At the beginning of December I challenged folks to spend 2015 with a John Newton. Last year we spent a year with Richard Sibbes, and this year we will do the same with John Newton. Every Friday, starting on January 2nd, I will post a reflection on the assigned reading for that week. Things will be just a bit different with our Year with Newton than they were with our Year with Sibbes. For one, each month will have a particular theme. One change is that we will have different reading options. If you want to do the bare minimum then you’ll take the Prince Adam track. Each week we will read one or two letters or sermons from Newton and a one of his Olney Hymns. If you want to beef up a bit you’ll do the He-Man track. This reading option will include a few additional letters on the relevant topic for that week. If you want to be truly awesome you’ll take the Skeletor track. This will mean that you read everything from the He-Man and Prince Adam track and you’ll also read one book per month. Another change is that we will not have catch up weeks. But I don’t think we will need to because the readings will be pretty short each week. I will try to make as many things available for free as possible. Here you go:
January: Introduction to Newton
Skeletor option: Read Newton’s Authentic Narrative
Jan 2 John Piper biography of Newton (here or here)
He-Man option: Remarks made by Newton
Jan 9 On Controversy & Olney Hymn VIII
He-Man option: Wise Counsel p11-18, Letters of Newton p39-41 (Free as Letter 2 here)
Jan 16 To a Student of Divinity & Olney Hymn XXVIII
He-Man option: Wise Counsel p19-24, & p349-352
Jan 23 Sermon on the Constraining Influence of the Love of Christ & Olney Hymn XLI
He-Man option: Wise Counsel 303-307, Letters p168-171 (Free as Letter 1 to Joshua Symonds here)
Jan 30 On Trust in God & Olney Hymn VII
He-Man option: Letters p381-383 (Free here), Wise Counsel 235-240.
February: Newton the Pastor (Thoughts on the Ministry)
Skeletor option: Read Chapter 3 in Hindmarsh and if you can find it, Ministry on My Mind (available for a limited time here for free)
Feb 6 On Gospel Ministry & Olney Hymn XVI
He-Man option: Letters p17-21 (Free here), Letters p119-123 (Free as Letter 2 here)
Feb 13 Letter to Young Minister & Olney Hymn XII
He-Man option: Letters to the Rev Mr. S (Read Letter 3 and 5 here), Wise Counsel p33-42
Feb 20 Those That Get Away (read Letter 2-3, also see Wise Counsel 43-46, 55-60) & On Young Professors
He-Man option: Letters p63-64 (Free here as Letter IV) and On the Inward Witness
Feb 27 The Subject & Temper of Gospel Ministry & Olney Hymn LI
He-Man option: Wise Counsel p143-147, Letters p60-61 (Free here as Letter II)
March: Newton the Pastor (Mentor to John Ryland Jr.)
Skeletor option: Read One Heart and One Soul by Michael Haykin
Mar 6 Letter 18 to Ryland p88-97 in Wise Counsel (free here as Letter 7) & Olney Hymn XXXII
He-Man option: On the Divine Guidance & Letters p41-44 (free here as Letter 3)
Mar 13 Letter 24 to Ryland p119-122 in Wise Counsel & Olney Hymn XLIV
He-Man option: Letters p131-134 (free here as Letter 13) & Letters 386-389 (free here as Letter 4)
Mar 20 Letter 46 to Ryland p220-226 in Wise Counsel & Olney Hymn LXVII
He-Man option: Letters p273-277 (free here as Letter 1) & On Candour
Mar 27 Letter 52 and Letter 53 to Ryland p247-260 in Wise Counsel & Olney Hymn CXII
He-Man option: The Gospel Message, Glad Tidings
April: Newton the Pastor (The Sermons of Newton)
Skeletor option: Read Baptist Preaching in the Early 18th Century, Sermons from 18th Century Anglicans and Dissenters, and Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. I want us to be able to compare the sermons of Newton with his contemporaries.
Apr 3 The Shaking of the Heavens and the Earth
He-Man option: The Lord coming to his Temple
Apr 10 Rest for the Weary
He-Man option: The Great Shepherd
Apr 17 Voluntary Suffering
He-Man option: No Sorrow like Messiah’s Sorrow
Apr 24 Accusers Challenged
He-Man option: The Extent of Messiah’s Spiritual Kingdom
May: Newton the Theologian (The Humble Calvinist)
Skeletor option: Read Chapter 2 and 4 in Hindmarsh. You may also want to read The Atonement Controversy to get a feel for the debates that raged in Newton’s day.
May 1 On Man in his Fallen Estate (Read letter 33 and 34) & Olney Hymn LXII
He-Man option: Letter 4 to a Nobleman (free here) & Letter 4 to the Rev. Mr. S (free here as letter 4)
May 8 On Election and Perseverance
He-Man option: Letters p372-374 (free here as Letter 12) & On the Inefficacy of our Knowledge
May 15 On a Ministerial Address to the Unconverted
He-Man option: The Lamb of God, The Great Atonement & Wise Counsel p216-220
May 22 Questions on Salvation
He-Man option: Letters p115-118 & The Publication of the Gospel
May 29 Thoughts on Faith and the Assurance of Faith and On Christian Experience
He-Man option: Letter 11 to the Rev. Dr. *** (free here as Letter 11) Most of these letters are relevant for this months topic
June: Newton the Theologian (Interaction with Thomas Scott)
Skeletor option: Read the biography of Thomas Scott (free here)
June 5 Letter 1 & Letter 2 to Thomas Scott (Letters p243-253)
He-Man option: Read the Force of Truth by Thomas Scott p1-25 (Free here)
June 12 Letter 3 to Thomas Scott (Letters p253-259) and Letter 4 in Cardiphonia (free here)
He-Man option: Read the Force of Truth by Thomas Scott p26-80 (Free here)
June 19 Letter 5 and Letter 6 in Cardiphonia (free here p584-590)
He-Man option: Read the Force of Truth by Thomas Scott p81-124 (Free here)
June 26 Letter 4 and Letter 5 to Thomas Scott (Letters p260-271)
He-Man option: Read the Force of Truth by Thomas Scott p125-183 (Free here)
July: Newton the Theologian (On the Christian Life)
Skeletor option: Read Newton on the Christian Life by Tony Reinke
July 3 On Grace in the Blade, in the Ear, in the Full Corn
He-Man option: Extravagant Grace p21-74
July 10 On Temptation, Letter to Nobleman Letter 1
He-Man option: Extravagant Grace p75-108
July 17 On Simplicity and Sincerity
He-Man option: Extravagant Grace 109-138
July 24 On Communion, On Faith
He-Man option: Extravagant Grace 193-176
July 31 On Reading the Bible
He-Man option: Extravagant Grace 177-229
August: Newton the Soul-Care Physician (William Cowper)
Skeletor option: Read Piper’s biography of Cowper (free here), Read chapters 30-32 in Aitken, and this article on Cowper’s madness.
August 7 No Reading
August 14 Letter 1 and Letter 2 to Cowper (Letters 150-155, Letter 1 & 2 free)
He-Man option: Compare these two Olney Hymns (This by Cowper, This by Newton)
August 21 Letter 3 and Letter 4 to Cowper (Letters 155-160, Free here as Letter 6 & 7)
He-Man option: Letter 3 to Hannah More, Letter 2 & 3 here
August 28 Letter 5 and Letter 6 to Cowper (Letters 161-166, Free here and here)
He-Man option: Decline in the Spiritual Life, Any letter you haven’t read from here
I’ll post September and the other months as soon as I am able. In September we’ll continue looking at Newton the soul-care physician.
What books do we need to buy?
Bethany,
I think we can get by with purchasing a minimum amount of books. Most of his works are available online for free. Two that I’d suggest at this point are Wise Counsel by Grant Gordon. Here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1848710534/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1848710534&linkCode=as2&tag=borrligh-20&linkId=RWHN75K6AMKMGFRA
And a biography by Bruce Hindmarsh. Here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802847412/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0802847412&linkCode=as2&tag=borrligh-20&linkId=QZ53PKBQ5QHZMQV6
Thanks for taking the time to think through all this. I’m downloading the PDF of Piper’s Roots of Endurance. I hadn’t seen this before, so thanks for the heads up.
His whole series of books The Swans Are Not Silent are good. These are his talks from DG Pastor’s Conferences.