A Letter from John Newton to a Despairing Woman

Tony Reinke, author of the forthcoming Newton on the Christian Life, recently spoke at Crossway’s chapel and shared a lightly revised letter from John Newton (1725-1807), “A Letter to a Friend in Trouble” (Works of John Newton 6:377-80). He gave me permission to share it here. We don’t have the originating letter, but it was from a correspondent who was friends with a woman struggling with extended periods of depression. This friend wrote to Newton to ask if he might write her some gospel encouragement.

My dear Madam, . . .

They who would always rejoice [in trials], must derive their joy from a source which is invariably the same; in other words, from Jesus. Oh, that name! What a person, what an office, what a love, what a life, what a death, does it recall to our minds!

Come, madam, let us leave our troubles to themselves for a while, and let us walk to Golgotha, and there take a view of his. We stop, as we are going, at Gethsemane, for it is not a step out of the road. There he lies, bleeding, though not wounded; or, if wounded, it is by an invisible, an almighty hand. Now I begin to see what sin has done. Now let me bring my sorrows, and compare, measure, and weigh them, against the sorrows of my Saviour! Foolish attempt; to weigh a [grain of dust] against a mountain! . . .

We are still more confirmed at our next station.

Now we are at the foot of the cross.

Behold the Man! Attend to his groans; contemplate his wounds. Now, let us sit down ere a while and weep for our crosses, if we can. For our crosses! Nay, rather let us weep for our sins, which brought the Son of God into such distress. Agreed. I feel that we, not He, deserved to be crucified, and to be utterly forsaken. But this is not all: his death not only shows our [sin], but seals our pardon.

For a fuller proof, let us take another station.

Now we are at his tomb. But the stone is rolled away. He is not here; he is risen. The debt is paid, and the surety discharged. . . . Where then is He? Look up! Methinks the clouds part, and glory breaks through — Behold a throne! What a transition! He, who hung upon the cross, is seated upon the throne! Hark, he speaks! May every word sink deep into your heart and mine! He says, “I know your sorrows, yes, I appoint them; they are tokens of my love; it is thus I call you to the honor of following me. See a place prepared for you near to myself! Fear none of these things: be faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”

It is enough, Lord.

Now then let us compute, let us calculate again. These scales are the balances of the sanctuary. Let us put in our trials and griefs on one side. What an alteration! I thought them lately very heavy: now I find them light, the scale hardly turns with them. But how shall we manage to put in the weight on the other side? It is heavy indeed: an exceeding, an eternal weight of glory. It is beyond my grasp and power. No matter. Comparison is needless. I see, with the glance of an eye, there is no proportion. I am content. I am satisfied. I am ashamed. Have I been so long mourning, and is this all the causer? Well, if the flesh will grieve, it shall grieve by itself. The Spirit, the Lord enabling me, shall rejoice, yea, it does. From this moment I wipe away my tears, and forbid them to flow; or, if I must weep, they shall be tears of gratitude, love, and joy! The bitter is sweet; the medicine is food.

But the cloud closes: I can no longer see what I lately saw. However, I have seen it: I know it is there. He ever lives, full of compassion and care, to plead for me above, to manage for me below. He is mine, and I am his: therefore all is well.

I hope this little walk will do us both good. We have seen wonderful things today! Wonderful in themselves, and wonderful in their efficacy to compose our spirits, and to make us willing to suffer on.

Blessed be God for his unspeakable gift!

I am, Madam, your affectionate,

John Newton

 

Letter to a 13-Year Old Asking How to Go Deeper in Bible Study

Dear [Samantha],

I got your note about going deeper with your Bible reading. Thanks for asking.

First, let me say that I am really encouraged that you take the Bible so seriously. Sometimes I hold it in my hand and feel the wonder that it is the very word of the Maker of the universe. Amazing. 

You are right to read it every day and seek to let it permeate all your thoughts and feelings. When Paul says it is all inspired by God and that it is profitable so that you will be equipped for every good work, I believe he means that even the parts that are hard to read, or even sometimes confusing, will in the long run have an effect on your mind and your soul that will shape you into the kind of woman who can stand strong all your life for Jesus, and sniff out the errors of the world, and love all that is truly good and beautiful.

Here are a couple ideas for going deeper.

I think it is good to always be reading through the Bible as a whole. It sounds like you are doing that with the four book marks. That's good. I used the Discipleship Reading Plan for about 15 years and am now using McCheyen's Bible reading plan. It takes you through the whole Bible in a year plus the Psalms twice and the New Testament twice. If you wanted to try that sometime you could find it by just googling it.

In addition, it is good to focus on some unit of Scripture for going deeper, like a book or the Sermon on the Mount, or Romans 8. To go deeper, one way is to memorize it. I did that with the book of Philippians a couple years ago and then recited it in my January sermon on the importance of the Bible. Few things take you deeper into God's word like memorizing large portions of it. Here's a booklet you can download to show you how to memorize long passages.

Another thing to do with that special part of Scripture you are focusing on for a while, is to write it out longhand slowly in a note book. I do this with almost every sermon I preach. I don't fully understand it, but there are "eyes" in my pen. I see things when I slowly write the text. I see things that I see no other way. Another advantage of writing it out is that I can circle words that are repeated. I can underline phrases and draw lines between them. This helps me see connections in the passage. And connections are the key to meaning.

I think you should invest in a very good study Bible, like the ESV Study Bible, or ask your parents to get you one for your birthday. Or maybe just because you help wash the dishes! Then read the introduction to the part of Scripture that you are studying. And read the notes. Don't assume they are always right. Only the Bible itself is always right. But let it stir up thoughts that you can trace out for yourself.

With regard to prayer, this is absolutely crucial and I am glad you are doing it. God hears our prayers and helps us be humble enough and alert enough and in-tune enough to grasp what he says.

I use the acrostic I. O. U. S as I come to the Bible.

I. Incline my heart to your testimonies. Psalm 119:36 (Since my heart is inclined to sleep and to work and to lots of things other than the Bible.)

O. Open my eyes to see wonders in your word. Psalm 119:18 (Since my heart is so often dull and blind to the wonders of the word.)

U. Unite my heart to fear your name. Psalm 86:11 (Since my heart is often divided and distracted in many directions)

S. Satisfy me with your steadfast love. Psalm  90:14 (Since my heart is so tempted to be satisfied in other things.)

Besides these prayers, practice praying the prayers of the Bible. Besides the Lord's prayer my favorite is Ephesians 3:14–19. These prayers weave into our desires the kinds of desires that God taught us to have.

I hope that helps.

Grace be with you! Stay in the word! 

Did you ever notice that every letter of Paul has near the beginning the words, "Grace be to you" and near the end it has the words "grace be with you." I think the reason is that as we start reading the letters he knows that God's grace is coming to us through the letter. And as we get ready to leave the letter and go to school or to work, he knows that God's grace will go with us.

So as I close, I say with Paul, grace be with you. But that's because grace comes to you every day as you read the Bible. Keep it up. You will never regret it.

Letter to a 13-Year Old Asking How to Go Deeper in Bible Study

Dear [Samantha],

I got your note about going deeper with your Bible reading. Thanks for asking.

First, let me say that I am really encouraged that you take the Bible so seriously. Sometimes I hold it in my hand and feel the wonder that it is the very word of the Maker of the universe. Amazing. 

You are right to read it every day and seek to let it permeate all your thoughts and feelings. When Paul says it is all inspired by God and that it is profitable so that you will be equipped for every good work, I believe he means that even the parts that are hard to read, or even sometimes confusing, will in the long run have an effect on your mind and your soul that will shape you into the kind of woman who can stand strong all your life for Jesus, and sniff out the errors of the world, and love all that is truly good and beautiful.

Here are a couple ideas for going deeper.

I think it is good to always be reading through the Bible as a whole. It sounds like you are doing that with the four book marks. That's good. I used the Discipleship Reading Plan for about 15 years and am now using McCheyen's Bible reading plan. It takes you through the whole Bible in a year plus the Psalms twice and the New Testament twice. If you wanted to try that sometime you could find it by just googling it.

In addition, it is good to focus on some unit of Scripture for going deeper, like a book or the Sermon on the Mount, or Romans 8. To go deeper, one way is to memorize it. I did that with the book of Philippians a couple years ago and then recited it in my January sermon on the importance of the Bible. Few things take you deeper into God's word like memorizing large portions of it. Here's a booklet you can download to show you how to memorize long passages.

Another thing to do with that special part of Scripture you are focusing on for a while, is to write it out longhand slowly in a note book. I do this with almost every sermon I preach. I don't fully understand it, but there are "eyes" in my pen. I see things when I slowly write the text. I see things that I see no other way. Another advantage of writing it out is that I can circle words that are repeated. I can underline phrases and draw lines between them. This helps me see connections in the passage. And connections are the key to meaning.

I think you should invest in a very good study Bible, like the ESV Study Bible, or ask your parents to get you one for your birthday. Or maybe just because you help wash the dishes! Then read the introduction to the part of Scripture that you are studying. And read the notes. Don't assume they are always right. Only the Bible itself is always right. But let it stir up thoughts that you can trace out for yourself.

With regard to prayer, this is absolutely crucial and I am glad you are doing it. God hears our prayers and helps us be humble enough and alert enough and in-tune enough to grasp what he says.

I use the acrostic I. O. U. S as I come to the Bible.

I. Incline my hear to your testimonies. Psalm 119:36 (Since my heart is inclined to sleep and to work and to lots of things other than the Bible.)

O. Open my eyes to see wonders in your word. Psalm 119:18 (Since my heart is so often dull and blind to the wonders of the word.)

U. Unite my heart to fear your name. Psalm 86:11 (Since my heart is often divided and distracted in many directions)

S. Satisfy me with your steadfast love. Psalm  90:14 (Since my heart is so tempted to be satisfied in other things.)

Besides these prayers, practice praying the prayers of the Bible. Besides the Lord's prayer my favorite is Ephesians 3:14–19. These prayers weave into our desires the kinds of desires that God taught us to have.

I hope that helps.

Grace be with you! Stay in the word! 

Did you ever notice that every letter of Paul has near the beginning the words, "Grace be to you" and near the end it has the words "grace be with you." I think the reason is that as we start reading the letters he knows that God's grace is coming to us through the letter. And as we get ready to leave the letter and go to school or to work, he knows that God's grace will go with us.

So as I close, I say with Paul, grace be with you. But that's because grace comes to you every day as you read the Bible. Keep it up. You will never regret it.