OF THE REV. ROBERT NEWTON, D. D. BY THOMAS JACKSON. By the grace of God I am what I am: and His grace which was bestowed upon me New-York: PUBLISHED BY CARLTON & PHILLIPS, 200 MULBERRY-STREET. THE biography of the late Dr. Newton is not a subject that I should myself have chosen, not because I had any doubt respecting his purity and uprightness, or the propriety of placing his personal history before the world; but because of the difficulty of doing justice to a character of such rare excellence, and to a course of action so peculiar and unique. But when his family requested me to undertake the service, and their wishes were seconded by several of his brethren in the ministry, whom he highly esteemed, and who were deeply concerned for his honour, I felt that I ought not to refuse at least to make the attempt. But scarcely had I begun to collect materials for the work, when it pleased God, by a stroke of His providence, to disqualify me for the task which I had undertaken. He took from me my best earthly friend, who had been the wife of my youth, the mother of my children, and my ever-faithful companion and adviser for nearly forty-five years. The dispensation was, indeed, mingled with mercy; for, perhaps, few persons have had a more peaceful and gentle removal from the sufferings of this life to the joys of the heavenly paradise: yet such a bereavement was a sad reality, and for a time rendered it impossible for me to proceed with my engagement. As soon as I was able, I entered upon the task, and found it to be a means of mental relief. It was impossible to trace the gradual development of such a character as that of Dr. Newton, and to describe his wonderful ministry, without pleasurable emotions, and even spiritual profit. Yet, after all, the state of my own feelings may have thrown an air of pensiveness over some parts of the narrative; and if so, the candid reader, it is hoped, will excuse and forgive it. The whole has been written under an impressive view of the brevity of life, and of the inestimable value of that personal faith in Christ crucified, which secures peace to the conscience, and purity to the heart, and which prepares mankind alike to meet the trials and sorrows that inevitably await them in this world, and to enjoy the endless happiness of the heavenly state. The materials for the Life of Dr. Newton have been found to be far more rich and ample than they were apprehended to be. Knowing that his was a course of incessant activity, I concluded that he kept no daily journal of his proceedings, and that his correspondence consisted of scarcely anything but laconic answers to applications for ministerial service. In this I have been pleasingly disappointed. He did not, indeed, keep any journal, except during the time of his visit to America; but his letters to Mrs. Newton, which he wrote when he spent any considerable time from home, and which she kindly placed at my disposal, I found to be singularly copious and interesting. They contain valuable sketches of his public labours, and disclose, with unreserved and admirable simplicity, the feelings of his heart, while he was engaged in a course of labour which astonished the world. They show the conscientious fidelity with which he endeavoured to prosecute his ministry, and the anxious feeling of responsibility with which he contemplated his ever-growing popularity, and the consequent influence which, from day to |