Newton and Wilberforce are two of my spiritual heroes, and I'm stingy with that appellation--as I am with the five-star rating. All of Piper's biographical sketches are pearl. The conference version is available for streaming or download as MP3 for free at the Desiring God website. ( )

From Daniel Christensen

The Roots of Endurance: Invincible Perseverance in the Lives of John Newton, Charles Simeon, and William Wilberforce (Piper, John, Swans Are Not Silent, V. 3.) by John Piper (?)

Key Quotes:

Referring to John Newton -- "Oh, how rare are the Christians who speak with a tender heart and have a theological backbone of steel...whose might in the truth is matched by their meekness...whose relational warmth is matched by their rigor of study" p. 42,43

Quoting John Newton -- "I had no apprehension of the hidden life of a Christian, as it consists in communion with God by Jesus Christ: a continual dependence on Him...I acknowledged the Lord's mercy in pardoning what was past, but depended chiefly upon my own resolution to do better for the time to come" p. 50 -----
(this is an interesting quote to come back to when I finish reading Dallas Willard's The Divine Conspiracy which seems to be touching on related issues) -----

Habitual tenderness -- John Newton describing the believer's life: "He believes and feels his own weakness and unworthiness, and lives upon the grace and pardoning love of his Lord. This gives him an habitual tenderness and gentleness of spirit" p. 53

Ah, if I could grasp the importance of following Newton's advice to "before you set pen to paper against [an opponent], and during the whole time you are preparing your answer, you may commend him by earnest prayer to the Lord's teaching and blessing. This practice will have a direct tendency to conciliate your heart to love...and will have a good influence upon every page you write" p. 63

Speaking of Newton's ability to communicate with concreteness -- "We will never be tender toward our people if we merely communicate the heaviness of general concepts and theories rather than the specific stuff of the world in which they live" p. 69

Piper on the need to look at the lives of these from the past -- "I need this inspiration from another century, because I know that I am, in great measure, a child of my times. And one of the pervasive marks of our times is emotional fragility. It hangs in the air we breathe. We are easily hurt. We pout and mope easily. We blame easily. We break easily...Our faith breaks easily. Our happiness breaks easily. And our commitment to the church breaks easily. We are easily disheartened, and it seems we have little capacity for surviving and thriving in the face of criticism and opposition" p. 79

Wisdom from Charles Simeon -- "My rule is never to hear, or see, or know, what if heard, or seen, or known, would call for animadversion from me. Hence it is that I dwell in peace in the midst of lions" p. 100 ----
living out Romans 12 ----

Quoting Handley Moule re Simeon's life -- "he had been 'growing downwards' year by year under the stern discipline of difficulty met in the right way, the way of close and adoring communion with God" p 107 ----
'growing downwards' = growing in humility which for Simeon was inseparable from adoring communion with God ---

Describing William Wilberforce mental and spiritual health -- "...self-forgetting joy...a joyful ability to see all the good in the world instead of being consumed by one's own problems" p. 148

James Stephen's description of Wilberforce -- "Being himself amused and interested by everything, whatever he said became amusing or interesting...His presence was as fatal to dullness as to immorality. His mirth was as irresistable as the first laughter of childhood" p. 149

Piper comments -- "So for Wilberforce, joy was both a means of survival and perseverance on the one hand, and a deep act of submission, obedience, and worship on the other hand. Joy in Christ was commanded. And joy in Christ was the only way to flourish fruitfully through decades of temporary defeat" p. 151

Roots of endurance = knowing that I am sinner saved by grace, living joyfully in that grace, seeking peace as I live out that grace, holding fast to Jesus Christ my Lord. ( )