Isaac Watts (1674-1748)
English
hymnwriter. Born in Southampton and educated at the famous nonconformist
academy in Stoke Newington, he ministered in a London church (1699-1712),
during which time he wrote Horae Lyricae (1706), a book of religious poetry
that ensured his inclusion in Johnson's Lives of the Poets. His hymns first
appeared in Hymns and Spiritual Songs (1707) and ran through numerous editions
in his lifetime. He was a pioneer in writing for the young. His Divine Songs
Attempted in Easy Language for the Use of Children (1715) aimed to be "a
constant furniture for the minds of children, that...may sometimes give their
thoughts a divine turn, and raise a young meditation."
In
The Psalms of David Imitated in the NT (1719) he aimed to make David a
Christian. This work included "O God, Our Help in Ages Past" (from
Ps. 90), still used on great national occasions, and "Jesus Shall
Reign" (Ps. 72). Among his other hymns is "When I Survey the Wondrous
Cross," called by Matthew Arnold the finest hymn in the English language.
Through
Edinburgh University gave him an honorary D.D. (1728), Watts was an uneasy
Calvinist, unhappy with the doctrines of total depravity and reprobation, (as
he should be). At a conference in 1719 he voted with the minority who refused
to impose acceptance of the doctrine of the Trinity on independent ministers.
He did not believe this necessary to salvation. He sought to heal the breach
between Arianism and orthodoxy in a number of theological works. In views
expounded also by others including Henry More, he argued that the human soul of
Christ had been created before the creation of the world and united with the
divine principle in the Godhead known as the Sophia or Logos, and that the
personality of the Holy Spirit was metaphorical rather than literal.
Many
of his compositions have an austere OT quality, notably in their contemplation
of God's glory in nature as well as in his revelation in Christ.
Watts,
who broke the stern embargo on the use of hymns in Nonconformist churches, also
published works on philosophy, astronomy, and social concerns. His educational
handbooks, notably Catechisms (1730) and Scripture History (1732), were still
used long after his death. His Collected Works was published in 1810.