Improvement of the Mind
Book Description
Sketch of theL ife of the A uthor. Isaac Watts, D.D., tm English dissenting (lf rpr man and poet, wa8 born in .S outhampton, July 17, 1()74, and died in London, November 2o, 174.S. He wa.s edueated by his father, who kept a boarding Bohool inS outhampton and then an academy in London. When a boy lie was very Btudious, spending for books the little money received as presents, and devoting his leisu...
MoreSketch of theL ife of the A uthor. Isaac Watts, D.D., tm English dissenting (lf rpr man and poet, wa8 born in .S outhampton, July 17, 1()74, and died in London, November 2o, 174.S. He wa.s edueated by his father, who kept a boarding Bohool inS outhampton and then an academy in London. When a boy lie was very Btudious, spending for books the little money received as presents, and devoting his leisure hours to study and reading, instead of joining other boys in ])lay. At school he allowed himself no time for exercise and play, and very little for sleep. He used to mark all the books he read ;abridge some, and annotate others of them. In 1698 he was chosen assistant minister to the Rev. Isaac Chauncey, of an Independent Congregation in Mark I ane, London, of wliich he became pastor in 1702, and remained at his post until his death. Doctor Watts wrote largely for almost all classes of readers, students of all ages, inS cience, Literature, Pwtry and Divinity. His complete works have been i)ublished in various editions of from six to nine volumes. His X07V; and his Improvement of theM ind are the best known of his prose writings. Of his literary merits Doctor Johnson naid :H has provided instruction for all ages, from those who are lisping their first lessons to the enlightened readers of Locke ;he has left neither corporal nor spiritual nature unexamined. He has taught the science of reasoning and the science of the stars. His character, therefore, must be judged from the multiplicity and diversity of his attainments, rather than from any single performance. Of hisH ijmns, James Montgomery said :E verj Sabbath, in every region A vhere his native tongue is spoken, thousands and tens of thousands of voices are sending the sacrifices of prayer and praise toG od in the strains which he prepared a century ago. Probably no poetry in the language has been more widely re
(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)
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