John Newton's Letters
The practical influence of faith
Sir,
The use and importance of faith, as it respects a sinner's justification
before God, has been largely insisted on. But faith is likewise of great
use and importance in the daily concerns of life. Faith gives evidence
and reality to things not seen, and realizes the great truths of the Gospel,
so as that they become abiding and living principles of support and
direction while we are passing through this wilderness. Thus, faith is as
the eye and the hand, without which we cannot take one step with certainty,
or attempt any service with success. It is to be wished, that this practical
exercise of faith were duly attended to by all professors. We would not then
meet with so many cases which perplex us, and leave us at a great difficulty
to reconcile what we see in some of whom we would willingly hope well—with
what we read in Scripture of the inseparable attendants of a true and living
faith. For how can we but be staggered, when we hear people speaking the
language of assurance—that they know their acceptance with God through
Christ, and have not the least doubt of their interest in all the
promises—while at the same time we see them under the influence of
unsanctified tempers, of a proud, passionate, worldly, selfish, or churlish
behavior?
It is not only plain, from the general tenor of
Scripture, that a covetous, a proud, or a censorious spirit, is no more
consistent with the spirit of the Gospel, than drunkenness or whoredom; but
there are many express texts directly pointed against the evils which too
often are found among professors. Thus the Apostle James assures us, "That
if any man seems to be religious, and bridles not his tongue, his religion
is vain;" and the Apostle John, "That if any man loves the world, the love
of the Father is not in him;" and he seems to apply this character to any
man, whatever his profession or pretenses may be, "who having this world's
goods, and seeing his brother have need, shuts up his compassion from him."
Surely these texts more than intimate, that that faith which justifies
the soul, does likewise receive grace from Jesus, whereby the heart is
purified, and the life regulated as befits the Gospel of Christ.
There are too many who would have preaching limited to
the privileges of believers; and when the fruits of faith, and the
tempers of the mind, which should be manifest in those who have "tasted that
the Lord is gracious," are inculcated, think they sufficiently evade all
that is said, by calling it legal preaching. I would be no advocate
for legal preaching; but we must not be deterred, by the fear of a hard
word, from declaring the whole counsel of God; and we have the authority and
example of Paul, who was a champion of the doctrines of free grace, to
animate us in exhorting professors to "walk worthy of God, who has called
them to his kingdom and glory." And indeed the expression of a believer's
privilege is often misunderstood. It is a believer's privilege to walk with
God in the exercise of faith, and, by the power of his Spirit, to mortify
the whole body of sin, to gain a growing victory over the world and self,
and to make daily advances in conformity to the mind of Christ. And nothing
that we profess to know, believe, or hope for, deserves the name of a
privilege, farther than we are influenced by it to die unto sin and to
live unto righteousness. Whoever is possessed of true faith, will not
confine his inquiries to the single point of his acceptance with God, or be
satisfied with the distant hope of heaven hereafter. He will be likewise
solicitous how he may glorify God in the world, and enjoy such foretastes of
heaven as are attainable while he is yet upon earth.
Faith, then, in its practical exercise, has for its
object the whole word of God, and forms its estimate of all things with
which the soul is at present concerned, according to the standard of
Scripture. Like Moses, it "endures, as seeing him who is invisible."
When our Lord was upon earth, and conversed with his
disciples, their eyes and hearts were fixed upon him. In danger he was their
defender; their guide when in perplexity; and to him they looked for the
solution of all their doubts, and the supply of all their needs. He is now
withdrawn from our eyes; but faith sets him still before us, for the same
purposes, and, according to its degree, with the same effects, as if we
actually saw him! His spiritual presence, apprehended by faith, is a
restraint from evil, an encouragement to every service, and affords a
present refuge and help in every time of trouble.
To this is owing the delight a believer takes in
ordinances, because there he meets his Lord: and to this, likewise, it is
owing, that his religion is not confined to public occasions; but he is the
same person in secret as he appears to be in the public assembly; for he
worships him who sees in secret; and dares appeal to his all-seeing eye for
the sincerity of his desires and intentions. By faith he is enabled to use
prosperity with moderation; and knows and feels, that what the world calls
good is of small value, unless it is accompanied with the presence
and blessings of Him whom his soul loves.
And his faith upholds him under all trials, by assuring
him, that every painful dispensation is under the direction of his Lord;
that chastisements are a token of his love; that the season, measure, and
continuance of his sufferings, are appointed by Infinite Wisdom, and
designed to work for his everlasting good; and that grace and strength shall
be afforded him, according to his need. Thus, his heart being fixed,
trusting in the Lord, to whom he has committed all his concerns; and knowing
that his best interests are safe; he is not greatly afraid of evil tidings,
but enjoys a stable peace in the midst of a changing world. For, though he
cannot tell what a day may bring forth, he believes that he who has invited
and enabled him to cast all his cares upon him, will allow nothing to befall
him but what shall be made subservient to his chief desire—the glory of God
in the sanctification and final salvation of his soul. And if, through the
weakness of his flesh, he is liable to be startled by the first impression
of a sharp and sudden trial, he quickly flees to his strong refuge,
remembers it is the Lord's doing, resigns himself to his will, and patiently
expects a happy outcome.
By the same principle of faith, a believer's conduct is
regulated towards his fellow-creatures; and in the discharge of the
several duties and relations of life, his great aim is to please God, and to
let his light shine in the world. He believes and feels his own weakness and
unworthiness, and lives upon the grace and pardoning love of his Lord. This
gives him a habitual tenderness and gentleness of spirit. Humbled under a
sense of much forgiveness to himself, he finds it easy to forgive others, if
he has anything against any. A due sense of what he is in the sight of the
Lord, preserves him from giving way to anger, malice, and resentment. He is
not easily provoked, but is "swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to become
angry;" and if offended, easy to be entreated, and disposed, not only to
yield to a reconciliation, but to seek it.
As Jesus is his life, and righteousness, and strength—so
he is his pattern. By faith he contemplates and studies this great
Exemplar of philanthropy. With a holy ambition he treads in the footsteps of
his Lord and Master, and learns of him to be meek and lowly, to requite
injuries with kindness, and to overcome evil with good. From the same views,
by faith he derives a benevolent spirit, and, according to his sphere and
ability, he endeavors to promote the welfare of all around him. The law
of love being thus written in his heart, and his soul set at liberty
from the low and narrow dictates of a selfish spirit, his language will be
truth, and his dealings equity. His promise may be depended on, without the
interposition of oath, bond, or witness; and the feelings of his own heart,
under the direction of an enlightened conscience and the precepts of
Scripture, prompt him "to do unto others as he would desire they, in the
like circumstances, should do unto him."
If he is a master, he is gentle and compassionate; if a
servant, he is faithful and obedient; for in either relation he acts by
faith, under the eye of his Master in heaven. If he is a trader, he neither
dares nor wishes to take advantage either of the ignorance or the
necessities of those with whom he deals. And the same principle of love
influences his whole conversation. A sense of his own infirmities makes him
sympathetic to those of others: he will not readily believe bad reports
about them, without sufficient proof; and even then, he will not repeat
them, unless he is lawfully called to it. He believes that the precept,
"Speak evil of no man," is founded upon the same authority as those which
forbid committing adultery or murder; and therefore he "keeps his tongue as
with a bridle."
Lastly, Faith is of daily use as a preservative from a
compliance with the corrupt customs and maxims of the world. The believer,
though in the world, is not of it; by faith he triumphs over its smiles and
enticements. He sees that all that is in the world, suited to gratify the
desires of the flesh or the eye, is not only to be avoided as sinful, but as
incompatible with his best pleasures. He will mix with the world so far as
is necessary, in the discharge of the duties of that station of life in
which the providence of God has placed him, but no farther. His leisure and
inclinations are engaged in a different pursuit. Those who fear the Lord are
his chosen companions: and the blessings he derives from the word, and
throne, and ordinances of grace, make him look upon the poor pleasures and
amusements of those who live without God in the world, with a mixture of
disdain and pity. And by faith he is armored against the world's frowns. He
will obey God rather than man; he will "have no fellowship with the
unfruitful works of darkness, but will rather reprove them." And if, upon
this account, he should be despised and injuriously treated, whatever loss
he suffers in such a cause, he accounts his gain, and esteems such disgrace
his glory.
I am not aiming to draw a perfect character, but to show
the proper effects of that faith which justifies, which purifies the
heart, works by love, and overcomes the world. A habitual endeavor to
possess such a frame of spirit, and thus to adorn the Gospel of Christ, and
that with growing success, is what I am persuaded you are not a stranger to;
and I am afraid that those who can content themselves with aiming at
anything short of this in their profession, are too much strangers to
themselves, and to the nature of that liberty with which Jesus has promised
to make his people free. That you may go on from strength to strength,
increasing in the light and image of our Lord and Savior, is my sincere
prayer.