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Wise Counsel
John Newton (1725-1807) has rightly been called 'the letter-writer par excellence of the Evangelical Revival'. Newton himself seems to have some to the conclusion, albeit reluctantly, that letter-writing was his greatest gift. In a letter to a friend he confessed. 'I rather reckoned upon doing more good by some of my other works than by my "Letters", which I wrote without study, or any public design; but the Lord said, "You shall be most useful by them", and I learned to say, "Thy will be done! Use me as Thou pleasest, only make me useful." Indeed, he wrote to his close friend William Bull that if the letters were 'owned to comfort the afflicted, to quicken the careless, to confirm the wavering, I may rejoice in the honour He has done me', and not envy the greatest writers of the age.
All but ten of the letters in the present volume have been brought out of undeserved obscurity by Dr. Grant Gordon, whose researches in libraries and archives, as well as in little-known nineteenth-century periodicals, have uncovered much material which is certainly calculated to comfort, quicken, and confirm. Of those already in print, one letter is in volume 1 of the Trust's six-volume edition of Newton's Works, and nine more are in volume 2. Three of the nine are also in the Trust's Letters of John Newton, edited by Josiah Bull. The rest should be new to almost all readers.
The particular recipent of Newton's 'wise counsel' in this book was John Ryland, Jr. (1753-1825), Baptist pastor and educator, and close friend of Andrew Fuller, William Carey, and all the pioneers of the modern missionary movement. But in the background stand all the major figures of the eighteenth-century Evangelical Revival. A list of Newton's friends and correspondents would, in fact, read like a 'who's who' of the Revival. And forming the wider background is a very eventful period of history, from the American Revolution to the French Revolutionary Wars, by way of the colonization of Australia, the first missions to Indian,and the abolition of the slave trade. Dr. Gordon has helpfully set the letters in the context of these events and provided useful background detail.
The reader will discover afresh in these letters, not only mature and wise counsel, but a wholesome emphasis on true Christian experience, a great breadth of Christian sympathy, and a strong confidence in the power of the grace of God, for, as Newton said, 'Grace has long and strong arms!'
All but ten of the letters in the present volume have been brought out of undeserved obscurity by Dr. Grant Gordon, whose researches in libraries and archives, as well as in little-known nineteenth-century periodicals, have uncovered much material which is certainly calculated to comfort, quicken, and confirm. Of those already in print, one letter is in volume 1 of the Trust's six-volume edition of Newton's Works, and nine more are in volume 2. Three of the nine are also in the Trust's Letters of John Newton, edited by Josiah Bull. The rest should be new to almost all readers.
The particular recipent of Newton's 'wise counsel' in this book was John Ryland, Jr. (1753-1825), Baptist pastor and educator, and close friend of Andrew Fuller, William Carey, and all the pioneers of the modern missionary movement. But in the background stand all the major figures of the eighteenth-century Evangelical Revival. A list of Newton's friends and correspondents would, in fact, read like a 'who's who' of the Revival. And forming the wider background is a very eventful period of history, from the American Revolution to the French Revolutionary Wars, by way of the colonization of Australia, the first missions to Indian,and the abolition of the slave trade. Dr. Gordon has helpfully set the letters in the context of these events and provided useful background detail.
The reader will discover afresh in these letters, not only mature and wise counsel, but a wholesome emphasis on true Christian experience, a great breadth of Christian sympathy, and a strong confidence in the power of the grace of God, for, as Newton said, 'Grace has long and strong arms!'
416 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2009
23 people are currently reading
241 people want to read
About the author
Grant Gordon
12 books2 followersDr. Grant Gordon is an experienced pastor, active church consultant, and a recognised specialist in 18th century British church history. He earned his M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell Seminary near Bosto,n and afterwards completed M.Th. and D.Min. degrees at Princeton Theological Seminary. After being a pastor for eighteen years with the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada, he served as Director of Supervised Ministries and Lecturer in Baptist History at Tyndale Seminary in Toronto.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
November 7, 2022
What a book! Loved it so much. These letters ministered to my soul in many deep ways.
December 25, 2020
It’s almost like the letters were written to me – everything a young Baptist who is aspiring to pastor needs to hear from an old, wise pastor like Newton.
October 20, 2023
A fantastic example of a man who took what he knew about God and applied it not only to his life and ministry, but to the life of another man in ministry. Denominational boundaries or distance didn’t stop Newton from encouraging a younger minister, Ryland, through many dangers, toils, trials and snares. He was a good friend who pointed his friends to the great friend of sinners.
July 1, 2019
This was one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. I read it slowly over the course of over two years, mostly on Sunday afternoons as part of my rest and renewal. It was so good and refreshing almost every time!
John Newton and John Ryland, Jr. first met when Ryland was fifteen and Newton forty-three. They continued to corresponding for the rest of Newton’s life. Their friendship was truly unique, especially given the age gap and the fact that Newton was an Anglican and Ryland was a dissenting Baptist. In their eighty-three letters, which span close to four decades, Newton covers a vast array of topics, including looking for a wife, caring for aging parents, dealing with loss (both Newton and Ryland lost a wife and children), denominational life, church discipline, politics, abolitionism, missions, theology, and pastoral ministry. Two things that make their conversations especially interesting are the fact that Newton was instrumental in abolitionism and Ryland was instrumental in the modern missions movement (he was the one who sent William Carrey to India).
I felt like I really got to know Newton through these letters. Humility/lack of selfish ambition, peace (both personal peace and peace-making between various Christian groups), and love for people and especially the gospel and grace are traits that stick out in my mind when I think of Newton now. His hymn, “Amazing Grace” really does sum up his life and focus quite nicely!
It was amazing how many times I would pick up this book on a Sunday afternoon, and one of the topics Newton covered (usually very briefly) was something that had come up in pastoral ministry just that week! And Newton always addressed those issues with a fatherly tone and a very strong emphasis on trusting God, which is exactly what I needed to hear!
Although most of the book consists of Newton’s letters, the editorial work to collect and collate them as well as to provide the narrative details in order to understand what is said is quite impressive! I am very thankful to Grant Gordon for the work he did in order to make this treasure available.
Highly recommended, especially for young pastors!!
John Newton and John Ryland, Jr. first met when Ryland was fifteen and Newton forty-three. They continued to corresponding for the rest of Newton’s life. Their friendship was truly unique, especially given the age gap and the fact that Newton was an Anglican and Ryland was a dissenting Baptist. In their eighty-three letters, which span close to four decades, Newton covers a vast array of topics, including looking for a wife, caring for aging parents, dealing with loss (both Newton and Ryland lost a wife and children), denominational life, church discipline, politics, abolitionism, missions, theology, and pastoral ministry. Two things that make their conversations especially interesting are the fact that Newton was instrumental in abolitionism and Ryland was instrumental in the modern missions movement (he was the one who sent William Carrey to India).
I felt like I really got to know Newton through these letters. Humility/lack of selfish ambition, peace (both personal peace and peace-making between various Christian groups), and love for people and especially the gospel and grace are traits that stick out in my mind when I think of Newton now. His hymn, “Amazing Grace” really does sum up his life and focus quite nicely!
It was amazing how many times I would pick up this book on a Sunday afternoon, and one of the topics Newton covered (usually very briefly) was something that had come up in pastoral ministry just that week! And Newton always addressed those issues with a fatherly tone and a very strong emphasis on trusting God, which is exactly what I needed to hear!
Although most of the book consists of Newton’s letters, the editorial work to collect and collate them as well as to provide the narrative details in order to understand what is said is quite impressive! I am very thankful to Grant Gordon for the work he did in order to make this treasure available.
Highly recommended, especially for young pastors!!
June 27, 2025
one of my favourite books I've read in the last few years. Food for the soul. Every pastor and really every Christian should read these letters of Newton.
February 3, 2020
I started this book back in October, and savored it over the course of four months. I could have blown through it quickly, but John Newton's letters deserve to be read slowly. Every time I had a quiet moment in the evening to sit down with Newton it felt like pure refreshment for the soul.
In this collection of Newton's letters to his younger pastor friend John Ryland, you can read Newton's advice on a myriad pastoral topics, courtships, weddings, children, illnesses, deaths. I think my favorite part of reading Newton is that his love for Jesus is clear and effulgent. In a time when many were sectarians, he was willing to welcome into his fellowship with open arms any fellow minister who taught the gospel and loved the Lord, whether Baptist or Anglican, Calvinist or Arminian, "yea though they should happen to be shuffled among the papists." He also was supremely uninterested in his own fame or reputation. There were many times when things he had written or said were attacked in print, and his policy was never to respond. His focus was on what God had called him to do, and getting embroiled in public controversies was not part of that calling.
This book is an excellent resource for pastoral care, and a joy to read. I'll definitely be returning to it again.
In this collection of Newton's letters to his younger pastor friend John Ryland, you can read Newton's advice on a myriad pastoral topics, courtships, weddings, children, illnesses, deaths. I think my favorite part of reading Newton is that his love for Jesus is clear and effulgent. In a time when many were sectarians, he was willing to welcome into his fellowship with open arms any fellow minister who taught the gospel and loved the Lord, whether Baptist or Anglican, Calvinist or Arminian, "yea though they should happen to be shuffled among the papists." He also was supremely uninterested in his own fame or reputation. There were many times when things he had written or said were attacked in print, and his policy was never to respond. His focus was on what God had called him to do, and getting embroiled in public controversies was not part of that calling.
This book is an excellent resource for pastoral care, and a joy to read. I'll definitely be returning to it again.
March 4, 2017
This read gave me a great deal of joy. As I read the correspondence between John Newton and John Ryland over more than thirty years, I found myself crying, laughing, smiling, and rejoicing. I was often lead to prayer as my eyes past over each word that John Newton thoughtfully wrote down. This was a remarkable read. It was theology applied. I encourage you to order it and read it. You will find nourishment for your soul.
April 26, 2015
Packed with nuggets of great advice, sagely wisdom, nuance and balance, practical and spiritual especially to young pastors, but suitable for all Christians.
Not one to read in a hurry - too much variety. A few letters a week.
Not one to read in a hurry - too much variety. A few letters a week.
September 18, 2019
A series of letters full of pastoral, theological, and personal wisdom from John Newton to a young protege. Of the many quotations that I captured this one from his final letter reflects Newton's heart:
"But, precious Bible, what a treasure! Blessed be the Lord, I can see that my acceptance, and perseverance, do not depend upon my frames or feelings, but upon the power, compassion, care and faithfulness of Him, who in the midst of all the changes to which we are exposed in this wilderness state, is unchangeably the same, yesterday, today, and forever. O what a horrid wretch was I when on board the Harwich, 0n the coast of Africa, and too long afterwards. Surely no one who did not finally perish was ever more apparently given up to a reprobate mind! I am a singular and striking proof, that the atoning blood of Jesus can cleanse from the most enormous sins, that His grace can soften the hardest heart, subdue the most obstinate habits of evil, and that He is indeed able to save to the uttermosL‘ Lord I believe, 0 help me against my unbelief. I have been, yea to this day, I am a chief sinner, and yet I am permitted to preach the truth I once laboured to destroy."
This book was recommended to me by Dr. Mark Minnick during the Whetstone pastors conference at his church. The wisdom of Newton reminds me much of the wisdom of Dr. Minnick, and well it should as they flow from the same source. I am thankful for men such as Newton, thankful for his preserved wisdom. I'm also thankful for God's grace in preserving a select few such men in our day as well.
"But, precious Bible, what a treasure! Blessed be the Lord, I can see that my acceptance, and perseverance, do not depend upon my frames or feelings, but upon the power, compassion, care and faithfulness of Him, who in the midst of all the changes to which we are exposed in this wilderness state, is unchangeably the same, yesterday, today, and forever. O what a horrid wretch was I when on board the Harwich, 0n the coast of Africa, and too long afterwards. Surely no one who did not finally perish was ever more apparently given up to a reprobate mind! I am a singular and striking proof, that the atoning blood of Jesus can cleanse from the most enormous sins, that His grace can soften the hardest heart, subdue the most obstinate habits of evil, and that He is indeed able to save to the uttermosL‘ Lord I believe, 0 help me against my unbelief. I have been, yea to this day, I am a chief sinner, and yet I am permitted to preach the truth I once laboured to destroy."
This book was recommended to me by Dr. Mark Minnick during the Whetstone pastors conference at his church. The wisdom of Newton reminds me much of the wisdom of Dr. Minnick, and well it should as they flow from the same source. I am thankful for men such as Newton, thankful for his preserved wisdom. I'm also thankful for God's grace in preserving a select few such men in our day as well.
March 1, 2023
What a beautiful, soul-nourishing book that not only collects John Newton’s letters to a younger pastor (John Ryland Jr.), but also places them in historical context. This project is a labor of love over many decades of researching and writing.
November 3, 2024
There is much wisdom to be gleaned from the correspondence between Newton and Ryland.
A common theme from Newton was,
“O it is good sailing with an infallible Pilot at the helm, who has the wind and weather at His command!”
A common theme from Newton was,
“O it is good sailing with an infallible Pilot at the helm, who has the wind and weather at His command!”
March 26, 2021
This is a wonderful book. Newton had such a sweet view of God, and it permeates every letter. I would put this book right up there with The Christian Ministry and Lectures to My Students—a must read!
December 24, 2023
To be expected when reading a collection of letters but some parts were worth highlighting and some were worth skipping.
May 28, 2022
This is my second time through. Total delight to read and full of wisdom.
March 14, 2022
Better Every Time
October 28, 2025
As the title implies, this book is filled with wise counsel from an older to a younger pastor—John Newton, to John Ryland, jr. I highly recommend this book to pastors and those who are not. Besides containing interesting history, the counsel Newton gives on numerous subjects is helpful. There is even a couple of letters dealing with whether to receive vaccinations or not. I was also reminded of how the art of letter writing was at one time used of the Lord in peoples lives. With the advent of modes of communication like email and texting, letter writing has fallen out of vogue—but perhaps we should revive the practice. This will be a book I re-read in the neat future.
December 10, 2022
I didn't finish it, but every time I picked it up, I was edified and encouraged. What a gift to the church these letters are. In fact, personal letters have proven to be some of the most spiritually significant pieces of writing for me.
Aside from these letters by Newton, I think especially of C. John (Jack) Miller and his collection of letters called The Heart of a Servant Leader (a poor title in light of the breadth of those letters), and of course the classic by Henry Scougal: The Life of God in the Soul of Man. The list goes on.
Aside from these letters by Newton, I think especially of C. John (Jack) Miller and his collection of letters called The Heart of a Servant Leader (a poor title in light of the breadth of those letters), and of course the classic by Henry Scougal: The Life of God in the Soul of Man. The list goes on.
June 15, 2025
This is a wonderful collection of letters from John Newton to a younger pastor named John Ryland. There is so much practical wisdom in this book about seeking God’s guidance, leadership, dealing with conflict, etc.. But struck me the most was Newton’s warm-hearted love for the gospel, for other Christians, and his distaste for controversy. He constantly counsels Ryland to avoid controversy if possible and press on to preach the gospel and love people.
June 23, 2022
An amazing book. Newton gives a ton of rich pastoral wisdom to a young baptist pastor. So many nuggets to chew on and apply to one’s own personal ministry.
It’s clear as day that Newton believed in the providence of God and that His purposes are always good for His people, no matter how much Christians may suffer.
This book is gold!
It’s clear as day that Newton believed in the providence of God and that His purposes are always good for His people, no matter how much Christians may suffer.
This book is gold!
December 27, 2023
A treasure trove of wisdom from an older saint to a younger. Especially convicting and encouraging for young pastors. It’d be great to have an edition that was made up of only the selections dealing with pastoral ministry. Those are the real gold in the chest in my opinion.
January 22, 2025
3.5
This book is a collection of letters written by John Newton to his young pastor friend, John Ryland Jr. Some letters are quite helpful while others could be completely skipped over.
Newton exemplifies a heart of unity, humility, wisdom, and love for God.
This book is a collection of letters written by John Newton to his young pastor friend, John Ryland Jr. Some letters are quite helpful while others could be completely skipped over.
Newton exemplifies a heart of unity, humility, wisdom, and love for God.
March 16, 2025
A phenomenal book about a remarkable friendship. Newton's heart is so pastoral. Well-edited by Grand Gordon, this is (and has been for some time) my favorite Banner title.
May 21, 2025
One of the most moving books I’ve ever read. A perfect blend of history/biography, devotion, and pastoral theology. Highly recommend.
August 25, 2025
The whole book is excellent, but letter 31 alone is worth every penny. Great pastoral wisdom there.
February 2, 2017
I have read this book (and Cardiphonia, where some of the same letters were first printed) twice, and each time I am grateful for John Newton's epistolary gifts. The friendship between young Ryland and his mentor, Newton, stretched over 31 years, and the death of wives, children, and mutual friends, as well as pastoral changes, moves, and missionary endeavors. The breadth of Newton's eloquent counsel is like a healing balm for all kinds of hurts and questions. Gordon has included a wealth of footnotes to explain various people and situations. It is worth your while to further Google some details (e.g., the lace empire of Olney) to get a genuine appreciation of England at that time. I feel I understand the history of the church and faithful men such as Newton and Ryland better for having read this book. A small confession: some of my reading has actually been LISTENING; my husband reads to me as I knit most mornings. This is a wonderful book for reading aloud over a cup of tea.
July 3, 2015
Many know him just as the writer of the text "Amazing Grace". I am grateful to know John Newton better through his warm and candid letters to a younger man in the ministry. Filled with descriptive footnotes, the letters can be slower reading for the perfectionist reader but fascinating, especially for the church/English history lover. The letters span the late 1700s. Yet his perceptive and balanced advice regarding relational conflict, doctrine, marriage, spiritual struggles, politics, and much more, could stand as enriching blog posts pertaining to a Christian's life today. The book is exactly this - wise counsel.
October 18, 2011
This book has been my constant companion during my devotions. Deeply impressed by the faith, sincerity and wisdom of Newton. A thoroughly rewarding and edifying read.
August 8, 2016
Great resource to get a glimpse of Newtons mentoring of a young pastor.
November 10, 2018
"Say that we are creatures, sinful pardoned creatures, bought with the blood of Jesus, that our Saviour is our shepherd, that He is infinitely wise and good in himself, and has engaged his wisdom and goodness in our behalf; that He suffered for us, and calls us by grace that we may suffer for him; say farther that every event we are concerned in is under his immediate direction, and all to work for good; that what we call heavy is light and the long and tedious but momentary, as to our true existence and when compared with the weight of glory, and the length of eternity to which they lead. Let all these truths be planted like so many cannon in your defence and see whether self will and unbelief will dar to look them in the face." 123-124
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews