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5 Minutes in Church History with Stephen Nichols

Merry Christmas, Mr. Watts

5 Minutes in Church History with Stephen Nichols

Ligonier Ministries

Christianity, History, Religion & Spirituality

4.81.7K Ratings

🗓️ 25 December 2013

⏱️ 5 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode of 5 Minutes in Church History, Dr. Stephen Nichols introduces us to the great Christmas hymn, "Joy to the World," and its author, Isaac Watts.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Well, welcome back to another episode of five minutes in church history.

0:04.0

Today is December 25, so it's Christmas.

0:07.0

And I thought for our Christmas episode,

0:09.0

we would talk about a great Christmas hymn,

0:11.0

Joy to the world, and about its author, Isaac Watts.

0:14.8

Isaac Watts was born in 1674.

0:17.8

He was born into a family of independence or non-conformists.

0:22.0

We tend to call them Puritans. And these non-conformists, we tend to call them Puritans.

0:23.4

And these non-conformists would not conform to the Church of England,

0:26.8

and this opened them up to persecution. In fact, Isaac Watt's own father

0:30.9

was jailed on two different occasions because of his Puritan beliefs.

0:35.0

Well, Watts was a very smart young man, very gifted young man, and he had hoped to go to

0:39.2

Cambridge or go to Oxford, but because he was a non-conformist, he wasn't allowed to go.

0:43.8

He still made the best of his education, and from an early age he showed that he was quite

0:48.0

poetic. In fact, Isaac Watts did something very

0:54.9

quickly. He turned his whole name into an acrostic poem. Can just read that to you very quickly. He said,

0:55.6

I am a vile polluted lump of earth. S, so I have continued ever since my birth.

1:01.2

A, although Jehovah Grace doth daily give me,

1:05.0

A, as sure this monster Satan will deceive me.

1:09.0

C. Come, therefore, Lord, from Satan's claws relieve me.

1:13.0

W. Wash me in thy blood, O Christ.

1:16.0

A. And Grace divine impart.

...

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