Isaac Watts > Quotes

“Tis true my form is something odd
But blaming me is blaming God
Could I create myself anew
I would not fail in pleasing you.

If I could reach from pole to pole
Or grasp the ocean with a span
I would be measured by the soul
The mind's the standard of the man.”
― Isaac Watts

“Learning to trust is one of life's most difficult tasks.”
― Isaac Watts

“Acquaint yourself with your own ignorance.”
― Isaac Watts

“Once a day, especially in the early years of life and study, call yourselves to an account what new ideas, what new proposition or truth you have gained, what further confirmation of known truths, and what advances you have made in any part of knowledge.”
― Isaac Watts, The Improvement Of The Mind To Which Are Added A Discourse On The Education Of Children

“Do not spend the day in gathering flowers by the way side, lest night come upon you before you arrive at your journey's end, and then you will not reach it.”
― Isaac Watts, Logic: The Right Use of Reason in the Inquiry After Truth

“Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day.”
― Isaac Watts

“How doth the little busy bee
Improve each shining hour,
And gather honey all the day
From every opening flower!”
― Isaac Watts, Divine and Moral Songs for Children

“Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were an offering far too small
Love so amazing so divine
Demands my soul my life my all”
― Isaac Watts, The Psalms and Hymns of Isaac Watts: With All the Additional Hymns and Complete Indexes

“Love is amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”
― Isaac Watts

“How shall polluted mortals dare
To sing Thy glory or Thy grace
Beneath Thy feet we lie afar
And see but shadows of Thy face.”
― Isaac Watts

“When the Eternal bows the skies
To visit earthly things,
With scorn divine he turns his eyes
From towers of haughty kings.

He bids his awful chariot roll
Far downward from the skies,
To visit every humble soul,
With pleasure in his eyes.”
― Isaac Watts

“In works of labour,
or of skill,
I would be busy, too;
For Satan finds some mischief still
For idle hands to do.”
― Isaac Watts

“You should therefore contrive and practice some proper methods to acquaint yourself with your own ignorance, and to impress your mind with a deep and painful sense of the low and imperfect degrees of your present knowledge, that you may be incited with labor and activity to pursue after greater measures.”
― Isaac Watts, Improvement of the Mind

“The Great God values not the service of men, if the heart be not in it: The Lord sees and judges the heart; he has no regard to outward forms of worship, if there be no inward adoration, if no devout affection be employed therein. It is therefore a matter of infinite importance, to have the whole heart engaged steadfastly to God.”
― Isaac Watts

“What are the heights, and depths, and lengths, of human science, with all the boasted acquisitions of the brightest genius of mankind! Learning and science can measure the globe, can sound the depths of the sea, can compass the heavens, can mete out the distances of the sun and moon, and mark out the path of every twinkling star for many ages past, or ages to come; but they cannot acquaint us with the way of salvation from this long, this endless distress. What are all the sublime reasonings of philosophers upon the abstruse and most difficult subjects? What is the whole circle of sciences which human wit and thought can trace out and comprehend? Can they deliver us from the guilt of one sin? Can they free us from one of the terrors of the Almighty? Can they assuage the torment of a wounded spirit, or guard us from the impressions of divine indignation? Alas, they are all but trifles in comparison of this blessed Gospel, which saves us from eternal anguish and death.

It is the Gospel that teaches us the holy skill to prevent this worm of conscience from gnawing the soul, and instructs us how to kill it in the seed and first springs of it, to mortify the corruptions of the heart, to resist the temptations of Satan, and where to wash away the guilt of sin. It is this blessed Gospel that clearly discovers to us how we may guard against the fire of divine wrath, or rather how to secure our souls from becoming the fuel of it. It is this Book that teaches us to sprinkle the blood of Christ on a guilty conscience by faith, by receiving Him as sincere penitents, and thereby defends us from the angel of death and destruction. This is that experimental philosophy of the saints in Heaven whereby they have been released from the bonds of their sins, have been rescued from the curse of the law, and have been secured from the gnawing worm and devouring fire.”
― Isaac Watts, The World to Come

“When you are inquiring into any subject, maintain a due regard to the arguments and objections on both sides of a question; consider, compare, and balance them well, before you determine for one side. It is a frequent, but a very faulty practice, to hunt after arguments only to make good one side of a question, and entirely to neglect and refuse those which favour the others side. If we have not given a due weight to arguments on both sides, we do but willfully misguide our judgment, and abuse our reason by forbidding its search after truth.”
― Isaac Watts, Logic: The Right Use of Reason in the Inquiry After Truth

“Lord, we confess our numerous faults, How great our guilt has been! Foolish and vain were all our thoughts, And all our lives were sin. 2 But O, my soul, for ever praise, For ever love his Name, Who turns thy feet from dangerous ways Of folly, sin, and shame. 3 'Tis not by works of righteousness Which our own hands have done; But we are sav'd by sovereign grace Abounding thro' his Son. 4 'Tis from the mercy of our God That all our hopes begin; 'Tis by the water and the blood Our souls are wash'd from sin. 5 'Tis thro' the purchase of his death, Who hung upon the tree,”
― Isaac Watts, Hymns and Spiritual Songs

“Once a day....call yourselves to an account what new ideas, what new proposition or truth you have gained, what further confirmation of known truths, and what advances you have made in any part of knowledge.”
― Isaac Watts

“No man is obliged to learn and know every thing; this can neither be sought nor required, for it is utterly impossible; yet all persons are under some obligation to improve their own understanding; otherwise it will be a barren desert, or a forest overgrown with weeds and brambles. Universal ignorance or infinite errors will overspread the mind which is utterly neglected and lies without any cultivation. Skill”
― Isaac Watts, Improvement of the Mind

“The notion of a humorist is one that is greatly pleased, or greatly displeased, with little things; who sets his heart much upon matters of very small importance; who has his will determined every day by trifles, his actions seldom directed by the reason and nature of things, and his passions frequently raised by things of little moment. Where this practice is allowed, it will insensibly warp the judgment to pronounce little things great, and tempt you to lay a great weight upon them. In short, this temper will incline you to pass an unjust value on almost every thing that occurs; and every step you take in this path is just so far out of the way to wisdom. XIII.”
― Isaac Watts, Improvement of the Mind

“The Word of God and the grace of Christ in the promises are our daily support, and the constant nourishment of our souls.”
― Isaac Watts, The World to Come

“The saints in this life have God near them in all their trials, as a Father and Friend, to uphold, to comfort, to sanctify, though they see Him but darkly through a glass, and behold but little of His power and glory.”
― Isaac Watts, The World to Come

“A constant and joyous readiness at the call of God to depart hence [to heaven], with a cheerful patience to continue here [on earth] during His pleasure, is the most perfect and blessed temper that a Christian can arrive at. It gives God the highest glory and keeps the soul in sweetest peace.”
― Isaac Watts, The World to Come

“See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?”
― Isaac Watts

“If you have resolutely fixed your opinion, though it be upon too slight and insufficient grounds, yet you will stand determined to renounce the strongest reason brought for the contrary opinion, and grow obstinate against the force of the clearest argument. Positivo”
― Isaac Watts, Improvement of the Mind

“The Spirit is sent down to breathe On such dry bones as we. 6 Rais'd from the dead we live anew; And justify'd by grace We shall appear in glory too, And see our Father's face.”
― Isaac Watts, Hymns and Spiritual Songs

“I believe the promises of God enough to venture an eternity on them”
― Isaac Watts

“...it is a matter of pleasing wonder that persons of all characters should have been united in one faith, and persuaded to trust in the same Saviour, and embrace the same salvation. For some of all sorts shall stand in that blessed assembly. Then it shall be a fruitful spring of wonder and glory that men of various nations and ages, of different tempers, capacities, and interests, of contrary educations, and contrary prejudices, should believe in one Gospel, and trust in the one Deliverer, from Hell and death. That the sprightly, the studious and the stupid, the wise and the foolish, should relish and rejoice in the same sublime truths...”
― Isaac Watts, The World to Come

“O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home.”
― Isaac Watts

“If we proportion our assent in all things to the degrees of evidence, we do the utmost that human nature is capable of, in a rational way, to secure itself from error.”
― Isaac Watts, Logic: The Right Use of Reason in the Inquiry After Truth