Advent Homilies: John Newton
By John Newton
edited By S. MARK HAMILTON & rhys laverty
FOREWORD BY Kyle Strobel
$21.95 $15.50
Published October 23, 2025
About this book
Is Messiah, the Desire of All Nations, your chief desire?
John Newton (1725-1807) is one of church history’s most famous preachers and hymn writers. His dramatic conversion from slave trader to Church of England rector and friend of the great abolitionist William Wilberforce has captured the imagination of Christians for centuries, as has the hymn which testifies to this story, “Amazing Grace”. In 1784, a huge commemoration was held in London to mark twenty-five years since the death of the great composer Georg Friedrich Handel. This involved a grand production of his famous Messiah at Westminster Abbey, which attracted hundreds and became the talk of the town. Ever the evangelist, Newton seized upon the occasion and preached fifty sermons working his way through each of the biblical passages which Handel had put to music, expounding their true meaning and applying them to the hearts of his flock. Combining tender pastoral care and rich theological reflection, this selection of twelve of Newton’s sermons on the Messiah is a perfect way to dwell upon the glory of Christ, our Messiah, during this Advent season.
Paperback | 150 pages | 6×9 | Published October 16, 2025 | ISBN-10 1949716724ISBN | ISBN-13 978-1-949716-72-6
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FROM THE BOOK
“For some readers (we hope many), this may be the first Davenant Press volume you have ever held in your hands, for which we are very grateful! Others, however, may be more familiar with Davenant’s work over the years, and perhaps slightly puzzled that we would republish sermons by John Newton (1725-1807). And a curious selection too, being from Newton’s sermon on the Messiah of Georg Friedrich Handel (1685-1759). For over a decade now, Davenant’s mission has been to “retrieve the riches of classical Protestantism.” In practice, this has often meant a focus on aspects of the Reformation tradition that are unknown to contemporary evangelicals, with a particular focus on neglected magisterial Reformers—that is, those whose reforming work was still closely tied to the magistrate, or the civil authorities. This in contrast to the so-called ‘radical Reformers’ who gave birth to the Anabaptist tradition. Most notably, Davenant’s work in this area has included sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century figures such as Richard Hooker and John Davenant, as well as other Anglicans like John Jewel, George Carleton, Joseph Hall, and most recently, John Ponet. Their tradition has been hugely overshadowed in the modern evangelical imagination, and even more broadly, by the later tradition of the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Puritans. This is in no small part down to J.I. Packer’s influential retrieval of the Puritans among evangelicals, something for which the Davenant Army of Friends is ultimately grateful, at the very least because it set the ball rolling for an evangelical openness to church history in general which made our work possible.
Now, ‘magisterial Reformer’ and ‘Puritan’ are not quite mutually exclusive, depending on what one means by them. But often they are, and Newton is typically considered among the latter. What’s more, he is certainly a church historical figure whose profile does not need much boosting. If you asked most contemporary English-speaking evangelicals to name a church historical figure from before 1900, a good number would say “John Newton.” Why, then, would the Davenant Press republish the sermons of a Puritan preacher already popular with evangelicals?” – Editor’s Introduction
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
Foreword
To the Reader
Chapter 1
The Consolation
Chapter 2
The Harbinger
Chapter 3
The Shaking of the Heavens and the Earth
Chapter 4
The Lord Coming to His Temple
Chapter 5
Immanuel
Chapter 6
Salvation Published from the Mountains
Chapter 7
The Morning Light
Chapter 8
The Sun Rising upon a Dark World
Chapter 9
Characters and Name of Messiah
Chapter 10
The Angel’s Message and Song
Chapter 11
Effects of Messiah’s Appearance
Praise for this work
“Davenant Press, which has helped recover lesser-known Reformation voices, has done the body of Christ a great service in reviving the advent sermons of redeemed slave trader, abolitionist, evangelical preacher, and author of the most beloved hymn of all time (“Amazing Grace”): John Newton. These spiritually challenging and rhetorically powerful meditations on the biblical texts of Handel’s Messiah make great preparatory readings for the Incarnation of the Son of God.”
– Louis Markos
Professor in English and Scholar in Residence, Houston Christian University; author of From Achilles to Christ, From Plato to Christ, and From Aristotle to Christ
“It happens every year. Christmas time arrives. Shops, homes, schools, and churches are filled with beautiful Advent music, arousing nostalgia and seasonal feelings. Yet, a comparative few delight by faith in the incarnate Word announced in those chorales and carols. This is not a new phenomenon. Nearly two-and-a-half centuries ago, in light of popular enjoyment of Handel’s Messiah, John Newton preached. His sermons, expositional and doctrinal in nature, proclaim the biblical texts informing Messiah. Newton labors for you to know, believe in, and enjoy the Messiah. Under the hand of God, may this selection of his Advent sermons do just that in the hearts of many. And may it prove a model to us all—including those who preach the word—to call others to delight in the Messiah.”
– Jeremiah Bradford
Senior Pastor, Cornerstone Baptist Church, St. Joseph, MO
“As a local church pastor, the perpetual challenge of Christmas is persuading the saints to love the Savior, not merely the season. Hearing Newton address this challenge with a captivating vision of the beauty of the Messiah, has given me new inspiration to do the same. Not only does this volume strengthen me for my pulpit ministry, it also challenges me to address the ways in which I too give cold assent to Christ and His glory. Newton’s homilies are to my soul and pulpit the help of an almighty arm. What a gift it is to love Jesus more through Newton’s passionate preaching.”
– Cody Busby
Senior Pastor, South Shore Baptist Church, Hingham, MA
“John Newton was one of those rare servants of Christ whose extraordinary ministry- through the Clapham Sect and beyond- has borne fruit for the gospel across the globe. His writings overflow with grace and zeal for the Lord Jesus, just as his life was set ablaze by Him. These Advent Homilies capture that same spirit with striking clarity. May this book kindle afresh your love for Christ and strengthen your faith in Him.”
– Rev. Dr. Mark Earngey
Head of Church History, Moore Theological College, Sydney
“If keeping ‘Christ in Christmas’ is on your list this year, then look no further than the Advent Homilies. Consume them early and consider them often as you embrace the anointed articulation of John Newton to defend against the discordant clamor of the world. When enemy attempts to destroy your joy with multiplied distractions in the holiday hustle; insist on peace as you direct your attention to this curated presentation of the fruitful effects of gospel that will refresh and renew your soul as it reminds you of the person and work of our Savior.”
– Brian Lonergan
Minister at Northwest Bible Church; Chaplain for the Dallas Mavericks
About the Editors
S. Mark Hamilton is Editor-in-Chief at the Davenant Press. He is both a contributor to and editor of numerous titles, including Advent Homilies: St Augustine with Rhys Laverty. He is currently writing a pair of essays for Jonathan Edwards and Reformed Dogmatics (Lexham, forthcoming) on Jonathan Edwards’ doctrines of Atonement and Justification. His periodical work has appeared in the International Journal of Systematic Theology, Irish Theological Quarterly, Neue Zeitschrift für Systematische Theologie und Religionsphilosophie, Perichoresis, Open Theology, and most recently, in London Lyceum’s The Ledger.
Rhys Laverty is Editorial and Research Director at the Prosperity Institute. Previously he worked for the Davenant Institute where he edited books including Life on the Silent Planet: Essays on Christian Living from C.S. Lewis’s Ransom Trilogy and co-edited Reforming Classical Education and Advent Homilies: St. Augustine with Mark Hamilton. He is a published poet and has written widely on cultural issues for publications including The Spectator, The Critic, First Things, and Mere Orthodoxy.
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