Thomas Watson’s book, A Body of Divinity is one of the first books published by the Banner of Truth Trust. This book has been one of the best sellers and consistently the most useful and influential of their publications. There are several reasons for this:
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- The subject of the book. It deals with the foremost doctrinal and experimental truths of the Christian Faith.
- The means of instruction used. It is based on the Westminster Assembly’s Shorter Catechism, in which the main principles of Christianity that lie scattered in the Scriptures are brought together and set forth in the form of question and answer. This Catechism is unsurpassed for its ‘terse exactitude of definition’ and ‘logical elaboration’ of the fundamentals.
- The style of the author. Watson conveys his thorough doctrinal and experimental knowledge of the truth in such an original, concise, pithy, pungent, racy, rich and illustrative style that he is rightly regarded as the most readable of the Puritans.
Hardback
Table of Contents:
| Page | ||
| MEMOIR | vii | |
| PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE | 1 | |
| 1 | INTRODUCTION | |
| 1. Man’s Chief End | 6 | |
| 2. The Scriptures | 26 | |
| 2 | GOD AND HIS CREATION | |
| 1. The Being Of God | 39 | |
| 2. The Knowledge Of God | 55 | |
| 3. The Eternity Of God | 60 | |
| 4. The Unchangeableness Of God | 66 | |
| 5. The Wisdom Of God | 71 | |
| 6. The Power Of God | 77 | |
| 7. The Holiness Of God | 82 | |
| 8. The Justice Of God | 87 | |
| 9. The Mercy Of God | 93 | |
| 10. The Truth Of God | 99 | |
| 11. The Unity Of God | 103 | |
| 12. The Trinity | 108 | |
| 13. The Creation | 113 | |
| 14. The Providence Of God | 119 | |
| 3 | THE FALL | |
| 1. The Covenant Of Works | 128 | |
| 2. Sin | 132 | |
| 3. Adam’s Sin | 137 | |
| 4. Original Sin | 142 | |
| 5. Man’s Misery By The Fall | 148 | |
| 4 | THE COVENANT OF GRACE AND ITS MEDIATOR | |
| 1. The Covenant Of Grace | 154 | |
| 2. Christ The Mediator Of The Covenant | 161 | |
| 3. Christ’s Prophetic Office | 166 | |
| 4. Christ’s Priestly Office | 172 | |
| 5. Christ’s Kingly Office | 186 | |
| 6. Christ’s Humiliation In His Incarnation | 192 | |
| 7. Christ’s Exaltation | 203 | |
| 8. Christ The Redeemer | 209 | |
| 5 | THE APPLICATION OF REDEMPTION | |
| 1. Faith | 215 | |
| 2. Effectual Calling | 220 | |
| 3. Justification | 226 | |
| 4. Adoption | 231 | |
| 5. Sanctification | 240 | |
| 6. Assurance | 250 | |
| 7. Peace | 261 | |
| 8. Joy | 267 | |
| 9. Growth In Grace | 273 | |
| 10. Perseverance | 279 | |
| 6 | DEATH AND THE LAST DAY | |
| 1. The Death Of The Righteous | 290 | |
| 2. A Believer’s Privilege At Death | 295 | |
| 3. The Resurrection | 305 |
About the Author
Watson was a 17th Century non-conformist Puritan preacher and author. He was probably born in Yorkshire, although the exact place and date of his birth are unknown. He studied at Emmanuel College, Cambridge (BA, 1639; MA, 1642), where he was apparently a diligent student. Certainly his intellect is apparent in his writings, which show a profound grasp of the English language, as well as a solid understanding of Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. He quotes from the early church fathers, and his familiarity with the breadth of the scriptural canon is stunning. Cross-references from the entire biblical corpus are sprinkled throughout his sermons, revealing a deep understanding of many texts obscure to most modern day Bible students. A solid understanding of history, botany, medicine, physics, the classics, logic, and various trades are revealed in his sermons.
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