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A65307
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A pastors love expressed to a loving people in a farwel sermon preached at Stephens VValbrook, London, August 17, 1662 / by Mr. Tho. VVatson.
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Watson, Thomas, d. 1686.
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1662
(1662)
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Wing W1136; ESTC R38520
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11,039
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24
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wine so he was forbid to eat of the grape wherewith the wine was made Numb 16. to teach us that evil company is the Devils draw net by which he hath drawn millions to hell How many in this City has been ruinated in soul and body by evil company many go from a Play-house to a whorehouse and from a Tavern to Tyburn Direct 4. Have a care who you hear t is our Saviours caution Matth. 7. 15. Beware of false Prophets Let me tell you the Devil hath his Ministers as well as Christ we read in Rev. 12. 15. of a Scrpent casting waters out of his mouth as a flood that is as the learned expound it Satan by his Ministers and Emissaries cast out floods of Arian Doctrine to drown the Church There are some of that subtilty and wit that have learned the art to mix error and truth together and to give poyson in a golden cup Take heed whom you hear and how you hear Be like those noble Bereans Act. 17. that searcht the Scriptures your ears must not be like Spunges that sucks in the pudle water with the purest Wine But like the Fan that fans out the Chaff whilst the sollid grain abideth you must do like those in Mat. 13. 48. they gathered the good fish into vessels and threw way the other Saints are called Virgins for their wisdom they will not let every one defile their souls with errour they have a judicious ear and a critical pallate they can distinguish between truth and errour they can put a difference between meat of Gods sending and meat of the Devils cooking Direct 5. Study sincerity Psal. 51. 6. thou desirest truth in the inward parts be what you seem to be be not like the Waterman that looks one way and Rows another do not look Heaven-wards by a profession and Hell-wards by your conversation do not pretend God and love sin counterfeit piety is double iniquity O let the heart be upright with God the playner the Diamond is the more richer and the more plainer the heart is the more doth God valule this Jewel A little rusty Gold is far better then a great deal of bright Brass so a little true grace though rusted with many infirmities is better then all the glitterings of hypocrisie a sincere heart is Gods Coyn and hee l give graynes of allowance Direct 6. As you love your souls be not strangers to your selves be much and often in the work of self examination among all the books you read turn over the book of your own heart look into the book of Conscience and see what is written there Psal. 77. 6. I commune with my own heart set up a judgement seat in your own souls examine whether you have grace or no prove whither you are in the faith be as much affraid of painted holiness as you would be of going to a painted Heaven Do not think your selves good because others think so let the Word be the touch-stone by which you try your hearts let the Word be the looking glass by which you judge the complexion Of your souls for want of sincerity many that have lived known to others have dyed unknown to themselves Direct 7. Keep your spiritual watch Mark 13. 37. I say unto all watch If it were the last word I were to speak it should be this Watch O what need have Christians to be upon their watch the heart is subtle it will be stealing out unto vanity and if we be not careful it will decoy us into sin we have a special eye on such persons as we do suspect thy heart is a very suspicious peice have thy eye still upon it watch it continually for it is a bosome Traytor Iob set a watch before his eyes Iob. 31. 1. we must every day keep Sentinel do not sleep upon thy guard our sleeping time is Satans tempting time therefore let not thy watch Candle go out Direct 8. Do you often who are the people of God associate together Mal. 3. 16. Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another Christs Doves should flock together one Christian will help to heat another One single Coal of Juniper will soon dye but many put together will keep them burning conferrence sometimes may do as much good as Preaching one Christian by good discourse drops the holy Oyl into another and makes the lamp of grace to shine the brighter It is great wisdom to keep up the trade in a Corporation Christians by meeting often together and setting good discourse on foot keeps up the trade of godliness which else will decay and soon be lost Is not the Communion of Saints an Article of our Creed and yet do not many live as if this Article were blotted out Natura lists have observed the sumpathy of Plants they say some Plants will grow better when they grow together as the Vine and the Elme the Olive and the mirtle this is true in Religion Saints who are trees of righteousness thrive best in godliness when they grow together Direct 9 Get your hearts screwed above the World set your affections on things above Col. 3. 3. we may see the face of the moon in the Water but the Moon is fixt above in the firmament so though a Christian walkes here below yet his heart should be fixed above in Heaven their is our best kindred our purest joy our Mansion house to have our hearts above is the best and sweetest kind of life the higher the Birde flyes the sweeter it sings and the higher the heart is raised above the sweeter are its joys The Eagle that flyes in the Ayr is not stung with the Serpent Those who have hearts elevated above this lower region of the World they are not stung with the vexing vanities of the World but are full of joy and contentment Direction 10. Trade much in promises the promises are great supports to faith faith lives on a promise as the fish lives in the Water promises are both comforting and quickning they are the very breasts of the Gospel As a childe by sucking at the breast gets strength so faith by sucking at the brest of a promise will get strength as the Eagl Promises are the bladders to keep us from sinking when we come into the Waters of affliction They are a sweet cluster of Grapes that grow upon Christ the true Vine there is no condition we can be in but there is a promise to it the promises like manna sutes themselves to every Christians pallat Direct 11. Live in a calling Ierom gave this advice to his friend that he should be always imployed that when the Devil came he might not find him idle sure I am the same God that saith remember the seventh day to keep it holy saith six days shalt thou labour the great God never sealed any warrant to idleness an Idle person is a shame to his profession 2 Thes. 4. 11. Some we hear work not at all Solan made a Law that Idleness
should be punished and Cicero saith of an Idle person that he draweth his breath but doth not live that is in a calling he is not useful a good Christian acts within the sphear of a calling Direct 12. Joyn the first and second table together piety towards God and equity toward your Neighbour The Apostle hath put these two together in one verse Tit. 2. 12. that you should live righteously and godlily righteously that relates to morality godly that relates to piety and sanctity Always remember that every commandment hath the same divine stamp and authority as the other have I would try a moral man by the duties of the first Table and I would try a Professor by the duties of the second Table some pretend faith but they have no works others have works but they have no faith Some pretend zeal to God but they are not just others are just but they have not one spark of zeal I beseech you if you would go to Heaven turn both sides of the Table the first and second Table joyn these two piety and Morality As we blame the Papists for blotting out the second commandment let not the Papists blame us for blotting out the second Tables Direct 13. Joyn the Serpent and the Dove together Innocence and prudence Matth. 10. 16. Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves we must have innocence with our wisdom else our wisdom is but craftiness and we must have wisdom with our innocency else our innocency is but weakness we must have the harmlesness of the dove that we may not wrong others and we must have the wisdom of the serpent that others may not abuse and circumvent us Not to wrong the truth by silence here is the innocency of the dove not to betray our selves by rashness here is the wisdom of the serpent O how rare is it to have these two united the Dove and the Serpent the Dove without the Serpent is folly and the Serpent without the Dove is impiety Direct 14. Be more afraid of sin then of suffering a man may suffer and yet have the love of God but cannot sin but presently God is angry sin eclipses the light of Gods face in suffering the conscience of a man may be quiet as when the hail beats upon the tiles there may be musick in the house so when there is suffering upon the body there may be that musick in the conscience But when a man fins presumptuously he loses all his peace Spira when he had abjured his Faith became a terrour to himself he could not endure himself he protested he thought Cain and Iudas in Hell did not feel the terrour that he felt He that will commit sin to prevent suffering is like a man that lets his head be broke to save his helmet Direction 15. Take heed of Idolatry 1 Iohn 5. 21. Idolatry is an image of Jealousie to provoke God It breaks the Marriage knot asunder and makes the Lord disclaim all interest in his people The popish Religion is not defended by strength of Argument but by force of Armes Keep your selves from Idols and beware of superstition which is the Gentleman-Usher to Popery Direction 16. Think not the worse of Godliness because it is reproached and persecuted Wicked men being stirred up by the Devil do maliciously reproach the ways of God Such were Iulian and Lucian And I observe though men would be godly on their Death-beds yet in the time of their living they revile and hate Godliness But think not the worse of Religion because it is reproached by the wicked Suppose a Virgin should be reproached for her Chastity is Chastity ever the worse If a blinde man should jear the Sun the Sun is never the less bright Godliness is the Angels glory and shall we be ashamed of that which makes us like Angels There is a time coming when the wicked would be glad to have some of that Holiness which they now despise but they shall then be as far from obtaining it as they are now from desiring it Direct 17. Do not think the better of sin because you see it in fashion Think not the better of impiety because most walk in this crooked way The multitude is a foolish argument I say it again the multitude doth not argue the goodness of a thing The Devils name is Legion which signifies multitude Hells road is at this day full of Travellers Esteem not better of sin because most go this way The multitude is erronious saith Ierom The pleading of the multitude will not hold at Gods Bar when God shall ask you Why did you prophane my Sabbaths why were you drunk why did you break your oaths Lord other men did so God will say seeing you have sinned with the multitude you shall go to Hell with the multitude I beseech you be tender of your souls and walk Antipedes with the times if you be living fish swim against the stream Ephes. 5. 11. Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness Direct 18. In the business of Religion serve God with all your might in Ecclesiastes 9. 10. what so ever thy hand finds to do do it with all thy might for there is no work in the grave whether thou art going This is the argument why we should do all we can for God and serve him with all our strength because the grave is very neer and there is no praying no repenting in the grave our time is but short therefore do as David who danced before the Ark of God with all his might act vigorously for God in your sphears you must not onely say a prayer or read a prayer but poure out your prayers before God do not onely love God but be sick with love to God in Lev. 6. 13. God would have the coals put to the Incence and why so to signifie the heart should be inflamed in affection to God your prayers should go up with the flame of devotion I confess Hell may be taken without storm you may drop into Hell with ease but it is all up Hill to Heaven in the 11. of Mat. and the 12. the violent take it by force heaven is not taken but by storm Do not we see the wicked active for the Devil and their lusts and shall they take more pains for hell then you do for Heaven Direct 19. Do all the good you can to others God hath made every creature useful The Sun has not its light for it self but for us the fountain runs free the Mirh drops from the Tree every creature doth as it were deny it self for us the Beast gives its labour the Bird gives us its Musick the silk worm gives us its silk has God made everything useful for us and shall not we be useful to one another O be helpful to the souls of others and supply the wants of others Jesus Christ was a publiqueblessing in the World he went about doing good Act. 10. 38. we are all Members of one body pollitick nay are not we all members of one body mystical and shall not every Member be useful for the good of the body that is a dead member that does not communicate to the body Be useful that when you dy there may be a miss of you when you are gone many live so unfruitful that their life is scarce worth a prayer or their death worth a tear Direct 20. And so I have done every day spend some thought upon eternity O eternity O eternity all of us here ere long it may be some of us in a few days or hours must lanch out into the Ocean of eternity There is no prospective Glass saith Boetius by which we can see to the end of eternity these sands can never be numbered this line can never be measured eternity it is a condition that is everlasting you that are godly you shall be everlastingly happy you shall always be sunning your selves in the light of Gods countenance but the wicked shall be always suffering ever lying under the scalding droping of the wrath of the Almighty eternity to the godly it is a day that hath no sun setting eternity to the wicked is a night that hath no sun rising The serious thoughts of eternity would be a great means to promote holiness the fore-thoughts of eternity would make us be very serious about our souls O my soul thou art shortly to fly into eternity a condition that never can be reversed or altered How serious would this make us about the heaven-born soul Zeuxes being asked why he was so long in drawing a Picture Answered I am now painting for eternity How fervent would that man pray that thinks he is praying for eternity how holy and circumspect would that man live that thinks upon this moment hangs eternity Secondly the thoughts of eternity would make us slight and conâ—emn all the things in the World what is the world to him that has eternity always in his eye did we think solemnly upon eternity we should not over value the comforts of the World nor over grieve at the crosses of the world First I say we should not over value the comforts of the World comforts they are sweet but they are swift and soon gone the pleasures of the World are but for a season just like Noahs Dove that brought an olive branch in her mouth but had Wings presently to flye away Secondly as not to over value so not to over-grieve at the loss of them what are these sufferings they are but for a while 1 Phil. 5. 10. and what is that to eternity our suffering may be lasting but they shall not be everlasting our greatest afflictions are not worthy of that Eternal waight of glory And thus my Beloved I have given you twenty directions for your precious souls I beseech you treasure them up as so many precious jewels in the Cabinet of your breasts carrying these about you may prove an excellent antidote against sin and to preserve zeal and keep it flaming on the Altar of your hearts I have many things more to say to you and I know not if God will give another oportunity but I beseech you let the things I have spoken abide upon you FINIS