‘Where Reason Fails, There Faith Prevails’: The Evangelical Enlightenment of Isaac Watts

Isaac Watts (1674-1748) was an Independent minster, hymnwriter, and logician. He was a prominent figure within moderate Dissent, a descendent of the Puritan tradition, and (in later life) an influential leader in the emerging evangelical movement. He was one of the most widely published writers in his lifetime and beyond, known and disseminated on both sides of the Atlantic. While aspects of his work and thought have received scholarly attention, his method and approach have been given little analysis. This thesis will situate Watts within the context of the early eighteenth century, examining the ways he synthesised his various influences into a consistent approach.

Locating Watts at the intersection of three contested movements – Puritanism, the early Enlightenment, and early Evangelicalism – this thesis explores how Watts sought to transmit his Puritan inheritance by combining it with elements of Enlightenment thought in a manner that had significant implications for Evangelicalism. Chapter One considers the relationship between his hymnody and his logic. Chapter Two explores Watts’ relationship to Scripture. Chapter Three examines Watts’ controversial Christological formulations. Chapter Four looks at the relationship between Watts’ health and his doctrines of providence, the passions, and the will.

By drawing upon a range of archival manuscripts, a more rounded picture of Watts emerges than has previously been presented. Watts modified and transmitted the legacy of the Puritan tradition while also appropriating what he perceived to be the best of the emerging new philosophies, shaping the evangelical movement through his published works and personal relationships. In conclusion, this thesis will demonstrate that Watts’ view of Scriptural authority guided his employment of reason, in order to rightly govern the passions, and so to produce a life of affectionate piety and devotion.