A "wise virgin", Newton never had commerce with the opposite sex and was known for his powers of discernment. He had a nose for the truth often seeing the solution to complex mathematical problems before proving them. He knew more about the Bible, church history and prophecy than all of England. His library was rich in books of theological interest. He studied the Bible daily and was a firm believer in its authority. His religion was charged with emotions of praise and glory for the wonder of the infinite powers of the creator.
He was generous, paying for the distribution of Bibles to the poor, supporting friends and others who came to him in need. He rebuked levity regarding the deity in his presence. He had a childlike faith and lived as conscientiously as a Puritan. He was emphatically Protestant. And he feared the God that he believed had called him to open the seals of the Apocalypse.
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Knighted by Queen Anne, admired by his nation, Newton's legendary absent-mindedness endeared him to many. His countenance was mild, pleasant, comely. He was often seen in later years in his coach riding with an arm hanging out of each window. His pink skin was set off by his flowing white hair which made him a venerable sight. His funeral ceremonies were those of a national hero. He was borne to his grave on the shoulders of the Lord high chancellor, two dukes and three earls in an age when that meant something. His monument in Westminster Abbey had been previously refused to England's greatest nobility. No such honors had ever been paid to a man of science. It is said Newton had a greater influence on the world than had any mortal with the exception of another prophet...Mohammed. His memory has been immortalized by poets and historians. To a remarkable extent the greatest of scientists had the gift of prophecy.
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Observations was published in 1733, six years after Newton died. It was the outcome of 42 years of study and yet remarkably he died with no plans for it to be published. Insights into the religion of Isaac Newton were taken from Frank E. Manuel's The Religion of Isaac Newton, Oxford University Press,1974.
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