“A child of God keeps two books always by him:
One to write his sins in, so that he may be humble;
The other to write his mercies in, so that he may be thankful.”
–Thomas Watson, The Godly Man’s Picture Drawn with a Scripture-Pencil, or, Some Characteristic Marks of a Man who is Going to Heaven (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1666/2003), 132.
“See the amazing love of God in making us His sons.
It is love in God to feed us, but even more to adopt us: ‘Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God!’ (1 John 3:1) It is full of wonder.
The wonder of God’s love in adopting us will appear the more if we consider this: that God should adopt us when He had a Son of His own.
Men adopt because they want children, and desire to have some to bear their name.
But that God should adopt us when He had a Son of His own, the Lord Jesus, here is the wonder of love.
Christ is called ‘God’s dear Son,’ (Col. 1:13); a Son more worthy than the angels, (Heb. 1:4), ‘being made so much better than the angels.’
Now, when God had a Son of His own, such a Son, here is the wonder of God’s love in adopting us:
We needed a Father, but He did not need sons.”
–Thomas Watson, A Body of Divinity Contained in Sermons Upon the Westminster Assembly’s Catechism (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1692/1970), 234-235.
“Highly prize the Scriptures. ‘The law of Thy mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver.’ (Psalm 119:72)
Prize this Book of God above all other books. Gregory calls the Bible the heart and soul of God. ‘The law of the Lord is perfect.’ (Psalm 19:7)
The Scripture is the library of the Holy Ghost; it is a code of divine knowledge, an exact model, and platform of religion.
The Scripture contains in it the Credenda, the things which we are to believe, and the Agenda, the things which we are to practice; it is able to make us wise unto salvation. (2 Tim. 3:15)
The Scripture is the standard of truth, the judge of controversy; it is the pole star to direct us to heaven. The Scripture is the compass by which the rudder of our will is to be steered.
It is the field in which Christ, the pearl of price, is hidden. It is a rock of diamond;. It is a spiritual optic glass in which the glory of God is resplendent.
It is the panacea or universal medicine for the soul. The leaves of Scripture are like ‘the leaves of the tree of life for the healing of the nations.’ (Rev. 22:2)
The Scripture is the breeder and feeder of grace. How is the convert born, but by ‘the word of truth?’ (James 1:18)
How does a believer grow but by ‘the sincere milk of the Word?’ (1 Peter 2:2)
The Word written is the book out of which our evidences for heaven are fetched; it is the sea-mark which shows us the rocks of sin; it is the antidote against error and apostasy; it is the two-edged sword which wounds the old serpent.
It is our bulwark to withstand the force of lust. The Scripture is the tower of David, whereon the shields of our faith hang. Take away the Word, and you deprive us of the sun, said Luther.
The word written is above an angelical embassy, or a voice from heaven. ‘This voice which came from heaven we heard; we have also a more sure word.’ (2 Peter 1:18)
How should we estimate the sacred oracles of God? ‘I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.’ (Job 23:12)
King Edward VI., on the day of his coronation, had presented before him three swords, signifying that he was the monarch of three kingdoms. The King said there was one sword wanting; being asked what that was, he answered, ‘the Holy Bible, which is the sword of the Spirit, and is to be preferred before all these ensigns of royalty.’
Robert, King of Sicily, did so prize God’s word, that, speaking to his friend Petrarch, he said, ‘I protest the Scriptures are dearer to me than my kingdom, and if I must be deprived of one of them, I had rather lose my diadem than the Scriptures.'”
—Thomas Watson, “How We May Read the Scriptures with Most Spiritual Profit,” in Heaven Taken by Storm, Showing the Holy Violence a Christian is to Put Forth in Pursuit After Glory (Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 1810/1992), 120-121.
“All the mercy in the creature is derived from God, and is but a drop of this ocean. The mercy and pity a mother hath to her child is from God.
God is called, ‘The Father of mercies,’ (2 Cor. 1:3) because He begets all the mercies in the world. If God hath put any kindness into the creature, how much kindness is in Him who is the Father of mercy?
God’s mercy, as it makes the saints happy, so it should make them humble. Mercy is not the fruit of our goodness, but the fruit of God’s goodness.
Mercy is an alms that God bestows. They have no cause to be proud who live upon the alms of God’s mercy. ‘If I be righteous, yet will I not lift up my head,’ (Job 10:15). All my righteousness is the effect of God’s mercy, therefore I will be humble, and will not lift up my head.
Mercy stays the speedy execution of God’s justice. Sinners continually provoke God, and make His fury come up in His face (Ezek. 38:18). Why is it that God does not presently arrest and condemn them? It is not because God cannot do it, for He is armed with omnipotence. It is because of God’s mercy.
Mercy gets a reprieve for the sinner, and stops the speedy process of justice. God would, by His goodness, lead sinners to repentance. It is only mercy that saves the sinner.
I might shew you several species or kinds of mercy: preventing mercy, sparing mercy, supplying mercy, guiding mercy, accepting mercy, healing mercy, quickening mercy, supporting mercy, forgiving mercy, correcting mercy, comforting mercy, delivering mercy, and crowning mercy.
God’s mercy is free. To set up merit is to destroy mercy. Nothing can deserve mercy, because we are polluted in our blood. We may force God to punish us, not to love us: ‘I will love them freely,’ (Hos. 14:4).
Every link in the chain of salvation is wrought and interwoven with free grace.
Election is free: ‘He hath chosen us in Him… according to the good pleasure of His will,’ (Eph. 1:4-5).
Justification is free: ‘Being justified freely by His grace,’ (Rom. 3:24).
Salvation is free: ‘According to His mercy He saved us,’ (Titus 3:5).
Mercy is free. If God should show mercy only to such as are worthy, then He would show none at all.
God’s mercy is an overflowing mercy. It is infinite: ‘Plenteous in mercy,’ (Ps. 86:5); ‘Rich in mercy,’ (Eph. 2:4); ‘Multitude of Thy mercies,’ (Ps. 51:1).
The vial of wrath doth but drop, but the fountain of mercy runs. The sun is not so full of light as God is full of mercy.
God hath morning-mercies: ‘They are new every morning,’ (Lam. 3:23). God hath night-mercies: ‘In the night his song shall be with me,’ (Ps. 42:8).
God hath mercies under heaven, those we taste of; and in heaven, those we hope for.
God’s mercy is eternal: ‘The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting,’ (Ps. 103:17). It is repeated twenty-six times in one psalm, ‘His mercy endureth forever,’ (Ps. 136).
The souls of the blessed shall be ever bathing themselves in this sweet and pleasant ocean of God’s mercy. God’s anger to His children lasts but a while (Ps. 103:17), but His mercy lasts forever.
As long as He is God He will be shewing mercy. As His mercy is overflowing, so it is everflowing.”
–Thomas Watson, A Body of Divinity Contained in Sermons Upon the Westminster Assembly’s Catechism (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1692/1970), 95-96.
“If God gives His people such joy in this life, oh! then, what glorious joy will He give them in heaven! ‘Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord,’ (Matt. 25:21)
Here joy begins to enter into us. There we shall enter into joy.
God keeps His best wine till last. What joy when the soul shall forever bathe itself in the pure and pleasant fountain of God’s love? What joy to see the brightness of Christ’s face?
Oh! If a cluster of grapes here be so sweet, what will the full vintage be?
How may this set us all a longing for that place where sorrow cannot live, and where joy cannot die!”
–Thomas Watson, A Body of Divinity Contained in Sermons Upon the Westminster Assembly’s Catechism (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1692/1970), 272-273.
“The oil of joy makes the wheels of obedience move faster.
Christ died to purchase this joy for His saints: He was a man of sorrow that we may be full of joy.
He prays that the saints may have this divine joy, ‘And now I come to Thee, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves,’ (John 17:13).
And this prayer He now prays in heaven. He knows we never love Him so much as when we feel His love, which may encourage us to seek after this joy.
We pray for that which Christ Himself is praying for when we pray that His joy may be fulfilled in us.”
–Thomas Watson, A Body of Divinity Contained in Sermons Upon the Westminster Assembly’s Catechism (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1692/1970), 271.
“Christ is lovely to God His Father. God is infinitely taken with Him.
Christ is called the Rose of Sharon, and how doth God delight to smell this rose! ‘My elect in whom my soul delights.’ (Isa. 42:1)
Surely if there be loveliness enough in Christ to delight the heart of God, there may well be enough in Him to delight us. Christ is the centre where all the lines of His Father’s love do meet.”
–Thomas Watson, “Christ’s Loveliness,” in Discourses on Important and Interesting Subjects, Being the Select Works of the Rev. Thomas Watson (vol. 1; Edinburgh; Glasgow: Blackie, Fullarton, & Co.; A. Fullarton & Co., 1829), 1: 308.
“What absolute need there is to stir up ourselves to holy duties.
In respect of the sluggishness of our hearts to that which is spiritual: blunt tools need whetting, a dull creature needs spurs.
Our hearts are dull and heavy in the things of God, therefore we had need spur them on, and provoke them to that which is good.
The flesh hinders from duty: when we would pray, the flesh resists; when we should suffer, the flesh draws back. How hard is it sometimes to get leave of our hearts to seek God!
Jesus Christ went more willingly to the cross than we do to the throne of grace.
Had not we need then provoke ourselves to duty? If our hearts are so unstrung in religion, we had need prepare and put them in tune.”
–Thomas Watson, The Christian Soldier, or Heaven Taken by Storm, Showing The Holy Violence A Christian Is To Put Forth In The Pursuit After Glory (Matthew 11:12), Ed. Joel Beeke (Grand Rapids, MI: Soli Deo Gloria, 1669/1992), 11.
“Extol and magnify God’s mercy, who hath adopted you into His family; who, of slaves, hath made you sons; of heirs of hell, heirs of the promise.
Adoption is a free gift. He gave them power, or dignity, to become the sons of God. As a thread of silver runs through the whole piece of work, so free grace runs through this whole privilege of adoption.
Adoption is a greater mercy than Adam had in paradise; he was a son by creation, but here is a further sonship by adoption.
To make us thankful, consider, in civil adoption there is some worth and excellency in the person to be adopted; but there was no worth in us, neither beauty, nor parentage, nor virtue; nothing in us to move God to bestow the prerogative of sonship upon us.
We have enough in us to move God to correct us, but nothing to move Him to adopt us, therefore exalt free grace. Begin the work of angels here.
Bless Him with your praises who hath blessed you in making you His sons and daughters!”
–Thomas Watson, A Body of Divinity Contained in Sermons Upon the Westminster Assembly’s Catechism (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1692/1970), 160.
Filed under Adoption, Bible, Christian Theology, Jesus Christ, Preaching, Puritanical, Quotable Quotes, The Gospel, Thomas Watson
“Grace breeds delight in God, and delight breeds meditation.”
–Thomas Watson, “A Christian on the Mount, or a Treatise Concerning Meditation,” in Discourses on Important and Interesting Subjects, Being the Select Works of the Rev. Thomas Watson, Volume 1 (Edinburgh; Glasgow: Blackie, Fullarton, & Co.; A. Fullarton & Co., 1829), 1: 197.
Filed under Bible, Christian Theology, Jesus Christ, Puritanical, Quotable Quotes, The Gospel, Thomas Watson
