Thomas Watson: The Necessity Of Meditation

By Jennifer C. Neimeyer

In modern times, a Christian’s reference to his morning’s “meditation” would likely invoke for his hearers (both Christians and non-Christians alike!) images of Buddhist monks and transcendentalist “New Agers” humming with closed eyes and folded legs. They might assume he meant that he had spent time that morning completely emptying his mind, separating it from the world, and then attaching it to “the so-called Cosmic Mind.” [1]

While Scripture mentions meditation in various places, it depicts meditation in a manner vastly different from the above image. According to Psalm 1:2, the righteous man delights in God’s law, “and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” [2] This meditation is active (“day and night”) and has content (“in his law”); it involves filling the mind, not passively emptying it. Joshua 1:8 calls God’s people to this active thinking: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein.” Here, Joshua expands meditation from just thinking about the Word to include speaking it as well (“shall not depart out of thy mouth”). In addition, he relates the purpose of meditation, namely, obedience (“to do according to all that is written therein”).

Despite the teaching of these and other biblical passages on meditation, God’s people though the ages have regularly neglected and forgotten the practice. Three and a half centuries ago, Puritan author and pastor Thomas Watson recognized this lack, especially the dearth of written material on meditation. He wrote in the “Dedicatory” of his manual on meditation, “There is little written (so farre as I know) upon this subject. Most Discourses of this nature digresse into ejaculations. I have with the help of God cut out my way thorough [sic] the rock, not finding any path that others had gone in before me; so that I have not offered that to you which cost me nothing....” [3] Not only did Thomas Watson think the practice an important one to revive, but his writings even suggest that he saw meditation as the most important aspect of private Christian devotion. Support for such a claim is threefold. First and most significantly, Watson’s The Saints Delight, To Which is Annexed a Treatise of Meditation [4] openly affirms the importance of meditation with broad, sweeping statements, and it gives meditation a position of priority over other spiritual disciplines. Because this work contains the most direct assertions of meditation’s superiority, it will receive the greatest discussion in this essay. Second, the format and content of Watson’s magnum opus, A Body of Divinity, exemplify the primacy of meditation for the man who desires to know and love Christ. Finally, particular statements in his other writings, along with the general tenor and layout of his Godly Man’s Picture, support the argument that Watson viewed meditation as most foundational to personal piety.

Background On Thomas Watson [5]

Thomas Watson was born in 1620, likely in Yorkshire. He attended Emmanuel College, Cambridge, graduating with his B.A. in 1639 and his M.A. in 1642. During his time at Cambridge, he was known as a diligent student, both focused and able. He aligned with the Presbyterians, and from 1646 until 1662, he served St. Stephen’s as a lecturer for the first ten years, and a rector for the final six. During that time, he married the daughter of an Essex minister of Puritan persuasion. She bore him seven children, of whom only three survived childhood. He also became involved in politics, which landed him in some trouble. The nature of his involvement was appealing to Cromwell not to execute Charles I, a plea that Cromwell ignored. Two years later (1651), Watson involved himself again by aiding a group that corresponded with Charles II in an effort to restore him to the throne. As a result, Cromwell locked Watson in the Tower for a year, after which time he was reinstated to his pastorate at St. Stephen’s. His ministry at St. Stephen’s, however, came to an abrupt halt in 1662, when the Act of Uniformity required Watson to use the Book of Common Prayer in his church, something he could not do in good conscience. Heartbroken, he left St. Stephen’s and ministered privately until the Declaration of Indulgence (1672) allowed him to obtain a license and preach from the great hall of Crosby House. Stephen Charnock ministered alongside him for eight years before passing away. A few years later, Watson’s own health declined, and he moved to Barnston in Essex. Watson died unexpectedly in 1686, while praying alone in his room.

Little else, beyond this basic timeline, is known of Watson’s life. Although few of these facts directly support the thesis of this essay, they do give a general idea of what sort of man Watson was and what was happening in his world. Most notable of what we know of Watson’s life is that he was a man of singular devotion to Christ. [6] Many in London thought highly of him on account of his renowned preaching, thorough knowledge of Scripture, personal piety, and prayerfulness. [7] Watson’s devotion to Christ flowed out in both his preaching and—as we can appreciate even today—his writing. He had a clear style of writing that was both deep in doctrine and rich in application. [8] His illustrations were especially notable, for they animated theological truths for his readers. [9] One of the few known anecdotes of Watson’s life reflects the vitality of his spiritual life. Edmund Calamy wrote about one Bishop Richardson who came to hear Watson speak. Moved by Watson’s sermon—and especially his prayer after the sermon—he followed Watson home in order to thank him and request a copy of the prayer. Yet, when Bishop Richardson asked for this copy, Watson told him that he could give him none, for, said Watson, “I do not use to pen my prayers; it was no studied thing, but uttered, pro re nata, as God enabled me, from the abundance of my heart and affections.” [10] This incident reveals that when Watson wrote about affection and zeal for Christ, his words stemmed from the reality existent in his own life. Furthermore, that he died while praying privately illustrates his diligence and faithfulness in seeking Christ, even to his final breath.

In 1657, Watson published his treatise on meditation, the full title of which was The Saints Delight, To Which is Annexed a Treatise of Meditation. It contained two major sections: the first discussed the believer’s delight in the Word, and the second, the result such delight produces—meditation. He saw a desperate need for such a manual in his time: the only other work on the subject from his own age and in his own language (as far as he knew [11]) was Reverend Bishop Hall’s Art of Divine Meditation, first published in 1606. Bishop Hall (1574-1656), like Watson, attended Emmanuel College in Cambridge, although he was there more than a generation before Watson. [12] Thus, it is not surprising that—though Hall was not a Puritan in his ecclesiology—he did align with them on many theological positions. [13] Likewise, he shared with the Puritans a great love of piety, something he acquired during his time at Cambridge. [14] In his treatise, Watson commended Hall’s tract to his readers, that they might understand “the necessity, excellency, and usefulnesse of this Christian duty.” [15] Watson found it to be quite helpful; yet, he objected, it was such a small tract within such a voluminous work that it would be difficult to get it into the hands of many people. Therefore, Watson sought to write a treatise that would be easier to disseminate and could be useful to a broader span of people. [16]

During the seventeenth century, at least two other Puritans wrote their own manuals on meditation. One was John Ball, who wrote A Treatise of Divine Meditation—decades before Watson wrote his—to revive the practice Ball found to be the most neglected of all Christian duties. “Though the heads of many are swelled with notions,” lamented Ball, “yet their hearts are very empty of grace and good affections.” [17] This work might have helped Watson “cut out [his] way through the rock,” [18] had only he had access to it. Yet, Ball wrote for the benefit of close friends only, never actually publishing Treatise. It was not until 1660, twenty years after Ball’s death (and a mere three years after Watson published his own treatise, interestingly enough), that Ball’s trusted friend Simeon Ashe, keeper of all his manuscripts, finally published the manual. [19]

Another Puritan who composed a manual on meditation during Watson’s time was Nathanael Ranew. He published Solitude Improved by Divine Meditation: A Treatise proving the Duty, and demonstrating the Necessity, Excellency, Usefulness, Natures, Kinds, and Requisites of Divine Meditation about ten years after Ashe published Ball’s treatise. [20] These manuals, along with numerous sermons preached on meditation during the same century [21] reveal that the topic surfaced as one of great importance in Watson’s day. Whether Watson’s treatise helped stimulate this development, or whether the various teachings emerged simultaneously due to a common spiritual climate, is unclear. What is evident is that Watson’s contribution to the corpus of writing on the topic of meditation was significant.

Meditation Defined

Before showing that Watson thought meditation to be the most important aspect of personal piety and growth, we must first define the term from Watson’s writings. Each of his works defines “meditation” with slightly different words but the same general idea. The clearest of these seems to be the definition in Heaven Taken by Storm: it is “an holy exercise of the mind, whereby we bring the truths of God to remembrance, and do seriously ponder upon them, and apply them to our selves.” [22] In other words, to meditate is (1) to remember God’s truths, (2) to think deeply upon them, and (3) to apply them to one’s life. In his treatise, Watson mentioned two aspects of the practice of meditation. [23] The first is that, in order to meditate, one must remove himself from the world. He must separate himself physically before he can separate himself mentally and spiritually. Second, he must intensely and seriously gather his thoughts toward, and remember truths about, God. This takes much time and great effort: “It is not a few transient thoughts that are quickly gone, but a fixing and staying the mind upon heavenly objects: This cannot be done without exciting all the powers of our souls, and offering violence to our selves.” [24] Meditation is hard work, but the end goal—that “the heart may be raised up to heavenly affections” [25]—is worth all the labor.

We must address one final matter before arguing our case; that is to say, we must distinguish genuine meditation from its counterfeits.

Meditation without the following characteristics, maintained Watson, is not true meditation. More specifically, in order for one’s separation from the world and gathering of his thoughts to be most valuable for his personal relationship with Christ, it must follow six rules. [26] First, meditation must be serious. It ought to reflect awe and reverence for God, as well as honest, solemn studying of self. Second, meditation must be single in focus. To think on multiple truths at once—no matter how excellent the subjects—leaves the mind scattered and unfocused. Third, meditation must be preceded by reading of Scripture. Scripture is to be the driving force of all meditation, providing its content and direction. Fourth, meditation must include examination. Truths about God, humanity, sin, salvation, and final destiny should never be considered apart from the consideration of how these apply to one’s own heart and spiritual condition. Fifth, meditation must include prayer; after all, the Spirit is the only one who can change man’s heart. If a man does not fully depend upon the Lord while he meditates, that man will never change in his affections, life, or conduct. Finally, meditation must lead to practice. Meditation is not just about seeing where we lack or what we need to change; it must include taking the necessary steps toward that change. Meditation without practice only leads to further judgment of God.

Watson’s Treatise On Meditation Clearly States It

Now that the definition and requirements of meditation are clear, we come to the first and strongest evidence for the argument at hand: Watson’s treatise on meditation clearly states that meditation is the most important aspect of Christian piety. It does this in two ways: (1) it makes blanket statements about the importance of meditation, and (2) it lists reasons why meditation is so valuable, including its priority over other Christian duties. The strong statements about the value of meditation begin with the key text Watson used in both major sections of The Saints Delight, To Which is Annexed a Treatise of Meditation,” Psalm 1:2. It reads, “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” [27] The man who does these things, namely delighting and meditating on God’s law (which may be expanded to include all of God’s Word [28]) is called “blessed” in verse one. From the second part of Psalm 1:2, Watson set forth the key proposition, “A good Christian is a meditating one” [29] as the foundation on which he built the remainder of the discourse. Several chapters later, he expounded on this idea of being a “good Christian” when he wrote, “The necessity of meditation appears in this, because without it we can never be good Christians; a Christian without meditation is like a soldier without arms or a workman without tools.” [30] In other words, meditation is the instrument that enables the Christian to carry out his task. A soldier with no weapon is no soldier; he is merely a civilian. In the same way, it is not enough for a workman to know his trade; he must also have the necessary tools to carry out his tasks in order to bear the name workman. [31]

What, then, is the task of the Christian, for which he needs the instrument of meditation? Watson wrote, “The errand God sent us into the world about is salvation, and that we may attain the end we must use the means, viz. Holy Meditation.” [32] Some might misconstrue this statement as saying that doing an action, viz. meditating, saves a man. Yet, such a rendering does not fit with the remainder of Watson’s writings, which plainly teach that salvation is by grace alone. [33] Instead, the ensuing pages flesh out this idea, explaining that a man may never “offer violence to himselfe”—that is, deny himself and mortify his sin—if he never meditates on God and His Word. [34] While a man may intellectually know the truths of the gospel, his heart will only become warm toward the gospel by examining it and assessing his own heart alongside it—in meditation. [35] This is not to say that meditation causes his salvation, but meditation must flow from true salvation. Watson made this argument from Psalm 1:2. First, he stated that the true believer delights himself in God’s Word; in fact, Watson called this delight “the badge of a Christian.” [36] Then, while “grace breeds delight in God,” Watson continued, “delight breeds Meditation.” [37] In other words, delight will necessarily lead to meditation in the believer: a lack of meditation betrays a lack of delight. [38] If one delights in the salvation God has given, he will accordingly desire “to look into the mysteries of salvation,” [39] meaning that he will meditate. Joel Beeke supports this idea when he writes that spiritual growth is expected of a believer (2 Pet. 3:18), and yet one cannot grow spiritually if he fails to “cultivate spiritual knowledge.” [40]

Further commendation of meditation in Watson’s treatise includes praising meditation as the most excellent of all tasks: “Other duties have done excellently, but Thou excellest them all.” [41] Meditation is so excellent, he argued, because it breathes life into the believer’s faith. It is a duty “wherein the life and power of godlinesse doth consist,” [42] a duty “wherein consist the essentials of Religion, and which nourisheth the very life blood of it.” [43] He also called it “the greatest work in the world” [44] and “the best way for a man to prosper in his estate.” [45] These superlatives praising meditation reflect the primacy that Watson gave to the practice. Without meditation, one cannot “work out his salvation with fear and trembling,” for the lack of it exposes a heart that does not prize the gospel. Just as a husband who cherishes his wife thinks about her often, recalling and praising her attributes, so a man who loves and cherishes Christ spends his days thinking about, recalling, and praising the attributes of his Lord. [46]

The second way in which Watson’s treatise on meditation clearly states the importance of meditation is by listing and describing reasons why meditation is valuable, particularly its role in and priority over other Christian duties. Beeke gives an analogy that helpfully introduces this assertion:

Meditation was a daily duty that enhanced every other duty of the Puritan’s Christian life. As oil lubricates an engine, so meditation facilitates the diligent use of means of grace..., deepens the marks of grace..., and strengthens one’s relationships to others. [47]

Beeke’s quotation reminds us that, while Watson set meditation in a category above other Christian duties, he still thought those other duties necessary. The primacy of meditation came in, however, when all other Christian practices should necessarily be joined to meditation. A closer examination of Watson’s treatise will assist us in understanding this point.

First, utilizing Beeke’s categories, let us study how meditation enhances the means of grace, according to Watson’s treatise. One of the most important disciplines in the Christian life—and one that regularly characterized Watson’s own life—is prayer. Watson called prayer “the spiritual pulse,” and even the “breath,” of the soul: “There is no living without prayer; a man cannot live unless he takes breath, no more can the Soul unless it breathes out its desires to God.” [48] While he acknowledged the vitality of this spiritual discipline in the Christian life, Watson still thought that meditation was more important: “Meditation fits for Prayer.... Meditation is like oyl to the lamp; the lamp of prayer will soon go out unless meditation cherish and support it.” [49] This is not to say that Watson thought meditation alone was better than prayer; rather, he thought that meditation together with prayer was better than prayer alone. [50]

Two other means of grace enhanced by meditation are reading the Word and hearing it preached. Watson wrote, “There are many truths ly, as it were, in the heart dead, which when we begin to Meditate upon, they begin to have life and heat in them. Meditation of a truth is like rubbing a man in a swoon, it fetcheth life. Tis meditation makes a Christian.” [51] Truths about God and His Word are excellent, but if one merely knows them intellectually, without ruminating on them, he will never profit by them. In fact, they will only increase his condemnation [52] and bring upon him spiritual sickness:

There is a disease in children called the Rickets, when they have great heads, but their lower parts are small, and thrive not. I wish many of the Professors in London, have not the spiritual Rickets, they have great heads, much knowledge, but yet they thrive not in godliness, their heart is faint, their feet feeble, they walk not vigorously in the waies of God, and the cause of this disease is, the want of meditation. [53]

For this reason, Watson thought it “better [to] meditate on one Sermon than hear five.” [54] Thus, praying, reading Scripture, and hearing sermons—while all vital means to grow in grace—depend upon and are enhanced by meditation. These three means of grace are a small sampling of the evidence Watson gave in his treatise supporting the primacy of meditation over the other spiritual disciplines. [55]

Not only does meditation enhance the means of grace, but it also augments the marks of grace. One example of this is how Watson related meditation and humility. In his treatise, Thomas Watson remarked, “Meditation fits for Humiliation.” [56] The Scripture from which he drew this was Psalm 8, where David contemplated God’s creation, which led to the diminishing of his pride and the stirring of “Self-abasing thoughts.” [57] Essentially, Watson argued that one could never fully sense his own unworthiness and lowliness before the Lord if he never took time to think deeply about such things. Meditation advances numerous other marks of grace, maintained Watson, including turning from sin (repentance) [58] and growing in holiness (sanctification). [59] Finally, meditation improves one’s relationships to others. Most importantly, it helps a man love Christ more, Watson believed, for to consider deeply Christ’s love for man and His exceedingly great sacrifice will produce greater love and appreciation in the genuine believer. By way of illustration, Watson depicted a man who walks on hot coals growing warmer because of the heat beneath him. [60] In sum, this evidence from Watson’s treatise, while far from comprehensive, defends the contention that he saw meditation as the most important facet of Christian piety.

Watson’s Body Of Divinity Exemplifies It

The second evidence for the primacy of meditation in Watson’s writings is the format and content of Watson’s magnum opus, A Body of Divinity. This book, composed of sermons based on the Westminster Shorter Catechism, is the best known of his works. [61] First, it should be noted that the book directly mentions meditation in various places. For example, Watson wrote in the section on the Scriptures, “Labor that the Word may not only be a lamp to direct, but a fire to warm.” [62] Here again is the idea that the Word should affect not only a Christian’s mind, but his heart as well. Later, when speaking on the eternity of God, Watson wrote that believers should “think of eternity,” for “thoughts of eternal torments are a good antidote against sin.” [63] Although he used the word “think” instead of “meditate,” it is clear that meditation is what he had in mind. While these statements support the argument, they are not the focus of this section. More striking than the book’s direct references to meditation, the entire corpus of A Body of Divinity represents the contemplation and digestion of spiritual truth—meditation, as Watson defined it. The book, then, can serve as an example for others to follow when they meditate. Beeke even suggests that, while essentially a systematic theology, A Body of Divinity could be used in one’s personal quiet time: “Unlike most other systematic theologies, it weds knowledge and piety together, and can be used effectively in daily devotions.” [64]

The first way in which A Body of Divinity serves as an example for believers to follow in their own private meditation is that its format conforms to that which Watson set forth in his treatise on meditation. Recalling the six rules Watson set forth in meditation, we see that this work closely follows all six. [65] A Body of Divinity is very serious in the work of ruminating on theological truths, unafraid to express even the painful truths of death, hell, or condemnation (rule 1). [66] It follows the outline of the catechism, but each section begins with Scripture (rule 2). [67] Each portion of the work is narrow in its focus, carefully examining individual points and implications before proceeding to the next (rule 3). It constantly calls the reader to examine his own life and compare it with what he is reading (rule 4). [68] It exhorts the reader to pray, and it even contains some of Watson’s own prayers (rule 5). [69] It challenges the reader to take action in changing how he lives, to respond to what he is reading (rule 6). [70] That A Body of Divinity abides by these rules is significant, because it allows that the book might be considered a form of private meditation, at least in its format.

In addition to its format, the content of A Body of Divinity also serves as an example of private Christian meditation. The bulk of Watson’s treatise on meditation is a list and description of the subject matter on which a believer is to meditate. [7]1 Significantly, most of the items on this list correlate with the content of A Body of Divinity. [72] The subjects on which believers are to meditate (the list from his treatise), paired with their corresponding sections of A Body of Divinity, are as follows: God’s attributes (II), God’s promises (most sections), Christ’s love (IV), sin (III), the creature’s vanity (not directly addressed), the beauty of grace (V), your spiritual condition (III, V, and VI), how few will be saved (not directly addressed), final apostatsy (III), death (VI), the day of judgment (VI), hell (III), heaven (VI), eternity (VI), and your experiences (not directly addressed). Consequently, in A Body of Divinity, Thomas Watson examined the very material on which he called believers to meditate, and he did so in a manner that looks quite similar to meditation. It seems a fair conclusion to draw, then, that the book—which he wrote as a means to ground and settle people [73]—could rightly serve as an example of meditation for believers to follow.

Watson’s Other Works Support It

Many of Watson’s other works also support the idea that he thought meditation to be the key to personal spiritual vitality. Within them lie direct statements of the importance of meditation, and one book in particular (The Godly Man’s Picture) depicts for believers the self-examination that rightly accompanies meditation. First, various writings contain statements that place high importance on the practice. Heaven Taken by Storm calls meditation “a duty wherein the very heart and life-blood of Religion lies.” [74] Like the treatise, it also exposes the superiority of meditation over merely hearing the Word: “Hearing begets knowledge, but meditation begets devotion.” [75] Watson’s sermon, “How We May Read the Scriptures with the Most Spiritual Profit,” reiterates the necessity of meditating while reading the Word: “Reading brings a truth into our head, meditation brings it into our heart....” [76] The two should never be separated, emphasized Watson, for reading is like a bee sucking pollen from a flower, while meditating is like that bee then turning the pollen into honey. Meditation requires content, to be sure, but the receiving of content should remain the means, not become the end in itself. In the same sermon, Watson described the link between meditation and the heart, calling meditation “the bellows of the affections.” [77] “The reason we come away so cold from reading the word,” he articulated, “is because we do not warm ourselves at the fire of meditation.” These quotations, while by no means the entirety of the evidence, help to show that many of Watson’s writings directly argued for the priority of meditation in Christian devotion.

The final piece of evidence is The Godly Man’s Picture, a book Watson wrote to depict for readers the portrait of a man who will finally be saved. If Watson actually thought meditation to be the most important spiritual discipline, surely he would characterize “the godly man” by this discipline. This is, in fact, the case. He certainly directly asserted that the godly man meditates: “A pious soul meditates on the truth and holiness of the Word. He not only has a few transient thoughts, but leaves his mind steeping in the Scripture.” [78] Furthermore, when answering the question of what a Christian may do to become godly, Watson listed eight rules, at least half of which speak directly of meditation: (1) take heed of the world; (2) accustom yourselves to holy thoughts; (3) watch your hearts; (4) think of your short stay in the world. [79]

Yet, as was the case in our analysis of A Body of Divinity, it is not the general statements with which we are most concerned in this argument; rather, it is the broader picture painted in the book that provides the weightiest evidence. Watson began the book with an exhortation to his reader to study the character of the man described therein and to make himself like that man: “Christian, aspire after piety; it is a lawful ambition. Look at the saints’ characteristics here, and never leave off till you have got them stamped upon your own soul. This is the grand business that should swallow up your time and thoughts.” [80] Thus, Watson essentially asked his readers to meditate on the character of the godly man, assess their own lives in comparison with him, and then take the necessary steps to change and become like that man. In other words, he placed meditation in the position of priority, both while Christians read about and strive for godliness (“look at the saints’ characteristics here”), and while they go about the business of their days (“should swallow up your time and thoughts”). In conclusion, evidence from a variety of Watson’s writings supports the idea that he perceived meditation to be the most important spiritual discipline. His writings do this both by making direct statements about its significance and by exhorting Christians to practice it as they seek to grow in godliness.

Conclusion

The above survey of the writings of Thomas Watson supports the argument that he saw meditation upon the Word of God as the most important aspect of private Christian devotion. His treatise on meditation openly states this; A Body of Divinity exemplifies this; and his other works support and affirm this. While we should regularly practice all the other Christian duties, we must always join these to the rumination on God’s attributes, our sinfulness, and His amazing work of salvation. Finally, if we believe, as Beeke points out, that meditation will be the oil for our spiritual engines, we should heed Watson’s advice: “If you have formerly neglected it, bewail your neglect, and now begin to make conscience of it: Lock up your selves with God (at least once a day) by holy meditation. Ascend this Hill, and when you are gotten to the top of it, you shall see a fair prospect, Christ and heaven before you. [81]

Notes

1. Joel R. Beeke, “The Puritan Practice of Meditation,” in Puritan Reformed Spirituality (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2004), 74.
2. Cf. Psalm 119:97.
3. Thomas Watson, The Saints Delight, To Which is Annexed a Treatise of Meditation (London: Printed by T. R. & E. M. for Ralph Smith, 1657) [book on-line]; EEBO, SBTS Library; accessed 21 September, 2008; available from http://71.16.238.140:2349/search/ full_rec?SOURCE=pgimages.cfg&ACTION= ByID&ID= V170676; Internet, A4–A5.
4. Although this is the full title of Watson’s work, I will regularly refer to it as his “treatise” or “manual” on meditation throughout this essay.
5. This information comes from four sources: William S. Barker, “A Body of Divinity, by Thomas Watson (d. 1686),” in The Devoted Life: An Invitation to the Puritan Classics, ed. Kelly M. Kapic and Randall C. Gleason (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2004), 200-202; Joel R. Beeke and Randall J. Pederson, Meet the Puritans, With a Guide to Modern Reprints (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2006), 605-613; Hamilton Smith, ed., Gleanings from Thomas Watson: Extracts from the Writings of Thomas Watson (London: Central Bible Truth Depot, 1915; reprint, Morgan, PA: Soli Deo Gloria, 1995), xi–xv; C. H. Spurgeon, “Brief Memoir of Thomas Watson,” in A Body of Divinity, rev. ed. (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1965; reprint, 2003), vii–xii.
6. Spurgeon, “Brief Memoir of Thomas Watson,” viii.
7. Smith, Gleanings from Thomas Watson, xii.
8. Beeke, Meet the Puritans, 606.
9. Ibid.
10. Spurgeon, “Brief Memoir of Thomas Watson,” viii.
11. Watson, The Saints Delight, B6.
12. Beeke, Meet the Puritans, 309-313.
13. Beeke, “Puritan Practice of Meditation,” 76.
14. Beeke, Meet the Puritans, 309.
15. Watson, The Saints Delight, B6.
16. Ibid.
17. John Ball, A Treatise of Divine Meditation (London: Published by Simeon Ashe, 1660) [book on-line]; EEBO, SBTS Library; accessed 9 November, 2008; available from http://71.16.238.140:2349/search/full_rec?SOURCE=pgimages.cfg &ACTION=ByID&ID=V170506; Internet, A3.
18. See note 3 for his original quote.
19. Ibid.
20. Beeke, Meet the Puritans, 494-495.
21. Sermons from many other Puritan preachers remain. Among these are Isaac Ambrose’s “Of the Nature and Kindes of Meditation” (1658), William Bridge’s Christ and the Covenant, the Work and Way of Meditation (1667), Edmund Calamy’s The Art of Divine Meditation (1680), William Fenner’s The Use and Benefit of Divine Meditation in Two Sermons (1665), Thomas Manton’s Sermons on the XXIV Chapter of Genesis (1693), and Thomas White’s A Method and Instructions for the Art of Divine Meditation with Instances of Several Kindes of Solemn Meditation (1655).
22. Thomas Watson, Heaven Taken By Storm, or The Holy Violence a Christian is to Put Forth in the Pursuit after Glory (London: Printed by R. W. for Thomas Parkhurst, 1669) [book on-line]; EEBO, SBTS Library; accessed 21 September, 2008; available from http://71.16.238.140:2349/search/full_rec?SOURCE=pgimages.cfg& ACTION=ByID&ID=V106548; Internet, 42.
23. Thomas Watson, “A Christian on the Mount: or, A Treatise Concerning Meditation,” in The Saints Delight, To Which is Annexed a Treatise of Meditation (London: Printed by T.R. & E.M. for Ralph Smith, 1657) [book on-line]; EEBO, SBTS Library; accessed 21 September, 2008; available from http:// 71.16.238.140:2349/ search/full_rec?SOURCE=pgimages.cfg&ACTION=ByID&ID=V170676; Internet, 61-65.
24. Watson, Heaven Taken by Storm, 42.
25. Watson, “A Christian on the Mount,” 65.
26. Ibid., 259-275.
27. Watson, The Saints Delight, 1, 57.
28. Thomas Watson, “The Saints Spiritual Delight,” in The Saints Delight, To Which is Annexed a Treatise of Meditation (London: Printed by T.R. & E.M. for Ralph Smith, 1657) [book on-line]; EEBO, SBTS Library; accessed 21 September, 2008; available from http://71.16.238.140:2349/search/full_rec?SOURCE=pgimages.cfg& ACTION=ByID&ID= V170676; Internet, 11.
29. Watson, “A Christian on the Mount,” 59.
30. Ibid., 194-195.
31. Beeke, “Puritan Practice of Meditation,” 78-79.
32. Watson, “A Christian on the Mount,” 208.
33. Watson, A Body of Divinity, 167-168.
34. Watson, “A Christian on the Mount,” 211. Cf. Beeke, “Puritan Practice of Meditation,” 73.
35. Recall, also, that prayer must always accompany meditation (page 7). Cf. Beeke, “Puritan Practice of Meditation,” 83.
36. Watson, “The Saints Spiritual Delight,” 10.
37. Watson, “A Christian on the Mount,” 58.
38. Watson, “The Saints Spiritual Delight,” 26ff.
39. Watson, The Saints Delight, B2.
40. Beeke, “Puritan Practice of Meditation,” 73.
41. Watson, “A Christian on the Mount,” 249.
42. Watson, The Saints Delight, B2.
43. Watson, “A Christian on the Mount,” 58.
44. Ibid., 262.
45. Ibid., 258. He refers here to Joshua 1:8.
46. Watson, “The Saints Spiritual Delight,” 26ff.
47. Beeke, “Puritan Practice of Meditation,” 75.
48. Watson, “The Saints Spiritual Delight,” 239.
49. Ibid., 239-240.
50. Ibid.
51. Ibid., 197.
52. Ibid., 70.
53. Ibid., 235.
54. Ibid., 234.
55. Among the other means of grace over which meditation is superior, contended Watson, are study (ibid., 72) and memorization (ibid., 232).
56. Ibid., 242.
57. Ibid.
58. Ibid., 243-248.
59. Ibid., 76.
60. Ibid., 93.
61. Originally published in 1692 under the title A Body of Practical Divinity, it exists today in three separate volumes: A Body of Divinity, The Ten Commandments, and The Lord’s Prayer (Barker, “A Body of Divinity,” 203). The focus of this section will be the first of these volumes.
62. Watson, A Body of Divinity, 35.
63. Ibid., 65.
64. Beeke, Meet the Puritans, 608. See also Barker, “A Body of Divinity,” 208-209.
65. Watson, “A Christian on the Mount,” 259-275.
66. Watson, A Body of Divinity, 132-153.
67. Ibid., 6, 7ff. Cf. Barker, “A Body of Divinity,” 205.
68. For example, when speaking on original sin, he writes, “Christian, thou canst not believe the evil which is in thy heart, and which will break forth suddenly, if God should leave thee” (Watson, A Body of Divinity, 145). Then, “Let us lay to heart original sin, and be deeply humbled for it. It cleaves to us as a disease, it is an active principle in us, stirring us up to evil” (ibid., 147).
69. “Lord, I am indigent; but wither shall I carry my empty vessel, but to a full fountain?” (ibid., 165). Cf. “Go to Christ to teach you. ‘Lead me in thy truth, and teach me.’ Ps. xxv 5” (ibid., 170).
70. “Let original sin make us walk with continual jealousy and watchfulness over our hearts” (ibid., 148). Cf. Barker, “A Body of Divinity,” 209.
71. Watson, “A Christian on the Mount,” 72-156.
72. The exceptions are the more personal items of meditation, but these he addresses more thoroughly in The Godly Man’s Picture, which will be discussed in the following section.
73. Watson, A Body of Divinity, 5.
74. Watson, Heaven Taken by Storm, 42.
75. Ibid., 43.
76. Thomas Watson, “How We May Read the Scriptures with the Most Spiritual Profit,” in Puritan Sermons, 1659-1689, ed. Samuel Annesley (Wheaton, IL: Richard Owen Roberts, 1981), 2:62.
77. Ibid.
78. Thomas Watson, The Godly Man’s Picture, Drawn with a Scripture Pencil, or, Some Characteristic Marks of a Man who is Going to Heaven (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1992), 62.
79. Ibid., 206-207.
80. Ibid., 8.
81. Watson, “A Christian on the Mount,” 205-206. Italics added.