"Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart?" -Job 38:36
Meditate on the wisdom of God. He is called “the only wise God” (1 Tim. 1:17). His wisdom shines forth in the works of providence; He sits at the helm guiding all things regularly and harmoniously; He brings light out of darkness; He can strike a straight stroke by a crooked stick; He can make use of the injustice of men to do that which is just; He is infinitely wise, He breaks us by afflictions, and upon these broken pieces of the ship, brings us safely to shore; meditate on the wisdom of God. Meditation on God’s wisdom will sweetly calm our hearts when we see things go badly in the public. The all-wise God holds the reins of government in His hand; and whoever the earthly ruler—God over-rules; He knows how to turn all to good; His work will be beautiful in its season. When things go badly with us in particular, the meditation on God’s wisdom will rock our hearts quiet. The wise God has set me in this condition, and whether health or sickness, His wisdom will order it for the best. God will make a golden cordial from poison, all things shall be beneficial and medicinal to me; either the Lord will expel some sin, or exercise some grace. Meditation on this will silence murmuring.
Thomas WatsonAbout Thomas Watson:
Thomas Watson (d. 1686) is one of the most prolific and most beloved Puritans. Little is known about his early life other than that he entered Emmanuel College, Cambridge, in 1635, a prominent Puritan institution at the time. He graduated B.A. (1639) and M.A. (1642), and served as chap- lain to the Puritan Lady Vere. In 1646 he was at the City church of St. Stephen Walbrook. He was implicated in the plot to restore Charles II (Love’s Plot) and was thus impris- oned. Later he returned to St. Stephen’s in 1652. He likely became rector of St. Stephen’s in 1655 or 1656, succeeding the famed Puritan Ralph Robinson, and was ejected from the parish in 1662. He preached in various places until his death in 1686. Watson’s books went into many editions in his own century and were popular well into the nineteenth; his magnum opus was his mammoth A Body of Practical Di- vinity, published posthumously in 1692, which consisted of sermons on the shorter catechism of the Westminster Assem- bly. The selections for this month are taken from Watson’s A Christian on the Mount (1657).
*Excerpted from Daily Readings – The Puritans (Christian Heritage, 2012).
Where to Buy:
Daily Readings – The Puritans by Randall Pederson (editor) is available at any good Christian bookstore. If you don’t have a Christian bookstore near you, you may want to consider purchasing a copy from one of the online book retailers listed below:
