John Newton's Letters
On controversy
Dear Sir,
As you are likely to be engaged in controversy, and your love of truth is
joined with a natural warmth of temper, nay friendship makes me solicitous
on your behalf. You are of the strongest side; for truth is great, and must
prevail; so that a person of abilities inferior to yours might take the
field with a confidence of victory. I am not therefore anxious for the event
of the battle. But I would have you more than a conqueror, and to triumph,
not only over your adversary, but over yourself. If you cannot be
vanquished, you may be wounded. To preserve you from such wounds as might
give you cause of weeping over your conquests, I would present you with some
considerations, which, if duly attended to, will do you the service of a
coat of armor; for you will easily perceive it is taken from that great
armory provided for the Christian soldier, the word of God. I take it for
granted, that you will not expect any apology for my freedom, and therefore
I shall not offer one. For method sake, I may reduce my advice to three
heads, respecting your opponent, the public, and yourself.
1. As to your opponent,
I wish, that, before you set pen to paper against him, and during the whole
time you are preparing your answer, you may commend him by earnest prayer to
the Lord's teaching and blessing. This practice will have a direct tendency
to conciliate your heart to love and pity him; and such a disposition will
have a good influence upon every page you write. If you account him a
believer, though greatly mistaken in the subject of debate between you, the
words of David to Joab, concerning Absalom, are very applicable: "Deal
gently with him for my sake." The Lord loves him and bears with him;
therefore you must not despise him, or treat him harshly. The Lord bears
with you likewise, and expects that you should show tenderness to others,
from a sense of the much forgiveness you need yourself.
In a little while you will meet in heaven; he will then
be dearer to you than the nearest friend you have upon earth is to you now.
Anticipate that period in your thoughts; and though you may find it
necessary to oppose his errors, view him personally as a kindred soul, with
whom you are to be happy in Christ forever. But if you look upon him as an
unconverted person, in a state of enmity against God and his grace, (a
supposition which, without good evidence, you should be very unwilling to
admit,) he is a more proper object of your pity and compassion than of your
anger. Alas! "he knows not what he does." But you know who has made you to
differ. If God, in his sovereign pleasure, had so appointed, you might have
been as he is now; and he, instead of you, might have been set for the
defense of the Gospel. You were both equally blind by nature. If you attend
to this, you will not reproach or hate him, because the Lord has been
pleased to open your eyes, and not his.
Of all people who engage in controversy, we, who are
called Calvinists, are most expressly bound by our own principles to the
exercise of gentleness and moderation. If, indeed, those who differ from us
have a power of changing themselves, if they can open their own eyes, and
soften their own hearts, then we might with less inconsistency be offended
at their obstinacy; but if we believe the very contrary to this, our part
is, not to strive, but in meekness to instruct those who oppose, "if perhaps
God will give them repentance to the acknowledgment of the truth."
If you write with a desire of being an instrument of
correcting mistakes, you will of course be cautious of laying
stumbling-blocks in the way of the blind, or of using any expressions that
may exasperate their passions, confirm them in their prejudices, and thereby
make their conviction, humanly speaking, more impracticable.
2. By printing, you will appeal to the
public; where your readers may be ranged
under three divisions. First, such as differ from you in principle.
Concerning these I may refer you to what I have already said. Though you
have your eye upon one person chiefly, there are many like-minded with him;
and the same reasoning will hold, whether as to one or to a million.
There will be likewise many who pay too little regard to
religion, to have any settled system of their own, and yet are pre-engaged
in favor of those sentiments which are least repugnant to the good opinion
men naturally have of themselves. These are very incompetent judges of
doctrines; but they can form a tolerable judgment of a writer's spirit.
They know that that meekness, humility, and love, are the characteristics of
a Christian temper; and though they affect to treat the doctrines of grace
as mere notions and speculations, which, supposing they adopted them, would
have no beneficial influence upon their conduct; yet from us, who profess
these principles, they always expect such dispositions as correspond with
the precepts of the Gospel. They are quick-sighted to discern when we
deviate from such a spirit, and avail themselves of it to justify their
contempt of our arguments.
The Scriptural maxim, that "the wrath of man works not
the righteousness of God," is verified by daily observation. If our zeal is
embittered by expressions of anger, invective, or scorn, we may think we are
doing service to the cause of truth, when in reality we shall only bring-it
into discredit. The weapons of our warfare, and which alone are powerful to
break down the strongholds of error, are not carnal, but spiritual;
arguments fairly drawn from Scripture and experience, and enforced by
such a mild address as may persuade our readers, that, whether we can
convince them or not, we wish well to their souls, and contend only for the
truth's sake. If we can satisfy them that we act upon these motives, our
point is half gained; they will be more disposed to consider calmly what we
offer: and if they should still dissent from our opinions, they will be
constrained to approve our intentions.
You will have a third class of readers, who, being of
your own sentiments, will readily approve of what you advance, and may be
further established and confirmed in their views of the Scripture doctrines,
by a clear and masterly elucidation of your subject. You may be instrumental
to their edification, if the law of kindness as well as of truth
regulates your pen, otherwise you may do them harm.
There is a principle of self, which disposes us
to despise those who differ from us; and we are often under its
influence, when we think we are only showing a befitting zeal in the cause
of God. I readily believe, that the leading points of Arminianism spring
from, and are nourished by, the pride of the human heart; but I would be
glad if the reverse was always true; and that to embrace what are called the
Calvinistic doctrines was an infallible token of an humble mind. I have
known some Arminians—that is, people who, for lack of clearer light, have
been afraid of receiving the doctrines of free grace—who yet have given
evidence that their hearts were in a degree humbled before the Lord. And I
am afraid there are Calvinists, who, while they account it a proof of their
humility that they are willing in words to debase the creature, and to give
all the glory of salvation to the Lord, yet know not what manner of spirit
they are of.
Whatever it is which makes us trust in ourselves that we
are comparatively wise or good, so as to treat those with contempt
who do not subscribe to our doctrines, or follow our party—is a proof and
fruit of a self-righteous spirit. Self-righteousness can feed upon
doctrines, as well as upon works; and a man may have the heart of a
Pharisee, while his head is stored with orthodox notions of the unworthiness
of the creature and the riches of free grace. Yes, I would add, the best
of men are not wholly free from this leaven; and therefore are too apt to be
pleased with such representations as hold up our adversaries to ridicule—and
by consequence flatter our own superior judgments. Controversies, for the
most part, are so managed as to indulge rather than to repress this wrong
disposition; and therefore, generally speaking, they are productive of
little good. They provoke those whom they should convince, and
puff up those whom they should edify. I hope your performance will savor
of a spirit of true humility, and be a means of promoting it in others.
3. This leads me, in the last place, to consider
your own concern in your present
undertaking. It seems a laudable service to defend the faith once delivered
to the saints; we are commanded to contend earnestly for it, and to convince
gainsayers. If ever such defenses were seasonable and expedient, they appear
to be so in our day, when errors abound on all sides, and every truth of the
Gospel is either directly denied, or grossly misrepresented. And yet we find
but very few writers of controversy, who have not been manifestly hurt by
it. Either they grow in a sense of their own importance, or imbibe an
angry contentious spirit, or they insensibly withdraw their attention
from those things which are the food and immediate support of the life of
faith, and spend their time and strength upon matters which at most are but
of a secondary value. This shows, that, if the service is honorable, it is
dangerous. What will it profit a man if he gains his cause, and silences
his adversary, if at the same time he loses that humble, tender frame of
spirit in which the Lord delights, and to which the promise of his presence
is made! Your aim, I doubt not, is good; but you have need to watch and
pray, for you will find Satan at your right hand to resist you: he will try
to debase your views; and though you set out in defense of the cause of God,
if you are not continually looking to the Lord to keep you, it may become
your own cause, and awaken in you those tempers which are
inconsistent with true peace of mind, and will surely obstruct communion
with God.
Be upon your guard against admitting anything personal
into the debate. If you think you have been ill treated, you will have
an opportunity of showing that you are a disciple of Jesus, who, "when he
was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not." This
is our pattern, thus we are to speak and write for God, "not rendering
railing for railing, but, contrariwise, blessing; knowing that hereunto we
are called." The wisdom which is from above is not only pure, but peaceable
and gentle; and the lack of these qualifications, like the dead fly in the
pot of ointment, will spoil the savor and efficacy of our labors.
If we act in a wrong spirit, we shall bring little glory
to God, do little good to our fellow-creatures, and procure neither honor
nor comfort to ourselves. If you can be content with showing your wit,
and gaining the laugh on your side, you have an easy task; but I hope you
have a far nobler aim, and that, sensible of the solemn importance of Gospel
truths, and the compassion due to the souls of men, you would rather be a
means of removing prejudices in a single instance, than obtain the empty
applause of thousands. Go forth, therefore, in the name and strength of the
Lord Almighty, speaking the truth in love; and may he give you a witness in
many hearts, that you are taught of God, and favored with the unction of his
Holy Spirit.