What shall we do to be thankful?

On this Thanksgiving morning, what can we do to stimulate our hearts to gratitude if we are feeling discouraged or unthankful? Thomas Watson answers: “A gracious soul is thankful and rejoices that he is drawn nearer to God, though it may be by the cords of affliction.…When God has a rod in his hand, a […]

Believers have cause for thankfulness

“See what cause the saints have to be frequent in the work of thanksgiving. In this Christians are defective; though they are much in supplication, yet little in gratulation. We meet many Christians who have tears in their eyes, and complaints in their mouths; but there are few with their harps in their hands, who […]

Have holy conversations

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is from The Great Gain of Godliness. Christians, when they meet together, should use holy conference.…Have not you matter enough in the Word to furnish you with something to say? Let me suggest a few things to […]

How a godly man loves the Word

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from The Godly Man’s Picture. A godly man shows his love to the Word written: (i) By diligently reading it. The noble Bereans “searched the Scriptures daily” (Acts 17:11). Apollos was mighty in the Scriptures […]

Meditate on the small number to be saved

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from The Christian on the Mount. Meditate upon the small number of those who shall be saved. “But few are chosen” (Matthew 20: 16). Among the millions in Rome there are but few senators; and […]

How can we glorify God?

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from All Things for Good. Question. How can we be said properly to glorify God? He is infinite in His perfections, and can receive no augmentation from us. Answer. It is true that in a […]

If all things work for good… (Pt. 3)

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from All Things for Good. (This post continues a previous post.) Inferences from the proposition that all things work for the good of the saints.… (6) Learn how little cause we have then to be […]

If all things work for good… (Pt. 2)

If all things work for good…

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from All Things for Good. Inferences from the proposition that all things work for the good of the saints. (1) If all things work for good, hence learn that there is a providence. Things do […]

Meditate upon Your Spiritual State

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is from The Christian on the Mount. Grace is precious in itself; 2 Peter 1:1 speaks of precious faith. Grace is precious in its origin; it comes from above (James 3:17). Grace is precious in its nature; […]

A godly man is a lover of the Word

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from The Godly Man’s Picture. He loves the consolatory part of the Word — the promises. He goes feeding on these as Samson went on his way eating the honeycomb (Judges 14:8, 9). The promises […]

The usefulness of justification

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from A Body of Divinity. [What is the usefulness of the doctrine of justification?] Use one: See from hence, that there is nothing within us that could justify, but something without us; not any righteousness inherent, […]

What is justification?

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from A Body of Divinity. Justification is an act of God’s free grace, whereby he pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ, imputed to us, […]

How do the Scriptures have divine authority?

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from A Body of Divinity. How does it appear that the Scriptures have a Jus Divinum, a divine authority stamped upon them? Because the Old and New Testament are the foundation of all religion. If their […]

Why was Jesus Christ made flesh? Part 2

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from A Body of Divinity [continued from last week]. Use one: Of instruction. See here, as in a glass, the infinite love of God the Father; that when we had lost ourselves by sin, God, in […]