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

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...

preacher and author. He was ejected from his London parish after the Restoration, but continued to preach privately. Watson was affiliated with the

Cavalier The term ''Cavalier'' () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of Charles I of England and his son Charles II of England, Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum (England), Int ...

faction in the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

. From 1651 to 1652, he was imprisoned for taking part in a failed

conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, ploy, or scheme, is a secret plan or agreement between people (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder, treason, or corruption, especially with a political motivat ...

to restore

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 King of Ireland, Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest su ...

on the throne. During the actual

Stuart Restoration The Stuart Restoration was the reinstatement in May 1660 of the Stuart monarchy in Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland. It replaced the Commonwealth of England, established in January 164 ...

, he was ejected from his position as a

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 p ...

due to his non-conformity.

Education and career

He was educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, 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 historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

views during the

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, 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.J ...

, with, however, an attachment to the king, and in 1651 he was imprisoned briefly with some other ministers for his share in Christopher Love's plot to restore King

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

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 Declaration of Indulgence may refer to: * Declaration of Indulgence (1672) by Charles II of England in favour of nonconformists and Catholics * Declaration of Indulgence (1687) by James II of England granting religious freedom See also *Indulgence ...

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