The John Newton Collection
(1725-1807)

Subject Area

File Description

Author
     
Affliction The Benefits of Affliction - "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons..." [Hebrews 12:5-11] John Newton
Assurance The Benefits of Affliction - "We may easily conceive of a tree without fruit—but the idea of fruit is naturally connected with that of some tree which produces it. In this sense, assurance is the essence of faith; that is—it springs from true faith, and can grow upon no other root." [Selected Scriptures] John Newton
Backsliding Decline in Spiritual Life - "The causes and symptoms or effects of such a decline are very numerous, nor is it always easy to distinguish them, for they have reciprocal influence to strengthen each other. What may be assigned as the cause, in many cases, is likewise a proof that the plague is already begun; and the effects may be considered as so many causes, which render the malady more confirmed, and more dangerous." [Selected Scriptures] John Newton
Bible Reading the Bible - "Your Words were found, and I ate them. Your Words became a delight to me and the joy of my heart!" [Jeremiah 15:16] John Newton
Christian Life [01] Blemishes in Christian Character - "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." [Philippians 4:8] John Newton
Christian Life [02] The Christian and the World - "The Scripture undoubtedly furnishes sufficient and infallible rules for every person, however circumstance; and the throne of grace is appointed for us to wait upon the Lord for the best exposition of his precepts. Thus David often prays to be led in the right way, in the path of judgment. "Show me the path where I should walk, O Lord; point out the right road for me to follow. Lead me by Your truth and teach me, for You are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in You." [Psalm 25:4-5] John Newton
Christian Life [03] Conformity to the World - "Be not conformed to this world." [Romans 12:2] John Newton
Christian Life [04] Decline in Grace - "Concerning the causes, nature, and marks of a decline in grace; how it happens that we lose that warm impression of Divine things, which in some favored moments we think it almost impossible to forget; how far this change of frame is consistent with a spiritual growth in other respects; how to form a comparative judgment of our proficiency upon the whole; and by what steps the losses we sustain from our necessary connection with a sinful nature and a sinful world, may be retrieved from time to time." [Selected Scriptures] John Newton
Christian Life [05] Desires Unrealized - "You cannot do the things that you would." [Galatians 5:17] John Newton
Christian Life [06] The Heavenly Builder - "Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." [Philippians 1:6] John Newton
Christian Life [07] How to Walk with God - "How to walk with God in the daily occurrences of life, so as to do everything for his sake and by his strength." [Selected Scriptures] John Newton
Christian Liberty Christian Liberty - "There is no doubt but first religious impressions are usually mingled with much of a legal spirit, and that conscience at such a time is not only tender — but misinformed and scrupulous. And I believe, as your lordship intimated, that when the mind is more enlightened, and we feel a liberty from many fetters we had imposed upon ourselves — we are in danger of verging too far towards the other extreme." [Selected Scriptures] John Newton
Church [01] Four letters on 'denominations' and forms of 'church government' - "You have more than once gently called upon me for the reasons which induced me to exercise my ministry as a Clergyman of the Church of England, rather than among the Dissenters, where my first religious connections were formed, and with many of whom I still maintain a cordial friendship." [Selected Scriptures] John Newton
Church [02] Church Attendance - "The only cause of complaint, or rather of grief, which you have given me, is—that so many of those to whom I earnestly desire to be useful, refuse me the pleasure of seeing them at church every Sunday." [Selected Scriptures] John Newton
Church [03] Indifference - "The great God, who appoints to all people "the bounds of their habitation," (Acts 17:26) has been pleased to fix your place in a place favored with the light of the gospel. This is a great and distinguishing privilege in itself; but it may be abused, and, if it is—will certainly aggravate your guilt and condemnation!" [Selected Scriptures] John Newton
Comfort The Comforts and Snares of Social and Relative Affections - "I write for those who possess and value the comforts of domestic life, acknowledge the goodness of the Lord in bestowing and preserving them, who wish to make them additional motives for gratitude and praise—but are often apprehensive that their attachments to God's gifts, should withdraw their thoughts from the great Giver, and encroach upon that supreme regard which is only due to himself." [Selected Scriptures] John Newton
Conflict A Guide to Godly Conflict - "I may reduce my advice to three heads, respecting your opponent, the public, and yourself." [Selected Scriptures] John Newton
Covetousness Covetousness - "For of this you can be sure: that no sexually immoral or impure nor covetousness person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God." [Ephesians 5:5] John Newton
Eating-Drinking On Eating and Drinking - "Whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do—you must do all for the glory of God!" [1 Corinthians 10:31] John Newton
Faith The Practical Influence of Faith - "The use and importance of faith, as it respects a sinner's justification before God, has been largely insisted on. But faith is likewise of great use and importance in the daily concerns of life." [Selected Scriptures] John Newton
God God Rules All! - "I know that the Lord is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods. The Lord does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths." [Psalm 135:5-6] John Newton
Grace Grace of God - "By the grace of God I am what I am!" [1 Corinthians 15:10] John Newton
Guidance Divine Guidance - "In what manner are we to expect the Lord's promised guidance to influence our judgments, and direct our steps in the path of duty?" [Selected Scriptures] John Newton
Knowledge [01] The Inefficacy of Mere Knowledge- "To be enabled to form a clear, consistent, and comprehensive judgment of the truths revealed in the Scripture, is a great privilege; but those who possess it are exposed to the temptation of thinking too highly of themselves, and too lowly of others, especially of those who not only refuse to adopt their sentiments, but venture to oppose them." [Selected Scriptures] John Newton
Knowledge [02] Difference Between Acquired and Experimental Knowledge - "The remarkable and humbling difference which I suppose all who know themselves may observe, between their acquired and their experimental knowledge. In other words, the difference between their judgment and their practice." [Selected Scriptures] John Newton
Ministry [01] The Call to Ministry - "I was long distressed, as you are, about what was or was not a proper call to the ministry. It now seems to me an easy point to solve—but perhaps will not be so to you until the Lord shall make it clear to yourself in your own case. I have not room to say so much as I could. in brief, I think it principally includes three things..." [Selected Scriptures] John Newton
Ministry [02] The Apostle Paul - ""You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings." [2 Timothy 3:10-11] John Newton
Modesty On Female Dress - "I want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes..." [1 Timothy 2:9] John Newton
Pagans Man in His Fallen State - "What is man, that he could be pure, or one born of woman, that he could be righteous?" [Job 15:14] John Newton
Politics True Patriotism! - "My kingdom is not of this world! If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight!" [John 18:36] John Newton
Poverty The Advantages of a State of Poverty - "I confess myself almost ashamed to write to you. You are pinched by poverty, suffer the lack of many things; and your faith is often sharply tried, when you look at your family, and perhaps can hardly conceive how you shall be able to supply them with bread to the end of the week." [Selected Scriptures] John Newton
Providence All Things Work Together for Good - "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God—to those who are the called according to his purpose." [Romans 8:28] John Newton
Repentance The Imminent Danger and the Only Sure Resource of this Nation - "Come, let us return to the Lord! He has torn us in pieces; now He will heal us. He has injured us; now He will bandage our wounds!" [Hosea 6:1]; "Who can tell? God may turn and relent; He may turn from His burning anger so that we will not perish!" [Jonah 3:9] John Newton
Rest The Present and Future Rest of True Believers - "Come to Me, all of you who are weary and heavy burdened—and I will give you rest!" [Matthew 11:28] John Newton
Self The History of Mankind - "We are fallen into a state of gross idolatry—and SELF is the idol we worship." [Selected Scriptures] John Newton
Separation Separated from the Ungodly World - "What a mercy it is, to be separated in spirit, conversation, and interest—from the ungodly world! Where all are alike by nature—but grace makes a happy and unspeakable difference!" [Selected Scriptures] John Newton
Sin Indwelling Sin and the Believer - "For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. These are contrary the one to the other—so that you cannot do the things that you would!" [Galatians 5:17] John Newton
Theology Theological Systems - "From those Readers, whose habits of thinking on religious subjects, are formed by a close attachment to particular systems of divinity, the Author requests a candid construction of what he advances, if he ventures, in some instances, to deviate a little from the more beaten track. If he is, sometimes, constrained to differ from the judgment of wise and good men, who have deserved well of the Church of God, he would do it modestly." [Selected Scriptures] John Newton
Tongue Thoughts on the Government of the Tongue - "If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless." [James 1:26] John Newton
Warfare Our Life is a Warfare - "Our experiences pretty much tally. They may be drawn out into books—but the sum total may be comprised in a short sentence; "Our life is a warfare." [Selected Scriptures] John Newton
Worldliness Combating Worldliness - "If your heart is like mine, it must confess, that when it turns aside from God it is seldom through ignorance of the proper means or motives which should have kept us near him—but rather from an evil principle within, which prevails against our better judgment, and renders us unfaithful to light already received." [Selected Scriptures] John Newton

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