Thomas Watson (c. 1620–1686) was an English,

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Catholic Church, Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become m ...

preacher and author. He was ejected from his London parish after the

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

, but continued to preach privately.

Education and career

He was educated at

Emmanuel College, Cambridge Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay, Chancellor of the Exchequer to Elizabeth I. The site on which the college sits was once a priory for Dominican mon ...

, where he was noted for remarkably intense study. In 1646 he commenced a 16-year pastorate at St. Stephen's, Walbrook. Watson showed strong

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

views during the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, with, however, an attachment to the king, and in 1651 he was imprisoned briefly with some other ministers for his share in

Christopher Love Christopher Love (1618, Cardiff, Wales – 22 August 1651, London) was a Welsh Presbyterian preacher and activist during the English Civil War. In 1651, he was executed by the English government for plotting with the exiled Stuart court. The ...

's plot to recall

Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest surviving child of ...

. He was released on 30 June 1652, and was formally reinstated as

vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

of St. Stephen's Walbrook. He obtained great fame and popularity as a preacher until the Restoration, when he was ejected for Nonconformity. Notwithstanding the rigor of the acts against dissenters, Watson continued to exercise his ministry privately as he found opportunity. Upon the

Declaration of Indulgence The Declaration of Indulgence, also called Declaration for Liberty of Conscience, was a pair of proclamations made by James II of England and Ireland and VII of Scotland in 1687. The Indulgence was first issued for Scotland on 12 February and t ...

in 1672 he obtained a licence to preach at the great hall in Crosby House. After preaching there for several years, his health gave way and he retired to Barnston, Essex, where he died suddenly, while praying in secret. He was buried on 28 July 1686.

Writing

Watson still has numerous titles available in print. His works include: *''All Things for Good'' (originally published as ''A Divine Cordial'') *'' The Godly Man's Picture'' *''The Ten Commandments'' *''The Doctrine of Repentance'' *''Sermons of Thomas Watson'' (a compilation) *''A Plea for the Godly: And Other Sermons'' *''The Duty of Self-Denial: (And 10 Other Sermons)'' *''The Fight of Faith Crowned: The Remaining Sermons of Thomas Watson, Rector of St. Stephen's Walbrook, London'' *''The Beatitudes'' *''The Lord's Prayer'' *''The Lord's Supper'' *''The Art of Divine Contentment'' * *''Jerusalem's Glory: A Puritan's View of the Church'' *''Heaven Taken by Storm: Showing the Holy Violence a Christian Is to Put Forth in the Pursuit After Glory'' *''The Mischief of Sin'' *''A Body of Divinity: Contained in Sermons upon the Westminster Assembly's Catechism'' and *''Gleanings from Thomas Watson'' (a compilation) *''Harmless as Doves: A Puritan's view of the Christian Life'' *''The Great Gain of Godliness''

References

External links

Writings by Watson
at the

Christian Classics Ethereal Library The Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) is a digital library that provides free electronic copies of Christian scripture and literature texts. Description CCEL is a volunteer-based project founded and directed by Harry Plantinga, a pr ...

*Writings at th
PuritanLibrary.com
and a
Monergism.comThe Thomas Watson Reading Room
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Thomas 1620s births 1686 deaths English Calvinist and Reformed theologians Ejected English ministers of 1662 Alumni of Emmanuel College, Cambridge 17th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians