Email, texting, and social media has sent hand-written, multiple-page letters packing. Speed and efficiency is the currency of the day. While few, if any today, would conclude a letter with

I commend you cordially to his grace and blessing, and remain your sincerely and obliged brother,

it was common in John Newton’s day, as the 83 letters published in Wise Counsel: John Newton’s Letters to John Ryland Jr, edited by Grant Gordon, demonstrate. Eighteenth century letters often read like carefully composed essays.

Wise Counsel: John Newton’s Letters to John Ryland Jr.

Grant Gordon, Ed.

The Banner of Truth Trust, 2009

ISBN: 978-1-84871-053-5

Along with serving 18 years as a pastor with The Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada, directing the Supervised Ministries program at Tyndale Seminary (Toronto), lecturing in Baptist history, and providing transitional pastoral ministry, Grant Gordon has invested several decades researching the life and writings of John Newton, giving him excellent credentials for a work of this kind.

Though John Newton (1725-1807), an Anglican clergyman, was more than 25 years older than Baptist pastor John Ryland Jr. (1753-1825), they formed an intimate friendship that lasted over three decades. The letters in Wise Counsel demonstrate the immeasurable benefit of a younger minister having an older, seasoned servant of God for a mentor and counselor.

Gordon’s overview of the letters reveals the long, hard work historians undertake to bring collections like this to the public’s attention. Years of scouring libraries and archives far and near uncovered letters and volumes previously unknown t0 researchers. We are indebted to Grant Gordon for his unwavering diligence. All but ten of the letters in this book have languished in obscurity until now.

Following his overview of the letters, Gordon comments on the early years of Newton and Ryland, providing context for the letters included in this collection. The author-provided background and context for each letter enhances the value of this work.

A wide variety of topics and themes are covered in these letters. For example, Newton provides counsel in such matters as combatting spiritual pride, contemplating marriage, dealing with personal temptation, misusing Scripture to prove a point, providing pastoral care to the unrepentant, dealing with besetting sins – the list is remarkably similar to challenges faced in our day.

Along with the expected spiritual counsel provided Ryland, Newton expresses views on a broad array of important issues of his day: theological controversies such as Calvinism and Arminianism; the pros and cons of receiving the smallpox vaccination; the American Revolution; and the approach to ministry of the New England divines (e.g. Jonathan Edwards, et. al.). Other well-known contemporaries of Newton also appear in the letters.

One example of Newton’s wise counsel to young pastor Ryland can be seen in Letter Five (April, 1773), one of two Gordon says shows Newton at his finest. Ryland has been experiencing a significant measure of spiritual struggle, and he seeks Newton’s counsel. Newton writes:

It belongs to your calling of God as a minister, that you should have a taste of the various spiritual trials which are incident to the Lord’s people, that thereby you may possess the tongue of the learned, and know how to speak a word in season to them that are weary; and it is likewise needful to keep you perpetually attentive to that important admonition: ‘Without me ye can do nothing’ (pp.34-35).

No hint here that the answer is to ignore the struggle, or to consider leaving pastoral ministry for something less difficult. Rather, Newton enables Ryland to squarely face his struggles, realizing that a sovereign God will use those very things to mold him into a better minister of the gospel.

When this book first appeared, I approached several publications about running a review. One editor expressed the view that the audience for a book of this kind would be too limited for their publication – a major Christian publication aimed at Christian leaders and an informed laity. I would have thought this was a perfect audience for Wise Counsel.

This book is a goldmine of wisdom for contemporary Christians. Aside from the obvious illustration of how older, mature believers can encourage younger ones, there is here a priceless lesson in how pastors, and ordinary Christians, can counsel and encourage any among whom they minister.

Wise Counsel contains history of people and events of an earlier time, immersed in words of wise spiritual counsel rooted in eternal biblical truth. Spiritually thirsty Christians will find true refreshment in these pages.

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Portions of this post first appeared in a review I wrote for ChristianWeek when this book was first published.