The Life and Choice Works of Isaac Watts

Isaac Watts was born on the iVth of July, 1674, at Southampton, England. He was the eldest of nine children. His father was a man of piety, intelligence, and respectability. He presided over a flourishing boarding-school at Southampton. In his religious sentiments he was warmly attached to the Dissenters, and durinothe persecution in the reign of Charles the Second, was imprisoned for his non-conformity. While thus suffering on account of his religious opinions, his wife is said to have often sat on a stone near the prison-door, with the poet, then an infant, at her breast. He lived to a good old age, and had the high gratification of witnessing not only the literary celebrity of his son, but also the triumph of religious liberty. It is worthy of mention here that he possessed some poetical talents, and at the age of eighty-five, composed several verses on sacred subjects, which are simply and piously expressed.

In noticing the leading events in the life of Dr. Isaac Watts, it will be interesting to advert to his early mental culture. Like many other persons of uncommon genius, he was distinguished for his intellectual precocity, and early thirst for knowledge. Before he could speak plain, we were told that he would say, when money was given to him, — “A book! a book! — buy a book!” When only four years of age, he commenced the study of Latin, which he prosecuted with success under the direction of his father. He was soon afterwards placed under the care of the Rev. John Pinhorne, principal of a grammar-school at Southampton, where he received the rudiments of his classical education. While at this school he devoted the most of his time to the study of Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and French, in which he made commendable proficiency.

The poetical genius of Watts was developed at an early age. With Milton, Cowley, and Pope, he may be said to have “lisp’d in numbers.” When only seven or eight years of age he composed devotional verses which did honor to his poetical talents. The uncommon vigor of intellect which he so early evinced, attracted the notice of several benevolent persons, who generously offered to defray the expenses of his education in one of the English universities; but Watts respectfully decHned the offer, stating that he was determined to take his lot with the dissenters.

In 1690, in his sixteenth year, he was sent to London, and placed under the care of the Rev. Thomas Howe, pastor of a dissenting congregation in that city, and principal of an institution, the object of which was to prepare students for the ministry. Here he applied himself with unremitting industry to study, and obtained a thorough academic education.

Among his fellow-students at this academy, were Hughes, the poet, author of the Siege of Damascus and several papers in the Spectator, Tatler, and Guardian; Say, whose poems and essays were published after his death; and Hort, afterwards Archbishop of Tuam.

Fully aware of the importance of early forming an easy and correct style, the attention of Watts was now particularly turned to the art of composition: and, as an evidence of his industry and ability, we have several Latin essays on philosophical, moral, and theological subjects, which he composed while residing in the academy of Mr. Rowe. These academic efforts, in the opinion of Dr. Johnson, show a degree of knowledge, both philosophical and theological, such as very few attain by a much longer course of study.

As a specimen of his style of composition and of thought, at this early period of his. literary career, we select a passage from the first Essay, — Whether the doctrine of justification by faith alone tends to licentiousness. Speaking of that divine principle which purifies the heart of man, and draws him near to God, he justly and forcibly remarks — “The love of Christ, manifested in free justification without works, more effectually and sweetly binds the soul to obedience, than any rigid measures which the fear of punishment can use. The natures of believers are, as it were, refined; they are lieaven-born, ingenuous, and easily wrought upon by love. It is a common truth, that nothing is done by hatred and fear, which might not etfectually and pleasantly be performed by love. The effects of pure love are exceedingly great. We seldom, if ever, read of any who, out of mere fear of hell, would endm-e the greatest miseries of life. But how many thousands, being fortified with love to their Redeemer, have joyfully undergone severe torments rather than part with their obedience and holiness, notwithstanding they hoped not to be saved by them! Now the greater the love which is expressed towards us, the stronger are our engagements to love again. Consider, then, how incomparably greater is that love which appears in Christ’s giving us himself and his righteousness freely, and completing by himself the work of our redemption, than if he had only entreated the Father to relax the first covenant, and put us into a possibility of acquiring heaven by our own obedience. 2. Cor. V, 14: ‘The love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead.’ That love is a far more efficacious principle than fear, appears also from the first epistle of John. The whole letter of that beloved disciple breathes nothing but love and holiness. The first is the principle of the latter. He had learned and felt the power of love in the bosom of his Jesus, and recommended that sovereign antidote against sin, that cordial to revive dying holiness, to all the followers of his loving Saviour. Heaven is a state of most perfect holiness, and the immediate created principle of it is perfect love, as seems to be implied in 1. John iv. 18, and 1. Cor. xiii. 8 — 13.”

In his early school-boy days Watts adopted those useful methods of study which contributed so largely to his mental improvement, and which we cannot too strongly commend to those who would aspire to the higher walks of literature. His plan was to abridge or enlarge the most valuable works he read, in order that their contents might be more deeply impressed upon his memory. He epitomized several works which were highly popular and useful in his day, such as GaWs Court of the Gentiles; a treatise of Lewis de la Forge on the human mind, &c. He also enlarged and improved the Westminster Greek Grammar by additions from the works of Dr. Busby and Mr. Leeds. The plan which lie adopted of interleaving books, and writing down the opinions of other writers on the same topics, he found to be eminently useful as affording a more comprehensive view of any subject. But those who wish to learn the process by which Dr. Watts attained his literary fame will do well to study with care his admirable treatise on the Improvement of the mind.

It was during his academic course that Watts cultivated with great care his poetical talents. In his Miscellanies, he modestly alludes to his being a “maker of verses” from the age of fifteen to that of fifty. At the age of seventeen, he wrote verses of considerable excellence, several of which were included in his Horoe Lyricce. The Latin ode in honor of the Rev. John Pinhorne, his early teacher, of whom he always “retained a grateful and affectionate remembrance,” is a meritorious performance for a youth of twenty. It discovers a true, poetical genius, as well as an intimate acquaintance with the most distinguished poets of Greece and Rome. The lines, addressed to his brother, written about this time, are also graceful and elegant in their construction.

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