Wise Counsel
John Newton's Letters to John Ryland Jr.
| Dimensions | 8.5 × 5.375 in |
|---|---|
| ISBN | 9781800404144 |
| Binding | Clothbound |
| Topic | Letters |
| Page Count | 464 |
| Format | Book |
| Subtitle | John Newton's Letters to John Ryland Jr. |
| The Author | Newton, John |
| Era | 19th Century |
John Newton (1725–1807) has rightly been called ‘the letter-writer par excellence of the Evangelical Revival’. Newton himself seems to have come 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. Those ten letters already in print can be found in the Banner of Truth Trust’s four-volume edition of Newton’s Works. Three of the ten 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 recipient 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 India, 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!’
Retypeset and updated, with two additional letters.
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Marc Daniel Rivera (KristiyaKnow) –
Most Christians know John Newton as the author of Amazing Grace. That alone would be enough to secure his place in church history. Yet those who have spent time reading Newton soon discover that his greatest gift may not have been hymn writing at all. It may have been his letters.
Wise Counsel: John Newton’s Letters to John Ryland, Jr., newly reset and expanded in this handsome cloth-bound edition from Banner of Truth, gives readers the opportunity to sit in on one of the most remarkable friendships of the eighteenth-century evangelical movement. Edited by Grant Gordon, the volume gathers more than eighty letters written by Newton to the Baptist pastor John Ryland Jr., many of which were unknown or difficult to access until Gordon’s years of archival research brought them together in one place.
At first glance, a collection of eighteenth-century letters may not sound especially exciting. But this book quickly proves otherwise.
What makes these letters so compelling is that they deal with real life. Ryland was a young pastor facing many of the same challenges ministers and Christians face today. He wrestled with discouragement, theological questions, family concerns, difficult church situations, grief, major decisions, and uncertainty about the future. Again and again, he turned to Newton for guidance.
Newton’s responses reveal why so many people sought his counsel. He possessed a rare combination of wisdom, theological depth, humility, and practical common sense. He never writes like a detached scholar delivering lectures from a distance. Instead, he writes like a trusted friend who genuinely cares about the person receiving the letter.
One of the strengths of this collection is its variety. The letters touch on subjects such as justification, Christian experience, preaching, marriage, suffering, providence, church unity, missions, controversy, spiritual depression, bereavement, and pastoral ministry. Newton seems equally comfortable discussing these issues and the ordinary struggles of daily life.
I was particularly struck by how balanced Newton is throughout the book. He holds strong convictions, yet he rarely sounds harsh or combative. He is deeply rooted and displays a humble Christian spirit. Even when addressing disagreements, he encourages charity, patience, and humility.
The pastoral sections are especially rich. Newton understood the pressures of ministry because he had experienced them himself. When Ryland struggles with discouragement, Newton offers more than quick fixes or clichés. He gently directs his friend back to Christ, God’s providence, and the sufficiency of divine grace. His counsel often feels timeless because it is grounded in biblical truth rather than passing circumstances.
Read my full review on https://kristiyaknow.wordpress.com/2026/08/17/book-review-wise-counsel/