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The sermon on the mount is full of sweet variety. It is a piece of spiritual needlework that is worked throughout with various colors. This is both useful and pleasant. In this portion of Holy Scripture, you have a synopsis of the Christian religion. You have the Bible summarized. There is a garden of delight in this sermon. It is set with special growths where you may pick those flowers that will enrich the hidden man of your heart. In this sermon, you find the golden key that will open the gate of Paradise. It contains the channel of the gospel through which runs wine to sustain those who are poor in spirit and pure in heart. It is the rich cabinet in which the Pearl of Blessedness is locked up. It is the golden pot that contains the manna that will feed and refresh the soul unto everlasting life. It is a pathway that leads to the Holy of Holies.
About the author
Thomas Watson (c. 1620-1686) was an English Nonconformist Puritan pastor and author, educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He served at St. Stephen Walbrook Church in London for 16 years and leaned toward Presbyterian views during the English Civil War. Imprisoned in 1651 and released the next year, Watson was forced to preach privately after 1662 but obtained a license to preach publicly in 1672. His writings include The Godly Man's Picture, The Ten Commandments, and The Body of Divinity. Watson's life was marked by devotion and trials, encapsulated by his saying, "A true Christian carries Christ in his heart and the cross on his shoulders." He died in 1686 while praying.
