James Newton 1732-1790

If Beddome is rather forgotten, he certainly has some even more forgotten contemporaries. James Newton would be an example. Born in Che­nies, Buck­ing­ham­shire, in 1732, we know nothing of his upbringing. A Baptist church did not exist there until 1760. Newton may well have attended a Baptist church in Reading or elsewhere. When he was 17 he moved to London, where he joined the Bap­tist church in Maze Pond led by Benjamin Wall­in (1711-1782). Presumably, Newton had been converted in his youth and was from a godly home. He was also a bright fellow and the church in Maze Pond soon recognised his abilities and assigned him to studies under Thomas Llewelyn LlD (c 1720-1783), a Welshman who ran an academy in London 1746-1770. Having completed his studies, in 1758, he be­came as­sist­ant min­is­ter to John Tom­mas (1724-1800), pas­tor of the Bap­tist church in Pith­ay, Bris­tol, and, in 1770, class­ic­al tu­tor at the Bap­tist col­lege in Bris­tol alongside Caleb Evans (1712-1781). One of Newton's students, John Rippon (1751-1836), wrote of Newton's fitnes for his academic task. "With the Latin and Greek classics, with the Christian Hebrew scriptures, the Misnah, Talmuds, and other Jewish writings, he was intimately acquainted." He remarks how former students "perfectly recollect with what humility, prudence and affection he entered on his office among us and with what patience and assiduity he sustained it." Newton held both po­si­tions un­til his death in 1790, in Bristol. He appears to have been a bachelor and it is possible that he lived with the Cottle family. Robert Cottle (c 1730-1800) was the father of the printer and publisher Joseph Cottle (1770-1853) publisher of Wordsworth. Clearly a popular and friendly fellow, Newton was especially close to the minister James Dore (1764-1825) who pastored Maze Pond from 1784. Newton preached the annual sermon at the Bristol Education Society in 1776, which was published. Ten years before he had published a pamphlet defending Caleb Ecans and orthodox teaching on the Trinity. Newton is the author of the hymn "Proclaim, says Christ, my wondrous grace".