Thomas Watson.
-(1620–1686)
-English pastor and author
-Puritan
Thomas Watson studied at Cambridge and became a pastor at St. Stephen’s, Walbrook, for 16 years. In 1651, he was imprisoned for several months for involvement in a plot to recall Charles II. Later, he became a famous preacher until he was ejected for nonconformity. In 1662, the Act of Uniformity was put into place by the Parliament of England. It required all priests to adhere to the public prayers, sacraments administration, and other Church of England rites prescribed in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. Watson (and other Puritans) would not conform, so they were ejected for nonconformity. Within the first year after Watson lost his pulpit, he published A Divine Cordial, sometimes known as All Things for Good, which was his meditations on God’s sovereignty and power from Romans 8:28 (And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose). Even though Watson was kicked out of the church, he continued to preach in various places. King Charles II also developed The Five Mile Act, which forbade any pastor from living within five miles of their former parishes to keep the Puritans from meeting together for worship. In disobedience to these laws, Watson would walk several miles to preach. He would also hold secret church meetings in the woods or a barn. He later began preaching at Crosby Hall in London, which belonged to Sir John Langham, a patron of evangelical nonconformity. …read more at A Puritan’s Mind.
“Satan loves to fish in the troubled waters of a discontented heart.”
Farewell Prayer by Thomas Watson (webpage) - Watson gave this prayer on the eve of his ejection from his church because of his non-conformity to the state church.
The Tests of Love to God (webpage) - let us test whether we are among those who love God. As the fruits will best show our love for God, I shall lay down fourteen signs, or fruits, of love to God, and we should search carefully whether any of these fruits grow in our garden. These are the fourteen fruits of love to God. Happy are they who can find these fruits, so foreign to their natures, growing in their souls.
St. Stephen’s, Walbrook (website) - the church where Thomas Watson preached for 16 years still exists today.
Thomas Watson As Pastor and Scholar by Founders Ministry (article) - what seemed to set Watson apart from other great thinkers and preachers in Christianity in the past was his ability to take complex theology and make it understandable for the average church-goer. The primary way he did this was through his vivid word pictures. It was as though Watson could adequately explain a theological issue in a couple of sentences when most pastors or scholars would have to supply a small paper.
Natural Theology in the Puritan, Thomas Watson (article) - By the book of nature, Watson intends the engraving of God’s law upon the hearts of men (Rom. 2). “The notion of a Deity is engraved on man’s heart; it is demonstrable by the light of nature.” But by God’s “works,” Watson intends to create a world that surrounds the rational person. “We will begin,” he says, “with the creation of the glorious fabric of heaven and earth.
A Webpage With All Things Thomas Watson (webpage) - sermons, free ebooks, and audiobooks. Charles Spurgeon said, “There is a happy union of sound doctrine, practical wisdom, and heart-searching experience throughout all of Watson's writings!"
Thomas Watson Free ebooks by Digital Puritan (webpage) - the complete works of Watson, including The Art of Divine Contentment, A Body of Practical Divinity (both volumes), The Christian Soldier/Heaven Taken by Storm, and many others.
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We struggle significantly with contentment. This episode discusses Thomas Watson’s book The Art of Divine Contentment and will inspire you to seek true, divine contentment.
Thomas Watson was a Puritan from the 1600s who suffered a lot in the name of Christ. His life was far from perfect between multiple imprisonments, surviving the laws passed against Puritans, and the loss of four children. Yet his sermon, "The Christian Joy," explains the importance of finding joy in our walk with God. A man who did not live a life we would measure as "good" tells us about Joy.
Susan Heck talks about how Thomas Watson’s book, The Art of Divine Contentment, can help with common sins women struggle with, the contributing factors to common life-dominating sins, and how to help women put life-dominating sins to death.
Puritan Prayers & Devotionals podcast includes readings from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotionals and Voices from the Past. You can purchase the book and read along. Many of Thomas Watson’s works are read in these episodes.
A Divine Cordial or All Things for Good
by Thomas Watson, 1663
Free ebook
Hardcopy book
If the whole Scripture be the feast of the soul, as Ambrose said, then Romans 8 may be a dish at that feast and, with its sweet variety, refresh and animate the hearts of God’s people. In the preceding verses, the apostle had been wading through the great doctrines of justification and adoption, mysteries so arduous and profound that without the help and conduct of the Spirit, he might soon have waded beyond his depth. In this verse, Romans 8:28, the apostle touches upon that pleasant string of consolation, “we know that all things work together for good, to them that love God.” Not a word but is weighty; therefore, I shall gather up every filing of this gold, that nothing be lost.
The Puritans were a people committed to intensely studying the Word of God. In this episode of 5 Minutes in Church History, Dr. Stephen Nichols introduces us to All Things for Good/A Divine Cordial, Thomas Watson's meditation, and the application of Romans 8:28.
“A man must first recognize and consider what his sin is and know the plague of his heart before he can be duly humbled for it.”
Is it possible to be content when life is painful and disappointing? The Art of Divine Contentment considers the implications of the Apostle Paul's claim that he had learned to be content in any situation (Phil 4:11). Our discontent is sinful when we murmur against God and accuse Him of injustice or cruelty. But by frequently beholding God's sovereignty, love, and grace, we can learn to be more content in all circumstances.
A good case could be made for believing that repentance is one of today's least-used words in the Christian church. In a world that will not tolerate the mention of sin, and in churches where it has been defined only in sociological terms, the biblical teaching on repentance has inevitably been ignored. Knowing what repentance is and repenting are essential to authentic Christianity. Jesus Christ himself said that we will perish if we do not repent! It is vital, therefore, to read and study what Scripture has to say about this theme. Few better guides have existed in this or any other area of spiritual experience than Thomas Watson. He was a master of Scripture and the human heart, and he wrote with simplicity and directness, which keeps his work fresh and powerful for the twenty-first century.
The Beatitudes, written by Thomas Watson, is an exposition of Matthew 5:1-12. Thomas Watson was a prominent Nonconformist Puritan and religious author. Watson was born and raised in England and was a famous preacher until the Restoration.
The subject of the book. It deals with the foremost doctrinal and experimental truths of the Christian Faith. It is based on the Westminster Assembly's Shorter Catechism, in which the main principles of Christianity that lie scattered in the Scriptures are brought together and set forth in the form of question and answer. Watson conveys his thorough doctrinal and experimental knowledge of the truth in such an original, concise, pithy, pungent, racy, rich and illustrative style that he is rightly regarded as the most readable of the Puritans.
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