Why was Jesus Christ made flesh?

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, Part IV: “The Covenant of Grace and Its Mediator.” (1.) The causa prima, and impulsive cause, was free grace. It was love in God the Father to send Christ, and love […]

What is godliness?

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’ Picture, chapter 2: “Expounding the Nature of Godliness.” It will first be enquired, “What is godliness?” I answer in general, “Godliness is the sacred impression and workmanship of God in a […]

Rest in the wisdom of God

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, chapter 7: “The Wisdom of God.” Adore the wisdom of God. It is an infinite deep; the angels cannot search into it. ‘His ways are past finding out’ (Rom. 11:33). As […]

That’s not repentance

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from The Doctrine of Repentance, chapter 2: “Counterfeit Repentance.” To discover what true repentance is, I shall first show what it is not. There are several counterfeits of repentance, which might occasion that saying of […]

How affliction works for our good (continued)

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is a continuation from last week’s selection from A Divine Cordial (currently in print under the title, All Things for Good), chapter 2: “The Worst Things Work for Good to the Godly.” (5). Afflictions work for good, as […]

How affliction works for our good

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from A Divine Cordial (currently in print under the title, All Things for Good), chapter 2: “The Worst Things Work for Good to the Godly.” As the hard frosts in winter bring on the flowers in […]

If we are lovers of God, we love what God loves

Thomas Watson in All Things for Good (orig., A Divine Cordial) writes about tests we can give ourselves to determine whether or not we genuinely love God. Test nine follows: If we are lovers of God, we love what God loves. (i.) We love God’s Word. David esteemed the Word, for the sweetness of it, […]

He chose us because…

What is the reason that one man is called [to salvation], and not another? It is from the eternal purpose of God. God’s decree gives the casting voice in man’s salvation. Let us then ascribe the whole work of grace to the pleasure of God’s will. God did not choose us because we were worthy, […]

Keep loving God

Question. How may we keep our love from going out? Answer. Watch your hearts every day. Take notice of the first declinings in grace. Observe yourselves when you begin to grow dull and listless, and use all means for quickening. Be much in prayer, meditation, and holy conference. When the fire is going out you […]

The danger of not repenting

When the heart is grown hard and stiff in wickedness, it is hard to tune the penitential string. A tender plant is easily removed, but it is hard to pluck up an old tree that is rooted. An old sinner who has been a long time rooting in sin is hardly plucked out of his […]

The evil of sin works for good to the godly, part 2

In yesterday’s post, “The evil of sin works for good to the godly,” Thomas Watson addressed the good that comes out of sins that are committed against the believer. But then he also adds a second benefit that arises from sin: the benefit that is derived from our own sin against others (be sure to read […]

The evil of sin works for good to the godly

Romans 8:28 tells us that all things work together for good to those who love God, who are called according to His purpose. We say we believe that, but often we resist the truthfulness of that statement. For instance, when others sin against us we pause before affirming Romans 8:28. And when others sin horribly […]

Communion and the work of Christ’s blood

This morning we will remember the death of Christ through communion. There can be a ritualistic sameness to this ordinance — a small piece of cracker eaten and a small cup of juice drunk in a brief conclusion to a morning worship service. The same words recited from 1 Corinthians 11 and the same kinds […]

Why are there apostates?

The apostle John makes it clear that there are some in the church who claim faith in Christ who are not really believers in Christ. And when they leave the church they also leave the faith — they are apostate (1 Jn. 2:18-19). How does that happen? How do people become apostate? Why do people […]

Think often of your death

Thomas Watson: Oh, meditate on the transience and brittleness of life! Think often of your tombstone. Question: What advantage will accrue to us by often thinking of our short time here? Answer 1. Meditation on the shortness of time would cool the heat of our affections for the world. [“Time’s Shortness”]