| "Amazing grace, how
sweet the sound..." So begins one
of the most beloved hymns of all times, a staple in the hymnals of many
denominations, New Britain or "45 on the top" in Sacred Harp. The
author of the words was John Newton, the self-proclaimed wretch who once was
lost but then was found, saved by amazing grace.
Newton was born in London July 24, 1725,
the son of a commander of a merchant ship which sailed the Mediterranean.
When John was eleven, he went to sea with his father and made six voyages
with him before the elder Newton retired. In 1744 John was impressed into
service on a man-of-war, the H. M. S. Harwich. Finding conditions on
board intolerable, he deserted but was soon recaptured and publicly flogged
and demoted from midshipman to common seaman.
Finally at his own request he was
exchanged into service on a slave ship, which took him to the coast of
Sierra Leone. He then became the servant of a slave trader and was brutally
abused. Early in 1748 he was rescued by a sea captain who had known John's
father. John Newton ultimately became captain of his own ship, one which
plied the slave trade.
Although he had had some early religious
instruction from his mother, who had died when he was a child, he had long
since given up any religious convictions. However, on a homeward voyage,
while he was attempting to steer the ship through a violent storm, he
experienced what he was to refer to later as his "great deliverance." He
recorded in his journal that when all seemed lost and the ship would surely
sink, he exclaimed, "Lord, have mercy upon us." Later in his cabin he
reflected on what he had said and began to believe that God had addressed
him through the storm and that grace had begun to work for him.
For the rest of his life he observed the
anniversary of May 10, 1748 as the day of his conversion, a day of
humiliation in which he subjected his will to a higher power. "Thro' many
dangers, toils and snares, I have already come; 'tis grace has bro't me safe
thus far, and grace will lead me home." He continued in the slave trade
for a time after his conversion; however, he saw to it that the slaves under
his care were treated humanely.
In 1750 he married Mary Catlett, with
whom he had been in love for many years. By 1755, after a serious illness,
he had given up seafaring forever. During his days as a sailor he had begun
to educate himself, teaching himself Latin, among other subjects. From 1755
to 1760 Newton was surveyor of tides at Liverpool, where he came to know
George Whitefield, deacon in the Church of England, evangelistic preacher,
and leader of the Calvinistic Methodist Church. Newton became Whitefield's
enthusiastic disciple. During this period Newton also met and came to admire
John Wesley, founder of Methodism. Newton's self-education continued, and he
learned Greek and Hebrew.
He decided to become a minister and
applied to the Archbishop of York for ordination. The Archbishop refused his
request, but Newton persisted in his goal, and he was subsequently ordained
by the Bishop of Lincoln and accepted the curacy of Olney, Buckinghamshire.
Newton's church became so crowded during services that it had to be
enlarged. He preached not only in Olney but in other parts of the country.
In 1767 the poet William Cowper settled at Olney, and he and Newton became
friends.
Cowper helped Newton with his religious
services and on his tours to other places. They held not only a regular
weekly church service but also began a series of weekly prayer meetings, for
which their goal was to write a new hymn for each one. They collaborated on
several editions of Olney Hymns, which achieved lasting popularity.
The first edition, published in 1779, contained 68 pieces by Cowper and 280
by Newton.
Among Newton's contributions which are
still loved and sung today are "How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds"
and "Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken," as well as "Amazing
Grace." Composed probably between 1760 and 1770 in Olney, "Amazing
Grace" was possibly one of the hymns written for a weekly service.
Through the years other writers have composed additional verses to the hymn
which came to be known as "Amazing Grace" (it was not thus entitled
in Olney Hymns), and possibly verses from other Newton hymns have
been added. However, these are the six stanzas that appeared, with minor
spelling variations, in both the first edition in 1779 and the 1808 edition,
the one nearest the date of Newton's death. It appeared under the heading
Faith's Review and Expectation, along with a reference to First
Chronicles, chapter 17, verses 16 and 17.
Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)
That sav'd a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev'd;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believ'd!
Thro' many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promis'd good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.
Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call'd me here below,
Will be forever mine.
The origin of the melody is unknown. Most
hymnals attribute it to an early American folk melody. The Bill Moyers
special on "Amazing Grace" speculated that it may have originated as
the tune of a song the slaves sang.
Newton was not only a prolific hymn
writer but also kept extensive journals and wrote many letters. Historians
accredit his journals and letters for much of what is known today about the
eighteenth century slave trade. In Cardiphonia, or the Utterance of the
Heart, a series of devotional letters, he aligned himself with the
Evangelical revival, reflecting the sentiments of his friend John Wesley and
Methodism.
In 1780 Newton left
Olney to become rector of St. Mary Woolnoth, St. Mary Woolchurch, in London.
There he drew large congregations and influenced many, among them William
Wilberforce, who would one day become a leader in the campaign for the
abolition of slavery. Newton continued to preach until the last year of
life, although he was blind by that time. He died in London December 21,
1807. Infidel and libertine turned minister in the Church of England, he was
secure in his faith that amazing grace would lead him home.
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