LETTERS OF JOHN NEWTON
Edited by Josiah Bull
Banner of Truth. 416 pages. £16.50
ISBN 978-0-85151-951-7
This is a fascinating collection from the days before email and text messaging did so much to degrade the English language. However, these letters are far more than just flowery meanderings on obscure religious themes.
John Newton was a man of both wisdom and wit and not afraid to challenge as well as comfort and encourage. In one of the earlier letters he systematically pulls the rug from under the feet of a spiritually careless friend, leaving us in no doubt about the risks of a life of materialism and frivolity. Yet for others there are rich words of consolation for those prepared to suffer hardships and sorrows for the sake of Christ.
