John Newton's Letters
A; or Grace in the Blade
"First the blade, then the ear, after that the
full corn in the ear." Mark 4:28
Dear Sir,
According to your desire, I sit down to give you my general views of a
progressive work of grace, in the several stages of a believer's
experience; which I shall mark by the different characters, A, B, C,
answerable to the distinctions our Lord teaches us to observe from the
growth of the corn, Mark 4:28. The Lord leads all his people effectually and
savingly to the knowledge of the same essential truths, but in such a
variety of methods, that it will be needful, in this disquisition, to set
aside, as much as possible, such things as may be only personal and
occasional in the experience of each, and to collect those only which in a
greater or less degree are common to them all. I shall not therefore give
you a copy of my own experience, or of that of any individual; but shall
endeavor, as clearly as I can, to state what the Scripture teaches us
concerning the nature and essentials of a work of grace, so far as it will
bear a general application to all those who are the subjects of gracious
operations.
By nature we are all dead in trespasses aid sins; not
only strangers to God, but in a state of enmity and opposition to his
government and grace. In this respect, whatever difference there may be in
the characters of men as members of society, they are all, whether wise or
ignorant, whether sober or profane, equally incapable of receiving or
approving Divine truths. 1Co. 2:14. On this ground our Lord declares, "No
man can come unto me, unless the Father who has sent me draws him." Though
the term Father most frequently expresses a known and important
distinction in the adorable Trinity, I apprehend our Lord sometimes uses it
to denote God, or the Divine Nature, in contradistinction from his humanity,
as in John 14:9. And this I take to be the sense here: "No man can come unto
me unless he is taught of God," and wrought upon by a Divine power. The
immediate exertion of this power, according to the economy of salvation, is
rather ascribed to the Holy Spirit than to the Father, John 16:8-11. But it
is the power of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; and therefore
severally attributed to the Father, Son, and Spirit: John 5:21, and John
6:44-63; 2Co. 3:18; 2Th. 3:5.
By A; or grace in the blade, I would understand a person
who is under the drawings of God, which will infallibly lead him to the Lord
Jesus Christ for life and salvation. The beginning of this work is
instantaneous. It is effected by a certain kind of light communicated to the
soul, to which it was before all utter stranger. The eyes of the
understanding are opened and enlightened. The light at first afforded is
weak and indistinct, like the morning dawn; but when it is once begun, it
will certainly increase and spread to the perfect day. We commonly speak as
if conviction of sin was the first work of God upon the soul, that he is in
mercy about to draw unto himself. But I think this is inaccurate. Conviction
is only a part, or rather an immediate effect, of that first work; and there
are many convictions which do not at all spring from it, and therefore are
only occasional and temporary, though for a season they may be very sharp,
and put a person upon doing many things.
In order to a due conviction of sin, we must previously
have some adequate conceptions of the God with whom we have to do. Sin may
be feared as dangerous without this; but its nature and demerit can only be
understood by being contrasted with the holiness, majesty, goodness, and
truth, of the God against whom it is committed. No outward means, no
mercies, judgments, or ordinances, can communicate such a discovery of God,
or produce such a conviction of sin, without the concurrence of this Divine
light and power to the soul. The natural conscience and passions may be
indeed so far wrought upon by outward means, as to stir up some desires and
endeavors; but if these are not founded in a spiritual apprehension of the
perfection's of God, according to the revelation he has made of himself in
his word, they will sooner or later come to nothing; and the person affected
will either return by degrees to his former ways, 2Pe. 2:20, or he will sink
into a self-righteous form of godliness, destitute of the power. Luke 18:11.
And therefore, as there are so many things in the
dispensation of the Gospel suited to work upon the natural passions of men,
the many woeful miscarriages and apostasies among professors are more to be
lamented than wondered at. For though the seed may seem to spring up, and
look green for a season, if there is not depth for it to take root, it will
surely wither away. We may be unable to judge with certainty upon the first
appearance of a religious profession, whether the work be thus deep and
spiritual or not; but "the Lord knows those who are his;" and wherever it is
real, it is an infallible token of salvation.
Now, as God only thus reveals himself by the medium of
Scripture truth, the light received this way leads the soul to the Scripture
from whence it springs, and all the leading truths of the word of God soon
begin to be perceived and assented to. The evil of sin is acknowledged; the
evil of the heart is felt. There may be for a while some efforts to obtain
the favor of God by prayer, repentance, and reformation; but, for the most
part, it is not very long before these things are proved to be vain and
ineffectual. The soul, like the woman mentioned Mark 5:26, wearied with vain
expedients, finds itself worse and worse, and is gradually brought to see
the necessity and sufficiency of the Gospel salvation.
He may be a believer thus far: That he believes the word
of God, sees and feels things to be as they are there described, hates and
avoids sin, because he knows it is displeasing to God, and contrary to his
goodness: he receives the record which God has given of his Son; he has his
heart affected and drawn to Jesus by views of his glory, and of his love to
poor sinners; he ventures upon his name and promises as it's only
encouragement to come to a Throne of Grace; he waits diligently in the use
of all means appointed for the communion and growth of grace; he loves the
Lord's people, accounts them the excellent of the earth, and delights in
their conversation. He is longing, waiting, and praying, for a share in
those blessings which he believes they enjoy, and can be satisfied with
nothing less. He is convinced of the power of Jesus to save him; but,
through remaining ignorance and legality, the remembrance of sins previously
committed, and the sense of present corruption, he often questions his
willingness; and, not knowing the aboundings of grace, and the security of
the promises, he fears lest the compassionate Savior should spurn him from
his feet.
While he is thus young in the knowledge of the Gospel,
burdened with sin, and perhaps beset with Satan's temptations, the Lord,
"who gathers the lambs in his arms, and carries them in his bosom," is
pleased at times to favor him with cordials, that he may not be swallowed up
with over-much sorrow. Perhaps his heart is enlarged in prayer, or under
hearing, or some good promise is brought home to His mind, and applied with
power and sweetness. He mistakes the nature and design of these comforts,
which are not given him to rest in, but to encourage him to press forward.
He thinks he is then right because he has them, and fondly hopes to have
them always. Then his mountain stands strong. But before long he feels a
change: his comforts are withdrawn; he finds no heart to pray; no attention
in hearing; indwelling sin revives with fresh strength, and perhaps Satan
returns with redoubled rage. Then he is at his wits' end; thinks his hopes
were presumptuous, and his comforts delusions. He wants to feel something
that may give him a warrant to trust in the free promises of Christ. His
views of the Redeemer's gracefulness are very narrow: he sees not the
harmony and glory of the Divine attributes in the salvation of a sinner: he
sighs for mercy, but fears that justice is against him. However, by these
changing dispensations, the Lord is training him up, and bringing him
forward. He receives grace from Jesus, whereby he is enabled to fight
against sin: his conscience is tender, his troubles are chiefly spiritual
troubles; and he thinks, if he could but attain a sure and abiding sense of
his acceptance in the Beloved, hardly any outward trial would be capable of
giving him much disturbance.
Indeed, notwithstanding the weakness of his faith, and
the prevalence of a legal spirit, which greatly hurts him, there are some
things in his present experience which he may, perhaps, look back upon with
regret hereafter, when his hope and knowledge will be more established.
Particularly that sensibility and keenness of appetite with which he now
attends the ordinances, desiring the sincere milk of the word with
earnestness and eagerness, as a babe does the breast. He counts the hours
from one opportunity to another; and the attention and desire with which he
hears, may be read in his countenance. His zeal is likewise lively; and may
be, for lack of more experience, too importunate and forward. He has a love
for souls, and a concern for the glory of God; which, though it may at some
times create him trouble, and at others be mixed with some undue motions of
self, yet in its principle is highly desirable and commendable. John 18:10.
The grace of God influences both the understanding and
the affections. Warm affections, without knowledge, can rise no higher than
superstition; and that knowledge which does not influence the heart and
affections will only make a hypocrite. The true believer is rewarded in
both respects; yet we may observe, that though 'A' is not without knowledge,
this state is more usually remarkable for the warmth and liveliness of the
affections. On the other hand, as the work advances, though the affections
are not left out, yet it seems to be carried on principally in the
understanding. The old Christian has more solid, judicious, connected views
of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the glories of his person and redeeming love:
hence his hope is more established, his dependence more simple, and his
peace and strength, more abiding and uniform, than in the case of a young
convert; but the latter has, for the most part, the advantage in point of
sensible fervency.
A tree is most valuable when laden with ripe fruit, but
it has a peculiar beauty when in blossom. It is spring-time with 'A'. He is
in bloom, and, by the grace and blessing of the heavenly Farmer, will bear
fruit in old age. His faith is weak, but his heart is warm. He will seldom
venture to think himself a believer; but he sees, and feels, and does those
things which no one could, unless the Lord was with him. The very desire and
bent of his soul is to God, and to the word of his grace. His knowledge is
but small, but it is growing every day. If he is not a father or a
young man in grace, he is a dear child. The Lord has visited his
heart, delivered him from the love of sin, and fixed his desires supremely
upon Jesus Christ. The spirit of bondage is gradually departing from him,
and the hour of liberty, which he longs for, is approaching, when, by a
farther discovery of the glorious Gospel, it shall be given him to know his
acceptance, and to rest upon the Lord's finished salvation. We shall then
take notice of him by the name of 'B', in a second letter, if you are not
unwilling that I should prosecute the subject.