Newton's Epitaph

John Newton died on December 21, 1807, and he was buried in the graveyard at St. Mary Woolnoth next to his beloved wife Mary. (Their remains were reinterred in the Olney churchyard in 1893.) Newton wrote his own epitaph and it was carved on a plain marble tablet over his grave:

JOHN NEWTON

CLERK

ONCE AN INFIDEL AND LIBERTINE

A SERVANT OF SLAVES IN AFRICA,

WAS,

BY THE RICH MERCY OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR

JESUS CHRIST,

PRESERVED, RESTORED, PARDONED,

AND APPOINTED TO PREACH THE FAITH

HE HAD LONG LABOURED TO DESTROY.

HE MINISTERED

NEAR XVI YEARS AS CURATE AND VICAR

OF OLNEY IN BUCKS

AND XXVIII AS RECTOR

OF THESE UNITED PARISHES.

ON FEBRY THE FIRST MDCCI HE MARRIED

MARY

DAUGHTER OF THE LATE GEORGE CATLETT,

OF CHATHAM KENT,

WHOM HE RESIGNED

TO THE LORD WHO GAVE HER,

ON DECR THE XVTH MDCCXC.

Muller

George Muller, of course, founded three orphanages in England in the 19th century that housed thousands of children. It took great sums of money to operate these institutions. But Muller refused to ask for money from anyone except the Lord. He comments on a most difficult period: "Of all the seasons that I had ever passed through since I had been living in this way, up to that time, I never knew any period in my faith was tried so sharply as during the four months from December 12 1841 to April 12 1842."

Although the children never wanted for food or clothing, there were some very narrow escapes during this time. For example, on February 8, 1842, there was enough food for that day, but no money to buy any food for the next day. Muller though that they had never been poorer. He commented, "Truly we are poorer than ever; but, through grace, my eyes look not at the empty stores and the empty purse, but to the riches of the Lord only." Next morning Muller walked to the orphanages to see how God would meet their need, only to find that it had already been met. A Christian businessman was that morning walking to his place of employment when the thought came to him that the children in the orphanages might be in need. So he thought that in the evening he would go visit the homes to see what he could do. But he later explained, "I could not go any further and felt constrained to go back." He went directly to the orphanages and gave them enough money for two days of food.

Shaftesbury

In our day and age when politicians are often unwilling to say where they stand on religious issues, it is refreshing to hear the words of Lord Shaftesbury who was a Christian politician during the 19th century:

"I think a man's religion, if it is worth anything, should enter into every sphere of life, and rule his conduct in every relation. I have always been -- and, please God, always shall be -- an Evangelical of the Evangelicals, and no biography can represent me that does not fully and emphatically represent my religious views."

People today, of course, would scream "separation of church and state" if they heard these words from one of our politicians. But Shaftesbury is right: there should be no separation of religion and the state.

Ash Heap Lives

In a sermon entitled, "Ash Heap Lives," Francis Schaeffer discusses the reality that many in the church spend their time and effort storing up treasures on earth. He writes, "Tragically, all too many of us live out this antithesis of true (i.e. Biblical) spirituality. We all tend to live 'ash heap lives'; we spend most of our time and money for things that will end up in the city dump." But the outlook of the Christian, Schaeffer says, "... is supposed to be different. We must never live in the perspective of this life alone ... Jesus himself taught this, 'Do not store up for yourself treasures on earth, where moth and rust corrupt, and thieves break in a steal; but store up for yourself treasure in heaven, where moth and rust do not corrupt, and thieves do not break in and steal' (Matt 6:19-20)." True and lasting riches are found only in our great and awesome savior, Jesus Christ.

submitted by RSA

Delusion?

This past week I saw a short interview with Richard Dawkins. He is a British biologist and the author of the best selling The God Delusion (2006). He made the following statement, "Not all religious people are ignorant, but all ignorant people are religious". Not only did I find this statement arrogant and ignorant, but Dawkins is a great illustration of what Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians 1:

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. (vv. 18-25)

So, then, who is truly deluded? Who is truly ignorant?

Trusting and Waiting

In a letter dated October 12, 1776, John Newton wrote to Captain Clunie, "I long to have a more entire submission to his will, and a more steadfast confidence in his word, to trust him and wait on him, to see his hand and praise his name in every circumstance of life great and small. The more of this spirit, the more heaven is begun upon earth. And why should we not trust him at all times? Which part of our past experience can charge him with unfaithfulness? Has he not done all things well? And is he not the same yesterday, today, and forever? O my soul, wait thou only upon him."

O Lord, let us trust only in you and be satisfied only with you!
submitted by RSA

Milner

I believe a lot of people in the church deal with the issue of not being recognized for all the labor that they do in the church. Do you deal with this issue? Are you faithful to labor behind the scenes at church? Are you faithful to labor for those who are up front, indeed, for those who get more recognition for Christ? Does it make you bitter?

Consider a man named Isaac Milner, who was, for the most part, an unknown tutor at Queen's College in Cambridge University. This man, though little known, labored diligently and faithfully for Christ. Much of his work was behind the scenes labors for Christ. He led William Wilberforce to Christ. Wilberforce later became an influential British politician, and he had a great role in ending the slave trade in England. Milner also had a great Christian impact on Charles Simeon as a student. Simeon later served Christ faithfully in a church in Cambridge for over fifty years and many people came to Christ through his labors. But who has ever heard of Isaac Milner? Yet, this seemingly minor figure had a great impact upon Britain for Christ (John Piper).