Sixty-Six Letters to a Clergyman and his Family

by John Newton

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242 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1844

About the author

Librarian 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."

Reviews

[Jonathan Jang · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of letters from Newton writing to a close family whom he corresponded with frequently. You learn little about the family but much about Newton. Some notable points:

He is a humble man. He consistent says to the minister to “humble yourself but magnify your office.”
His awareness of his own sin and idolatry is admirable. He speaks much of how he idolized his wife so much it took him away from thinking of the Lord.
He heavily emphasizes providence in all things, and the fact that God will not let the suffering of His saints go to waste.
He speaks of spiritual warfare and temptation by Satan much who tells believers to disbelieve in the Lord and causes them to doubt.
He also knows the reality of sin. He mentions how the Lord often converts sinners later in life so they can look back at their life that shows their wicked hearts and keeps them under humility.

“Go on sowing the good seed patiently, and trust the Lord for the crop. Some seed perhaps may spring up after your sowing time is over, and you will not know every instance in which you are now made useful.”

“At all times and all places the Lord is equally near; the danger and the safety are always the same, and the apparent difference is only to our apprehension.”