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.
