a blessed king…
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Ans. 1. They are sluggish. A man would have heaven, but will take no pains. As if one should say, he desires water, but will not let down the bucket into the well, Piov. xxi. 25., " The desire of the slothful killeth him, for his hands refuse to labour." — 2. The sinner desires mercy, but not grace ; he desires Christ …
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2. A second aggravation of the loss of this kingdom will be, that sinners shall be upbraided by their own conscience ; this is the worm that never dies, Mark ix. 44., vi/. a self-accusing mind. When sinners shall consider they were in a fair way to the kingdom, — they had a possibility of sal- vation, though the door o…
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7. Aggravation of the loss of this king- dom, it will be an eternal irreparable loss; heaven, once lost, can never be recovered. Worldly losses may be made up again ; if a man lose his health, he may have it re- paired by physic; if a man be driven out of his kingdom, he may be restored to it a- gain, as king Nebuchadn…
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A. 4. If you would not miss of the hea- venly kingdom take heed of delays and pro- crastinations. Mora trahit pericidum. It is an usual delusion, I will mind the king- dom of heaven, but not yet ; when I have gotten an estate and grown old, then I will look after heaven ; and, on a sudden, death surpriseth men, and the…
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(4.) Men ai'e prejudiced at the ways of Christ. They expose them to sufferings, Mat. xvi. 24., " Let him take up his cross and follow me." Many stumble at the cross. There are, as Tertullian, delicatuliy silken Christians, who love their ease ; they will follow Christ to mount Tabor, to see him transfigured, but not to…
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J. 8. If you would not fall short of the kingdom of heaven, take heed of worldly miiidedness ; a covetous sjiirit is a dunghill spirit, it chokes good affections, as the earth puts out the fire. The world hindered the young man from following Christ, — ahiit tristis, he went away sorrowful, Luke xviii. 23., which extor…
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jamm go too ? Must I part with this de- lightful sin ? That goes to the heart. As it is with a castle that hath several forts a- bout it ; the first and second forts are yield- ed, but when it comes to the main castle, the governor will rather fight and die than yield that ; so a man may suff"er many ot his sins to be …
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A. 13. If you would not miss of the king- dom of heaven, take heed of evil company ; there is a necessary commerse with men in buying and selling, else, as the apostle saith. We must go out of the world, 1 Cor. v. 10., but do not voluntarily choose the com])any of the wicked, 1 Cor. v. 11., " I have writ- ten to you no…
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livery, renounce religion. Here was a ten- tation handed over to him by his wife ; the woman was made of the rib, the devil turn- ed this rib into an arrow, and would have shot Job to the heart, but his faith quench- ed this fiery dart. Beware of carnal rela- tions : we read that some of Christ's kindred laid hold on h…
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good air, and a pleasant prospect ; there is the best air, which is perfumed with the o- dours of Christ's ointments ; and a most pleasant prospect of the bright morning-star. (4.) The j)alace is rich and sumptuous; it bath gates of ])earl, Rev. xxi. 21. It is en- riched witli white robes and crowns of glo- ry ; and th…
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5. If you would obtain the kingdom of heaven, make religion your business. What a man looks upon as a parergon, — a thing by the by, — he doth not much mind. If ever we would have heaven, we must look upon it as our main concern ; other things do but concern our livelihood, this concerns our salvation ; then we make re…
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4. Watch your hearts after holy duties. AVlien Christ had been praying and fastinc, then the devil tempted him, Mat. iv. a. After our combating with Satan in prayer, we are apt to grow secure, and ])ut our spiritual armour off, and then the devil falls on and wounds us. O if you would get to heaven, be always upon your…
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11. If we would obtain the hea^'enly king- dom let us keep up fervency in duty. What is a dead form without the power? Rev. m. 16., " Because thou art luke-warm, neither hot nor cold, I will spue thee out of my mouth." Fervency puts life into duty, Roni. xii. 11., " Fervent in sj)irit serving the Lord," (Gr.) Ze&ntes, …
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(2.) Obedience must be cheerful ; " I de- light to do thy will, O my God, yea, thy law is within my heart !" Ps. xl. 8. That is the sweetest obedience which is cheerful, as that is the sweetest honey which drops from the comb freely. God doth sometimes accept of willingness without the work, but never of the work witho…
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which softens and sanctifies the heart ; tlie word preached is called the ' ministry of the Spirit,' 2 Cor. iii. 8., because the Spirit of God makes use of this engine to convert souls. If the word preached doth not work upon men, nothing will ; not judgments, nor miracles ; no, nor though one should arise from the dea…
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3. The blandishments of riches. The young man in the gospel went very far, " thou art not far from the kingdom of God;" but he had rich possessions, and these golden weights hindered him from the kingdom, Luke xviii. 23. Jonathan pur- sued the battle till he came at the honey- comb, and then he stood still, 1 Sam. xiv.…
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A. 2. Clnist causeth perseverance and carries on a saint till he come to the hea- venly kingdom, vi orationis, by his interces- sion. Christ is an advocate as well as a surety; he prays that the saints may arrive safe at the kingdom, Heb. v'i. 25., " Where- fore he is able also to save them to the ut- termost, (i. e. p…
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when our salvation is nearer. When a man is almost at the end of the race, will he now tire and faint ? AVill he not put forth all his strength, and strain every limb, that he may lay hold upon the ])rize? Our salva- tion is now nearer; the kingdom is as it were within sight ; how should we now put forth all our streng…
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0 pray to God for auxiliary grace ! The child is safe when held in the nurse's arms : so are we in Christ's arms. Let us pray that God will put his fear in our hearts, that we do not depart from him ; and that prayer of Cyprian, Domine, quod caepisti perfice^ ne in portu navfragiam accidat, — ' Lord perfect that which …
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4. The time we have to make sure of the heavenly kingdom is very short and uncer- tain ; take heed it doth not slip away before you have prepared for the kingdom. Time passeth on apace, — cito pede prderita vita : it will not be long before " the silver cord be loosed, and the golden bowl broken,'* Eccl. xii. The skull…
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7. By this you may judge of the state of your souls, whether you have grace or not, by your earnest pursuit after the heavenly kingdom. Grace infuseth a spirit of activi- ty into a person ; grace doth not lie dormant in the soul ; it is not a sleepy habit, but it makes a Christian like a seraphim, swift and winged in h…
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12. There is nothing else but this king- dom of heaven we can make sure of; we cannot make sure of life. Quis scit an adjici- ant hodicrnce crastina vifce tenipora dii svperi ? Hon. When our breath goes out, we know not whether we shall draw it in again I How many are taken away suddenly ? We cannot make riches sure, i…
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be any such here, Avho liave misspent their golden hours, they have not only been sloth- ful, but wasteful servants; how had you need now to redeem the time, and press forward with might and main to the heavenly king- dom ? 1 Pet. iv. 3., " The time past of our life may suflice us to havewrouirht the will of the Gentil…
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will they venture thus for earthly promo- tions, and shall not we strive more for an heavenly kingdom ? This is " a kingdom which cannot be moved," Heb. xii. 28., a kingdom where there is unparalleled beauty, unstained honour, unmixed joy ; a kingdom where there shall be nothing present which we could wish were removed…
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never do enough for heaven ; they could never serve God enough, love him enough Minus te amavl Domine, Aug. Lord, I have loved thee too little. What pains did St. Paul take for the heavenly kingdom ? Phil, iii. 13., " Reaching forth unto those things which are before." The Greek Avord to reach forth, signifies to stret…
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gates of pearl, the beds of spices, the clus- ters of gra])e8 Avhich grow in the paradise of God. Say, * O my soul, all this glory is thine, it is thy Father's good pleasure to give thee this kingdom !' The thoughts of heaven are very delightful and ravishing; can men of the world so deli<rlit in viewinir tlieu- bags o…
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bear Christ's name, and carry his colours, sure these cannot pray that Christ's king- dom of glory nuiy come, for then Christ will judge thcni, and, if they say this pray- er, they are hypocrites, they mean not as they Rpeak. But you who have the king- I dom of grace set up in your hearts, pray I much that the kingdom …
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may receive a victorious crown ? O ye saints, breathe after the heavenly kingdom ! Tliough we should be Milling to stay to do service, yet we should ambitiously desire to be always sunning oursehes in tlie light of («od's countenance. Think what it will be to be ever with the Lord. Are there any sweet- er smiles or emb…
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2. Comfort in death. Here is that which may take away from God's children the ter- ror of death, they are now entering into the kingdom. Indeed no wonder, if Avicked men be appalled and terrified at the ap- proach of death, they die unpardoned. Death carries them to the gaol, where they must lie for ever without bail o…
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2. Knowing without doing God's will, will make one's case worse; 'twill heat hell the hotter, Luke xii. 47., " The servant which knew his Lord's will, and did not ac- cording to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes." IMany a man's knowledge is a torch to light him to hell. Thou who hast knowledge of God's will b…
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it is not all our golden words, if we could speak like angels, but our works, our doing of God's will which bears witness of our sincerity. We judge not of the health of a man's body by his high colour, but by the pulse of the arm, where the blood chiefly stirs ; so a Christian's soundness is not to be judged by his pr…
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7. To do God's will, is our honour. A person thinks it an honour to have a king speak to him to do such a thing : the angels count it their highest honour in heaven to do God's will. Servire Deo regtiare est, to serve God, is to reign. Xoii onerant noSy sed ornant, Salvian. How cheerfully did the rowers row the barge t…
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ternal part of God's worship ; how zealou were they in the outward observation of th sabbath, charging Christ with th§ breach of it ? But all this was but outward obedience, there was nothing of spirituality in it; then we do God's will acceptably, when we serve him from a renewed principle of grace. A crab-tree may be…
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saints, they (they, Ileb. i. 14. It cannot stand with angelical obedience to leave the least tola of (iod's will unfulfilled ; this is to d<» (iod's will as the angels, when we do all his will, — f/idcf/idd propter Deum Jit aquali- If r fit. This ^vas (iod's charge to Israel, Numb. XV. 10., " Remember and do all my com…
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and said, " he would avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu," Hos. i. 4. Let us look to our ends in obedience ; tliougli we shoot short, let us take a right aim ; one may do God's will, yet not with a perfect heart, 2 Chron. xxv. 2., Amaziah " did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with …
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called .srraphims, from an Hebrew word which signifies to bum, to show how the an- gels are all on fire, Ps. civ. 4., they burn in love and zeal in doing God's will ; grace turns a saint into a seraphim ; Aaron must ))ut burning coals to the incense, Exod. xvi 12. : incense was a type of prayer, burning coals of zeal, …
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(3.) A loss of the soul and happiness. We were in a fair way for heaven, but, by leav- ing off doing God's will, we miss the ex- cellent glory, and are plunged deeper in damnation, 2 Pet. ii. 21., " It had been bet- ter for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from th…
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Let us examine all our actions whether they are according to God's will. The will of God is the rule and standard, — it is the sun-dial by which we must set all our ac- tions; he is no good workman, that doth not work by rule ; he can be no good Chris- tian who goes not according to the rule of God's will. Let us exami…
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A. 4. Beg grace and strength of God to do his will, Ps. cxliii. 10., " Teach me to do thy will :'' as if David had said, " Lord I need not be taught to do my own will, I can do it fast enough, but teach me to do thy will." And that which may add wings to prayer, is God's gracious promise, " I will put my Spirit within …
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A. 3. Discomposedness of spirit cannot stand with quiet submission to God's will. When a man saith, I am so encompassed with trouble, that I know not how to get out; head and heart are so taken up, that a j)erson is not fit to pray. Wlien the strings of a lute are snarled, the lute can make no good music : so, when a C…
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(1.) Sometimes God afflicts with pover- ty. The widow had nothing left her save a pot of oil, 1 Kings xvii. 12. Poverty is a great temptation. To have an estate re- duced almost to nothing, is hard to flesh and blood, Ruth i. 20, 21., "Call me not Naomi, but Mara ; I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home aga…
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Use 2d. Of exhortation. Let us be ex- horted, whatever troubles God doth exer- cise us with, cpquo animo ferre, to resign up our wills to God, and sav, *' Tliv will he done." Which is fittest, that God should bring his will to ours, or we bring our will to his? Say as Eli, I Sam. iii. 18., " It is the Lord, let him do …
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2d. Consideration. God hath a special hand in the disposal of all occurrences that fall out. Job eyed God in his affliction, chap. i. 21., " The Lord hath taken away." lie doth not complain of the Sabeans, or the influences of the planets ; he looked beyond all second causes, he saw God in the afflic- tion, and that ma…
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Gill. Consideration, to make us submit to God in affliction, and say, " thy will be done," is, that in all our crosses God liath a kindness for us. As there was no night so dark but Israel had a jdllar of fire to give light, so there is no condition so clou- dy, but we may see that wliich givas light of comfort. David …
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(2.) Affliction brings tliose sins to re- membrance Avhich before Ave buried in the grave of forgetfulness. Joseph's brethren, for twenty years together, Avere not at all troubled for their sin in selling their bro- ther ; but Avhen they came into Egypt, and began to be in straits, then their sin in sell- insT their br…
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A. 7. There's kindness in affliction, ia that there is no condition so bad, but it might be worse : when it is duskish it might be darker. God doth not make our cross so heavy as he might ; he doth not stir up all his anger, Ps. Ixxviii. 38. He dotli not put so many nails in our yoke, so much wormwood in our cup, as he…
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not tliis make us say, " Thy will be done ?" It is preventing j>liysic. A. 12. Tlioie is kindness, in lliat God dotli mix his providences ; Hal), iii. 2., In anger he remembers mercy. Not all jiure gall, but some honey mixed with it. A- sher's shoos were iron and brass, but his foot was dipped in oil, Dent, xxxiii. 2i…
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A. 2, Afflictions make us happy, as they are manuductions to glory. The storm drives the ship »nto the harbour : happy is that storm which drives the soul into the heavenly harbour. Is it not better to go through affliction to glory, than through pleasure to misery ? Not that afflictions merit glory, — no cross ever me…
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(1.) It is true in a temporal sense. When God would bring Israel to Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey, he first leads them through a sea and wilder- ness. When God intended to advance Jo- seph to be the second man in the kingdom, he cast him first into prison, and the iron entered into his soul, Ps. cv. 18. Go…
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(1.) The burden of care, therefore Christ calls riches, " cares," Luke viii. 14. A rose hath its prickles, so have riches ; we think them happy that floui'ish in their silks and cloth of gold, but we see not the troubles and cares that attend them. A shoe may have silver lace on it, yet pinch the foot. Many a man that …
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(2.) A froward unsubmissive frame, that cannot submit to God's will, is unworthy of a Christian's profession ; he professeth to live by faith, yet repines at his condition ; " Faith lives not by bread alone," it feeds on promises, it makes future glory present: faith sees all in God : When the fig-tree doth not blossom…
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(3.) Quarrelsomeness and unsubmissivc- ness to God's will is sinful in the concomi- tants of it. 1st. It is joined with sinful ris- ings of the heart. (1.) Evil thoughts arise ; we think hardly of God, as if he had done us wrong, or, as if we had deserved better at his hands. (2.) Passions begin to arise ; the heart se…
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\8th. Consideration, what is it makes the difference between a godly man, and an un- godly man in affliction, but only this, the godly man submits to God's will, the un- godly man will not submit : a wicked man frets and fumes, and is like a wild bull in a net. He in affliction blasphemes God, Rev. xvi. 9., " Men were …
786 wordsSource & rights
Public-domain historical work by Thomas Watson, d. 1686. OCR from an original historical scan hosted by Internet Archive; OCR may contain recognition errors.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.