Oh, That Heavenly Loadstone!

An extract from a letter by John Newton to his Baptist friend, Rev. John Ryland, Jr., May 28, 1775:

In our turns we are all favoured with a glimpse of him [King Jesus], and have had cause to say, How great is his goodness! How great is his beauty! We have the advantage of the Queen of Sheba, a more glorious object to behold, and not so far to go for the sight of it. If a transient glance exceeds all that the world can afford for a long continuance, what must it be to dwell with him! If a day in his courts be better than a thousand, what will eternity be in his presence! I hope the more you see, the more you love; the more you drink, the more you thirst; the more you do for him, the more you are ashamed you can do so little; and that the nearer you approach to your journey’s end, the more your pace is quickened. Surely, the power of spiritual attraction should increase as the distance lessens. Oh, that heavenly loadstone! May it so draw us, that we may not creep, but run. In common traveling, the strongest become weary if the journey be very long; but in the spiritual journey, we are encouraged with a hope of going on from strength to strength…

Letters of John Newton: with Biographical Sketches and Notes, by Josiah Bull, reprinted by the Banner of Truth, p. 206-207.