Isaac Watts

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Isaac Watts

Isaac Watts 1674-1748, English clergyman and hymn writer, b. Southampton. He was one of the most eminent Dissenting divines of his day. As a pastor in London he was known for his sermons, but beginning in 1712 poor health caused him to live in semiretirement. His several hundred hymns embody a stern Calvinism assuaged with a gentleness and sympathy. The few hymns that are included in present-day hymnals are among the finest examples of English metrical hymnody. Those beginning "Jesus shall reign where'er the sun," "When I survey the wondrous cross," "Joy to the world," and "O God, our help in ages past," appeared in his Psalms of David Imitated (1719).

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Watts, Isaac

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions | 1997 | | Â© The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions 1997, originally published by Oxford University Press 1997. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Watts, Isaac (1674–1748). English hymn-writer. He was for a time pastor of a prestigious Independent congregation in London, but was forced into a long retirement by ill health. Watts's hymns include many still in common use.

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JOHN BOWKER. "Watts, Isaac." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (December 1, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-WattsIsaac.html

JOHN BOWKER. "Watts, Isaac." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved December 01, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-WattsIsaac.html

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