Self-Improvement

Isaac Watts (he of “Joy to the World!”) wrote more than hymns and carols. He wrote a book on formal logic and followed that with one titled: On the Improvement of the Mind. Among the methods for improvement he recommends reading as one of the ways to make wisdom gains, though he acknowledges that “the world is full of Books” and that multitudes are so ill written they should never be read.

Then he gives this counsel, which, if followed, would help us be more improved than inflammatory (in our online interactions, in our personal conversations, in our corporate singing, etc). The following are some of his reasonable recommendations for being easy to edify (put into bullet points by me).

• “Where the author is obscure, enlighten him:
• where he is imperfect, supply his deficiencies:
• where he is too brief and concise, amplify a little, and set his notions in a fairer view:
• where you suppose he is in a mistake, propose your objections and correct his sentiments:
• what he writes so well as to approve itself of your judgment, both as just and useful, treasure it up in your memory, and count it a part of your intellectual gains.”

“Ponder nothing earthly minded”? Sing charitably, even knowing that the whole point of the incarnation is to ponder (in our minds) the coming of God’s Son to earth. At the Lord’s Table, you are supposed to think about the bread and the wine, they are received for sake of remembering.

“Born that man no more may die”? Well, that wasn’t the only reason He was born, but you can fill it in the rest.

Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
—“Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus”