Richard Watson (1781-1833) ***
Early
Wesleyan theologian and missions secretary. Born at Barton-upon-Hunter, in
Lincolnshire, Watson was converted under the preaching of William Dodwell, and preached
his first sermon one day after his fifteenth birthday. His extemporaneous
preaching style endeared him to congregations, and in 1796 he became a
Methodist traveling preacher. He enjoyed taking the role of devil's advocate in
doctrinal matters to sharpen his debater's skills and to deepen his
understanding of Wesleyan orthodoxy. However, this action was misunderstood,
and Watson was charged with heterodoxy and accused of being an Arian. He
resigned as itinerant preacher in spring of 1801 and was admitted into the
Methodist New Connexion in 1803. Appointed secretary of the New Connexion
conference, he held the position until a chronic respiratory ailment forced his
resignation in 1809.
In
1810 he again took appointment and in 1811 became conference secretary. He
collaborated with Jabez Bunting to defeat a bill before Parliament that would
radically curtail the freedom of ministers except those who were
"substantial" (financially and politically). As English Wesleyan
missions secretary he gave staunch support to the abolition of slavery.
Watson's
theological commitment to Wesleyan orthodoxy and the Arminian position pitted
him against a doctrine of predestination and special election: "Our Lord
Jesus Christ did so die for all men, as to make salvation attainable by all
men." A major argument in his Theological Institutes (1823) was that
Christ died for all men, that his death was for those who obtain salvation as
well as for those who reject Christ by "their own opposing wills" and
thereby fail to obtain salvation.
Of
such importance was Watson's Institutes as the first systematic treatment of
the theological motifs of Wesley's thought that it was required as a core text
in the Course of Study School in both the Methodist Episcopal Church and the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South, from the 1870s until the turn of the
century. Watson's theological orthodoxy and social activism stand as a
significant influence in British and American Wesleyan thought.
See also WESLEYAN
TRADITION, METHODISM;
ARMINIANISM.