I know that I will not be the first one to write about John Newton, the one who wrote the hymn “Amazing Grace”. But still I would like to share his life story and how it touched me and how thankful I am to God to use John Newton’s life to encourage others, like me.
John Newton was a former sailor, who started to sail the sea with his father. He then became a sailor for a ship that do slave trade, trading goods for slaves in Africa and selling them in England and other countries. But his character was, according to his autobiographies, is a despicable one, and he is a problematic sailor for his crew. In fact, many times he was punished for his antics. He suffered from kinds of punishment, and there were even a time that his colleagues left him starved to death, imprisoned him with chains just like the slaves they carry on board, and there was a time that he was left by his crew in Africa, at this time he wrote on his journal “once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in West Africa.”. According to his Wikipedia entry, “Newton gained notoriety for being one of the most profane men the captain had ever met. In a culture where sailors commonly used oaths and swore, Newton was admonished several times for not only using the worst words the captain had ever heard, but creating new ones to exceed the limits of verbal debauchery.”
But his conversion came unexpectedly. On March 10, 1748, a violent storm hit their ship and it was so violent that he thought the ship would not make it. After hours of effort of the crew emptying the ship with water because of the storm, Newton exclaimed “If this will not do, then Lord have mercy upon us!”. After being exhausted by the experience, Newton pondered to himself what he had said and the Revelation of God for him started at that near death experience.
Newton considered this date as the anniversary of his conversion. It was also said that since then, he avoided profanity, gambling, and drinking. Although he continued to work in the slave trade, he had gained a much amount of sympathy for the slaves. His journal entries revealed that his conversion was not immediate, he wrote “I cannot consider myself to have been a believer in the full sense of the word, until a considerable time afterwards.”
After his stint with slave trade sail, he started to teach himself Latin, Greek, and Theology. And by then he had the chance to work as the Curate of Olney, Buckinghamshire.
I was very impressed with his own words about his life experience. In his journal he wrote:
“How industrious is Satan served. I was formerly one of his active undertemptors and had my influence been equal to my wishes I would have carried all the human race with me. A common drunkard or profligate is a petty sinner to what I was.”
It was in Olney where he wrote “Amazing Grace” which was included in “Olney Hymns”, a collection of poems he and writer William Cowper wrote to be used in their prayer meetings. Now the song is widely known and was used even in secular purposes. And I am very blessed indeed that I can now listen to this song because for me, it is not just a hymn that we sing inside the church, it was a living testimony of a wretched man who was lost but was found with the Grace of God!
Here’s the complete and original hymn that John Newton wrote (it was originally entitled “1 Chronicles 17:16–17, Faith’s Review and Expectation”).
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 hath 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.
