John Newton is famous as the slave trader who was converted to Christ, gave up the slave trade and penned the famous Amazing Grace. Newton spent many years as a parish minister and part of that time he was in the neighbouring parish to a man named Thomas Scott. Scott was actually not a Christian when he went into the ministry. In his autobiography he mentions three reasons why he became a minister. First, he thought it would be an easier life than working on his father’s farm; second he thought the life of the ministry would give him time to read – the great passion of his life; and thirdly, he thought that being a minister would give him the chance to distinguish himself as a literary man – as ‘he felt within himself the capacity for success’. Now, thankfully Scott was converted to a genuine faith in Christ and became a very effective minister.
This is an account from Scott’s diary that illustrates how poor view of ministry was:
In January 1774 two of my parishioners, a man and his wife, lay at the point of death. I had heard of the circumstances, but according to my general custom, not being sent for, I took no notice of it; till one evening, the woman being now dead, and the man dying, I heard that [ the neighbouring minister] my neighbour Mr Newton had been several times to visit them. {so even though these people were not in Newton’s parish – he had made the effort to see them} Scott continues: Immediately my conscience reproached me with being shamefully negligent, in sitting at home within a few doors of dying persons […] and never going to visit them…This reflection affected me so much, that without delay, and very earnestly, yea, with tears, I besought the Lord to forgive my past neglect. {from Thomas Scott, The Force of Truth (Carlisle: Banner of Truth, 1984 [1779])}
Contrast this to that of Paul in 1 Thess 2:7 But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. 8 we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.
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