John Newton
John Newton was born in London and at age eleven went to sea with his father, a shipmaster on the Mediterranean. Disregarding his mother's prayer that he enter the ministry, he engaged in the lucrative but brutal African slave trade for a number of years. Afterwards, he served in the Church of England as pastor of Olney parish and later of the combined church of St. Mary's in London. In addition to the words of "Amazing Grace," Newton was a prolific songwriter whose other well-known hymns include "Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken" and "How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds."
“The midsummer sun shines but dim, The fields strive in vain to look gay; But when I am happy in Him December's as pleasant as May.”
John Newton
“We can easily manage if we will only take, each day, the burden appointed to it. But the load will be too heavy for us if we carry yesterday's burden over again today, and then add the burden of the morrow before we are required to bear it.”
John Newton
“I endeavored to renounce society, that I might avoid temptation. But it was a poor religion; so far as it prevailed, only tended to make me gloomy, stupid, unsociable, and useless.”
John Newton
“Thou art coming to a King, large petitions with thee bring, for His grace and power are such none can ever ask too much.”
John Newton
“God sometimes does His work with gentle drizzle, not storms.”
John Newton
“If we seem to get no good by attempting to draw near to Him, we may be sure we will get none by keeping away from Him.”
John Newton
“If two angels were to receive at the same moment a commission from God, one to go down and rule earth’s grandest empire, the other to go and sweep the streets of its meanest village, it would be a matter of entire indifference to each which service fell to his lot, the post of ruler or the post of scavenger; for the joy of the angels lies only in obedience to God’s will, and with equal joy they would lift a Lazarus in his rags to Abraham’s bosom, or be a chariot of fire to carry an Elijah home.”
John Newton
“I am still in the land of the dying; I shall be in the land of the living soon. (his last words)”
John Newton
“Amazing grace! how sweet the soundThat saved a wretch like me! I once was lost but now am found,Was blind but now i see.”
John Newton
“Although my memory's fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.”
John Newton
“This is faith: a renouncing of everything we are apt to call our own and relying wholly upon the blood, righteousness and intercession of Jesus.”
John Newton
“I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am”
John Newton