John Newton: Longing for Heaven II

How often, and with what intensity, do you long for heaven? John Newton has a lot to say on this inexhuastible topic. My prayer is that this quote will make you more choke sick for heaven, more eager for your arrival there, and in the meantime less drawn to the trinkets of the world. 

"What shall it be, when all the children of God, who in different ages and countries have been scattered abroad, shall all be gathered together, and enter into the glorious and eternal rest provided for them; when there shall not be one trace of sin or sorrow remaining, not one discordant note to be heard, nothing to disturb or defile, or alleviate the never-ceasing joy? Such is the hope to which God has called us: that day will surely come, as the present day is already arrived; every moment brings on its approach."

John Newton: Sovereignty and Salvation

John Newton's life before coming to know Jesus was one of wanton sin, pleasure-seeking, and despair. When Hod was pleased to call him into His service, Newton, like the Apostle Paul, never forgot who he was or what he deserved. That God would save a wretch like him, when he had neither desired nor looked for grace, was the unceasing wonder of his life. Knowing the depths of his previous sinful state turned the truth that God sovereignly elects and saves, from an intellectual proposition into a precious foundation of hope. 

"Salvation is wholly of grace, not only undeserved but undesired by us until God is pleased to awaken us to a sense of our need of it."

John Newton: Longing for Heaven

John Newton has taught me, more than any other person, about longing for heaven. His letters are full of what I call "homesick happiness," a deep-seated and unsatisfied joy that looks forward to its true home in heaven. More and more, I want to learn from Newton to "look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen," because "this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." For now, the anticipatory joy in that weight of glory is mingled with the homesick longing of this world's light momentary affliction. But oh for that day when joy, and only joy, shall remain!

"What an assembly there will be! What a constellation of glory, when each individual shall shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father! No sins, sorrows, temptations; no veils, clouds, or prejudices, shall interrupt us then."

John Newton: A Work in Progress

"I am not what I ought to be. I am not what I want to be. I am not what I hope to be. But still, I am not what I used to be. And by the grace of God, I am what I am."

John Newton: A Minister's Honesty

John Newton's grace-soaked humility shines when he talks freely about his own weaknesses. He was always the first to point out his own flaws, and what grieved him most was the sin in his heart that dishonored and drew him away from his highest love, the Lord Jesus. The line from his hymn, "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me," is a fitting summary of his life. Today's quote is one of many examples of that kind of gospel humility. Does your pastor speak openly about his struggles like this? Do you?

"If I may speak my own experience, I find that to keep my eye simply on Christ, as my peace and my life, is by far the hardest part of my calling."

John Newton: A Great Sinner with a Great Savior

Towards the end of his life, a friend visited John Newton. Newton was sick and very feeble, but this is what he had to say:

"Although my memory is fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner, and Christ is a great Savior."

A Year With John Newton

Over the past year or two, I've been reading a lot of the writings of John Newton, specifically his letters. Most people know Newton, if they know him at all, as the author of the hymn Amazing Grace. But while he is well-known for his hymns, his greatest legacy is his letters. Insightful, wise, pastoral, approachable, humble, and worshipful- these describe the letters and the man.  

As I've devoured all of John Newton's writings that I could find, he has become for me what I like to call a "dead mentor," that is, a saint from history from whom I seek to learn and grow and cultivate wisdom. Every time I read one of Newton's letters, I come away thinking, "I want to be like this man!" I have never encountered anyone more amazed by grace, humbled by mercy, passionate for Jesus, loving and gentle towards people, and longing for heaven as John Newton. I want to be like this man!

July 24th was John Newton's 289th birthday. To honor his Savior and share his treasure trove of gospel insight that has so richly blessed me, I will be sharing one John Newton quote every day for the next year, until his 290th birthday. Most of these quotes are from his letters. Below are a couple to whet your appetite. I pray that you will be blessed, encouraged, humbled, and stirred to worship as much as I have. 

"O that name of Jesus! May it be precious to all our hearts and sound sweeter than music in our ears."

"The proofs I have had of the evils of my sinful nature, my incapacity and aversion to good, have neither been small nor few; but by these unpromising means I hope he has made his grace and salvation precious to my soul, and in some measure weaned me from leaning on my own understanding."

"I desire to grow in knowledge, but I want nothing which bears that name which has not a direct tendency to make sin more hateful, Jesus more precious to my soul; and at the same time to animate me to a diligent use of every appointed means, and an unreserved regard to every branch of duty."

John Newton's last words: "I am still in the land of the dying, but I shall soon be in the land of the living."