Thomas Watson
Rev. Thomas Watson (c.1620–1686) was born in Yorkshire, England. He was educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and received his B.A. in 1638/9 and in M.A. 1642. In 1651, he was imprisoned at the Tower of London as a suspected Royalist, a supporter of Charles II. He was a minister of St. Stephen’s, Walbrook, London but was ejected for nonconformity in 1662. Then as minister to the congregation at Great Hall at Crosby House, he worked with Stephen Charnock. He passed away while in prayer at Barnston, Essex.
Curiosmith features:
Wise sayings of Thomas Watson.
Drawing Near to God My Portion Forever
How to Read Scriptures with Most Spiritual Profit
How God is His People's Great Reward
Thomas Watson Booklist:
Autarkeia; or, The Art of Divine Contentment.
The Beatitudes; or, A Discourse upon Part of Christ’s Famous Sermon on the Mount.
The Bible and the Closet; or, How We May Read the Scriptures with the Most Spiritual Profit.
A Body of Practical Divinity, Consisting of above One Hundred Seventy
Six Sermons on the Lesser Catechism Composed by the Reverend Assembly of Divines at Westminster.
A Christian on the Mount; or, A Treatise Concerning Meditation.
The Christian’s Charter, Shewing the Privileges of a Believer.
The Christian Soldier: or, Heaven Taken by Storm: Showing the Holy
Violence a Christian Is to Put Forth in the Pursuit after Glory.
A Divine Cordial; or, The Transcendent Privilege of Those that Love God and Are Savingly Called.
The Doctrine of Repentance, Useful for These Times.
The Godly Man’s Picture, Drawn with a Scripture Pencil or Some Characteristic Marks of a Man Who Is Going to Heaven.
God’s Anatomy upon Man’s Heart; or, A Sermon Preached by Order of the Honorable House of Commons, at Margarets Westminster, December 27. Being a Day of Publick Humiliation.
The Great Gain of Godliness: Practical Notes on Malachi 3:16–18.
The Holy Eucharist; or, The Mystery of the Lord’s Supper.
The Lord’s Prayer: Third Volume of Thomas Watson’s Exposition of the Westminster Assembly’s Catechism.
The Mischief of Sin.
Sermons.
The Ten Commandments: Second Volume of Thomas Watson’s Exposition of the Westminster Assembly’s Catechism.
The Trinity.
Tracts.
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Extended Biography of Thomas Watson
WATSON, THOMAS (d. 1686), ejected divine, was educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he was remarkable for hard study. After residing for some time with the family of Mary, the widow of Sir Horace Vere, baron Tilbury [q. v.], he was appointed in 1646 to preach at St. Stephen's, Walbrook. During the civil war he showed himself strongly presbyterian in his views, while discovering attachment to the king. He joined the presbyterian ministers in a remonstrance to Cromwell and the council of war against the death of Charles. In 1651 he was imprisoned, with some other ministers, for his share in Love's plot to recall Charles II [see Love, Christopher]. After some months' imprisonment Watson and his companions were released on petitioning for mercy, and on 30 June 1652 he was formally reinstated vicar of St. Stephen's, Walbrook. He obtained great fame and popularity as preacher until the Restoration, when he was ejected for nonconformity. Notwithstanding the rigor of the acts against dissenters, Watson continued to exercise his ministry privately as he found opportunity. In 1666, after the fire of London, like several other nonconformists, he fitted up a large room for public worship for any who wished to attend. Upon the declaration of indulgence in 1672 he obtained a license for the great hall in Crosby House, then belonging to Sir John Langham, a patron of evangelical nonconformity. After preaching there for several years his health gave way, and he retired to Barnston in Essex, where he was buried on 28 July 1686 in the grave of John Beadle [q. v.], formerly rector there. A portrait, engraved by James Hopwood, is in Calamy's “Nonconformist's Memorial,” ed. Palmer: another, engraved by John Sturt, is prefixed to his “Body of Divinity” 1692; and a third, engraved by Frederick Henry van Hove, is prefixed to his “Art of Contentment,” 1662.
Watson was a man of considerable learning, and his works preserved his fame long after his death. According to Doddridge, his “Christian Soldier, or Heaven taken by Storm,” was the means of converting Colonel James Gardiner (1688-1745) [q. v.] His most famous work, the “Body of Practical Divinity,” appeared after his death, in 1692 (London, fol.) It consists of 176 sermons on the catechism of the Westminster assembly of divines. Numerous subsequent editions have been printed, the last being issued in 1838 (London, 8vo) and in 1855 (New York, 8vo). His other writings were numerous. Among the most important are: 1. “The Christians Charter; shewing the Priviledges of a Believer both in this Life and that which is to Come,” London, 1652, 8vo; 6th edit. London, 1665, 8vo. 2. “Autarkeia, or the Art of Divine Contentment,” London, 1653, 8vo; 15th edit. London, 1793, 12mo; new ed. Diss, 1838, 16mo. 3. “The Saints Delight. To which is annexed a Treatise of Meditation,” London, 1657, 8vo; new edition by the Religious Tract Society, London, 1830, 12mo. 4. “The Beatitudes: or a Discourse upon part of Christ's famous Sermon on the Mount” (with other discourses), London, 1660, 4to. 5. “Jerusalem’s Glory; or the Saints Safeties in Eying the Churches Security,” London, 1661, 8vo. 6. “A Word of Comfort for the Church of God,” London, 1662, 8vo. 7. “A Divine Cordial: or the Transcendent Priviledge of those that love God,” London, 1663, 8vo; new edit. London, 1831, 12mo. 8. “The Godly Mans Picture, drawn with a Scripture Pensil,” London, 1666, 8vo. 9. “The Holy Eucharist,” 2nd impression, London, 1668, 8vo. 10. “Heaven taken by Storm: or the Holy Violence a Christian is to put forth in the pursuit after Glory,” London, 1669, 8vo; 2nd edit., entitled “The Christian Soldier, or Heaven taken by Storm;” new edit. London, 1835, 8vo; first American edit. New York, 1810, 12mo; Nos. 1 and 2 were published, together with “A Discourse of Meditation,” under the title of “Three Treatises,” 6th edit. London, 1660, 4to. A collection of his “Sermons and select Discourses” appeared in two volumes, Glasgow, 1798-9, 8vo; Glasgow, 1807, 8vo, In 1850 appeared “Puritan Gems, or Wise and Holy Sayings of Thomas Watson,” edited by John Adey, London, 16mo. Two manuscript sermons by him are preserved in the British Museum (Harl. MS. 7517).
[Watson's Works; Wilson's Dissenting Churches 1808, i. 331-4; Calamy's Nonconformist's Memorial, ed. Palmer, i. 188-91; Wood's Athenae Oxon. ed. Bliss, iii. 982, 1001, 1235; Granger's Biogr. Hist. iii. 320; Cal. State Papers, Dom. 1651, pp. 247, 457, 465; Hennessy's Novum Repert. Eccles. 1898, p. 386; Bromley's Cat. of Engr. Portraits, p. 184.] E. I. C.
Source: Lee, Sidney, ed. Dictionary of National Biography, Vol 60. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1899.