Nonconformist

WHEN I SURVEY THE WONDROUS CROSS

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When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

About the writer: Isaac Watts is considered the father of English hymnody. He was born in Southampton, England in 1674. He was a precocious child who learned to read almost as soon as he could speak and wrote verses while still a young boy. He was firmly attached to the principles of the Nonconformists, for which his father had suffered imprisonment, and was therefore compelled to decline the advantages of the great English universities, which at that time received only Church of England students. He attended instead of the Dissenting academy in London. In 1705 he published his first volume of poems, Horae Lyricae, which was widely praised. His Hymns and Spiritual Songs appeared in 1707; Psalms, in 1719; and Divine Songs for Children, in 1720. He became pastor of an Independent Church in London in 1702 but was so frail due to ill health that much of the time the work of the parish was done by an assistant. He died in  1748 and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

Key Verse: As for me, God forbid that I should boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world died long ago, and the world’s interest in me is also long dead. –Galatians 6:14

Watts, Isaac

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Isaac Watts (1674-1748) is considered the father of English hymnody. Born in Southampton, England, he was a precocious child who learned to read almost as soon as he could speak and wrote verses while still a young boy. He was firmly attached to the principles of the Nonconformists, for which his father had suffered imprisonment, and was therefore compelled to decline the advantages of the great English universities, which at that time received only Church of England students. He attended instead the Dissenting academy in London. In 1705 he published his first volume of poems, Horae Lyricae, which was widely praised. His Hymns and Spiritual Songs appeared in 1707; Psalms, in 1719; and Divine Songs for Children, in 1720. He became pastor of an Independent Church in London in 1702 but was so frail due to ill health that much of the time the work of the parish was done by an assistant. He was buried in Westminster Abbey. His hymns, including classics like “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” have encouraged believers and spread the Gospel message for more than two centuries.

Henry, Matthew

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Matthew Henry (1662-1714) was a renowned Bible commentator. He was born in Wales and was educated under the tutelage of his father, a Nonconformist minister. Henry began his career as a jurist but, in 1687, he was ordained a Presbyterian minister and he abandoned the practice of law. He served a church in Chester, England near Liverpool for nearly 25 years. During this time he wrote his multi-volume Exposition of the Old and New Testaments, later renamed Matthew Henry’s Commentaries. His commentaries were unique and greatly influential in that they contained applicational and devotional material in addition to textual exposition.

Baxter, Richard

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Richard Baxter (1615-1691), a Puritan minister and voluminous author of the seventeenth century, wrote the devotional masterpiece Call to the Unconverted and his Saint’s Everlasting Rest. At 25 he entered the ministry and was appointed to the parish of Kidderminster (1640). Here he remained until “for conscience’ sake” he, along with many other Nonconformist clergy, was driven out by the “Act of Uniformity” passed in 1662. He ceased to preach but was caught holding family prayers “with more than four persons.” He was arrested and imprisoned for six months. When released he lived in retirement until 1672 when the “Act of Indulgence” gave him liberty to preach and to publish again. He refused to be silenced by the authorities and preached the Gospel despite the personal costs he paid.