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Isaac Watts
Isaac Watts (July 17, 1674 – November 25, 1748) was an English preacher, hymn writer, and theologian whose calling from God within the Congregational Church transformed Christian worship and theology across the early 18th century. Born in Southampton, England, to Isaac Watts Sr., a clothier and deacon jailed twice for Nonconformist beliefs, and Sarah Taunton, he was the eldest of nine children in a devout dissenting family. Educated at King Edward VI School in Southampton until age 16, he declined an Oxford scholarship due to his Nonconformist stance, instead attending the Dissenting Academy at Stoke Newington (1690–1694) under Thomas Rowe, mastering Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Watts’s calling from God was affirmed with his ordination in 1702 as pastor of Mark Lane Independent Chapel in London, where he served until frail health forced his retirement in 1712, though he continued assistant duties under Samuel Price until 1748. His sermons, delivered with intellectual depth and evangelical warmth, called believers to a personal faith, often paired with his revolutionary hymns like “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” and “Joy to the World,” published in works such as Hymns and Spiritual Songs (1707) and Psalms of David Imitated (1719). A prolific writer, he authored over 50 works, including The Improvement of the Mind (1741) and Logick (1725), shaping Dissenting education and worship. Never married, he lived with the Abney family at Theobalds after 1712 and passed away at age 74 in Stoke Newington, London, buried at Bunhill Fields.
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Isaac Watts reflects on the brevity and challenges of mortal life, acknowledging the presence of pain and sin throughout our limited days on earth. He urges for a quick passage through the struggles of life, longing for Heavenly Love to prepare the soul for eternal salvation and glory. Watts then shifts the focus to the miraculous birth of Jesus, emphasizing the divine nature of the young Redeemer and the recognition of his significance by various individuals, including the eastern sages, Simeon, and Anna. Despite the blasphemy and scorn from others, believers are called to adore the eternal God who humbly entered the world as a child.
Our Days, Alas! Our Mortal Days
Our days, alas! our mortal days Are short and wretched too; Evil and few, the patriarch says, And well the patriarch knew. 'Tis but at best a narrow bound That Heaven allows to men, And pains and sins run through the round Of threescore years and ten. Well, if ye must be sad and few, Run on, my days, in haste. Moments of sin, and months of woe, Ye cannot fly too fast. Let Heavenly Love prepare my soul And call her to the skies, Where years of long salvation roll, And glory never dies. The King of Glory sends his Son To make his entrance on this earth; Behold the midnight bright as noon, And heavenly hosts declare his birth. About the young Redeemer's head What wonders and what glories meet! An unknown star arose, and led The eastern sages to his feet. Simeon and Anna both conspire The infant-Saviour to proclaim; Inward they felt the sacred fire, And blessed the babe, and owned his name. Let Jews and Greeks blaspheme aloud, And treat the holy child with scorn; Our souls adore the eternal God Who condescended to be born.
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Isaac Watts (July 17, 1674 – November 25, 1748) was an English preacher, hymn writer, and theologian whose calling from God within the Congregational Church transformed Christian worship and theology across the early 18th century. Born in Southampton, England, to Isaac Watts Sr., a clothier and deacon jailed twice for Nonconformist beliefs, and Sarah Taunton, he was the eldest of nine children in a devout dissenting family. Educated at King Edward VI School in Southampton until age 16, he declined an Oxford scholarship due to his Nonconformist stance, instead attending the Dissenting Academy at Stoke Newington (1690–1694) under Thomas Rowe, mastering Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Watts’s calling from God was affirmed with his ordination in 1702 as pastor of Mark Lane Independent Chapel in London, where he served until frail health forced his retirement in 1712, though he continued assistant duties under Samuel Price until 1748. His sermons, delivered with intellectual depth and evangelical warmth, called believers to a personal faith, often paired with his revolutionary hymns like “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” and “Joy to the World,” published in works such as Hymns and Spiritual Songs (1707) and Psalms of David Imitated (1719). A prolific writer, he authored over 50 works, including The Improvement of the Mind (1741) and Logick (1725), shaping Dissenting education and worship. Never married, he lived with the Abney family at Theobalds after 1712 and passed away at age 74 in Stoke Newington, London, buried at Bunhill Fields.