Watson, Thomas
All Things for Good (Watson)
Description
Thomas Watson’s book All Things For Good provides the biblical answer to the contemporary question; Why do bad things happen to good people?
Thomas Watson, the 17th century minister of St. Stephen’s Walbrook, believed he faced two great difficulties in his pastoral ministry. The first was making the unbeliever sad, in the recognition of his need of God’s grace. The second was making the believer joyful in response to God’s grace. He believed the answer to the second difficulty could be found in Paul’s teaching in Romans 8.28: God works all things together for good for his people.
First published in 1663 (under the title A Divine Cordial), the year after Watson and some two thousand other ministers were ejected from the Church of England and exposed to hardship and suffering, All Things For Good contains the rich exposition of a man who lived when only faith in God’s Word could lead him to such confidence.
Thomas Watson’s exposition is always simple, illuminating and rich in practical application. He explains that both the best and the worst experiences work for the good of God’s people. He carefully analyses what it means to be someone who ‘loves God’ and is ‘called according to his purpose’.
Table of Contents:
I. THE BEST THINGS WORK FOR GOOD TO THE GODLY
The attributes of God
The promises of God
The mercies of God
The graces of the Spirit
The angels of God
The communion of Saints
The intercession of Christ
The prayers of Saints
II. THE WORST THINGS WORK FOR GOOD TO THE GODLY
The evil of affliction
The evil of temptation
The evil of desertion
The evil of sin
III. WHY ALL THINGS WORK FOR GOOD TO THE GODLY
The reason why all things work for good
Inferences from this proposition
IV. OF LOVE TO GOD
The nature of love
The ground of love
The kinds of love
The properties of love
The degrees of love. Use: A reproof to those who do not love God
V. THE TESTS OF LOVE TO GOD
VI. AN EXHORTATION TO LOVE GOD
An exhortation to become lovers of God – twenty motives for loving God
An exhortation to preserve your love to God
An exhortation to increase your love to God
VII. EFFECTUAL CALLING
A distinction about calling
Our condition before we are called
The means of our effectual calling
The method God uses in calling sinners
The properties of this effectual calling
The end of effectual calling. Use: An exhortation to make your calling sure
VIII. EXHORTATIONS TO THEM WHO ARE CALLED
Admire God’s free grace
Pity those who are not yet called
Walk worthy of your high calling
IX. CONCERNING GOD’S PURPOSE
God’s purpose is the cause of salvation
God’s purpose is the ground of assurance
About the Author
Thomas Watson (c. 1620-1686) was a Puritan preacher and author during the English Revolution and the Act of Uniformity. Watson’s works are a legacy that have continued to be a blessing to those who love sound, heart-searching exposition of the Scriptures.