What do you think?
Rate this book
Letters of John Newton
Book by John Newton
191 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1911
124 people are currently reading
725 people want to read
About the author
John Newton
128 books103 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Please see: John Newton
John Newton was born in London and at age eleven went to sea with his father, a shipmaster on the Mediterranean. Disregarding his mother's prayer that he enter the ministry, he engaged in the lucrative but brutal African slave trade for a number of years. Afterwards, he served in the Church of England as pastor of Olney parish and later of the combined church of St. Mary's in London. In addition to the words of "Amazing Grace," Newton was a prolific songwriter whose other well-known hymns include "Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken" and "How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds."
Please see: John Newton
John Newton was born in London and at age eleven went to sea with his father, a shipmaster on the Mediterranean. Disregarding his mother's prayer that he enter the ministry, he engaged in the lucrative but brutal African slave trade for a number of years. Afterwards, he served in the Church of England as pastor of Olney parish and later of the combined church of St. Mary's in London. In addition to the words of "Amazing Grace," Newton was a prolific songwriter whose other well-known hymns include "Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken" and "How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds."
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
January 7, 2013
When thinking of John Newton, two things usually come quickly to mind; He was a slave trader who was later converted by the Gospel, and he wrote the hymn Amazing Grace in response. What does not come quite so quickly to the forefront of my picture of Newton is that he was an incredibly compassionate pastor and friend who took time to write many letters of encouragement and exhortation to many who knew him.
Newton was born on July 24th, 1725. His mother died shortly before his seventh birthday and his father, a shipmaster, took the boy to sea as a sailor by the time Newton was eleven years old. Despite his father’s plans for John to work on a sugar plantation in the Jamaica’s, Newton continued to sail, including a time of forced service in the British Navy. Flogged for attempting to desert, Newton was reduced to suicidal despair and was sustained only by his affection for one Mary Catlett, who later became his wife. In 1748 he sailed as first mate on the slave ship Brownlow and, while suffering a period of severe illness during this voyage, fully committed his life to Christ.
Following his marriage to Mary Catlett in 1750, he was again often at sea. He served as Captain on three voyages of slave trading ships before being forced into retirement following a severe stroke in 1754. Even after this, however, Newton continued to invest in slaving operations run by his father’s friend and somewhat mentor to Newton, Joseph Manesty. It was not until much later in life that Newton fully and finally renounced the practice of slavery. Indeed, some 34 years elapsed between his retirement and his publication in 1788 of a pamphlet titled “Thoughts Upon the Slave Trade”, in which he both described the tragic conditions suffered by slaves during passage, and his confession of humiliation at having been involved in such an horrific business.
In 1754, however, and no longer able to sail, Newton took a job in Liverpool as a tax collector. His fervor for faith continued to grow and he spent his idle hours learning Greek and Hebrew. He was for some time a lay evangelical minister and was well respected for his ministry. Seeking to formalize his position, he applied to the Church of England for ordination in 1757, but it would be some seven years before they agreed to ordain Newton, installing him in the Parish of Olney in 1764. He served as a Church of England priest until his death in 1807.
Newton was a competent preacher and his home was open to all, especially welcoming and hospitable to those who were beset by trial and temptation. Seeing in Newton a figure that could empathize with their own weaknesses, they were able to unburden themselves to a sympathetic and especially tender pastor who knew well the frailties of sin. Nonetheless, Newton saw his letter writing as his primary gift saying “It is the Lord’s will that I should do most by my letters.” Newton was not unaware of the blessings his letters brought others and saw his correspondents as those to whom he could “send [his] heart by turns.”
And this he does. In letters to his brother-in-law pleading that he consider the case for Christ with the same attention he gives his career; in letters to young Christian women who have met together for the purpose of doing good to the less fortunate; in letters to the nobility who provide him patronage and financial support. In all things, Newton displays as a primary thing, his loving concern for his reader. In writing to John Catlett, his unbelieving brother in law, he states “Nothing but the real regard I have for you would make me so often resume an argument I have so little success in enforcing.” Newton’s drive for his brother in law, as for all his readers, is a genuine concern for their comfort – both in temporal and earthly states, and their eternal, spiritual well-being. Newton continually relates the bodily affliction and trials that beset his correspondents with spiritual realities, not degrading either one or the other, but soundly acknowledging both as real and God sent.
At their core, Newton’s letters are rooted in the reader’s reality. They do not exist in order to impress with his wisdom or holiness, but bring the timeless advice of Scripture to bear on the lives of his readers. Because of this, these letters withstand being lifted out of context and can still speak to us. They are rich in the distilled truth of the Bible applied to circumstances in life to which we can all relate; doubt, fear, illness, sorrow, joy, sense of sin, grace, and so on. Newton does not so much quote Scriptures to the reader as he presses the teachings of the Bible together, and in so doing, renders a fragrant perfume of truth that is both timely and timeless.
The book itself is pleasing to read. Rather than grouping letters into thematic blocks, or even chronologically, the editor has arranged them into groups of letters to a specific person or group of people, often over an array of years. This makes the reading much easier as one can simply let each letter stand for itself as they are not forced into acting as a support for a particular viewpoint, or even as representative of Newton at any given point in time.
The Table of Contents is clear and contains short summaries of each of the letters contents. This makes it helpful for looking what Newton may have to say on a subject; affliction, for example. More helpful would have been a comprehensive index, but this is not a major failing and the Table of Contents will, I suspect, be sufficient for most readings of the Letters.
Extremely helpful, however, are the editor’s brief biological sketches at the start of each new section of letters. These short thumbnails typically outline the relationship the reader had to Newton and any particularly interesting facts about the recipient’s life. These somehow help cement the letters to real people in real places and offer good insight into the nature of Newton’s style. One can discern distinct differences he has when writing to clergy compared to, for example, a group of young women seeking to grow in sanctification, and the notes by the editor are a great assistance in approaching the text that follows.
Newton’s letters are great insight into ways to think about God when we find ourselves in the messy stuff that is life. Profoundly practical, they offer the modern reader the exact thing they doubtless brought to the original recipient – insightful, practical words to encourage ordinary people who find themselves ‘doing life’ in the vast array of situations that entails.
Newton was born on July 24th, 1725. His mother died shortly before his seventh birthday and his father, a shipmaster, took the boy to sea as a sailor by the time Newton was eleven years old. Despite his father’s plans for John to work on a sugar plantation in the Jamaica’s, Newton continued to sail, including a time of forced service in the British Navy. Flogged for attempting to desert, Newton was reduced to suicidal despair and was sustained only by his affection for one Mary Catlett, who later became his wife. In 1748 he sailed as first mate on the slave ship Brownlow and, while suffering a period of severe illness during this voyage, fully committed his life to Christ.
Following his marriage to Mary Catlett in 1750, he was again often at sea. He served as Captain on three voyages of slave trading ships before being forced into retirement following a severe stroke in 1754. Even after this, however, Newton continued to invest in slaving operations run by his father’s friend and somewhat mentor to Newton, Joseph Manesty. It was not until much later in life that Newton fully and finally renounced the practice of slavery. Indeed, some 34 years elapsed between his retirement and his publication in 1788 of a pamphlet titled “Thoughts Upon the Slave Trade”, in which he both described the tragic conditions suffered by slaves during passage, and his confession of humiliation at having been involved in such an horrific business.
In 1754, however, and no longer able to sail, Newton took a job in Liverpool as a tax collector. His fervor for faith continued to grow and he spent his idle hours learning Greek and Hebrew. He was for some time a lay evangelical minister and was well respected for his ministry. Seeking to formalize his position, he applied to the Church of England for ordination in 1757, but it would be some seven years before they agreed to ordain Newton, installing him in the Parish of Olney in 1764. He served as a Church of England priest until his death in 1807.
Newton was a competent preacher and his home was open to all, especially welcoming and hospitable to those who were beset by trial and temptation. Seeing in Newton a figure that could empathize with their own weaknesses, they were able to unburden themselves to a sympathetic and especially tender pastor who knew well the frailties of sin. Nonetheless, Newton saw his letter writing as his primary gift saying “It is the Lord’s will that I should do most by my letters.” Newton was not unaware of the blessings his letters brought others and saw his correspondents as those to whom he could “send [his] heart by turns.”
And this he does. In letters to his brother-in-law pleading that he consider the case for Christ with the same attention he gives his career; in letters to young Christian women who have met together for the purpose of doing good to the less fortunate; in letters to the nobility who provide him patronage and financial support. In all things, Newton displays as a primary thing, his loving concern for his reader. In writing to John Catlett, his unbelieving brother in law, he states “Nothing but the real regard I have for you would make me so often resume an argument I have so little success in enforcing.” Newton’s drive for his brother in law, as for all his readers, is a genuine concern for their comfort – both in temporal and earthly states, and their eternal, spiritual well-being. Newton continually relates the bodily affliction and trials that beset his correspondents with spiritual realities, not degrading either one or the other, but soundly acknowledging both as real and God sent.
At their core, Newton’s letters are rooted in the reader’s reality. They do not exist in order to impress with his wisdom or holiness, but bring the timeless advice of Scripture to bear on the lives of his readers. Because of this, these letters withstand being lifted out of context and can still speak to us. They are rich in the distilled truth of the Bible applied to circumstances in life to which we can all relate; doubt, fear, illness, sorrow, joy, sense of sin, grace, and so on. Newton does not so much quote Scriptures to the reader as he presses the teachings of the Bible together, and in so doing, renders a fragrant perfume of truth that is both timely and timeless.
The book itself is pleasing to read. Rather than grouping letters into thematic blocks, or even chronologically, the editor has arranged them into groups of letters to a specific person or group of people, often over an array of years. This makes the reading much easier as one can simply let each letter stand for itself as they are not forced into acting as a support for a particular viewpoint, or even as representative of Newton at any given point in time.
The Table of Contents is clear and contains short summaries of each of the letters contents. This makes it helpful for looking what Newton may have to say on a subject; affliction, for example. More helpful would have been a comprehensive index, but this is not a major failing and the Table of Contents will, I suspect, be sufficient for most readings of the Letters.
Extremely helpful, however, are the editor’s brief biological sketches at the start of each new section of letters. These short thumbnails typically outline the relationship the reader had to Newton and any particularly interesting facts about the recipient’s life. These somehow help cement the letters to real people in real places and offer good insight into the nature of Newton’s style. One can discern distinct differences he has when writing to clergy compared to, for example, a group of young women seeking to grow in sanctification, and the notes by the editor are a great assistance in approaching the text that follows.
Newton’s letters are great insight into ways to think about God when we find ourselves in the messy stuff that is life. Profoundly practical, they offer the modern reader the exact thing they doubtless brought to the original recipient – insightful, practical words to encourage ordinary people who find themselves ‘doing life’ in the vast array of situations that entails.
February 23, 2008
The best book I've read so far in the course of the RUF internship. Selected pastoral letters from John Newton, 18th-century English preacher and former pirate. My favorite essays included "What the Believer can attain to in this Life" and his three-part reflection on the progressive work of grace: "Grace in the Blade," "Grace in the Ear," and "The Full Corn in the Ear."
Newton is devoted and earnest; and the more time I spent with him, infectiously so. This is a book of essays to be kept close at hand and read over and over. I'm currently keeping it in my purse--it's a small volume--to pull out and read in idle moments.
Newton is devoted and earnest; and the more time I spent with him, infectiously so. This is a book of essays to be kept close at hand and read over and over. I'm currently keeping it in my purse--it's a small volume--to pull out and read in idle moments.
October 21, 2024
My top book of the year so far! This book is to be savored, not rushed through. I’ll definitely be rereading some of my favorite letters in this book for the rest of my life.
July 4, 2025
Letter writing is a lost art but a needed source of counsel and wisdom. These letters are a treasury of gospel encouragement and personal counsel. Those in ministry ought to pick up and read.
July 16, 2016
Having read a great deal of Spiritual literature over the years, it is fair to say that most of it makes the same points in much the same way. It is worth noting that this applies across all denominations, the greatest writers of each reaching similar conclusions by different paths. Little of this huge genre is without any merit, but, in the majority of cases, reading one devotional work can sometimes feel like reading them all. So few of them have been reread. This book is an exception, being read cover to cover several times and giving fresh insights every time.
This is because John Newton really understands sin. Unlike the many saintly men who wrote more high-minded works, Newton means it literally when he says he is a sinner. For many years, before his dramatic conversion, he led a singularly irreligious life. He was, infamously, the master of a slave ship. It is hard to imagine anything worse, with the possible exceptions of a commandant of a concentration camp or an NKVD commissar.
Although he later became a leading abolitionist, Newton never lost his own sense of sin, or of God's mercy in forgiving him. This finds its greatest expression in his hymn 'Amazing Grace,' arguably the best short form expression of Christian experience ever written.
He expands on this at greater length in his personal correspondence. He was a prolific letter writer and soon established a reputation as a Spiritual counsellor, especially to young men aspiring to the pastorate. Although a firm Calvinist, Newton, like most of the best Christian writers, sets little value on minor sectarian or doctrinal differences. His appointment as a clergyman of the Established Church in no way lessened his connections with Nonconformist friends, who were among his correspondents here.
This tolerance makes him more accessible to modern Christians, even if his language might sometimes sound a bit archaic to some. The fact that he was a convert is also helpful to the increasing proportion of Christians today who were not always Christians.
His constant theme, again in common with all the best Christian writers, is the need for total dependence on God and total submission, in faith, to His Will. Where Newton differs from many other writers is in his frankness about such faith not coming all at once. Although his actual conversion was abrupt, there was much that preceded it and much that had to follow. Newton describes this in his 'Authentic Narrative,' which is also recommended very highly, and the fruits of that very long period of preparation, trial and error, and reflection are here in the letters. Newton is a master of human nature – later generations might describe him as a psychologist – and, as such, he understands how growth, including Spiritual growth, is usually a very long, slow process, involving many failures and mistakes. We do not become perfect in a moment.
This is because John Newton really understands sin. Unlike the many saintly men who wrote more high-minded works, Newton means it literally when he says he is a sinner. For many years, before his dramatic conversion, he led a singularly irreligious life. He was, infamously, the master of a slave ship. It is hard to imagine anything worse, with the possible exceptions of a commandant of a concentration camp or an NKVD commissar.
Although he later became a leading abolitionist, Newton never lost his own sense of sin, or of God's mercy in forgiving him. This finds its greatest expression in his hymn 'Amazing Grace,' arguably the best short form expression of Christian experience ever written.
He expands on this at greater length in his personal correspondence. He was a prolific letter writer and soon established a reputation as a Spiritual counsellor, especially to young men aspiring to the pastorate. Although a firm Calvinist, Newton, like most of the best Christian writers, sets little value on minor sectarian or doctrinal differences. His appointment as a clergyman of the Established Church in no way lessened his connections with Nonconformist friends, who were among his correspondents here.
This tolerance makes him more accessible to modern Christians, even if his language might sometimes sound a bit archaic to some. The fact that he was a convert is also helpful to the increasing proportion of Christians today who were not always Christians.
His constant theme, again in common with all the best Christian writers, is the need for total dependence on God and total submission, in faith, to His Will. Where Newton differs from many other writers is in his frankness about such faith not coming all at once. Although his actual conversion was abrupt, there was much that preceded it and much that had to follow. Newton describes this in his 'Authentic Narrative,' which is also recommended very highly, and the fruits of that very long period of preparation, trial and error, and reflection are here in the letters. Newton is a master of human nature – later generations might describe him as a psychologist – and, as such, he understands how growth, including Spiritual growth, is usually a very long, slow process, involving many failures and mistakes. We do not become perfect in a moment.
March 14, 2023
The discipline of hand-writing letters was a part of daily life for centuries. I have read the collected letters of J. Edwards, C.S. Lewis, and now J. Newton.
In some ways this is the best biography.
Newton’s rhetorical, poetic, and pastoral gifts were immense. I gained wisdom & a deeper love for Christ through his pastoral care via ink to paper.
===================
QUOTES:
I set no value upon any doctrinal truth, further than it has a tendency to promote practical holiness. (20)
I am persuaded that love and humility are the highest attainments in the school of Christ, and the brightest evidences that He is indeed our Master. (39)
Blessed be God, we are not under the law, but under grace. And even these distressing effects of the remnants of indwelling sin are overruled for good. By these experiences the believer is weaned more from self, and taught more highly to prize and more absolutely to rely on Him, who is appointed to us of God . . The more vile we are in our own eyes, the more precious He will be to us. (92)
I believe the most lively grace, and the most solid comfort are known among the Lord’s poor and undistinguished people. Every outward advantage has a tendency to nourish the pride of the human heart, and requires a proportional knowledge of the deceitful self, and the evil of sin
to counterbalance them. (364)
He has made you “wise to win souls.” (412)
In some ways this is the best biography.
Newton’s rhetorical, poetic, and pastoral gifts were immense. I gained wisdom & a deeper love for Christ through his pastoral care via ink to paper.
===================
QUOTES:
I set no value upon any doctrinal truth, further than it has a tendency to promote practical holiness. (20)
I am persuaded that love and humility are the highest attainments in the school of Christ, and the brightest evidences that He is indeed our Master. (39)
Blessed be God, we are not under the law, but under grace. And even these distressing effects of the remnants of indwelling sin are overruled for good. By these experiences the believer is weaned more from self, and taught more highly to prize and more absolutely to rely on Him, who is appointed to us of God . . The more vile we are in our own eyes, the more precious He will be to us. (92)
I believe the most lively grace, and the most solid comfort are known among the Lord’s poor and undistinguished people. Every outward advantage has a tendency to nourish the pride of the human heart, and requires a proportional knowledge of the deceitful self, and the evil of sin
to counterbalance them. (364)
He has made you “wise to win souls.” (412)
December 9, 2019
"Well, when we have said all we can of the aboundings of sin in us, grace still more abounds in Jesus. We cannot be so evil as He is good. His power is a good match for our weakness; his riches for our poverty; his mercy for our misery. We are vile in ourselves; but we are complete in him. In ourselves we have cause to be abased; but in him we may rejoice. Blessed be God for Jesus Christ."
Encouraging collection of letters. John Newton was a man who loved Christ, hated sin, wondered at grace, cared about spiritual growth, and trusted God's providence.
Encouraging collection of letters. John Newton was a man who loved Christ, hated sin, wondered at grace, cared about spiritual growth, and trusted God's providence.
August 4, 2019
Full of encouragement and wise counsel.
Two things stand out to me in Newton’s letters:
1-How quick and comfortable he is in moving to reminding his correspondent of good biblical truth, regardless of whether the person is discouraged or doing well.
2- Hoe patient and generous a spirit he has towards those who disagree with him, both Christian and non-Christian. Winning the argument always falls far behind communicating love and goodwill for the other in Newton’s economy.
Good examples to learn from.
Two things stand out to me in Newton’s letters:
1-How quick and comfortable he is in moving to reminding his correspondent of good biblical truth, regardless of whether the person is discouraged or doing well.
2- Hoe patient and generous a spirit he has towards those who disagree with him, both Christian and non-Christian. Winning the argument always falls far behind communicating love and goodwill for the other in Newton’s economy.
Good examples to learn from.
Want to read
March 27, 2008After seeing the movie Amazing Grace, I became quite interested in the life of John Newton. I'd had no idea about his life, and now I want to know. I'll let you know if this book is enlightening.
May 21, 2020
Can’t find the version that I actually read, but his letters are super encouraging! Took me over a year to read the whole thing but that’s much more reflective of my own lacking stamina than the quality of the book!
June 4, 2019
Reading correspondence is an interesting trip into another's mind. Their heart is open, but depending on who they write to, it can feel like a mask they put up, or it can feel vulnerable and real. This collection surely had both of those. By the end of a collection of correspondence like this, you feel like you know a person. This was no different. While it was beautiful to read and interesting to dive into the cultural perceptions of Christians and vice versa, the pastoral comfort provided often felt vague and impersonal. Perhaps John just didn't know those recipients very well. But at other times, there were letters it felt John had written for me. Letters are my favorite medium, and for that, this was enjoyable. But for the content, it was dragging at times. The most interesting aspect was the beauty of his conversion story, which pokes through at times-- a story of a hateful slave-trader turned pastor and abolitionist. This makes the book worth talking about hundreds of years later, along with some really good quotes you can put on t-shirts. A solid 4/5.
February 28, 2008
There are a several gems in this collection of letters John Newton wrote to those in his area of influence. He was filled with the wisdom that comes from difficult life experience under the grid of the Gospel. There are probably five or so that I will go back to for this wisdom and insight, especially in the letters on remaining sin in the believer and the letters on calling to the ministry.
April 4, 2009
This is timeless stuff! And I'll be re-reading and re-reading!
He articulates so well the disparity between our faith in Jesus and our practice, and tirelessly points to Jesus, who absolutely saves us from getting what we deserve and lessens and lessens the disparity till the day we become like him.
He articulates so well the disparity between our faith in Jesus and our practice, and tirelessly points to Jesus, who absolutely saves us from getting what we deserve and lessens and lessens the disparity till the day we become like him.
March 24, 2012
An excellent source of rich pastoral wisdom seeped with Gospel truth. John Newton was a man who had tasted deeply of the grace of God revealed through Jesus Christ. His depth of affection for Christ rings out from every page.
May 8, 2020
Much to learn from Newton's pastoral heart for people and his skill in counseling them from the Bible. His faithfulness to others is clearly rooted in a heart overwhelmed by God's faithfulness to him. There's much gold to glean here for practical ministry.
July 27, 2022
This was a gift for my graduation last year. The truths, wisdom, insight, and encouragement are invaluable. It was excellent use as a devotional alongside my Bible reading. I'd recommend this to anyone!
February 14, 2008
This collection of letters is amazing...some really powerful stuff in here!
September 7, 2011
A fantastic book that was a huge part of my devotions over the past few weeks. Recommending it to anyone who has ears to hear and eyes to read!
November 3, 2012
A collection of letters displaying the heart of a true pastor. This should be required reading for every pastor.
January 5, 2014
I periodically re-read. Much mature and sound wisdom here
January 9, 2015
This was a really excellent book. oh to have a spirit like Mr. Newton
June 17, 2015
Really enjoyed reading these. Very encouraging and especially good for considering God's love and mercy and providence in our trials. Highly recommend!
November 10, 2015
Excellent book from the pen of John Newton. Helpful, practical, pastoral, warm, and theologically rich.
November 27, 2015
These letters tell a different story than I expected to see, and one that emphasizes all the more the understanding that Newton had of grace.
September 19, 2017
Wonderful
July 7, 2019
I am so glad I have this book in my library. Very few writers come close in honesty and patient, persuasive instruction.
February 3, 2020
The humble wisdom of Newton shines brightly in his letters. I don’t think I’ll soon forget the example he has laid out for me.
July 19, 2021
Typically great Newton. Just wish Goodreads would give me credit for the 287 pages instead of the 2 it says are in the book. 😔
June 13, 2021
This was recommended to me by pastor Richie Sessions, several times in fact, over the course of a conference he was speaking at. I don't remember much from the conference, except some principles of maintaining self-care as a pastor ("always be planning at trip") and this book recommendation. It is worth a re-read, and I don't find that often. The letters are so practical, and so relevant, and so accessible that it feels truly evergreen, down to virtually every sentence. Newton specializes in going right for the heart and soul of a Christian experience. I found particularly helpful some of his counsel on writing within topics of controversy.
May 2, 2020
Очень хорошая душепопечительская книга о христианстве и разных нюансах, с которыми мы сталкиваемся в нашем хождении с Богом. На данном этапе моей жизни показалась немного затянутой и однообразной, хотя скорее всего, я просто торопилась. Её лучше читать по письму в день.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews