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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65313	Seven sermons on several select subjects preached by Mr. Tho. Watson ...	Watson, Thomas, d. 1686.	1689 (1689)	Wing W1144; ESTC R38959	64,277	202

SEVEN SERMONS ON Several Select Subjects PREACHED BY Mr. Tho. Watson sometimes Minister of the Gospel at St. Stephen Walbrook London With Allowance LONDON Printed in the Year 1689. THE PUBLISHER TO THE READER Christian Reader HAving had these Sermons by me for a considerable time and finding them of singular Advantage to all who mind the work of their Salvation in earnest I thought I could not sufficiently discharge that Duty I owe to my fellow Christians if I did not contribute what I could to the good of others and therefore I have made them of Publick use 'T were a Presumption in me to offer to launch out upon the Praises of the Worthy Preacher of them as if he needed Encomiums from such as I am to recommend his Works to the World since his Name is so savoury among all those that either heard him Preach read his Writings or were acquainted with his Exemplary Life and Conversation he having with that great Apostle taken sufficent care that while he Preached to others he might not be a cast away himself that 't will be sufficient to recommend them to the perusal of all serious Christians that they are his Those that are only for a quaint polite Discourse may sute themselves where they think best but such as are for the plain Truths of the Gospel and desire to drink in the sincere Milk of the Word of God may find great profit by this Book Those Ministers whose only delight it is to make Elegant Discourses busking them up with a vain flourish of Words as if the plain Truths of the Gospel were not palatable but needed some correctives to render them more grateful to mens appetites and those who perplex their Hearers with Intricate Philosophical Notions seem more to hunt after Popular applause than sincerely to endeavour the Conversion and Salvation of Souls But those who design faithfully to discharge that great Trust committed to them by their Lord and Master will be sure to shun both these and to deliver the Truths of the Gospel in as plain and homely a dress as may be that the way of Salvation may be set forth to the meanest Capacities Like the famous Gregory Nazianzen who tho he was Master of as much Learning as any in his day yet was very plain in his Preaching and a Godly laborious Preacher here sometimes since with the Lord who when he had written his Sermon used to read it over to his Servants and if any thing in it transcended their Capacities altered it and made it so plain that he was sure nothing in it could surmount the Understandings of the meanest of his Hearers And all that ever heard the worthy Author or read any of his Sermons can sufficiently testifie how well he acquitted himself in this point And those that have not may fully be convinced of it by reading these Sermons which they will find as plain and obvious as can be desired delivered in as few words as possible so as to leave out nothing neeessary in order to explaining the true meaning of the Text. Were this golden Rule generally observed much more Fruit might be expected by the preaching of the Gospel than now is and those who desire to be most serviceable in their Generation would not be misrepresented as Canters by men that speak evil of things they understand not The Subject matter of these Sermons are Truths of very great use in Christians Practice whatever their case or condition be So that there are few Spiritual Diseases but Remedies are here set down for them viz. those who are groaning under the Cross Comforts are prescribed to them those who are secure are awakened those that are worldly Weaning Considerations are here proposed to them and those who are under comfortable Influences of the Spirit Directions are given them how to continue them It cannot be expected since the Godly Preacher himself had not the perusal of them but that those that are too Nice and Censorious may espy some expressions in them that might have been better worded And therefore I hope that they will be so far from laying it on the Worthy Author that they will even excuse it in me since through a desire I had for the publick good I rather chose to incurr the censures of some men in publishing these Sermons than out of a sullen Modesty suppress that which might tend so much to the Advancement of Holiness Which that it may be the blessed fruit of this and all other Works of this Nature is and shall be the Hearty Prayers of c. ERRATA Page 27. line 4. for Disabling read Disciplining p. 30. l. 18. Disabling for r. Disciplining SERMON I. Job 14.14 All the days of my appointed time will I wait till my change come THIS Book relates the History of Iob's sufferings he was a tall Cedar in grace yet this Cedar grew in a Valley of Tears Religion gives no Charter of Exemption from trouble Iob's tryals were so sharp that he began to grow weary of life and was willing to have a Writ of Ease to have his pass and be gone Iob 14.13 Oh that thou wouldest hide me in the grave This holy man was much afflicted in his meditations of his latter end He walked among the Tombs and walked into his Grave before it was digged and by frequent thoughts laboured to make death familiar to him All the days of my appointed time will I wait till my change come The Text is a large Field I shall only as I pass along pluck some few ears of corn In the words are these three general parts observable 1. A description of Life All my days 2. The determination of Life My appointed time 3. A holy Resolution I will wait till my change come I begin with the first First Here is a description of Life All the days Doct. Job doth not measure his life by years but by days Nay he calls life a day in verse 6. of this chapter Mans life is very much resembled to a day in three or four respects 1. Life is like a day for the shortness of it men dream of a long life saith Austin Men they do think of such a thing as an earthly Eternity but it is a short day Infancy that is day break Youth that is Sun rising Full growth that is the Sun in its Meridian Old age is Sun setting Sickness is Evening and then comes the night of Death Life it is a day and is it so short but a day why do we then rather lose time than live it 2. Life is like a day for the vicissitudes that are in it A day hath much alteration and change of weather the Morning that shews clear and bright at Noon black Clouds and Rain one part of the day is calm and serene the other part it is blusterous and windy Such is our life it is like a day what change of weather is there in Man's life What sudden alterations fall out sometimes health