Thomas Watson Collection (7 vols.)

by Thomas Watson; Samuel Lee; John Adey

Publishers:

Robert Carter & Brothers; Religious Tract Society; Gould, Kendall and Lincoln

and

7 more

, 1816–1855

Overview

The Thomas Watson Collection brings to life the valuable insights of this English Puritan and Nonconformist, including many of his sermons, writings, and discourses.

Living in a time when many suffered for their faith, Watson was ejected from the Church of England under the Act of Uniformity in 1662. In his farewell sermon Watson declared, “I feel I must part with my conscience or with my ministry. I choose, therefore, that my ministry be sealed up by my sufferings.”

He was unreserved, tenacious, and sometimes downright contentious—but always filled with tender awe at the love of God and his desire for the salvation of all souls. Watson’s writings are an encouragement to all Christians walking the narrow way. A popular and passionate preacher, Watson did not often write down his sermons, preferring to speak from the heart. The sermons that were preserved, however, have lasted for generations.

Key Features

• Insight into the Nonconformist perspective of the English Restoration
• Watson’s farewell sermon upon being ejected from the church
• Several biographical sketches of Watson

The Select Works of the Rev. Thomas Watson, Comprising His Celebrated Body of Divinity, in a Series of Lectures on the Shorter Catechism and Various Sermons and Treatises

• Author: Thomas Watson
• Publisher: Robert Carter & Brothers
• Publication Date: 1855
• Pages: 790

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

The Select Works of the Rev. Thomas Watson, Comprising His Celebrated Body of Divinity, in a Series of Lectures on the Shorter Catechism and Various Sermons and Treatises includes a biographical sketch of Thomas Watson, Watson’s farewell sermon on the occasion of his removal from St. Stephen’s parish in London for nonconformity, and his most celebrated work, Body of Divinity.

• A Body of Practical Divinity
• On Christian Prudence and Innocency, Matt. 10:16
• On Becoming a New Creature, 2 Cor. 5:17
• On the Evil Tongue, James 3:6
• Not Being Weary in Well-Doing, Gal 6:9
• On Knowing Good and Not Doing It, James 4:17
• Christ is All in All, Col 3:11
• Farewell Discourse on His Ejection, Phil 4:9
• The Art of Divine Contentment, Phil 4:11
• The Preciousness of the Soul, Matt 16:26
• The Soul's Malady and Cure, Luke 5:31
• The Beauty of Grace, 1 Pet. 1:2
• The Trees of Righteousness Blossoming and Bringing Forth Fruit, Phil 1:11

Discourses on Important and Interesting Subjects, vol. 1

• Author: Thomas Watson
• Publisher: Blackie, Fullarton, and Co.
• Publication Date: 1829
• Pages: 642

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

“There is nothing of a more unstable and roving temper than the mind of man,” writes Edward Reynolds in the introduction to this volume. Thomas Watson’s eight discourses seek to still this roving mind and bring it to a place of peace by elucidating such subjects as Christ’s loveliness, the upright man’s character, a treatise concerning meditation, and more. In addition to the introduction and discourses, this volume also includes a short account of Watson’s life.

• The Christian's Charter of Privileges, 1 Cor 3:21-23
• God's Anatomy Upon Man's Heart, Heb 4:12
• The Saint's Spiritual Delight, Ps 1:2
• A Christian on the Mount (or, "A Treatise Concerning Meditation"), Ps 1:2
• A Christian on Earth Still in Heaven (an appendix to "A Christian on the Mount"), Ps 139:18
• Christ's Loveliness, SS 5:16
• The Upright Man's Character, Ps 37:37
• The One Thing Necessary, Phil 2:12
• The Godly Man's Picture, Ps 32:6

Discourses on Important and Interesting Subjects, vol. 2

• Author: Thomas Watson
• Publisher: Blackie, Fullarton, and Co.
• Publication Date: 1829
• Pages: 499

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

This volume contains two discourses on the saint’s desire to be with Christ and on the Sermon on the Mount, as well as an appendix to the Beatitudes.

• The Saint's Desire to Be with Christ
• Discourses upon Christ's Sermon on the Mount
• Appendix to the Beatitudes
  • The Preciousness of the Soul, Matt 16:26
  • The Soul's Malady and Cure, Luke 5:31
  • The Beauty of Grace, 1 Pet. 1:2
  • The Trees of Righteousness Blossoming and Bringing Forth Fruit, Phil 1:11

A Divine Cordial; the Saint’s Spiritual Delight; the Holy Eucharist; and Other Treatises by Thomas Watson

• Author: Thomas Watson
• Publisher: The Religious Tract Society
• Publication Date: 1846
• Pages: 358

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

A Divine Cordial offers loving testimony to God’s faithfulness based on Romans. Watson calls his first premise “a glorious privilege”—that all things work together for good. His second is that those who understand this privilege are called. Third, Watson emphasizes the Romans text that they are called, “according to his purpose.” Watson exhorts readers to the certainty of their privilege and calling, prescribing, as he puts it, “A little of this Cordial: All these things shall work together for good to them that love God.”

• A Divine Cordial, Rom. 8:28
• The Saint's Spiritual Delight
• A Christian on the Mount (or, "A Treatise Concerning Meditation")
• A Christian on Earth Still in Heaven (an appendix to "A Christian on the Mount")
• The Holy Eucharist or the Mystery of the Lord's Supper
• The Fiery Serpents, Numb 21:6-9
• The Spiritual Vine, John 15:1

The Bible and the Closet

• Authors: Thomas Watson and Samuel Lee
• Publisher: Gould, Kendall, and Lincoln
• Publication Date: 1842
• Pages: 140

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

The Bible and the Closet contains two works by Puritan Nonconformist ministers of England who were ejected in 1662. It was put together by John Overton Choules in 1842 for the education of American Puritans on their own history. The first is Thomas Watson’s How We May Read the Scriptures with the Most Spiritual Profit, and the second is Samuel Lee’s Secret Prayer Successfully Managed. This volume also contains an endorsement from the Reverend E. N. Kirk of New York and biographical sketches of Thomas Watson and Samuel Lee.

Samuel Lee (1783–1852) was a British chaplain, vicar, linguist, and Orientalist. He was a professor of Arabic and Hebrew at Cambridge. Lee was also the author of a text on Hebrew grammar and lexicon. He also co-wrote the first dictionary of the Maori language. His other works include The Book of the Patriarch Job: Translated from the Original Hebrew.

The Christian Soldier, or Heaven Taken by Storm

• Author: Thomas Watson
• Publisher: Robert Moore
• Publication Date: 1816
• Pages: 211

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Thomas Watson acknowledged that the life of a Christian is a life of warfare. Living in a time when many were persecuted and martyred for their faith, and himself having been among 2,000 English clergymen who suffered ejection from their livings under the Act of Uniformity in 1662, Watson wrote this zealous exhortation to all who would listen, encouraging believers to advocate—and even suffer—for their faith.

• The Happiness of Drawing Near to God, Ps 73:28
• The Saint's Desire to Be with Christ

Puritan Gems; or, Wise and Holy Sayings of the Rev. Thomas Watson

• Author: John Adey
• Publisher: J. Snow, and Ward and Co.
• Publication Date: 1850
• Pages: 140

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Concerned that many of the spiritual gems of wisdom scattered through Thomas Watson’s writings lay unseen in obsolete volumes, John Adey decided to create a treasury of the Wise and Holy Sayings of the Rev. Thomas Watson, desiring to make them accessible to the Christians of his time. Covering 44 topics—such as affliction for the faith, humility, fear of God, meditation, temptation, prayer, and much more—Watson’s Gems displays the tenacity and unreserved freedom that are a hallmark of his preaching.

John Adey was an English minister who wrote Puritan Gems, as a tribute to Thomas Watson.

About Thomas Watson

Thomas Watson (1620–1686) was an English vicar, Puritan, and Nonconformist. He received his MA from Emmanuel College in Cambridge. A popular preacher, Watson was rector of St. Stephen’s parish in Walbrook, London for sixteen years, until he was ejected for nonconformity. He continued a private ministry until the Indulgence of 1672, after which he pastored publicly again at Crosby Hall in London until his retirement. He wrote many books, including The Art of Divine Contentment and The Mischief of Sin—but his main work, Body of Divinity: Contained in Sermons upon the Westminster Assembly's Catechism, reflected his passion for preaching with 176 sermons.