Newton's Stubborn Kindness

In 1767, the poet William Cowper moved to Olney, England, already haunted by bouts of severe melancholy that had twice driven him to the brink of self-destruction. His new neighbor was John Newton, the former slave trader turned Anglican curate, who recognized in Cowper a brilliant but fragile soul.

Newton did not lecture Cowper about weakness. He did not quote platitudes or keep a safe pastoral distance. Instead, he drew Cowper into daily life — long walks along the River Ouse, shared meals at the vicarage, and collaborative work on what would become the Olney Hymns. When Cowper's darkness returned in 1773 so fiercely that he could not leave his bed for months, Newton visited him every single day. He read Scripture aloud, sat in silence when words failed, and handled Cowper's financial affairs without being asked.

This went on not for weeks but for years. Newton bore a burden he could not fix, carried a weight he did not cause, and never once grew weary of showing up.

Paul told the Galatians, "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." He also urged them, "Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap." Newton sowed to the Spirit with stubborn, daily kindness — and the harvest was a poet whose hymns about God's faithfulness have comforted millions who walk through their own dark valleys.