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It is said that after this happened he became deeply depressed and even desired to throw himself overboard at times. He also thought of taking the life of the captain of the ship who had so cruelly humiliated him. As time went on John’s father remarried and John was placed in a boarding school but seemed to stay in contact with the Catlett family especially because of their daughter.
He would temporarily try to attend to the spiritual matters in his life as he had been taught as a child – only to fail again. Beginning when John was 11 years old, for the next 5 or 6 years, his father began taking him on sea voyages. These times were hard lessons where he learned the rigors of seamanship. However, in the times between the sea adventures, his stepmother apparently did little to discipline John and he found himself in much trouble as an adolescent.
Our Favorite Performance of "Amazing Grace"
Mary Catlett was a centerpiece in John’s life and through all that he went through he had a desire to return to her. Primarily, we see an example of a story where a man was truly affected and changed by God’s grace – which is always genuinely amazing. Grace is generally defined as “God’s unmerited favor” and is a centerpiece of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Who could more truthfully pen the words than someone who had been a part of such sinful practices but was redeemed by Jesus Christ? John Newton was certainly an example of how God can change a life that had been filled with evil into one that can help accomplish great good. The lyrics to Amazing Grace, which you can find here, were written in 1772 by the English poet and Anglican clergyman John Newton (1725–1807).
It can be easy to fall into the temptation to be anxious, stressed, or fearful. However, as we focus on the fourth candle of Advent today, may we remember the wonderful gift of peace that Jesus has brought to us. In 2006, Chris Tomlin released a contemporary version of "Amazing Grace," the theme song for the 2007 film Amazing Grace. Newton's ministry was inspired and influenced by John and Charles Wesley and George Whitefield. In 1779, together with the poet William Cowper, Newton published 280 of his hymns in the popular Olney Hymns. God once again showed him grace by allowing him to see his goal of having the slave trade abolished in the large British Empire.
Amazing Grace – Newton Continues at Sea
He began to seek God to such an extent that eventually he believed that he was called to be a minister of the gospel. These actions may have signaled that Newton could be turning away from the evil of slavery. However, it would be 40 years before John Newton publicly challenged the sin of slave trafficking. Although, a far cry from repudiating the slave trade, he then encouraged those sailers with him to pray and required that his cargo of humans be treated humanely. Eventually, however, John Newton and Mary Cartlett were married in 1750. By that time Newton had definitely had a change of heart as a man.
Without grace, this former slave trader would not have submitted his life to Jesus Christ to the point of becoming a pastor. Without this amazing grace, John Newton would not have helped to eradicate the slave trade from which he had profited in the earlier part of his life. His life seemed as ruined and wrecked as the battered ship he was trying to steer through the storm. Sailors were not noted for the refinement of their manners, but Newton had a reputation for profanity, coarseness, and debauchery which even shocked many a sailor. He spent his teen years at sea until he was forced to join the Royal Navy in 1744.
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During those times Newton was overtly rebelling against God. Even those slave traders for whom he worked looked upon him as being incredibly obscene with his language. I can’t imagine slave traders being surprised at the obscenities of another! He narrowly missed a terrible injury as he was thrown from a horse just barely missing some sharp stakes.
The story of the song and the man behind the song is certainly a story of God’s amazing grace. This hymn has been sung by Christians and non-Christians alike for a couple of centuries now, and its popularity continues to grow. Let’s take a look at the history of this song and find out. The story of John Newton’s life intersecting with God’s amazing grace demonstrates how God can use any of us.
The Meaning of Amazing Grace: Exhibiting the Truth of God’s Grace
” Well, let the story of this who was involved in great evil, yet being rescued by God’s grace, challenge and encourage you. You might think that John Newton took the words and music to “Amazing Grace” and sang it in the Olney parish as we know it the song today. However, it might have only been recited without a melody, and if a melody was used it was not the one that we sing today. Even when it was published, the contemporary hymn books of the day didn’t include musical notation. In Olney, Newton met and became friends with the poet, William Cowper , also a newly-born Christian. It would appear that these men encouraged each other in their hymn writing.
As a young rebel, he eventually deserted the Royal Navy and was discharged to a slave trading ship. "Amazing Grace," the enduring Christian hymn, is one of the most well-known and beloved spiritual songs ever written. It is stated that over 20 musical settings of “Amazing Grace” circulated within about 60 years.
She taught him to read and memorize scriptures and hymns and faithfully took him to church. John’s father, a merchant ship captain, was on voyages at sea that typically would last two or three years. Some people point to “Amazing Grace” as the most popular and beloved hymns of the last couple of centuries. It is performed millions and millions of times per year and has been officially recorded on over 11,000 albums, which is probably a low number. People of many races, creeds, and colors have sung the words to this song even if they didn’t understand the meaning of the song. There are some songs that are so popular, that they transcend the boundaries of genre and language.
TheGreyhoundhad been thrashing about in the north Atlantic storm for over a week. Its canvas sails were ripped, and the wood on one side of the ship had been torn away and splintered. The sailors had little hope of survival, but they mechanically worked the pumps, trying to keep the vessel afloat. On the eleventh day of the storm, sailor John Newton was too exhausted to pump, so he was tied to the helm and tried to hold the ship to its course. About 3 years after his marriage to Mary, Newton had a stroke and that kept him from returning to the sea.
This eventually became another part of his spiritual journey. Later in his life, he recounted time after time where God had extended His grace to Him for some reason. Newton found himself employed by an English slave trader near the coast of West Africa. During that time Newton was taken very ill with malaria and the trader’s mistress mistreated and abused John, almost starving him.
To the degree that we inherited the sin of Adam, we all checked into planet earth as sinners. There's a reason the hymn 'Amazing Grace' remains the favorite hymn for so many people. The powerful lyrics remind us that because of Jesus, none of us are ever lost because God is with us always. Learn the story behind Amazing Grace, read the complete lyrics and watch a few of our favorite videos of this beautiful hymn. During the time in which Newton’s faith became more mature, he was finally awakened to the sinfulness of slavery that people still somehow accepted.
Then an American composer, William Walker, put the words of “Amazing Grace” to the tune of a song called “New Britain.” “Amazing Grace has been sung to that melody ever since. John Newton obviously did not have a university degree and that meant that he could not be ordained as a minister in the normal way. In time Newton began to study and became more desperate to explore Christianity in a more serious and devout way.
