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A96098
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The crown of righteousness. Set forth in a sermon preached at Stephens Walbrook, May 1. 1656. At the funeral of Thomas Hodges Esquire. / By Thomas Watson, minister of Stephens Walbrook, in the citie of London.
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Watson, Thomas, d. 1686.
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1656
(1656)
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Wing W1120; Thomason E882_10; ESTC R204056; ESTC R207285
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24,757
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39
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their Crown by usurpation but by Election They are chosen to a Crown q 2. This Crown of Righteousnesse exceeds in purenesse Other Crowns are of a more feculent drossie mettle They have their troubles A Crown of gold cannot be made without thorns r Herein the Crown of Righteousnesse excells It is made of a purer metal there are no cares or crosses woven into it It fills the Soul with melody It banisheth all sorrow from the heart there can be no more sorrow in heaven then joy in hell 3. This Crown of Righteousnesse can never be lost or forfeited Other Crowns may be lost Å¿ The Crown is fallen from the head Lam. 5. 16. Henry the sixth was honoured with the Crowns of two Kingdoms France and England The first was lost through the faction of his Nobles the other was twice pluck'd from his head before his death t The Crown hath many heirs and successors How many have been deposed either by fraud or force But this Crown of Righteousnesse can never be lost God will not say Remove the diademe take off the Crown Ezek. 21. 16. This Crown is set upon the head of Christs Spouse and Christ will never depose his Spouse There 's nothing unlesse sinne can forfeit the Crown but Believers shal be so fixed in their Orbe of sanctity that they cannot have the least erring or retrograde motion 4. This Crown of Righteousnesse is a never-fading Crown w Other crowns are like a garland of flowers that soone withers Doth the Crown endure to all generations Prov. 27. 4. All outward glory passeth away as a swift stream or a ship in full saile Crowns wear away and tumble into the dust But this Crown of Righteousnesse Fades not x 1 Pet. 5. 4. Eternity is a jewell of the Saints Crown after Millions of yeares it will be as bright and splendent as at the first dayes wearing 5. This Crown of Righteousness doth not draw envy to it Davids own son envied him and sought to take his Crown from off his head A Crown of gold is often the marke for envy and ambition to shoot at But this Crown of Righteousnesse is free from envy The white Lilly of peace is a flower that grows in this Crown One Saint in glory shall not envy another y because all are Crown'd And though one Crown may be larger then another yet every one shall have as big a Crown as he is able to carry 6. This Crown of Righteousnesse makes a man blessed Earthly Crowns have no such virtue in them They rather make men cursed they are so heavy that they often sinke men into hell They make mens heads so giddy that they stumble and fall into Hurtfull lusts z But this Crown of Righteousnesse makes them blessed that wear it The Hebrew word to Crown signifies to Compass round Because the Crown doth compass them that wear it with terrene felicity The Saints shall have a sight of God to eternity a This is the encompassing Crown The Schoolmen place happinesse in the Vision of God b But besides the Saints shall {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} have such communications of divine excellencies as they are capable to take in This is the quintessence of blessednesse * Vse 1. Information and it hath four branches 1. It shews us that Religion is not imposed upon hard terms God doth not put us upon things unreasonable he doth not cut us out work and give no reward behold there is a Crown of Righteousnesse laid up * When wee hear of the doctrine of Repentance steeping our souls in brinish tears for sin the doctrine of Mortification pulling out the right eie wee are ready to crie out as they did This is an hard saying who can hear it No beloved Gods terms are not unreasonable he never sets us on work but we are sure of Double pay many sweet encouragements he gives us while we are doing the work hee often strews our ways with Roses shedding his love abroad into our hearts Rom. 5. 5. filling us with joy in believing Romanes 15. verse 13. Hee that hath the least mercie from God in this kinde will die in his debt but when wee look upon the recompence of reward which doth as far exceed our thoughts as it doth surpass our deserts Then surely we cannot say to God without wrong as he Mat. 25. 24. I knew thee that thou art an hard man If a King should bid one take up his staffe when it is fallen and for that should settle an annuity upon him for life this were not unreasonable When you have done all as our Lord Christ saith you are but unprofitable servants * What advantage do you bring to God Yet for this poor inconsiderable nothing there is a Crown laid up Sure God doth not invite you to your losse nor can you say he is a hard Master Satan who would discourage you from a strict holy life will he give bond to assure you of som hing equivalent to this Crown As Saul said in another sence Will the son of Jesse give you fields and vineyards and make you Captains of thousands * So will Satan who disparageth the waies of God give you Crowns to possesse will he mend your wages Alas you know what wages he paies his wages are death c and truly the lesse wages the better 2 Branch See here that which may raise in our hearts an holy indignation against sin it will make us forfeit our Crown Sin is not onely hateful in its own nature the most horrid ugly deform'd thing which made holy Anselm say That if hee should behold the pains of Hell on one side and the deformitie of Sin on the other and he must of necessitie choose one of these two I would saith he rather throw my self into hell then voluntarily commit one sin against God c But besides the intrinsecall-filth that is in sin it being the very spirits quintessence of evill this may cause in us an abhorrency of it Sin would degrade us of our honour it would pluck away our Crown from our head Thinke what will the end of sin be as Abner said to Joab will it not be bitternesse in the latter end f If men before they did commit sin would but sit down and rationally consider whether the present gain and sweetnesse in fin would make amends for the future losse I beleeve it would put them into a cold sweat and give some check to their unbridled affections Jacob tooke Esau by the heel O? do not look upon the smileing face of sin but take it by the heel look at the end of it It will bereaves us of our Crown And can any thing countervail this losse When a man is tempted to Pride let him remember this will swel his head so big that the Crown wilnot com on Wo to the Crown of Pride Isa. 28. 1. the