John Newton’s Six Advantages of Afflictions

John Newton shared the following six points in his letter “The Benefits of Affliction.”

“Afflictions quicken us to prayer.”
“Afflictions are useful, and in a degree necessary, to keep alive in us—a conviction of the vanity and unsatisfying nature of the present world, and all its enjoyments; to remind us that this world is not our rest and to call our thoughts upwards, where our true treasure is, and where our heart ought to be.”
“A child of God cannot but greatly desire a more enlarged and experimental acquaintance with his Holy Word; and this attainment is greatly prompted by our trials.”
“Afflictions evidence to ourselves and manifest to others, the reality of grace.”
“Afflictions likewise strengthen us—by the exercise our graces. As our limbs and natural powers would be feeble if not called to daily exertion—so the graces of the Spirit would languish, without something which was provided to draw them out to use.”
“Afflictions are honorable, as they advance our conformity to Jesus our Lord, who was a man of sorrows for our sake.”