John Newton

“ Thus then, prompted by the suggestion and emboldened by the example of plain but intrepid John Newton, the diffident poet was encouraged to make trial of those pure and exquisitely precious talents which had lain like gold untouched, nay, almost undiscovered in the mine, through the greater part of that period of life during which the instinct of ambition is most restless, and its votaries are eagerly pursuing fame at every sacrifice which they can or cannot afford. ”

“ In his works as an engineer, which may be found all along our Atlantic sea-coast, and particularly in the clearing of the channel of Hell-Gate, he has shown himself a man who held the resources of science in his hand, and knew exactly what to do with them; and in the use he made of them, to promote the greatest public benefit, the originality of the devices which he contrived, and the certainty with which he accomplished his designs, he has shown himself to possess the highest title to scientific recognition.
John Newton was born in Norfolk, Virginia, August 24, 1823. ”

“ Newton s story (told by himself in letters to a friend) contains a more striking variety of "moving accidents by flood and field" than can often be found in the memoirs of a private adventurer. Fourteen times at least, on his own testimony, he was saved from imminent death, and almost as often (judging by his spiritual state,) "plucked as a brand from the fire" that "is not quenched." From his detestable thraldom on the coast of Africa he was rescued by a messenger from his father, to whom he had repeatedly written for help without receiving any answer. ”

“ Newton's portion of the work is by far the largest, and it is no disparagement to his memory to say, that this might be considerably reduced with advantage to the remainder, though it would be a bold hand, and ought to be a delicate one, that should presume to attempt the desirable excision. Let the good man, however, speak for himself: "My part would have been much smaller than it is, and the book would have appeared in a very different form, if the wise though mysterious providence of God had not seen fit to cross my wishes. ”

“ This dew still falls at his command, To keep his chosen plants alive; They shall, though in a thirsty land, Like willows by the waters thrive. But chiefly when his people meet, To hear his word and seek his face; The gentle dew, with influence sweet, Descends and nourishes their grace. But ah! what numbers still are dead, Though under means of grace they lie! The dew still falling round their head, And yet their heart untouched and dry. Dear Savior, hear us when we call, To wrestling prayer an answer give; Pour down thy dew upon us all, That all may feel, and all may live. ”

“ During the next few years Newton turned his attention to his optical work. In 1668 he made his first reflecting telescope; it had an aperture of about one inch and was six inches long, and with it Newton saw Jupiter's satellites (Maccl. Corr. ii. 289) . He never held any college office, but in 1669 he assisted Dr. Barrow, Lucasian professor, with an edition of his ‘Optical Lectures.’
At the end of 1668 Mercator had published his ‘Logarithmotechnia,’ in which he showed how to calculate the area of an hyperbola. A copy of this was sent by John Collins (1625–1683) [q. v.] ”

“ They shall always find Him near; Though the earth were wrapped in flame, They have no just cause for fear. Hark! His voice in accents mild, O, how comforting and sweet! Speaks to every humble child, Pointing out a sure retreat! Come, and in My chambers hide, To My saints of old well known; There you safely may abide, Till the storm be overblown. You have only to repose On My wisdom, love, and care; Where My wrath consumes my foes, Mercy shall My children spare: While they perish in the flood, You that bear My holy mark, Sprinkled with atoning blood, Shall be safe within the ark. ”

“ NEWTON, afterwards PUCKERING, Sir HENRY (1618–1701) , royalist, baptised at St. Dunstan's-in-the-West, London, on 13 April 1618, was younger son of Sir Adam Newton, bart. [q. v.] , of Charlton, Kent, by Katharine, daughter of Lord-keeper Sir John Puckering [q. v.] (Nichols, Collectanea, v. 372) . On the death of his elder brother, Sir William Newton, he succeeded to the title and estates. At the outbreak of the civil war he raised a troop of horse for the king, and was present at the battle of Edgehill (Lady Anne Halkett, Autobiography, Camd. Soc. p. 10) . ”

“ But we may fancy that we see or feel what we in reality infer. Newton saw the truth of many propositions of geometry without reading the demonstrations, but not, we may be sure, without their flashing through his mind. A truth, or supposed truth, which is really the result of a very rapid inference, may seem to be apprehended intuitively. It has long been agreed by thinkers of the most opposite schools, that this mistake is actually made in so familiar an instance as that of the eyesight. ”

“ From the earth our hearts they wean, Teach us on his arm to lean; Urge us to a throne of grace, Make us seek a resting place. In the mansions of our King Sweets abound without a sting; Thornless there the roses blow, And the joys unmingled flow. ”

“ Now my death has opened heaven, Thither you shall shortly come." Dearest Savior, we adore thee For thy precious life and death; Melt each stubborn heart before thee, Give us all the eye of faith: From the law's condemning sentence, To thy mercy we appeal; Thou alone canst give repentance, Thou alone our souls canst heal. ”

“ The men of Gibeon wore disguise, And gained their peace by framing lies; For Joshua had no pow'r to spare, If he had known from whence they were. But JESUS invitations sends, Treating with rebels as his friends; And holds the promise forth in view, To all who for his mercy sue. Too long his goodness I disdained, Yet went at last and peace obtained; But soon the noise of war I heard, And former friends in arms appeared. Weak in myself for help I cried, LORD, I am pressed on every side; The cause is thine, they fight with me, But every blow is aimed at thee. ”

“ Heav’n and earth shall flee away From the terror of His frown: Dead and living, small and great, Raised from the earth and sea; At His bar shall hear their fate, What will then become of me? Can I bear His awful looks? ”

“ The plague of the southern wind at the sounding of the third trumpet, was to cause a great star, burning as it were a lamp, to fall from heaven upon the rivers and fountains of waters, the Western Empire now divided into many kingdoms, and to turn them to wormwood and blood, and make them bitter. ”

“ The years 1685 and 1686 will ever be memorable in the history of science. It was in them that Newton composed almost the whole of his great work. During this period Newton had a very extensive correspondence with John Flamsteed, who was then the astronomer-royal. Many of the letters are lost, but it is clear from one of Newton's, dated the 19th of September 1685, that he had received many useful communications from Flamsteed, and especially regarding Saturn, “whose orbit, as defined by Kepler,” Newton “found too little for the sesquialterate proportions.” ”

“ And too late would learn to fear, When they saw the danger near. You are safe, who know His love, He will all His truth perform; To your souls a refuge prove From the rage of every storm: But we tremble for the youth ”

“ Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine ”

“ He is content to do and let others talk. Sir Isaac Newton was one of the most modest men. He kept secret for a long time some of his greatest discoveries for fear of the notoriety they would bring him. He did not publish his marvellous discoveries of the Binomial Theorem and the Law of Gravitation for years, and when he published his solution of the theory of the moon's rotation round the earth he forbade the publisher to insert his name. The true gentleman is modest about his opinions. Comparatively few have deeds to boast about ”

“ How much can he do if he will! His zeal to be learned and wise, Will yield to no limits or bars; He measures the earth and the skies, And numbers and marshals the stars. Yet still he is barren of good ”

“ Wretched they are, and blind, and poor, And dying while they live. Since sin has filled the earth with woe, And creatures fade and die; Lord wean our hearts from things below, And fix our hopes on high. ”

“ Here give the troubled conscience ease, The wounded spirit heal. The feeling heart, the melting eye, The humble mind bestow; And shine upon us from on high, To make our graces grow! May we in faith receive Thy Word, In faith present our prayers ”

“ The appointment of Newton to the mastership of the mint must have been peculiarly gratifying to the Royal Society, and it was probably from a feeling of gratitude to Mr. Montague, as much as from a regard for his talents, that this able statesman was elected president of that learned body on the 30th November, 1695. This office he held for three years, and on the 30th January, 1697, Newton had the satisfaction of addressing to him his solution of the celebrated problems proposed by John Bernouilli. ”

“ Well does Jacob's ladder suit To the gospel throne of grace; We are at the ladder's foot, Every hour, in every place By affirming flesh and blood, JESUS heav'n and earth unites; We by faith ascend to God, God to dwell with us delights. They who know the Savior's name, Are for all events prepared What can changes do to them, Who have such a Guide and Guard? Should they traverse earth around, To the ladder still they come; Every spot is holy ground, God is there--and he's their home. ”

“ Before we feel the Saviour's love, Kindle our love to him again. But when our hearts perceive his worth, Desires, till then unknown, take place; Our spirits cleave no more to earth, But pant for holiness and grace. ”

“ So thrives and blooms the tree whose roots By constant streams are fed; Arrayed in green, and rich in fruits, It rears its branching head. It thrives, though rain should be denied, And drought around prevail ”

“ Well supply thy sons and daughters,
And all fear of want remove:
Who can faint while such a river
Ever flows their thirst t’assuage?
Grace, which like the Lord, the Giver,
Never fails from age to age. ”

“ From pole to pole let others roam, And search in vain for bliss; My soul is satisfied at home, The Lord my portion is. Jesus, who on his glorious throne Rules heav'n and earth and sea; Is pleased to claim me for his own, And give himself to me. ”

“ Kindle, Savior, in my heart A flame of love divine; Hear, hear, for mine I trust thou art, And sure I would be thine: If my soul has felt thy grace, If to me thy name is known; Why should trifles fill the place, Due to thyself alone. 'Tis a strange mysterious life I live from day to day; Light and darkness, peace and strife, Bear an alternate sway; When I think the battle won I have to fight it o'er again; When I say I'm overthrown, Relief I soon obtain. Often at the mercy-seat While calling on thy name; Swarms of evil thoughts I meet, Which fill my soul with shame. ”

“ Brethren, by blood and interest one, With brethren now engage. Peace spreads her wings, prepared for flight, And war, with flaming sword, And hasty strides draws nigh, to fight The battles of the Lord. ”

“ We knew not the desert of sin, Nor Whom we thus defied; Nor where our guilty souls had been, If Jesus had not died.
We knew not what a law we broke, How holy, just and pure! Nor what a God we durst provoke, But thought ourselves secure. ”

“ How she was awakened from it, the reader has been already informed.
"It's rather awkward, Newton," said Mr John Forster, about ten days afterwards. "I cannot do without your mother, that's certain; but what am I to do with your father? Humph! Well, she must take charge of him as well as Amber. She must teach him—"
"Teach him what, sir?" replied Newton, laughing.
"Teach him what? Why, to leave my watch and spectacles alone. I dare not lay them down for a moment." ”

“ Can thy heart or hands endure In the Lord’s avenging day? See, His mighty arm is bared! Awful terrors clothe His brow! For His judgment stand prepared, Thou must either break or bow. At His presence nature shakes, Earth affrighted hastes to flee; Solid mountains melt like wax, What will then become of thee? Who His advent may abide? You that glory in your shame, Will you find a place to hide When the world is wrapped in flame? Then the rich, the great, the wise, Trembling, guilty, self condemned ”

“ Salvation's sacred cup I'll take And call upon my God. The best returns for one like me, So wretched and so poor; Is from his gifts to draw a plea, And ask him still for more. I cannot serve him as I ought, No works have I to boast ”

“ Constrained me to become the Lord's, And all my idol-gods renounce. Now, Satan, thou hast lost thy aim, Against this brand thy threats are vain; JESUS has plucked it from the flame, And who shall put it in again? ”

“ Incarnate God! the soul that knows Thy name's mysterious power Shall dwell in undisturbed repose, Nor fear the trying hour. Thy wisdom, faithfulness and love, To feeble helpless worms; A buckler and a refuge prove, From enemies and storms. In vain the fowler spreads his net, To draw them from thy care; Thy timely call instructs their feet, To shun the artful snare. When like a baneful pestilence, Sin mows its thousands down On every side, without defence, Thy grace secures thine own. No midnight terrors haunt their bed, No arrow wounds by day ”

“ Fain would I hope that thou didst bleed
For such a wretch as I.
8 That blood which thou hast spilt,
That grace which is thine own,
Can cleanse the vilest sinner's guilt,
And soften hearts of stone. ”

“ When, to save us, on the cross his blood he shed.
6 When a guilty sinner sees him,
While he looks his soul is heal'd ;
Soon this sight from anguish frees him,
And imparts a pardon seal'd:
May this Saviour be to all our hearts reveal'd ! ”