Product Description
Holiness and Happiness acquaints readers to the life and writings of Isaac Watts (1674–1748). Opening the book with an informative biographical introduction, Britt Stokes reveals how Watts was more than just an accomplished hymn writer—he was a dedicated pastor-scholar pursuing sincere Christian devotion among the people of God. Stokes then presents thirty-four selections from across Watts’s writings so that readers can benefit firsthand from Watts’s teaching on holiness and happiness as the nature of piety, how he grounds this in key Christian doctrines, and the means he says are at our disposal to cultivate further love for God.
Paperback, 136 pages
Publication Date: January 2023
Table of Contents:
The Life and Piety of Isaac Watts (1674–1748)
Section One: The Nature of Piety
1. Aversion of Sin
2. Above this World
3. Enjoyment of God
4. Zeal for God
5. Love for the Saints
6. Happiness is Nearness to God
7. First Degree of Happiness
8. Second Degree of Happiness
9. Third Degree of Happiness
10. Fourth Degree of Happiness
11. Fifth Degree of Happiness
Section Two: The Foundation of Piety
12. The Ruin of Man
13. Hymn: Adam’s First Sin
14. Forms of Sin
15. The Law
16. The Flesh
17. The Recovery of Man
18. Christ’s Mediation
19: Hymn: Access to the Throne of Grace
20. Christ’s Atonement
21. The Use of the Atonement
22. Death the Last Enemy
23. The Intermediate State
24. Perfection of Heaven
25. Reality of Heaven
26. Preparation for Heaven
Section Three: The Cultivation of Piety
27. Holy Wonder
28. The Invaluable Regulator
29. Meditation
30. Prayer
31. Worship
32. The Lord’s Supper
33. Virtue
34. Friendship
Reading Watts
Endorsements
Isaac Watts is perhaps best known for his poignant musical compositions which shaped the development of English hymnody. What many do not realize is that he was a towering pastor-theologian whose influence extended well beyond his own day. The present volume provides a valuable gateway into Watts’s writings, demonstrating his commitment to an experimental religion – namely, those “inward and spiritual” subjects that shaped his approach to the Christian life. Dr. Stokes is to be commended for mining Watts's literary corpus and providing us with this rich resource.
--J. Stephen Yuille, professor of pastoral theology and spiritual formation, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, TX
Isaac Watts is one of the most influential Christians of all-time because his hymns are among the most beloved songs of the church’s repertoire. In this edited volume, Holiness and Happiness, W. Britt Stokes shows us Watts beyond his hymn-writing and introduces us to an edifying approach to Christian piety.
--Donald S. Whitney, professor of biblical spirituality and associate dean, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY
Author
Britt Stokes received a PhD from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary where he researched the spirituality of Isaac Watts. He is a pastor residing in Charleston, South Carolina.
