A Body of Divinity

WE whose Names are subscribed, having seen the Testimony of our Worthy Brother, Mr. William Lorimer, after his Perusal of this Book, doubt not but it may be of use to many, as the former Writings of Mr. Thomas Watson have been; and with that Desire and Hope, we Recommend it to Masters of Families, and others.

William Bates,

Matth. Barker,

Iohn Howe,

Matth. Mead,

Edw. Lawrance,

Samuel Slater,

Richard Mayo,

Richard Adams,

Richard Steel,

Samuel Stancliff,

Iohn Raynolds,

Nath. Vincent,

Iohn Hughes,

Matth. Sylvester,

Ioseph Read,

Dan. Burges,

Abraham Hume,

Ioseph Cawthorne,

Rich. Stretton,

Daniel Williams,

Richard Wavel,

Iohn Shower,

Timothy Cruso,

Francis Glascock,

Timothy Rogers,

Nath. Oldfield.

ADVERTISEMENT.

THere are many single Sermons on Variety of Occasions, as at Fasts, Thanksgivings, Sacrament Discourses, besides several Subjects handled in many Sermons on each Text of Scripture, left under Mr. Thomas Watson's one Hand-writing, if these find Acceptance, in due time (after their being perused by some Learned Divine) may be published.

Tho. Parkhurst.

A Catalogue of what Books Mr. Thomas Watson published.

THree Treatises, 1. The Christian's Charter, shewing the Priviledges of a Believer. 2. The Art of Divine Contentment. 3. A Discourse of Meditation: To which is added, several Sermons preached Occasionally. Quarto.

The Beatitudes: or, a Discourse upon part of Christ's famous Sermon on the Mount. Whereunto is added, Christ's various Fulness; The Preciousness of the Soul; The Soul's Malady and Cure; The Beauty of Grace; The Spiritual Watch; The Heavenly Race; The Sacred Anchor; The Trees of Righteousness; The Perfume of Love; The good Practitioner.

The Godly Man's Character.

A Word of Comfort to the Church of God, in a Sermon. Quarto.

The Crown of Righteousness: at the Funeral of Mr. Hoges, Merchant. Quarto.

A Sermon preached July 2, at the Funeral of Mr. John Wells, late Pastor of Olave-Jury, London. By Thomas Watson. Quarto.

The Fight of Faith Crowned: or, a Sermon preached at the Funeral of the eminently Holy Man Mr. Henry Stubs. By Thomas Watson.

The Doctrine of Repentance, Useful for these Times.

Religion our true Interest: or Practical Notes upon the third Chapter of Malachy, the sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen Verses.

The Mischief of Sin, it brings a Person Low.

A Divine Cordial: or, the Transcendent Priviledge of Those that Love God, and are savingly Called.

The Holy Eucharist; or, the Mystery of the Lord's Supper briefly explained.

A Plea for the Godly: Wherein is shown the Excellency of a Righteous Person.

The Duty of Self-denial briefly Opened and Urged.

Heaven taken by Storm.

p. iA Preliminary Discourse TO CATECHISING.

COL. I.xxiii. If ye continue in the faith grounded and setled—

INtending the next Lord's Day to enter upon the Work of Catechising, it will not be amiss to give you this Preliminary Discourse as preparative to it; shewing you how needful it is for Christians to be well instructed in the Grounds of Religion: If ye continue in the faith grounded and setled—Two Propositions,

First, It is the Duty of Christians to be setled in the Doctrine of Faith.

Second, The best way for Christians to be setled, is to be well grounded.

Doct. 1. That it is the Duty of Christians to be setled in the Doctrine of Faith: It is the Apostle's Prayer, 1 Pet. 5.10. The God of all grace stablish, strengthen, settle you. That they might not be Meteors in the Air, but fixed Stars. The Apostle Iude speaks of wandring Stars, Verse 13. They are called wandring Stars, because as Aristotle saith, they do saltare, leap up and down and wander into several parts of the Heaven; and being but dry Exhalations, not made of that pure Coelestial Matter as the fixed Stars are, they often fall to the Earth. Now such as are not setled in Religion will at one time or other prove wandring Stars, they will lose their former Strictness, and wander from one Opinion to another. Such as are unsetled are of the Tribe of Reuben, Unstable as water, Gen. 49.4. Like a Ship without a Ballast, overturn'd with every Wind of Doctrine. Beza writes of one Bolsectius, whose Religion chang'd as the Moon. The Arians had Annuam Fidem, every Year a new Faith. These are not Pillars in the Temple of God, but Reeds shaken every way. The Apostle calls them damnable Heresies, 2 Pet. 2.1. A Man may go to Hell as well for Heresie as Adultery. To be unsetled in Religion argues want of Judgment: if their Heads were not giddy, they would not reel so fast from one Opinion to another. It argues Lightness; Feathers will be blown any way; so will feathery Christians: Triticum non rapit. ventus, inanes paleae jactantur, Cypr. Therefore such are compar'd to Children, Eph. 4.14. That we be no more children tossed to and fro. Children are fickle, sometimes of one mind, sometimes of another, nothing pleaseth them long: So unsetled Christians are childish, those Truths they embrace at one time, they reject at another; sometimes they like the Protestant Religion, and soon after they have a good mind to turn Papists. Now that you may labour to be setled, 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, (as Ignatius) in the Faith, in unsetled Times of setled Judgments.

p. i1. It is the great End of the Word preach'd, to bring us to a Settlement in Religion: Eph. 4.11, 13. And he gave some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the edifying of the body of CHRIST, that we henceforth be no more children. p. iiThe Word is called an Hammer, Ier. 23.29. Every blow of the Hammer is to fasten the Nails of the Building; the Preacher's Words are but to fasten you the more to Christ: they weaken themselves to strengthen and settle you. This is the grand Design of Preaching, not only for the Enlightning but for the Establishing of Souls; not only to guide them into the right Way, but to keep them in it; now if you be not setled, you do not answer God's End in giving you the Ministry.