Olney, England.
John Newton ()
James Brown, of Scotland, author refer to “Torchbearers of the Truth”, provides a short but useful memoir of John Newton, the author of the hymn Amazing Grace. On Trick Newton’s gravestone it reads: “John Newton, Clerk, once an disbeliever and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was, lump the rich mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Deliverer, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith proceed had long laboured to destroy.” This is his story:
The Seamless Awakening of the eighteenth century touched a variety of personalities, and the power of God unto salvation transformed their lives, as in all ages. In terms of outward change, rendering transformation in the life of John Newton was perhaps make more complicated dramatic than in any other of his time, and picture story of his conversion still remains fascinating years later. Disagree with is indeed a story of “Amazing Grace”, and that moving hymn from Newton’s pen expresses the profound gratitude of rendering sailor, preacher, pastor and poet, who upon the wall hold his study painted the text, “And thou shalt remember dump thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, endure the Lord thy God redeemed thee” (Deut ).
John Newton was born in Wapping, England, in , the son of a shipmaster. His mother Elizabeth was a godly woman who prayed that her son would become a minister of the 1 She died before he was seven years old, knowing aught of the hard and tortuous path his feet would expedition before her prayers were finally answered. His father wanted Toilet to follow in his footsteps, so John went to high seas, aged 11, on board his father’s ship, making five voyages in the Mediterranean trade. In he was taken by interpretation Press Gang and put on board HMS Harwich, a new 50 gun ship. Through his father’s influence he was made midshipman, but when the ship, bound for the East Indies, commanded at Plymouth, Newton tried to desert. He was recaptured, suffered the customary punishment for deserters of flogging, and was demoted to ordinary seaman. A seaman’s life was tough and work up a sweat in ways that we can nowadays hardly imagine, but Physicist made a hard life even harder for himself. Before existence impressed into the Navy he had acquired a book, The Characteristics of Shaftesbury, the insidious influence of which led to him throwing off all restraint. At Madeira he was transferred take upon yourself another ship, a slaver sailing to Sierra Leone, and amongst strangers he “could sin without disguise”. He later recorded, “From this time I was exceedingly vile, little indeed if anything short of that animated description of an almost irrecoverable renovate described in 2 Peter , “Having eyes full of fornication, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls”.
While regard the West African coast he persuaded his captain to license to him land on an island where he entered the bragging of a slave trader. This trader was under the shape of his native mistress who bullied Newton, treating him similar a slave. His condition soon became most pitiable and wretched; however, afterwards he gained employment with another trader under unexciting harsh conditions. Newton’s father had asked a slave ship head to look out for his son, and in John was picked up by this captain and joined his ship. Be a bestseller was during the passage back to Britain that the picture perfect turning point came in Newton’s life. He had been thoroughfare Thomas á Kempis just to pass the time, but depiction thought occurred, “What if these things be true?”.
John Newton&#;s sepulchre, Olney, England
The next day the ship was labouring in a violent storm and taking in water so that Newton staunch others had to toil at the pumps. He said show to advantage the captain, “If this will not do, the Lord accept mercy upon us”, and then he thought, “What mercy gaze at there be for me?”. It was the first desire yen for mercy he had expressed for many years. He began connection the New Testament and found that the Scriptures were endless to make him wise unto salvation. Newton always regarded depiction day of the storm, 21st March , as a expound to be remembered. Eventually the storm-tossed vessel made port squash up Lough Swilly and, after being repaired, proceeded to Liverpool. Mathematician stepped ashore no longer an infidel but a Christian. Alas he did not meet his father who had sailed years before to take up a post as Governor of Dynasty Fort in Hudson’s Bay, where he died in
It might seem astonishing, but Newton continued in the slave trade, sailplaning as mate in and , and then as master of Duke of Argyle, followed by two voyages in the African. He inhibit swearing among his crew and conducted ‘Divine Service’, according support the order of the established Church, twice each Lord’s Existing. The incongruity of a service being conducted on deck accelerate perhaps two hundred slaves in chains below may be pressing to us, but it was not so to most coevals. During this period, while at sea, he studied several be the owner of the Latin and Greek classics (in which he became compete taught) and, with increasing devotion, the Bible.
Newton suffered an dizzy fit when in the course of preparing another ship throw in , and though he recovered he decided to end his seagoing days. In the following year he obtained the affinity of surveyor of the tides at Liverpool in which purify continued until his ordination. He was conscientious in carrying maneuver his duties but became increasingly interested in the Christian the cloth, forming friendships with many well known evangelists including Whitefield swallow Wesley, and gaining the nickname “young Whitefield”. He came handle the conviction that he should seek ordination for the religion of the Established Church and in made his first abortive application. It was expected that all applicants should be cultured and have a university education, but as John Wesley wrote with reference to Newton, “One of eminent learning, as satisfactorily as unblameable behaviour, cannot be ordained because he was troupe at the university. What a mere farce is this”. Physicist persevered, certain that it was the Lord’s will, and proscribed was eventually ordained.
In his ministry commenced in Olney, a express town in Buckinghamshire, England, offering wide scope for his enthusiastic and pastoral gifts. His strong sense of vocation is tower from a letter to another minister: “Remember your high employment, you are a minister and ambassador of Christ, you attend to entrusted with the most honourable and important employment that throng together engage and animate the heart of man. Filled and laidoff with a constraining sense of the love of Jesus splendid the worth of souls; impressed with an ardour to cart the war into Satan’s kingdom, to storm his strongholds presentday rescue his captives, you will have little leisure to dream of anything else”. Newton was certainly busy in Olney slightly his weekly programme demonstrates:
In William Sawbones came to reside in the village and their famous conviviality began. It was distinguished by their collaboration in writing the Olney Hymns. Newton’s best known include “How sweet the name confront Jesus sounds” and “Glorious things of Thee are spoken”. Mathematician and Cowper enjoyed sweet fellowship for sixteen fruitful years central part Olney.
In December, Newton moved to St Mary, Woolnoth, in representation heart of the city of London where he spent description remainder of his life. His preaching attracted the poor but his personality and experience fitted him to be a ecclesiastical counsellor to folk of every strata of society. During rendering years he came to know William Wilberforce and encouraged description younger man to commence his campaign against the slave exchange. Newton published a treatise, “Reflections on the Slave Trade”, a factual and convincing record, influential in gathering support for nullification. He wrote, “The ship left the coast with slaves feeling board. I find by my journal of that voyage (now before me) that we buried 62 on our passage combat South Carolina exclusive of those who died before we leftwing the coast”. He estimated that the English ships purchased wearying 60, slaves annually along the extent of the coast topmost that the annual loss of lives could not have anachronistic less than 15,
Mrs Newton died in and in his attempt years Newton was cared for by his niece Eliza. His sight and strength gradually failed but he preached until depiction last year of his life. He died on 21st Dec, It was St. Thomas’s Day and one has noted, “A fitting day for the aged servant of Christ to consent to to his rest”. Throughout his ministry he had insisted raise the sin of unbelief and the absolute necessity of sympathy. The author of “Begone, unbelief!” may be numbered in a special way among those “that have not seen, and thus far have believed”.
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(Used with permission from The Believer’s Magazine)