Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n
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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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A PASTORS LOVE Expressed to a Loving People In a Farwel SERMON PREACHED At Stephens VValbrook London August 17. 1662. By Mr. THO. VVATSON Acts 20. 38. Sorrowing most of all for the words that he spake that they should see his face no more LONDON Printed in the Year 1662. To the Reader Christian Reader HEre is presented to thy view the last Sermon of Mr. Thomas Watson that he Preached to his loving and beloved people of Stephens Walbrook the Reverend Author having no knowledge of its publication I hope will be sufficient Apologie for the Disparity that is in it from his other VVorks it being not published by the same pen nor adorned with Marginal Quotations sutable to his other Sermons thou canst not but know there is great difference between preparing Sermons for the Pulpit and for the Press the wisest Master Builder sees it sometime expedient to beat often upon one and the same truth that they may nayl them not onely to the ears but the hearts of their Auditors and therefore wonder not if thou meetest with any thing that may look like a Tautology since I would rather be guilty of that then to take my own judgment for leaving out any thing delivered I should be sorry if the publication of this Sermon which was intended for the satisfaction of all should prove to the dissatisfaction of any however I hope thou wilt be so candid to lay any fault in Printing or the like at the publishers door not at the Preachers I have but one request more and that is that the Reader would propound as honestends to himself in reading it as I did in transcribing of it in so doing I shall be satisfied and he will be edified Thy Friend and Servant R. M. 2 Cor. 7. Chap. part of the 1. verse Having therefore these promises dearly Beloved let us cleanse our selves IT is the Title I intend by the help of God to insist upon this sweet Parenthasis in the Text my dearly Beloved wherein you have the Apostle breathing out his affections to his people he speaks now as a Pastor and to them as his spiritual Children my dearly beloved First here is the Title my Beloved secondly the Exhortation to holiness let us cleanse our selves thirdly the means how we should be cleansed and sanctified having these promises It is the first I intend the Title the Apostle gives to the Corinthians his people his Children his dear beloved Doct. That the affections of a right Gospel Minister to his people are very strong and ardent There are two things in every Minister of Christ that are much exercised his Head and his Heart his Head with labour and his heart with love 1. His head with labour the work of a Minister if done aright is a work fitter for Angels then for Men. It is our work to open the Oracles of God even these sacred and profound things that the Angels search into If God did not help us we might soon sink under the weight of such a burden 2. As a Ministers Head is exercised with labour so his Heart with love and Its hard to say which of these two exceed so it is in the Text dearly Beloved In these words we have St. Paul laying siege to these Corinthians and labouring to make a happy Victory to conquer them with kindness St. Pauls heart was a spring of love his lips were the pipes the Corinthians were the Cistern in the which this spring did run This holy Apostle was a mirrour or pattern of love to the sinning Corinthians Pauls Tears did drop to the praying Corinthians his love did burn holy Paul he was a Ceraphim his heart did burn in flaming affections to his people how many appelations do we find scattered in his Epistles that are witness of his love he tells his people to whom he sometimes wrote sometimes preached 2 Cor. 12. 14. I seek not yours but you he looked more after their souls then after their silver as a tender Nurse cherrisheth her Child with her brest so did Paul cherish his people with the breast Milk of the word 1 Thes. 2. 7. we were willing to impart to you our own souls because you were dear to us this man of God did not onely Preach his Sermons to his people but would part with his own soul to them such was Pauls affection to his people that without a complement he loved them more then his life Phil. 2. 17. If I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith I joy and rejoyce with you all as if he had said if it be so that my blood be poured out as a sacrifice and my death any way serviceable to you if it may help forward the strength and comfort of your faith I am willing to dye I rejoyce to do it So full of affection and bowels was this Apostle that he could not chuse but love his people although the more he loved them the less he should be beloved 2 Cor. 12. 15. O how did Paul sweeten all his Sermons with love If he reproved sin he was angry in love he dipt the Pill in Sugar Gal. 4. 9 10. how turn you again to the weak and beggerly Elements You observe Days and Monets and times I am affraid of you and see here how he chides their sins and at the same time courts their souls no sooner doth he lance the wound but presently he pours in Wine and Oyl into the wound so well did Paul love his people that he would not justly give any offence to the weakest beleiver 1 Cor. 8. 13. If meat make my Brother to offend I will never eat meat while the World standeth St. Paul was like some tender Mother who forbeareth to eat those meats she might for fear of hurting the Child she giveth suck to thus you see he was a spiritual Father made up of love And surely Beloved this affection in some degree is in every true Minister of Christ they are full of sympathy and bowels over whom the Holy Ghost hath made them overseers There are reasons which I will but glance at first why it will be thus and secondly why it should be thus First It will be thus for two reasons First From that principle within which teacheth love grace doth not fire the heart with passion but with compassion grace in the heart of a Minister files off that ruggedness that is upon his spirit and makes him lovely and curtious Paul he once breathed out persecution but when grace came this Bramble was turned into a spiritual Vine twisting himself about the souls of his people with loving embraces Secondly From that spiritual relation that is between him and his people he is a spiritual Father and shall we think him to be without bowels 1 Cor. 10. 15. Though you have ten thousand instructers yet have you not many Fathers for I have begottten you through the Gospel some he begat to Christ others he built up in Christ doth not a
Father provide carefully for his child can a Father see the bread taken from his child and will not his heart be affected Is it not a grief to a parent to see his child put to suck to a dry Nurse Secondly There should be this ardent love in every Minister for this reason Because this is the most likelyest way to do most good knotty and stubborn hearts will soonest be wrote on by kindness fire doth melt the hardest mettle and the fire of love by Gods blessing is able to melt the obdurate sinner a Barnabas or son of consolation who comes in a spirit of meekness is fittest to do a piece of Gospel Chyrurgery to restore and put such a one in joynt again that is overtaken with a fault Gal. 6. 1. so much for the Doctrinal part Application in several Inferences First See here the right character of a Gospel Minister he is full of love he exhorts he comforts he reproves and all in love he is never angry with his people but because they will not be saved O how loth is a Minister of Christ to see precious souls like so many jewels cast over board into the dead Sea of Hell A consciencious Minister would account it an unhappy day if he should gain the world and lose the souls of his people He saith as the King of Sodom to Abraham Gen. 14. 21. Give me the persons and take you the goods Secondly How sad then is it to have such put upon people as have no love to souls The work of a Minister is a labour of love O how sad is it to have such in the Ministry who can neither labour nor love they look more at Tythes then at souls It must needs be sad with any people in any part of the world who have such Ministers set over them who do either poyson them with error or destroy them by wicked example How can the Devil reprove sin How can that Minister cry out against Drunkenness in his pulpit who will himself be drunk Rom. 2. 22. We read that the snuffers of the Tabernacle were to be made of pure gold Exod. 37. 23. Those that by their calling are to reprove and snuff off the sins of others should be of pure gold that is holy and spiritual In the Law God did appoint that the lips of the Leper should be covered he should not be permitted to speak the o acles of God who though he be by office an Angel yet by life a Leper Thirdly See here the happy condition of that Minister who is setled among such a people as gives him abundant cause to love them happy is he that can say to his people in the words of the Apostle My dearly beloved And here let me speak by way of encouragement to you of this parish I find St. Paul commending the good he saw in his people 2 Thes. 1. 3. We are bound to thank God always for you brethren because your faith grows exceedingly In imitation of this Apostle let me at this time speak a commendatory word to you I have exercised my Ministry among you now almost this sixteen years and I rejoyce and bless God that I cannot say the more I have loved you the less I am beloved I have received many signal demonstrations of love from you though other Parishes exceeded you for number of houses yet I think not for strength of affection I have with much comfort observed your reverend attention to the Word preached you have rejoyced in this light not for a season but to this day I have observed your zeal against error and as much as could be expected in critical times your unity and amity this is your honour and if for the future there should be an interruption made of my Ministry among you though I should not be permitted to preach to you yet I shall not cease to love you and to pray for you But why should there be an interruption made where is the crime Some indeed say we are disloyal we are seditious Beloved what my actions and sufferings for his Majesty hath been is not unknown to a few of you but how ever we must go to heaven through good report and bad report t is well if we can get to glory though we pass through the pikes I shall endeavour that I may still improve the sincerity of my love I will not promise that I shall still preach among you nor will I say that I shall not I desire to be guided by the guidance of Gods Word and his providence my heart is towards you you know that expression then we shall be laid down shortly as if we were naturalâ—y dead and if it must be so let me leave some Legacies before I go hence I cannot but give some counsel to your souls and I hope there is no hurt in this There are Twenty Directions I would leave with you and I desire you would take notice of them Direction 1. Keep your constant hours every day with God the godly man is a man set apart Psa. 4. 3. not onely because God hath set him apart by election but because he sets himself apart by devotion Give God his hours every day visit God in the morning before you make any other visit wind up your hearts to heaven in the morning and they will go the better all day after O turn your Closets into Temples read the Scriptures the two Testaments of the two lips by which God hath spoken to us these will make us wise to salvation The Scripture is both a glass to shew your spots and a laver to wash them away besiege Heaven every day with prayer thus perfume your houses and keep a constant intercourse with heaven Direct 2. Get good Books into your house when you have not the spring near you you will get water into your Cisterns when you have not that wholsom preaching that you were wont to have good books are the Cisterns to hold the water of life to refresh you When Davids natural heat was taken away they applied warm cloaths to him 1 King 1. when you find a chilness upon your soul and that your former heat begins to abate ply your selves with warm cloaths get these good Books that may furnish you with such truth as may warm and affect your hearts Direct 3. Have a care of your company take heed of having any unnecessary familiarity with sinners We cannot catch health from one another but may soon catch a disease the disease of sin is very catching Psal. 106. 35. I would be as much afraid to come among wicked men as I would be to come among them that have the plague If we cannot make others better let us have a care they do not make us worse Lot was a miracle that kept fresh in Sodoms salt waters Take heed of the occasions of sin evil company they are an occasion to sin T is observable that the Nazeriâ—e in the old Law as he might drink no