John Newton's Letters
The advantages of a state of poverty
My dear Friend,
I confess myself almost ashamed to write to you. You are pinched by poverty,
suffer the lack of many things; and your faith is often sharply tried, when
you look at your family, and perhaps can hardly conceive how you shall be
able to supply them with bread to the end of the week. The Lord has
appointed me a different lot. I am favored, not only with the necessities
but with the comforts of life. Now I could easily give you plenty of good
advice: I could tell you, it is your duty to be patient, and even thankful,
in the lower state; that if you have bread and water, it is more than you
deserve at the Lord's hands; and that, as you are out of hell, and made a
partaker of the hope of the Gospel, you ought not to think anything hard
that you meet with on the way to heaven. If I should say thus, and say no
more, you would not dispute the truth of my assertions. But as coming from
me, who lives at ease, to you, who are beset with difficulties, you might
question their propriety, and think that I know but little of my own heart,
and could feel but little for your distress. You would probably compare me
to one who would think himself a mariner because he had studied the art of
navigation by the fire-side, though he had never seen the sea. Yet I hope,
by my frequent converse with the Lord's poor (for I live in the midst of an
afflicted and poor people), I have made some observations, which, though not
strictly the fruit of my own experience, may not be wholly unseasonable or
unacceptable to you.
Whether the rich or the poor, who live without God in the
world, are most to be pitied, is not easy to determine. It is a dreadful
case to be miserable in both worlds; but yet the parade and seeming
prosperity in which some live for a few years will be no abatement, but
rather a great aggravation, of their future torment. A madman is equally to
be pitied, whether he is laid upon a bed of down, or a bed of straw.
Madness is in the heart of every unregenerate sinner; and the more he
possesses of this world's goods, he is so much the more extensively
mischievous. Poverty is so far a negative good, to those who have no
other restraint, that it confines the effects of the evil heart within
narrower bounds, and the small circle of their immediate connections:
whereas the rich, who live under the power of sin, are unfaithful stewards
of a larger trust, and by their pernicious influence are often instrumental
in diffusing profaneness and licentiousness through a country or a kingdom;
besides the innumerable acts of oppression, and the ravages of war, which
are perpetrated to gratify the insatiable demands of luxury, ambition, and
pride.
But, to leave this; if we turn our eyes from the false
maxims of the world, and weigh things in the balance of the sanctuary, I
believe we shall find, that poor Christians, though they have many
trials which call for our compassion, have some advantages above those of
the Lord's people to whom he has given a larger share of the good things of
the present life. Why else does the Apostle say, "God has chosen the poor?"
or why do we see, in fact, that so few of the rich, or wise, or mighty, are
called? Certainly he does not choose them because they are poor; for "he is
no respecter of persons."
Rather I think we may say, that, knowing what is in the
hearts of his people, the nature of the world through which they are to
pass, and what circumstances are best suited to manifest the truth and
efficacy of his grace, he has, in the general, chosen poverty as the best
state for them. Some exceptions he has made, that the sufficiency of his
grace may be made known in every state of life; but, for the most part, they
are a poor and afflicted people: and in this appointment he has had a regard
to their honor, their safety, and their comfort. I have
room for but a very brief illustration of these particulars.
Sanctified poverty is an honorable state; not so
indeed in the judgment of the world; the rich have many friends, the poor
are usually despised. But I am speaking of that honor which comes from God
only. The poor, who are "rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom," are
honored with the nearest external conformity to Jesus their Savior; who,
though he was Lord of all, was pleased for our sakes to make himself so
poor, that he had not where to lay his head, and submitted to receive
assistance from the contributions of his followers; Luke 8:3. By this
astonishing humiliation, he poured contempt upon all human glory, and made
the state of poverty honorable; and now "he who reproaches the poor,
despises his Maker."
And as he was, so were his Apostles in the world. They
were not only destitute of rank, titles, and estates—but were often in
hunger and nakedness, and had no certain dwelling-place. To infer from
hence, as some have done, that riches, and the accommodations of life, are
unsuitable to the state of a Christian, is the mark of a superstitious and
legal spirit. There were in those days several believers that were in a
state of affluence; as, for instance, Theophilus, whom Luke addresses by a
title of honor, 'most noble or excellent'; the same which Paul ascribes to
the Roman Governor. But we may safely infer, that that state of life in
which our Lord was pleased to converse with men, and which was the lot of
his Apostles, and most favored servants, is honorable in the sight of God.
Again: Poverty is honorable, because it affords a
peculiar advantage for glorifying God, and evidencing the power of his
grace, and the faithfulness of his promises, in the sight of men. A
believer, if rich, lives by faith; and his faith meets with various trials.
He himself knows by whom he stands; but it is not ordinarily so visible to
others, as in the case of the poor. When ministers speak of the
all-sufficiency of God to those who trust in him, and the certain effect of
the principles of the Gospel, in supporting, satisfying, and regulating the
mind of man, the poor are the best and most unsuspected witnesses for the
truth of their doctrine. If we are asked, 'Where do these wonderful people
live, who can delight themselves in God, esteem a day in his courts better
than a thousand, and prefer the light of his countenance to all earthly
joy?'—we can confidently send them to the poor of the flock. Among the
number who are so called, there are some who will not disappoint our appeal.
Let the world, who refuse to believe the preachers, believe their own eyes;
and when they see a poor person content, thankful, rejoicing, admiring the
Lord's goodness for affording him what they account hard fare, and, in the
midst of various pressures, incapable of being bribed by offers, or
terrified by threats, to swerve a step from the path of known duty—let them
acknowledge that this is the finger of God. If they harden themselves
against this evidence, "neither would they be persuaded though one should
arise from the dead."
And as poverty is an honorable, so it is comparatively a
safe state. True, it is attended with its peculiar temptations; but it is
not near so suitable to draw forth and nourish the two grand corruption's of
the heart, self-importance, and an idolatrous cleaving to the world, as the
opposite state of riches. Those who are rich in this world, and who know the
Lord and their own hearts, feel the wisdom and propriety of the Apostle's
charge, "Not to be high-minded, nor to trust in uncertain riches." If poor
believers consider the snares to which their rich brethren are exposed, they
will rather pray for and pity, than envy them. Their path is slippery; they
have reason to cry continually, "Hold me up, and I shall be safe!" for they
live in the midst of the hurries and vanities of the world, are engaged in a
large sphere of action, and are incessantly exposed to interruptions and
snares. The behavior of all around them reminds them of their supposed
consequence: and, by the nature of their situation, they are greatly
precluded from plain dealing and friendly advice.
But the poor are not surrounded with flatterers, nor
teased with impertinences. They meet with little to stimulate their pride,
or to pander to their vanity. They not only believe in their judgments, but
are constrained to feel, by the experience of every day, that this world
cannot afford them rest. If they have food and clothing, and grace therewith
to be content, they have reason to be thankful for an exemption from those
splendid cares, and delusive appearances, which are the inseparable
attendants of wealth and worldly distinction; and which, if not more
burdensome, are, humanly speaking, much more dangerous, and greater
impediments to the progress of a spiritual life, than the ordinary trials of
the poor.
The believing poor have likewise, for the most part, the
advantage in point of spiritual comfort; and that principally in two
respects. First, As they are called to a life of more immediate dependence
upon the promise and providence of God (having little else to trust to),
they have a more direct and frequent experience of His interposition in
their favor. Obadiah was a servant of God, though he lived in the court of
Ahab. He, doubtless, had his difficulties in such a situation; but he was
not in poverty. He had not only enough for himself in a time of dearth, but
was able to impart to others. We may believe, that he well knew he was
indebted to the Lord's goodness for his provision; but he could hardly have
so sweet, so strong, so sensible an impression of God's watchful care over
him as Elijah had, who, when he was deprived of all human support, was fed
by the ravens.
Such of the Lord's people who have estates in land, or
thousands in the bank, will acknowledge, that even the bread they eat is the
gift of the lords bounty; yet having a moral certainty of a provision for
life, I would think that they cannot exercise faith in the Divine
Providence, with respect to their temporal supplies, so distinctly as the
poor, who, having no friend or resource upon earth, are necessitated to look
immediately to their Father who is in heaven for their daily bread.
And though it is not given to the world to know what a
fellowship is carried on between heaven and earth, nor with what acceptance
the prayers of the poor and afflicted enter into the ears of the Lord of
hosts; yet many of them have had such proofs of his attention, wisdom,
faithfulness, power, and love, in supplying their needs, and opening them a
way of relief, when they have been beset with difficulties on all sides, as
have been no less certain and indisputable, I had almost said no less
glorious—than the miracles which he wrought for Israel when he divided the
Red Sea before them, and gave them food from the clouds. Such evidences of
the power of faith, the efficacy of prayer, and the truth of the Scriptures
(preferable to mountains of gold and silver, and for which the state of
poverty furnishes the most frequent occasions), are a rich overbalance for
all its inconveniences.
But, Secondly, I apprehend that the humble and believing
poor have, in general, the greatest share of those consolations which are
the effect of the light of God's countenance lifted up upon the soul, of his
love shed abroad in the heart, or of a season of refreshment from His
presence. By such expressions as these, the Scripture intimates that "joy
unspeakable and full of glory;" a description of which those who have tasted
it will not require, and those who are strangers to it could not understand.
This joy is not always the companion of faith, not even of strong faith; but
it is that which a believer, whether rich or poor, incessantly thirsts
after; and, in comparison whereof, all worldly good is but vanity and
disappointment. The Lord imparts this joy to his people, in season and
measure, as he sees fit; but his poor people have the largest share.
They have little comfort from the world, therefore he is
pleased to be their comforter. They have many trials and sufferings; and
he with whom they have to do knows their situation and pressures: he has
promised to make their strength equal to their day, and to revive their
fainting spirits with heavenly cordials. When it is thus with them, they can
say, with Jacob, "I have enough;" or, as it is in the original, "I have
all." This makes hard things easy, and the burden light, which the flesh
would otherwise complain of as heavy. This has often given a sweeter relish
to bread and water, than the sensualist ever found in the most lavish and
expensive refinements of luxury. Blessed are the poor who are rich in faith,
and heirs of the kingdom which God has promised to those who love him. They
often enjoy the most lively foretastes of the glory which shall be revealed.
Have not you, my friend, found these things true in your
own experience? Yes! the Lord has sanctified your crosses, and supported you
under them. Hitherto he has helped you, and he will be with you to the end.
As you have followed him upon earth, you will before long follow him to
heaven. You are now called to "sow in tears, there you shall reap in joy,
and God shall wipe all tears from your eyes." In the mean time, be thankful
that he honors you, in appointing you to be a witness for the truth and
power of his grace, in the midst of an unbelieving world.
It is true, that even where the spirit is willing, the
flesh is weak. You have sharp trials, which, for the present, cannot be
joyous, but grievous; and you have, doubtless, felt the depravity of your
nature, and the subtlety of Satan, at some times prompting you to
impatience, envy, and distrust. But these evils are not peculiar to a state
of poverty; you would have been exposed to the same had you lived in
affluence—along with many others, from which you are now exempted: for
riches and poverty are but comparative terms, and it is only the grace of
God can teach us to be content in any possible situation of life. The rich
are as prone to desire something which they have not, as the poor; and those
who have most to lose, have most to fear. That a man's life (the happiness
of his life) "consists not in the abundance of the things which he
possesses," is an aphorism founded upon the highest authority, and confirmed
by universal experience and observation.
In a word, you are not poor, but rich. The promises are
your inheritance; heaven is your home; the angels of the Lord are
ministering spirits, who rejoice to watch over you for good; and the Lord of
angels himself is your sun and shield, and everlasting portion. It is
impossible that you, to whom he has given Himself, his Son, his Spirit, his
grace, his kingdom, can lack anything which is truly good for you. If riches
were so, he could pour them upon you in abundance, as easily as he provides
you your daily bread. But these, for the most part, he bestows on those who
have no portion but in the present life. You have great reason to rejoice in
the lot he has appointed for you, which secures you from numberless
imaginary needs and real dangers, and furnishes you with the fairest
opportunities for the manifestation, exercise, and increase of the graces he
has implanted in you. Influenced by these views, I trust you can cheerfully
say,
What others value, I resign:
Lord, 'tis enough that you are mine.
I commend you to the blessing of our covenant God, and to
Jesus our Savior, "who, when He was rich, made himself poor for our sakes,
that we through his poverty might be rich."