James Renwick Willson published 'Dr. Watts an Anti-Trinitarian' in 1821

Context

Glasgow provides a biographical sketch of James Renwick Willson (1780-1853), one of the most prominent Reformed Presbyterian ministers in early America. Willson was a prolific writer who engaged controversies of his day. Among his publications is a work directly attacking Isaac Watts’s theological orthodoxy.

Extract

He left his impress as a great man upon every department of literary work. He was a profuse writer upon various subjects. The following are his most valued publications extant: “Historical Sketch of Opinions on the Atonement,” 1817, pp. 350. “Subjection of Kings and Nations to Messiah,” 1819. “Civil Government,” 1821. “Dr. Watts an Anti-Trinitarian,” 1821. “Honour to Whom Honour is Due,” 1822. “The Book of Life of the Lamb,” 1824. “The Glory and Security of the Church of God,” 1824. “Political Danger,” 1825. “The American Jubilee,” 1825. “The Sabbath, and the Duty of the Nation to Keep it,” 1829.

Significance

This reference documents that Reformed Presbyterian opposition to Watts went beyond liturgical concerns to direct theological attack. Willson’s 1821 pamphlet “Dr. Watts an Anti-Trinitarian” represents an attempt to discredit Watts by questioning his Trinitarian orthodoxy. This strategy - attacking the author’s theology rather than just the practice of hymn-singing - appears in other anti-Watts literature (including Adam Rankin’s writings). The implication is that singing Watts’s compositions means endorsing heretical theology. Willson’s work deserves further research to understand the specific arguments made and how they circulated among American Presbyterians debating psalmody.