When I Survey The WONDROUS Cross

Composed in 1707 by Isaac Watts, "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" has become a mainstay in the Christian musical tradition. A widely educated man with a lifelong passion for his faith; this is how Isaac Watts is most broadly described across the internet, but faith does not mean absolute compliance within the Church. Watts would use his convictions and upbringing to fuel the movement for separation from the Church of England; this separation would include Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, and other Christian sects. 

Born on July 17, 1674, in Southampton, Hampshire, England, Isaac Watts was reared from an early age to dissent and push back against the overarching Church of England. His father, Isaac Watts Sr, was sent to prison multiple times for his unwillingness to conform and attend Anglican church services, which were mandatory by law. Isaac Watts would apply his ideals to his studies while at the Dissenting Academy in Stoke Newington. Before and during this time, Isaac’s father began to sway Isaac into using his writing talents for hymn-writing. After leaving the Academy, Watts assumed the position of assistant to the minister at Mark Lane Independent Chapel (1699). By 1702, he had become the full-time minister at the Chapel and had gained a devoted following of believers. He would continue his pastoral work while also composing many hymns we know and love, such as, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross. 

In addition to being an accomplished religious figure, Watts was also an avid learner in many other fields. He wrote textbooks on subjects such as geography, astronomy, grammar, and philosophy. Having mastered three additional languages by his teenage years, Watts had shown a distinct ability to retain and relay information accurately; this would bode well for him in his later profession. He was a man of faith and vast knowledge, who was loved by many who knew him. In his last years, he would have health problems that eventually led him to live with the Abney family until his passing. 

Isaac Watts, his family, and others like them can serve as a reminder to us now to value the freedoms we have regarding religious expression; they can also be a nudge to engage in conversations about issues and beliefs that can open doors to new avenues of life/thinking. Without people like Isaac Watts and his father, the growth of many distinct Christian sects would have slowed significantly, if not completely halted. They had faith and confidence in their message to the world: We love God and are thankful that he sent his only Son to save us from our sins.