Thomas Watson on Meditation

Thomas Watson was a 17th century English pastor. I get that the last four words of that sentence probably gave you the sudden urge to check Instagram. But resist it. Stick with this post.

He wrote a book called A Christian on the Mount. And in that book, he invites us to climb up the mountain of meditation with him and see what the experience of Christian meditation is all about. This is a shorter book so its easier on the attention span. But what is most helpful about this book is the simple, clear ways that that the benefits and practices of meditation are presented.

I mean, Watson starts off with the line, “By holy meditation the soul has as it were, breakfast with God every morning.” I love that. Say it in a British accent out loud and its even better. Breakfast with God every morning.

And the book is filled with these kinds of metaphors and illustrations. This is clearly a book from somebody who has been up the mountain a time or two. That’s why this book is so helpful — its written by a guide writing not from theory but from experience.

If you are interested in exploring the spiritual discipline of meditation, I would recommend listening to someone who has climbed up the mountain of meditation before like Thomas Watson. In fact, as he says in the book, “When a Christian is upon the mount of meditation, he is like Peter on the mount when Christ was transfigured, Matt. 17. He cries out, "Lord, it is good to be here!" He is reluctant to go down the mount again.”

I hope this book encourages you to be reluctant to go down the mountain too. To get you started, below are 12 quotes from A Christian on the Mount: A Treatise on Meditation. If you’re feeling crazy, consider the full .pdf of the text.

12 Quotes from A Christian on the Mount

1. “Grace breeds delight in God, and delight breeds meditation.” -Introduction, p. 1

2. “The promises of God are flowers growing in the paradise of Scripture; meditation, like the bee, sucks out the sweetness of them. The promises are of no use or comfort to us, until they are meditated upon.” -On Meditating on the Promises of God, p. 13

3. “An heart full of grace, is better than an head full of notions. Gifts commend no man to God. It is not the skin of the apple we esteem, though of a vermilion color—but the fruit.” -On Meditating on Grace, p. 19

4. “The commonwealth of Venice, in their armory, have this inscription, "happy is he who in time of peace, thinks of war." He who often meditates of death—will make the best preparation for it.” -On Meditating on Death, p. 27

5. “Meditation is like the shining of the sun—it operates upon the affections, it warms the heart and makes it more holy. Meditation fetches life in a truth." -On the Necessity of Meditation, p.36

6. “Without meditation, the truths of God will not stay with us….Serious meditation is like the engraving of letters in gold or marble which endures. Without meditation, all our preaching is but like writing in sand, or like pouring water into a sieve. Reading and hearing without meditation, is like weak medicine which will not work.” -On the Necessity of Meditation, p.36

7. “As a hammer drives a nail to the head—so meditation drives a truth to the heart.” -On the Necessity of Meditation, p.37

8. “Satan is content that you should be hearing and praying Christians, just so long as you are not meditating Christians.” On the Necessity of Meditation, p.38

9. “Let God have the first-fruits of the day; the first of our thoughts must be reserved for heaven. The student takes the morning for his study. The banker gets up in the morning and looks over his books of account: a Christian must begin with God in the morning. David was with God before break of day, Psalm 119:147. "I rise before dawn and cry out for help; I put my hope in Your Word." -On the Fittest Time for Meditation, p. 45

10. “Meditation is a golden shield to beat back sin! When Joseph's mistress tempted him to wickedness, meditation did preserve him, "How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" Meditation makes the heart like wet tinder—it will not take the devil's fire!” -On the Usefulness of Meditation. p. 52

11. “This duty of meditation being neglected, the heart will run wild — it will not be a vineyard but a wilderness. -On the Usefulness of Meditation. p. 55

12. “Fruitless are those meditations which do not center upon God. It is but to carry dust against the wind.” -On the Motives of Meditation. p. 58