The Beatitudes

About this book

‘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)

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.