Isaac Watts Books: A Guide to His Hymns, Psalms and Sermons
Isaac Watts (1674–1748) is best known for his hymns, but he wrote much more: Christian versions of the Psalms, an essay on what churches should sing, and many volumes of sermons and treatises. TheWay Library has eight of his books, all free to read. They fall into two groups: the books of song, and the books of sermons. For his life story, see who was Isaac Watts.
Where to start
Start with Hymns and Spiritual Songs, the 1707 hymnbook that holds "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" and dozens of other hymns still sung today.
After that, choose by what you want:
- To understand why he wrote hymns: A Short Essay Toward the Improvement of Psalmody, then his preface to The Psalms of David.
- Sermons on death and heaven: The World to Come.
- On loving God with the heart: Discourses on the Love of God.
- His life and a sampler of his prose: The Life and Choice Works of Isaac Watts, or the memoir at the start of his Works.
Every quotation below is checked against the book it comes from. For many more, see our collection of Isaac Watts quotes.
Hymns and psalms
Hymns and Spiritual Songs
Watts's hymnbook, in three parts. Book 1 sets passages of Scripture to verse, opening with "Behold the glories of the Lamb" from Revelation 5. Book 2, the largest, holds hymns on divine subjects: creation, sin, death, heaven, the love of Christ, the Christian's hopes and fears. Here you'll find "Alas! and did my Saviour bleed," "Come, we that love the Lord" and "There is a land of pure delight." Book 3 gathers hymns for the Lord's Supper, including "When I survey the wondrous cross." A subject index closes the volume.
There is a land of pure delight Where saints immortal reign, Infinite day excludes the night, And pleasures banish pain.
Hymns and Spiritual Songs, Book 2, Hymn 66
Read Hymns and Spiritual Songs.
The Psalms of David
Watts's Psalms "imitated in the language of the New Testament," first published in 1719. He sang the Psalms as a Christian would, adding faith and love where David speaks of the fear of God, and the sacrifice of Christ where David speaks of bulls and goats. The book opens with a short life of Watts and his own preface. Be aware that our copy is incomplete: it holds only Psalms 1–2, 51–55 and 105–132, including his long version of Psalm 119. "Joy to the World" (Psalm 98) and "O God, Our Help in Ages Past" (Psalm 90) aren't in it.
Lord, I have made thy word my choice, My lasting heritage; There shall my noblest powers rejoice, My warmest thoughts engage.
The Psalms of David, Psalm 119, Eighth Part
A Short Essay Toward the Improvement of Psalmody
Watts's 1707 case for new hymns. He studies the New Testament texts on "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs," answers the objection that only inspired words may be sung, and shows why the Psalms must be translated with freedom if Christians are to sing them honestly. This edition keeps the spelling and capitals of the first printing, which takes a little getting used to. It's short, and it explains the thinking behind everything he wrote for worship. Read the Essay on Psalmody.
Sermons and discourses
The World to Come
Watts's discourses on death, judgment and eternity, setting the joys of the righteous beside the sorrows of the lost. They include "The End of Time," "The Watchful Christian Dying in Peace," "No Night in Heaven," "No Pain Among the Blessed," "The Foretaste of Heaven" and "Safety in the Grave, and Joy at the Resurrection," followed by two sober discourses on hell, an essay on the soul between death and resurrection, and poems from his Horae Lyricae.
Every hour you live is an hour longer given you to prepare for dying, and to save a soul.
The World to Come, Discourse I, The End of Time
Discourses on the Love of God
Seven discourses on "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart," and on the right use of the feelings in religion. Watts shows that love for God should rule all the other passions, defends warm-hearted faith against cold religion, warns against mistaking feeling for grace, comforts the believer who feels dead inside, and gives practical means of stirring love for God. The scanned text has scattered misread words. Read Discourses on the Love of God.
Nine Sermons, Preached in the Years 1718–19
Sermons from his London ministry: Christ's prayer for His church in John 17, three on "I am crucified with Christ" (Galatians 2:20), two on "God that giveth the increase," one on the carnal mind's enmity to Christ, and two on giving thanks in everything. The scanned text has errors, especially in the Bible verses at the head of each sermon.
God will have the glory of his own work.
Nine Sermons, Sermon VI, Evidences of the Efficacy of Divine Influence
The Works of the Rev. Isaac Watts, Volume 1
The first of the nine volumes of his collected works. It opens with a memoir of his life, then gives forty-three sermons: the inward witness to Christianity, drawing near to God in prayer, the hidden life hid with Christ in God, a rational defense of the gospel, a long series on Christian character from Philippians 4:8, the atonement, and "all things are yours" from 1 Corinthians 3. This is the cleanest and longest of his prose books in the library.
When a christian gets near the seat of God in prayer, he tells him all his sorrows, and pleads with him for relief.
The Works of the Rev. Isaac Watts, Sermon V, The Soul Drawing Near to God in Prayer
The Life and Choice Works of Isaac Watts
An 1857 selection with a full life of Watts at the front. It gathers his funeral sermons on death and heaven, the Discourses of the Love of God, an exhortation to ministers, sermons on heaven and the grave, two sermons on the hidden life of a Christian, and short meditations such as "Distant Thunder" and "Breathing Toward the Heavenly Country." It's a good one-volume sampler of Watts the preacher. Read The Life and Choice Works.
Why read Watts today
Most Christians already know Watts by heart without knowing his name. Reading his hymnbook straight through shows how much of the gospel he packed into simple verse, and his sermons show the same warm faith in prose. Begin with Hymns and Spiritual Songs, then try The World to Come. All eight books are on the Isaac Watts author page.