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Courtney Wester

11/25/16

Kim Bauman

British Literature

Mind and God

John Locke and Isaac Watts were both very intelligent men who lived in England and
made a name for themselves by their essays and poems and their impact on the world Locke
questioned the world and how our minds made sense of the things we see and do with his
philosophical mind and Watts brought the world hymns to praise and share his piece of mind on
God. Despite these Locke and Watts beliefs, or nonbeliefs they became passionate in the
opposite of what people would assume they would choose as careers. Watts being more religious
and Locke being more scienftific and realistic.
John Locke was an English philosopher and physician and was known as the Father of
Liberalism. Locke was born August 29, 1632 in Somerset England and was baptized the same
day. In 1647 Locke was sent to a prestigious Westminster School that was formed from the
sponsorship of Alexander Popham who was a member of parliament and his fathers former
commander. Locke was sent to Christ church, Oxford after he had finished his studies at
Westminster at age 20. Locke found himself bored and irritated with the classical materials being

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taught and found the works from philosophers peaked his interests. Richard Lower introduced
Locke to experimental philosophy and medicine at other universities in the Royal Society which
he later became a member of. In 1656 of February Locke was awarded his first Bachelors
degree and his second in medicine in February 1675 and in 1568 his Masters. While studying at
Oxford Locke worked with many noted scientists like Robert Boyle, Thomas Willis, Robert
Hooke and Richard Lower. Locke moved into the house and became the personal physician of
Anthony Ashly Cooper who was the 1st Earl of Shaftesbury who had come to Oxford looking for
treatment for his liver infection. Locke preformed near death surgery on this patient to remove a
cyst. Locke continued his medical studies under the tutelage of Thomas Sydenham who had a
huge impact on how Locke philosophically thought, which would become clear in An Essay
Concerning Human Understanding. Locke was also the Secretary of the Board of Trade and
Plantations and for Lords Proprietor of Carolina. This helped him cultivate his ideas on
international trade and economics. Shaftesbury, who was a founder of the Whig movement
became one of Lockes political influences and had become heavily involved when Shaftesbury
became Lord Chancellor in 1672. Locke wrote most Two Treatises of Government during
Shaftesburys political turn. Locke fled to the Netherlands to avoid suspicion of being involved
in a scheme, but during his time here he began writing again and spent a long time rewriting his
Essay and composing other works, he did not return home until after the Glorious Revolution.
Many of Lockes work didnt get published until after his return from exile. A close friend of
Locke offered her house to him in Essex where he became a hero of the Whigs and discussed
matters from high people like John Dryden and Isaac Newton. Locke died October 28, 1704 in
Essex leaving behind no wife or children. Locke lived during the English Restoration, the Great
Plague of London and the Great Fire of London.

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An Essay Concerning the Human Understanding (On Ideas) is an essay written by Locke
to explain how he feels where knowledge doesnt come from and makes a point to show the
readers where is does come from. He states knowledge comes from ideas, and there are two
basic types, simple ideas that come from things weve been exposed to, and complex ideas which
stem from simple ideas. Simple ideas come from two places, reflection and sensation.
Reflection comes from ideas from outside and the mind observes the ideas it already has and
pushes the idea further to fit into the role of thinking such as willing, believing and
doubting. Sensation comes from perceivable things, like sight, touch, hearing, smelling, and
taste. In both cases the process is passive. Locke simplifies the simple ideas into four sections
which each got its own chapter, the first chapter is about ideas that we receive from one sense
like a sight, smell, sounds, and taste. Chapter two is about the idea of solidity like touch and
sensation. Chapter three covers the idea of perceiving things or thinking and willing, reasoning,
knowledge and judging. The last chapter (four) goes over the ideas we have like pleasure, pain,
power, unity, and existence. Locke is convinced that the ideas we do are caused by external
objects, and he believes it is necessary for us to make the distinction between the ideas we gather
from objects and the ones we come up with in our minds. Locke considers primary qualities
inseparable from our bodies, this includes extension, number, and figure. Secondary qualities
cover sounds, colors, taste, and smell. These ideas only exist in the minds that recognize them
and this was what Locke was trying to get across when he talked about primary and secondary
qualities. Lockes is pretty much breaking down how we recognize and categorize objects, for
example if someone were to see a cat, for instance, we can break that sensation down into
blackness, softness, shininess, a certain size, a certain shape and sound. Our experiences in the
worlds can be examined down to their components.

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Isaac Watts was an English Christian minister, logician, theologian, but hes most known
for being a hymn writer, he was recognized as the Father of English Hymnody and is given
credit for writing at least 750 hymns that today, have been translated into many languages. Born
in Southampton, England in 1674 to a nonconformist family they experienced hate all the time
and his father had even been incarcerated twice for his views and verbality of them. Watts went
to King Edward VI School and had a classic education where he learned Latin, Greek, and
Hebrew. It is said that from an early age Watts had a knack for rhyming and often answered
questions with rhymes. Due to Watts being a Nonconformist he was not allowed to attend
Oxford nor Cambridge, so he went to Dissenting Academy in 1690 at Stoke Newington where he
remained for most his life. After his education and the death of King William Watts was called
to be a pastor of an independent chapel in London where he preached and trained new preachers.
Watts congregation was often the social and political context of many of his poems. Watts lived
with friends Sir Thomas Abney and Lady Mary Abney for 36 years, living with them was his
inspiration for many of his hymns came from living with the Abneys and spent much of his time
at Abney Park where Lady Mary planted trees and flowers leading down to an island in the
Hackney Brook. Watts died in Stoke Newington in 1748, he left an extensive legacy of essays,
educational works, hymns, and treatises. His work was influential to Philip Doddridge, who
dedicated some of his best-known works to Watts, he also reached many Nonconformist
independents and religious revivalists of the 18th century.

This poem is about God and how he is almighty and eternal and has been there for his
people since the beginning of time and he will always be here and that no matter what he will
always be there in our eternal home. Before the earth had people on it and had a structure God

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was there and he will be here as the world takes shape. His word is the greatest of commands he
rose his children from dust and all that comes from the earth will come back to the earth again in
time. The people are busy with their lives being carried down by the flood of life and its so
constant that they are losing time and they are not immortal, they are dying, but the flood of life
keeps going and like a dream the dead are forgotten and life goes on. Like the fields of flowers
the people are glad It is a new day and they are alive knowing anything could happen at any
time. This poem is about how god is the almighty controlling man and his people are just
standing by living their lives awaiting his commands which they will fulfill because they are his
followers and they were made by him.

Both Locke and Watts wrote about topics that interested them, Watts wrote about God
and how he is a higher being who guides us through our lives watching over us and can do all
these amazing things, how much he loves his people, and how we are here to spread the word
and love of God. Locke wrote about how the mind works and how it categorizes the objects you
see and how our minds come up with ideas and how we stem off those ideas to create more
complex ideas. They were both very passionate about what they wrote about so much that their
lives were based off of it, Watts wasnt raised in a very religious house, but he became a pastor
and trained people who wanted to become pastors and wrote many poems, essays and hymns
about God and religion, and Locke was raised in a religious home, but was very intrigued by
medicine, science, and the philosophical side of life so he went to many prestigious schools to
learn all he could, and he even moved in with a patient to learn firsthand how medicine and the
body worked, he wanted to know how everything worked and why we think what we do and how
our brains work the way they do.

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Since Locke and Watts wrote abut two different aspects of life, one being scientifical and
the other being religous their works would almost contradict each other about how things worked
and why thing were the way they were. Both authors grew up in opposite households, one being
religious and the other not being as religious, yet the authors seemed to have switched their
interests, the nonreligous author (Watts) wrote over 750 hymn and he was a Christian minister
and the other author (Locke) was religious, but chose to put aside his religious views aside and
be more scientifical and realistic and learn more about how the mind and body worked.
Though Watts and Locke didnt have much in common both men were very intelligent
and were very passionate about their work so much they most of their lives were devoted to it,
Locke moved in with one of his patients to fully emerse himself in his medical studies and
further his thoughts on how the body and mind works. Watts became a preacher and even
trained men who wanted to be preachers and was known as the Father of English Hymnody
and was creditied for over 750 hymns, poems, and essays, many of which Watts used his
congregation for his inspiration.

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