Natural Religion, Isaac Watts, and Early Eighteenth-Century Evangelical Devotion

Abstract The early eighteenth-century English Enlightenment is a transformative period in the history of the Christian church. Among other paradigm shifts, the rise of natural religion and physico-theology became a common means by which theologians and churchmen of the era begin interacting with Enlightenment thought. Among these pastor-theologians, stands the well-known hymnwriter Isaac Watts. This article seeks to examine how Watts uses natural religion to frame a doctrine of heaven for purposes of Christian devotion. This will in turn further situate Watts among the figures within the early eighteenth century to begin integrating natural religion into devotional prose. Additionally, it will further our understanding of Watts as an important transitional figure between the English Puritans and eighteenth-century Evangelicals.