De Witsius’ ‘Two Covenants,’ contributed each its share towards the formation of his opinions.  He describes with the utmost candour his obstinacy, his prejudices, and his self-sufficiency.  Even while he was adopting one by one the obnoxious doctrines, he made amends by sneering at and publicly abusing the Methodists for holding those remaining doctrines which he still denied, till at last he became in all points a consistent Calvinistic Methodist (so called).[817] The ‘Force of Truth’ enables us to estimate at their proper value the judiciousness, forbearance, and gentleness of Newton.  Scott tells us that he had heard of Newton as a benevolent, disinterested, inoffensive person, and a laborious minister.’  ‘But,’ he adds, ’I looked upon his religious sentiments as rank fanaticism, and entertained a very contemptible opinion of his abilities, natural and acquired.’  He heard him preach, and ‘made a jest of his sermon;’ he read one of his publications, and thought the greater part of it whimsical, paradoxical, and unintelligible.  He entered into correspondence with him, hoping to draw him into controversy.  ‘The event,’ he says, ’by no means answered my expectations.  He returned a very friendly and long answer to my letter, in which he carefully avoided the mention of those doctrines which he knew would offend me.  He declared that he believed me to be one who feared God and was under the teaching of his Holy Spirit; that he gladly accepted my offer of friendship, and was no way inclined to dictate to me.’  In this spirit the correspondence continued.  ’I held my purpose,’ writes Scott, ’and he his.  I made use of every endeavour to draw him into controversy, and filled my letters with definitions, enquiries, arguments, objections, and consequences, requiring explicit answers.  He, on the other hand, shunned everything controversial as much as possible, and filled his letters with the most useful and least offensive instructions.’  The letters to ‘the Rev. T.S.’ in Newton’s correspondence fully bear out all that Scott here relates; and one scarcely knows which to admire most, the truly Christian forbearance of the older man, or the truly Christian avowal of his faults by the younger.  The whole of Newton’s subsequent intercourse with his spiritual son and successor at Olney indicates the same Christian and considerate spirit.  Newton had, on the whole, been very popular at Olney.  Scott was unpopular.  There are few more delicate relationships than that of a popular clergyman to his unpopular successor, especially when the former still keeps up an intimate connection with his quondam parishioners.  Such was the relationship between Newton and Scott; and Newton showed rare tact and true Christian courtesy under the delicate circumstances.  Cowper was, perhaps, not likely to welcome very warmly any successor to his beloved Newton.  At any rate, he appears never to have cordially appreciated Scott.  Scott complains, not without reason, of the poet charging him with scolding the people at Olney, when neither he nor Mrs. Unwin, nor their more respectable friends, had ever heard him preach.[818] Still the coldness between the poet and the new curate could hardly have been so great as Southey represents it, for Scott tells us that ‘The Force of Truth’ was revised by Mr. Cowper, and as to style and externals considerably improved by his advice.[819]