Quotes from Thomas Watson (1620-1686)
“Christ went more willingly to the cross than we do to the throne of grace.”
“The pleasure of sin is soon gone, but the sting remains.”
“God sweetens outward pain with inward peace.”
“A weak faith can lay hold on a strong Christ.”
“It is our work to cast care, and it is God's work to take care.”
“Unless we deny our own will, we shall never do God’s will.”
“Until sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet.”
“A man may read the figure on the dial, but he cannot tell how the day goes, unless the sun shines upon the dial: we may read the Bible over, but we can not learn the purpose, till the Spirit of God shines into our hearts. O implore this blessed Spirit! It is God's prerogative-royal to teach: "I am the Lord thy God, which teacheth thee to profit." Is. 48. 17. Ministers may tell us our lesson, God only can teach us; we have lost both our hearing and eye-sight, therefore are very unfit to learn. Ever since Eve listened to the serpent, we have been deaf; and since she looked on the tree of knowledge we have been blind; but when God comes to teach, he removes these impediments.”
“Neither deficiencies nor disappointments, losses nor crosses, can cause disquieting discontents in that bosom where faith is commander in chief.”
“In a word a contented Christian, being sweetly captivated under the authority of the Word, desires to be wholly at God's disposal and is willing to live in that sphere and climate where God has set him.”
“Ministers can but speak to the ear, the Spirit speaks to the heart.”
“If God spares us as a father does his son, let us imitate God. It is natural for children to imitate their parents. Let us imitate God in this one thing: As God spares us, and passes by many failures, so let us be sparing in our censures of others; let us look upon the weaknesses and indiscretions of our brethren with...a more tender, compassionate eye. How much God bears with us!”
“We must love God more for what He is, than for what He bestows.”
“Our sins should humble us, but they must not discourage us from coming to Christ.”
“It is better to go to heaven with a few, than to hell in the crowd.”
“What is the duty which God requires of man? Obedience to his revealed will. It is not enough to hear God’s voice, but we must obey. Obedience is a part of the honor we owe to God.”
“We love a saint, though he has many personal failings. There is no perfection here. In some, rash anger prevails; in some, inconstancy; in some, too much love of the world. A saint in this life is like gold in the ore, much dross of infirmity cleaves to him, yet we love him for the grace that is in him. A saint is like a fair face with a scar: we love the beautiful face of holiness, though there be a scar in it. The best emerald has its blemishes, the brightest stars their twinklings, and the best of the saints have their failings. You that cannot love another because of his infirmities, how would you have God love you?”
“Ingredient 2: Sorrow for Sin “I will be sorry for my sin” (Psa 38:18). Ambrose calls sorrow the embittering of the soul. The Hebrew word “to be sorrowful” signifies “to have the soul, as it were, crucified.” This must be in true repentance: “They shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn” (Zec 12:10), as if they did feel the nails of the cross sticking in their sides. A woman may as well expect to have a child without pangs as one can have repentance without sorrow. He that can believe without doubting, suspect his faith; and he that can repent without sorrowing, suspect his repentance. Martyrs shed blood for Christ, and penitents shed tears for sin: “she…stood at his [Jesus’] feet…weeping” (Luk 7:38). See how this limbeck[19] dropped. The sorrow of her heart ran out at her eye…”
“To have a thankful heart for deliverance is a greater blessing than the deliverance itself.”
“Either sin must drown in the tears of repentance—or the soul must burn in hell.”
“The Nature of True Repentance, Part 1 I shall next show what Gospel repentance is. Repentance is a grace of God’s Spirit whereby a sinner is inwardly humbled and visibly reformed. For a further amplification, know that repentance is a spiritual medicine made up of six special ingredients: 1. Sight of sin 2. Sorrow for sin 3. Confession of sin 4. Shame for sin 5. Hatred for sin 6. Turning from sin If any one is left out, it loses its virtue.”
“He that leaves off prayer leaves off to fear God.”
“As our sin is ever before us, so God’s promise must be ever before us. As we much feel our sting, so we must look up to Christ, our “brazen serpent” (Num 21:8-9).”
“It is not how much we do, but how much we love.”
“Many like to hear of the love of Christ, but not of loving their enemies; they like the comforts of the word, but not its reproofs.”
“Lusts within are worse than lions without.”
“If God should show mercy only to such as deserve it, he must show mercy to none.”
“If God justify a man, who shall condemn him? But if God condemn him, who shall justify him?”
“Great was the work of creation, but greater was the work of redemption. Great wisdom was seen in making us—but more miraculous wisdom in saving us. Great power was seen in bringing us out of nothing—but greater power in helping us when we were worse than nothing. (...) In the creation, God gave us ourselves; in the redemption, He gave us Himself.”
“To seem to be zealous, if it be not according to the word, is not obedience, but will-worship.”
“Christians are condemned who profess to own God for their God and yet do not live as if he were their God.”
“He who is called of God, walks directly contrary to what he did before.”
“He who loves money is not weary of telling it: and he who loves God is not weary of serving him.”
“The mercies of God make a sinner proud, but a saint humble.”
“A Christian without meditation is like a soldier without weapons, or a workman without tools.”
“The tree of the promise will not drop its fruit unless shaken by the hand of prayer.”
“The word preached is not only to inform you but reform you;”
“The ordinary means which the Lord uses in calling us, is not by raptures and revelations,”
“The God whom we worship is holy, the work we are employed in is holy, the place we hope to arrive at is holy; all this calls for holiness.”
“A man may as well go to hell for not working in his calling, as for not believing.”
“We should look upon sin in two looking-glasses—the glass of Christ’s blood, and the glass of death.”
“Were our love more set upon the preached word, our minds would be more fixed upon it; and surely there is enough to make us love the word preached; for it is the word of life, the inlet to knowledge, the antidote against sin, the quickener of all holy affections.”
“There are no sins God’s people are more subject to than unbelief and impatience.”
Another sign of our effectual calling is diligence in our ordinary calling. Some boast of their high calling, but they lie idly at anchor. Religion does not seal warrants to idleness. Christians must not be slothful. Idleness is the devil’s bath; a slothful person becomes a prey to every temptation. Grace, while it cures the heart, does not make the hand lame. He who is called of God, as he works for heaven, so he works in his trade.”
“Love is a holy fuel. It fires the affections, steels the courage, and carries a Christian above the love of life, and the fear of death.”
“God did not choose us because we were worthy, but by choosing us He makes us worthy.”
“God’s method in calling sinners may vary, but the effect is still the same.”
“Why are Christians so disquieted in their minds? They are taking care when they should be casting care.”
“He that commands us, will enable us.”
“A believer triumphs more in the righteousness of Christ imputed, than if he had Adam's righteousness in innocency, nay, than if he had the angels' righteousness, for now he hath the righteousness of God. "That we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
“Grace makes the heart tender, it causes sympathy and charity. As it melts the heart in contrition towards God, so in compassion towards others.”
“A carnal person can no more value spiritual blessings than a baby can value a diamond necklace.”
“Meditation is the saints’ looking glass, by which they see things invisible. Meditation is the golden ladder by which they ascend to paradise. Meditation is the spy they send abroad to search the land of promise, and it brings a cluster of the grapes of Eshcol with it. Meditation is the dove they send out, and it brings an olive branch of peace in its mouth. But who can tell how sweet honey is, save they that taste it? The excellency of meditation I leave to experienced Christians, who will say the comfort of it may be better felt than expressed.”