Scholarly research acknowledges Newton's influence on Adam Smith. However, the nature of this influence has not been carefully treated. I argue that Newton's scientific methodology does not necessarily correspond to what we commonly call Newtonianism. After analyzing Newton's methodological approach, I study how Smith understood Newton. Adam Smith was a sophisticated interpreter of Newton, but the context of the Scottish Enlightenment plays a crucial role in understanding Newton's legacy. If in general the French tradition interpreted Newton as a forebear of an axiomatic-deductive methodology, the reception and interpretation of Newton in Scotland during the eighteenth century helps us to understand the real nature of Smith's Newtonianism.