Pray for the Sermon

The things we should pray for in the morning of the Sabbath. Let us beg a blessing upon the word which is to be preached; that it may be a savour of life to us; that by it our minds may be more illuminated, our corruptions more weakened, and our stock of grace more increased. Let us pray that God’s special presence may be with us, that our hearts may burn within us while God speaks, that we may receive the word into meek and humble hearts, and that we may submit to it, and bring forth fruits. … Pray for him who dispenses the word; that his tongue may be touched with a coal from God’s altar; that God would warm his heart who is to help to warm others. Your prayers may be a means to quicken the minister. Some complain they find no benefit by the word preached; perhaps they did not pray for their minister as they should. Prayer is like the whetting and sharpening of an instrument, which makes it cut better. Pray with and for your family. Yea, pray for all the congregations that meet on this day in the fear of the Lord; that the dew of the Spirit may fall with the manna of the word; that some souls may be converted, and others strengthened; that gospel ordinances may be continued, and have no restraint put upon them. These are the things we should pray for. The tree of mercy will not drop its fruit, useless it be shaken by the hand of prayer.

^{Source: Thomas Watson, The Ten Commandments}

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Love–a holy fire

[Love] is a holy fire kindled in the affections whereby a Christian is carried out strongly after God as the supreme good. The antecedent of love is knowledge. The Spirit shines upon the understanding and discovers the beauties of wisdom, holiness and mercy in God and these are the loadstone to draw out love to God … The nature of love consists in delighting in an object.

Source: Thomas Watson, The Ten Commandments, 1692

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The Sabbath

The Sabbath-day is for our interest; it promotes holiness in us. The business of week-days makes us forgetful of God and our souls; the Sabbath brings him back to our remembrance. When the falling dust of the world has clogged the wheels of our affections, that they can scarce move towards God, the Sabbath comes, and oils the wheels of our affections, and they move swiftly on. God has appointed the Sabbath for this end.

Source: Thomas Watson, The Ten Commandments, 1692

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Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor

What does the 9th commandment require of us towards our neighbors?

1. A charitable opinion and esteem of our neighbors (1 Cor. 13:7); being ready to hope the best of them, unless the contrary be evident.

2. A desire of, and rejoicing in, their good name and reputation (Rom. 1:8). We are to love them as ourselves, and therefore should be glad of the sweet savor of their name, though their reputation outshine ours.

3. Sorrowing and grieving for their faults (2 Cor. 12:21). The blasting of anybody’s name by their sins, should make us mourn, and the rather that the same root of bitterness is in all naturally: and they are the deeper in God’s debt that get through the world with an unblemished reputation.

4. Covering their infirmities with the mantle of love (1 Pet. 4:8). Everybody has some weak side, and needs a cover from others in love: and it is a dangerous business to aggravate and blaze abroad this to their dishonor.

5. Freely acknowledging the gifts and graces that are in any (1 Cor. 1:4–7).  As none are so good but they have some discernible infirmity, so hardly is one so bad but there is some one thing or another praise-worthy in them. And if it were but one thing, it is our duty frankly to own it.

6. Defending their innocence, as Ahimelech did David’s (1 Sam. 22:14): “And who among all your servants is as faithful as David, even the king’s son-in-law, who is captain over your guard, and is honored in your house?” (NASB). It is necessary and just to defend the innocent, especially if absent, against the poisonous bites of a viperous tongue lest we be held consenting to the tongue-murder of him, in God’s account.

7. An unwillingness to receive an ill report of them, and a readiness to admit a good report of them (1 Cor. 13:6, 7. Ps. 15:3). Love readily opens the door to a good report of our neighbor, but is not very hasty to let in an evil one, being truly sorry if it should be true.

8. Discouraging tale bearers, flatterers, and slanderers, who go about gathering all the filth they can find to throw upon the name and reputation of others. These should be discouraged as the pests of human society, as David did, ‘Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy’ (Ps. 101:5 NASB).

9. Lastly, watching over one another, giving sound and seasonable admonitions, checks, and reproofs, for what is ill or ill like in others (Lev. 19:17); and telling themselves of it, so as it may not be blabbed out without necessity: whereby both their souls might be timely preserved from the snare, and their good name preserved too.

Source: Thomas Boston, The Whole Works of Thomas Boston: An Illustration of the Doctrines of the Christian Religion

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Providence (Thomas Watson)

If all things work for good, hence learn that there is a providence. Things do not work of themselves, but God sets them working for good. God is the great Disposer of all events and issues, He sets everything working. “His kingdom ruleth over all” Psalm 103:19. It is meant of His providential kingdom. Things in the world are not governed by second causes, by the counsels of men, by the stars and planets, but by divine providence. Providence is the queen and governess of the world. There are three things in providence: God’s foreknowing, God’s determining, and God’s directing all things to their periods and events.

Source: Thomas Watson, A Divine Cordial (1633) Republished All Things For Good, Puritan Paperback, 55.

Note: God foreknows the future because he has determined ends and directs the bringing about of those ends c.f. Isaiah

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Mysteries and Mortification

“It is better to mortify one sin than to understand all mysteries.”

source: Thomas Watson, The Doctrine of Repentance

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In a little while …

“Christians, it is but a little while, and you will be done weeping and praying—and be triumphing! You shall put off your mourning garments—and put on white robes! You shall put off your battle armour—and put on a victorious crown!”

– Thomas Watson ‘Of Perseverance’ A Body of Divinity (Puritan 1637 – 1717)

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God’s Providence

That there is a providence. There is no such thing as blind fate, but there is a providence that guides and governs the world.

Providence is God’s ordering all issues and events of things, after the counsel of his will, to his own glory.

I call providence God’s ordering things, to distinguish it from his decrees. God’s decree ordains things that shall fall out, God’s providence orders them.

God orders all events of things, after the counsel of his will, to his own glory, his glory being the ultimate end of all his actings, and the where all the lines of providence meet.

God is not like an artificer that builds a house, and then leaves it, but like a pilot he steers the ship of the whole creation.

Source: Thomas Watson, A Body of Divinity
Thomas Watson (c. 1620—1686) was an English, non-conformist, Puritan preacher and author.

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