Quotes from Thomas Watson

God sometimes afflicts with infirmity of body. Sickness takes away the comfort of life, and makes one in deaths oft.

Self-examination [means] setting up a court in [your] conscience and keeping a register there that by strict scrutiny a man may know how things stand between God and his own soul.

When we pray for grace and use opportunities to the full, this is laying a fig on the boil which will make us recover. To pray for holiness and neglect the means—is like winding up the clock and taking off the weights.

It is more honour to serve God, than to have kings serve us.

A pure heart avoids that which may be interpreted as evil. He who is loyal to his prince not only forbears to have his hand in treason, but he takes heed of that which has an appearance of treason.

Do not rest in baptism; what is it to have the water, and want the Spirit?

The pardoned soul is out of the gunshot of hell (Rom. 8:33).

Affliction only reaches the body, but sin goes further: it poisons the fancy, disorders the affections. Affliction is but corrective; sin is destructive. Affliction can but take away the life; sin takes away the soul.

By having a change wrought in thee. 'But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified.' I Cor 6: 2: Whence we are changed, a tenebris ad lucem [from darkness to light], so changed, as if another soul did live in the same body. By this change we are interested in the unchangeable

A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory." Matthew 12:20

A good Christian is not a grave to bury God's mercies, but a temple to sing His praises.

Contentment doth not appear only now and then, as some stars which are seen but seldom; it is a settled temper of heart.