Isaac Watts Quotes from His Hymns and Sermons, With Sources
Isaac Watts (1674–1748) gave the English-speaking church many of its best-loved hymns. His lines are so familiar that people quote them without knowing who wrote them. But Watts was also a London pastor who preached for decades, and his sermons are full of clear, warm sentences about the love of God, prayer, death and heaven.
Every quotation below is copied exactly from his books in TheWay Library, with the book and hymn or sermon it comes from. The hymns keep the spelling of the editions in the library, such as "dy'd" for "died," and the verses are given as Watts wrote them, which sometimes differs from modern hymnals. For his life story, see who was Isaac Watts. For a guide to all his books, see Isaac Watts books.
The cross of Christ
Watts wrote about the cross more movingly than about anything else. His most famous hymn first appeared among his hymns for the Lord's Supper.
When I survey the wondrous cross On which the Prince of Glory dy'd, My richest gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride.
Hymns and Spiritual Songs, Book 3, Hymn 7
See from his head, his hands, his feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down; Did e'er such love and sorrow meet? Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Hymns and Spiritual Songs, Book 3, Hymn 7
Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.
Hymns and Spiritual Songs, Book 3, Hymn 7
His hymn "Godly sorrow arising from the sufferings of Christ" is known today as "Alas! and Did My Saviour Bleed":
Alas! and did my Saviour bleed, And did my Sovereign die? Would he devote that sacred head For such a worm as I?
Hymns and Spiritual Songs, Book 2, Hymn 9
Was it for crimes that I had done He groan'd upon the tree? Amazing pity! grace unknown! And love beyond degree!
Hymns and Spiritual Songs, Book 2, Hymn 9
But drops of grief can ne'er repay The debt of love I owe; Here, Lord, I give myself away, 'Tis all that I can do.
Hymns and Spiritual Songs, Book 2, Hymn 9
Not all the blood of beasts On Jewish altars slain Could give the guilty conscience peace, Or wash away the stain.
But Christ the heavenly Lamb Takes all our sins away; A sacrifice of nobler name And richer blood than they.
Hymns and Spiritual Songs, Book 2, Hymn 142
In a sermon on the atonement he spoke to a soul that feels its guilt:
Yet I will not despair: I will come in the name of Jesus the great atonement.
The Works of the Rev. Isaac Watts, Sermon XXXVI, The Use of the Foregoing Sermons
Praise and the faithfulness of God
Behold the glories of the Lamb Amidst his Father's throne Prepare new honours for his name, And songs before unknown.
Hymns and Spiritual Songs, Book 1, Hymn 1
My God, how endless is thy love! Thy gifts are every evening new; And morning mercies from above Gently distil like early dew.
Hymns and Spiritual Songs, Book 1, Hymn 81
His very word of grace is strong As that which built the skies, The voice that rolls the stars along Speaks all the promises.
Hymns and Spiritual Songs, Book 2, Hymn 69
Watts wanted Christians to sing with joy, not gloom:
The sorrows of the mind Be banish'd from the place! Religion never was design'd To make our pleasures less.
Hymns and Spiritual Songs, Book 2, Hymn 30
Why he wrote new songs
In his essay on psalmody and his preface to the Psalms, Watts explained why the church should sing the gospel in Christian words. The essay keeps the capitals of its 1707 printing.
Is not our Heart often warm'd with holy Delight in the Contemplation of the Son of God our dear Redeemer whose Love was stronger than Death?
A Short Essay Toward the Improvement of Psalmody
Where can you find a Psalm that speaks the Miracles of Wisdom and Power as they are discover'd in a crucify'd Christ?
A Short Essay Toward the Improvement of Psalmody
Where the Psalmist describes religion by the fear of God, I have often joined faith and love to it.
The Psalms of David, Preface
Where he talks of sacrificing goats or bullocks, I rather chuse to mention the sacrifice of Christ, the Lamb of God.
The Psalms of David, Preface
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
Loving God with the heart
Watts believed true religion moves the feelings as well as the mind. His Discourses on the Love of God defend a warm-hearted faith.
The heart is not easy without God; it acquiesces and rests in him alone.
Discourses on the Love of God, Discourse I, The Affectionate and Supreme Love of God
When the love of God reigns in the heart, all the joys and pleasures of the man will unite and centre in God.
Discourses on the Love of God, Discourse II, Divine Love Is the Commanding Passion
Cold reasoning, without passion, would have no such sovereign and powerful effects.
Discourses on the Love of God, Discourse III, The Use of the Passions in Religion
Now if the passions are strongly engaged for God, the world will have but little power to call off the heart from religion.
Discourses on the Love of God, Discourse III, The Use of the Passions in Religion
Faith and practice make up the whole of our religion: A sacred compound, and divinely necessary to our happiness and our heaven!
The Works of the Rev. Isaac Watts, Sermon XX, Christian Morality
Prayer and the Christian life
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
Remember therefore to take Christ with you when you come near to God.
The Works of the Rev. Isaac Watts, Sermon XIII, Appearance Before God Here and Hereafter
If you would be strong to win heaven, you must borrow all your strength from Christ and the gospel.
The Works of the Rev. Isaac Watts, Sermon XIX, None Excluded from Hope
A presuming hope that carries no spring of holiness in it, can neither honour God nor profit men.
The Works of the Rev. Isaac Watts, Sermon XL, The Privilege of the Living Above the Dead
God will have the glory of his own work.
Nine Sermons, Sermon VI, Evidences of the Efficacy of Divine Influence
Am I a soldier of the cross, A follower of the Lamb? And shall I fear to own his cause, Or blush to speak his name?
The Works of the Rev. Isaac Watts, Hymn for Sermon XXXI, Holy Fortitude
Death, heaven and the world to come
Watts lived with poor health for most of his life, and he wrote often about dying well and the joy that follows.
There is a land of pure delight Where saints immortal reign, Infinite day excludes the night, And pleasures banish pain.
There everlasting spring abides, And never withering flowers: Death like a narrow sea divides This heavenly land from ours.
Hymns and Spiritual Songs, Book 2, Hymn 66
Give me the wings of faith to rise Within the veil, and see The saints above, how great their joys, How bright their glories be.
Hymns and Spiritual Songs, Book 2, Hymn 140
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
God loves to see his people more afraid of sin than of sorrow.
The World to Come, Discourse XI, Safety in the Grave, and Joy at the Resurrection
Christian submission and silence under the hand of God, is one way to victory.
The World to Come, Discourse IX, No Pain Among the Blessed
The favour of God, and a sense of this favour, is a great part of heaven.
The Works of the Rev. Isaac Watts, Sermon I, The Inward Witness to Christianity
Death finishes our state of labour and trial, and puts us in possession of the crown and the prize.
The Works of the Rev. Isaac Watts, Sermon XLIII, Death a Blessing to the Saints
Death is but the flight of the soul where its divine life is.
The Life and Choice Works of Isaac Watts, The Hidden Life of a Christian: The Second Part
Where to read more Watts
The best place to meet Watts is his hymnbook, Hymns and Spiritual Songs. Read a few hymns aloud, slowly, and you'll see why the church has sung them for three hundred years. For his preaching, try The World to Come or the first volume of his Works. All his books are on the Isaac Watts author page, and our reading guide explains what each one holds.