The Beatitudes

An exposition of Matthew 5:1-10

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Weight 0.54 kg
Dimensions 22.3 × 14.3 × 3.1 cm
ISBN 9781848714366
Binding

Cloth-bound
era

17th Century
format

Book
Original Pub Date

1660
topic

Christian Living, Encouragement, Life Issues
page-count

352

Endorsements

‘Thomas Watson’s deep spirituality, pithy remarks, terse style, impressive depth, and beauty of expression make him one of the most irresistible and readable of all Puritans. This exposition of Matthew 5:1-10 overflows with spiritual instruction. Every family should have a copy.’ — JOEL R. BEEKE

What announces itself as an exposition of Matthew 5:1-10 turns out to be a digest of all the central Puritan teaching on the Christian life. The Beatitudes are treated as mineshafts into the whole economy of grace – as indeed they are . . .

‘Thomas Watson’s A Body of Divinity has already established him as one of Banner of Truth’s most successful authors. This work, first published in 1660, and evidently a further set of written-up sermon notes, shows him once more to be one of the richest and liveliest of Puritan teachers, with a tidy mind, a light touch, a gift for compression, and a vivid imagination.’ — J. I. PACKER (reviewing the Trust’s original 1971 edition)

Book Description

The opening verses of the best-known of all Christ’s sermons were handled by many of the Puritans, for the Beatitudes gave full scope to the combination of sound doctrine, practical wisdom and heart-searching application which characterized their preaching.

To these general Puritan characteristics, Thomas Watson added certain of his own: a master of a terse, vigorous style and of a beauty of expression, he could speak not only to win men’s under-standing but also to secure a place for the truth in their memories. More than most of his generation he sought to follow the example of Christ’s teaching by employing all manner of illustrative material from common life, and with simplicity and charm he spoke words not easy to forget.

Two hundred years after Thomas Watson’s death, William Jay of Bath said that he could go to any one of his books and ‘find it ever fresh, pointed and instructive.’

The Beatitudes, first published in 1660, used to be one of the rarest of Watson’s works. This clothbound edition largely follows the revised format of the Trust’s first edition of 1971, with some additional editorial notes.

 

Table of Contents Expand ↓

Page
To the Reader xi
1 INTRODUCTION 1
The preacher: Christ and his qualifications 1
The ministry does not ‘lie in common’ 3
The pulpit 4
The occasion 5
Ministers should embrace opportunities of service 5
Exhortations to ministers 9
Exhortations to the flock of God 10
2 THERE IS A BLESSEDNESS IN REVERSION 13
Wherein blessedness does not consist 14
Blessedness does not lie in externals 16
Wherein blessedness consists 19
Blessedness in practice 21
3 THE GODLY ARE IN SOME SENSE ALREADY BLESSED 25
Evidences that the godly are already blessed 26
Practical issues 28
4 BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT 31
Various observations 31
The meaning of ‘poor in spirit’ 33
Several questions propounded 34
Why Christians must be ‘poor in spirit’ 35
Poverty of spirit is true riches 37
How we may know whether we are ‘poor in spirit’ 38
Four persuasions to be ‘poor in spirit’ 41
5 THE POOR IN SPIRIT ARE ENRICHED WITH A KINGDOM 43
Saints glorified may be compared to kings 43
The kingdom of heaven excels other kingdoms 46
The kingdom of heaven is infallibly entailed upon the saints 47
Corollaries and inferences from the above 48
A scrutiny and trial whether we belong to the kingdom of heaven 50
Serious exhortations to the wicked and to Christians 51
6 BLESSED ARE THEY THAT MOURN 55
A two-fold mourning which does not make us blessed 55
The object of holy mourning 56
A five-fold mourning which is spurious 57
The right gospel-mourning 58
The accompaniments of gospel-mourning 60
We must mourn for the sins of others 65
We must mourn for the miseries of the church 66
The seasons of holy mourning 67
The degrees of mourning 69
The opposite to holy mourning 69
7 SUNDRY SHARP REPROOFS 71
8 MOTIVES TO HOLY MOURNING 75
Eleven divine motives to holy mourning 75
An objection answered 80
9 THE HINDRANCES TO MOURNING 81
Nine hindrances considered 81
10 SOME HELPS TO MOURNING 89
11 THE COMFORTS BELONGING TO MOURNERS 91
The relationship of comfort to mourning 91
The nature of the comforts during the earthly life 93
Three differences between true and false comfort 94
Reasons why mourners may lack comfort 101/i>
The nature of the comforts in the world to come 104
An exhortation to comfort 107
12 CHRISTIAN MEEKNESS 109
Meekness towards God and towards man 109
Meekness in the bearing of injuries 110
Meekness in the forgiving of injuries 115
Meekness in the recompensing good for evil 117
Meekness shows the character of a true saint 118
Ten reasons why Christians should be meek 118
How to attain the grace of meekness 126
13 THE NATURE OF SPIRITUAL HUNGER 129
Hungering after righteousness 129
A reproof for such as do not hunger after righteousness 131
A reproof for such as hunger but not after righteousness 134
Five signs of spiritual hunger 135
Comforts for such as know spiritual hunger 136
Six differences between spiritual and carnal hunger 137
Believers’ objections answered 140
A persuasion to spiritual hunger 141
Helps to spiritual hunger 142
14 SPIRITUAL HUNGER SHALL BE SATISFIED 145
God can fill the hungry soul: why and how he does so 146
The objections of carnal and godly men considered 149
15 A DISCOURSE OF MERCIFULNESS 151
The nature and source of mercifulness 152
Mercy is to be extended to the souls of others 153
Reproofs for such as have no mercy to souls 155
Christians must be tender of one another’s names 157
Mercy is to be extended to the estates, offences and wants of others 161
A vindication of the Church of England and its doctrine of good works 166
A check to the unmerciful 168
Persuasions to mercifulness 171
Nine persuasions to works of mercy 174
Rewards for the merciful man in this life 178
Six rules concerning works of mercy 180
16 A DESCRIPTION OF HEART-PURITY 185
The nature of heart-purity 185
Reasons for purity of heart 186
Christians must not rest in outside purity 190
Signs of an impure heart 190
Seven signs of a pure heart 197
Nine exhortations to heart-purity 205
Eight means to be used to obtain heart-purity 209
17 THE BLESSED PRIVILEGE OF SEEING GOD EXPLAINED 213
The sight of God in this life and in the life to come 213
Nine excellencies of the beatific vision 214
It is the sinner’s misery that he shall not see God 219
We must labour to be rightly qualified for this vision 219
A cordial for the pure in heart 220
18 CONCERNING PEACEABLENESS 221
A four-fold peace 222
Two reasons for peaceable-mindedness 223
Peaceable-mindedness a saint’s character 224
A reproof for such as are unpeaceable 225
An exhortation to peaceable-mindedness (under 11 heads) 226
Some helps to peaceable-mindedness 230
All Christians must be peacemakers 233
19 THEY SHALL BE CALLED THE CHILDREN OF GOD 237
By nature we are not children of God 238
Children of God are made such by adoption and infusion of grace 238
How we come to be children of God by faith 241
Nine signs of divine sonship 243
How Christians should bring up their children 253
The love of God in making us his children 255
The honour of God’s children 257
Twelve high privileges of God’s children: 261
God’s love towards them 261
God bears with their infirmities 266
God accepts of their imperfect services 266
God provides for them 267
God shields off dangers from them 268
God reveals to them the great things of his law 268
God gives them boldness in prayer 269
God brings them into a state of freedom 270
God makes them heirs apparent to the promises 271
God gives them his blessing 272
God works all things for their good 272
God keeps them from perishing 275
20 EXHORTATIONS TO CHRISTIANS AS THEY ARE CHILDREN OF GOD 279
Let us prove ourselves to be the children of God 279
Let us carry ourselves as becomes the children of God 280
21 CONCERNING PERSECUTION 285
Observations on persecution 285
What is meant by persecution? 286
Various kinds of persecution 286
The causes of persecution 288
The persecution of ministers 289
The persecution that makes one blessed 292
Lessons to be learned from persecution 296
Two sharp reproofs 297
Christians should possess themselves beforehand with thoughts of sufferings 299
Christians must arm themselves for suffering: 300
Labour to be persons rightly qualified for suffering 300
Avoid those things which will hinder suffering 301
Promote thou things which will help you to suffer (especially self-denial) 303
Inure yourselves to suffering 303
Be well-skilled in the knowledge of Christ 304
Prize every truth of God 304
Keep a good conscience 305
Make the Scripture familiar to you 305
Get a suffering frame of heart 306
Get suffering graces 311
Treasure up suffering promises 316
Set before your eyes suffering examples 318
Lay in suffering considerations 319
22 AN APPENDIX TO THE BEATITUDES 329
The Lord’s commandments are not grievous 329
Eight particulars showing that God’s commands are not grievous 331
Christ’s commands compared with 334
The law 335
The commands of sin 336
The torments of the damned 336
The glory of heaven 337
Various reproofs 338

Review

2 testimonials for The Beatitudes

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  1. Robert Norman –

    Excellent book. Even when Watson gets a bit side-tracked in this book it doesn’t matter, because all of the content is absolute gold.

  2. roger alan schofield –

    Our pastor ,Steve Dyer organised men of the church to study this book we are a small group who come together once a week , and all agree thomas watson has raised the bar with regard to understanding of this scripture , we love coming together to discuss how we are challenged by the depth of teaching ,we all agree how we have been taken to new depths in Gods word

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