He obtained an office in the port of
Liverpool, but soon he set his heart on becoming a minister of the
Church of England. He applied for ordination to the Archbishop of
York, but not having the degree required by the rules of the
Establishment, he received through his Grace's secretary "the softest
refusal imaginable." The Archbishop had not had the advantage of
perusing Lord Macaulay's remarks on the difference between the policy
of the Church of England and that of the Church of Rome, with regard to
the utilization of religious enthusiasts. In the end Newton was
ordained by the Bishop of Lincoln, and threw himself with the energy of
a newborn apostle upon the irreligion and brutality of Olney. No
Carthusian's breast could glow more intensely with the zeal which is
the offspring of remorse. Newton was a Calvinist of course, though it
seems not an extreme one, otherwise he would probably have confirmed
Cowper in the darkest of hallucinations. His religion was one of
mystery and miracle, full of sudden conversions, special providences
and satanic visitations.
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