'Voices From The Past' Vol. 1 — September 8

Many have shot wide of the mark in seeking blessedness. It cannot be found in worldly things, but how ready is man to place happiness in them. The tree of blessedness does not grow in an earthly paradise. God cursed the ground for sin, yet many are digging for happiness there and seeking a blessing out of a curse. You may as well seek fire out of water. Earthly things are transitory and not adapted to the soul. ‘He who loves money will not be satisfied with money' (Eccles. 5:10). Riches do not satisfy. They shine in the eye, but death shaves off their glitter. If a man were crowned with all the delights of the world, nay, if God should build him a house among the stars, the eye of his mind would be looking still higher. The thirsty soul is unquenchable until it bathes in the river of life. That which is unable to quiet the heart in a storm, is unable to give happiness. Goods cannot soothe a troubled heart or a wounded spirit. Can a wedge of gold satisfy an angry God? King Belshazzar was carousing, but when the fingers of a man's hand appeared, his countenance changed, his wine grew sour, his feast was spoiled by the dish served up on the wall. The world can no more keep out trouble of spirit than a paper shield a bullet. Earthly things are like a castle of snow under the heat of the sun. Sole enjoyments of the world become a curse in the end. How many have pulled down their souls to build up an estate! A ship may be so laden with gold that it sinks. Judas sold his salvation for money, and the Pharisees bought their damnation with it. To place our happiness in externals is to seek the living among the dead. A treasured estate will not comfort and it will fall short of our expectation. Outward comforts cannot make you blessed. You might live rich, and die cursed.

Devotional Readings taken from Puritan Devotional Readings 'Voices From The Past Vol.1.'
Thomas Watson, The Beatitudes, pp. 24-29
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