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Human trafficking doesn't always look like what you expect. Everyday moments can become opportunities for someone with bad intentions, whether you're a parent, teacher, coach, or neighbor. Check in. Ask questions. Stay connected.
Blue Campaign is a national awareness initiative that provides resources to help recognize suspected instances of human trafficking. Learn the signs and how to report at dhs.gov/slash blue campaign. Brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy.
Just drop in some details about yourself and see if you're eligible to save money when you bundle your home and auto policies. The process only takes minutes and it could mean hundreds more in your pocket. Visit Progressive.com after this episode to see if you could save. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary, not available in all states.
I'm Scott Hanson, host of NFL Red Zone. Lowe's knows Sundays are for football. That's why we're here to help you get your next DIY project done, even when the clock isn't on your side. Whether that's a new Filtrate filter or Bosch and Cobalt power tools, Lowe's has everything you need to feel like the MVP of DIY.
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and of course our favorite subjects are music. and history and when they combine like they do in this story That's just a twofer. Grace like water always flows downward to the lowest place. No one embodies this principle better than John Newton, author of the best love hymn of all time. Against all odds, amazing grace, written almost 250 years ago, still endures.
So who was John Newton?
Well, during his lifetime, his story was renowned as one of the most sensational, sinful, Spiritual, romantic, influential, and historically important sagas of the 18th century. Here to tell the story is the A-team of John Newton biographers, Brian Edwards. Jonathan Akeen. And the trustee of the John Newton Project. Tony Baker.
Newton was born in 1725 in Wapping, about a mile down river from the Tower of London. right by the Thames. Whopping was at that time a a little kind of hamlet, although it was a very busy waterfront. A thousand ships a day were coming in and out of uh London at that point. John Newton as a little boy could walk down to execution dock and see mutineers and pirates hanging in chains until three tides had washed over them.
His father was a sea captain. We don't know much about his father. Newton held him in both fear, awe, and respect His mother was a very godly woman, Elizabeth. She took John Newton as a little boy, up to the age of nearly seven, to the dissenting chapel of doctor Jennings, And it was quite famous. It was full and all kinds of interesting.
preachers came there, including Isaac Watts. John Newson as a little boy. Was more educated at his mother's knee simply because John Newton Sr., Captain John Newton, was away on these very long sea voyages, and so he was. Very much an absent father. She had taught him to read and she was beginning to teach him Latin.
She taught him Bible stories, Bible verses, and the hymns of Isaac Watts, which had just recently been published. one of the first hymn writers. His mother sadly died of consumption or tuberculosis as we know it just before Newton's seventh birthday. When John Newton got the news of his mother's death, he was obviously very upset, and he was more upset when his father came home. and didn't seem to spend any time mourning his dead wife.
Captain John Newton married. almost immediately, just within weeks of uh coming Home again. And John really was a typical product. of uh an unwanted stepson, I suppose, really. He only had I think two years formal education.
Uh that at a not very satisfactory boarding school. At the age of eleven, He was a sailor on one of his father's ships, and shortly afterwards, when he when he was a teenager, he was a sailor in his own right, no longer on his father's ships, but ploughing the Mediterranean trade and the European trade. But there was one extraordinary experience that uh John Newton had As about an 11 or 12-year-old boy on this first voyage with his father. which might be called supernatural experience. And it's the kind of dream which you know, J.R.R.
Tolkien might have Scripted. He was in just offshore from Venice. And a figure appeared and gave him a ring and told him to look after it. He was told that if he looked after this ring, All would be well with his life. but he must care for it.
that figure disappeared and another one came and mocked the value of that ring, telling him that it was a waste of time and he need not bother about it at all, and eventually enveigled the ring away from Newton so that Newton threw it into the sea, and at that moment in his dream he saw that the whole of Venice seemed to be engulfed in flames. Then the first person appeared in his dream, came back to him and showed him the ring that he had rescued from the water. And Newton put out his hand and said, Well, let me have that ring. And the figure said, No, you cannot be trusted with it, but at such a time as you need it, it and all that it represents will be available for you. He thought very little more of that dream until quite later in life, when he came to realize that it was really a parable of his life.
He went on with his voyaging and then came back from one of his voyages as a merchant sailor. He decided he'd go down to The family in whose home his mother Elizabeth had died and the eldest daughter was called Mary, she was fourteen years old, and the moment John set eyes on Mary, he fell, in his own words, madly in love with her. And he mooned around uh uh in a lobstick sort of way the town of Chatham. And this mooning around got him into disaster. Newton was press ganged.
in Chatham. And that word perhaps takes some explanation. It was the law of the land that the Royal Navy could impress. But compulsory recruit under pressure. Any able-bodied man And John Newton was grabbed.
and impressed into uh service as a Uh seaman. He now becomes a sailor on board a man of war. HMS Harriage was a fourth-rate man of war, but it had 300 men on board. Because his father was A well-known merchant captain, and because he himself. was not exactly a land lobber, he had good uh nautical experience, he was immediately promoted to a midshipman, which was the bottom rung of the officer class, if you like.
He progressively threw off. this Christian background. His profanity was such, they say, in his language, that even hardened sailors could keep their distance. But he had been reading Um a book called the characteristics of men, merit, manners and so on.
Now it was a book that led his mind well away from any faith in God. And it helped him on his downhill spiral morally and Philosophically, because it now gave him the reasons why he was not a Christian. Morality was for John Newton to make up from now on. And you've been listening to some of the foremost experts on the life of John Newton, as we always do. We try to bring you the best historians on any.
given subject when we come back The author. The writer of Amazing Grace. John Newton's story continues here. on our American stories. Here at Our American Stories, we bring you inspiring stories of history, sports, business, faith, and love.
stories from a great and beautiful country that need to be told. But we can't do it without you. Our stories are free to listen to, but they're not free to make. If you love our stories in America like we do, please go to ouramericanstories.com and click the donate button. Give a little.
Give a lot. Help us keep the great American stories coming. That's ouramericanstories.com. Time for a sofa upgrade? Visit washable sofas.com and discover Anibay, where designer style meets budget-friendly prices, with sofas starting at $699.
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Hey, what's up, it's Marla Lopez. Back to schools. An exciting time, but it can also be overwhelming, and kids may feel isolated, a vulnerability that human traffickers can exploit. Human trafficking doesn't always look like what you expect. Everyday moments can become opportunities for someone with bad intentions, whether you're a parent, teacher, coach, or neighbor.
Check in. Ask questions. Stay connected. Blue Campaign is a national awareness initiative that provides resources to help recognize suspected instances of human trafficking. Learn the signs and how to report at dhs.gov/slash blue campaign.
You heard it before many times. Water is life. But do you know that almost half of the homes on the Navajo Reservation do not have clean running water? With your support, St. Bonaventure Indian Mission and School is ready to give water to Navajo families.
So we invite you to help provide this precious gift of life to those in need. Contrary to many average Americans, Navajo families survive on just 10 gallons of water per day. You can help support St. Bonaventure's water delivery program by going to stbonaventuremission.org. Right now, America's Christian Credit Union is offering the top 12-month certificate rate in the nation.
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America's Christian Credit Union is federally insured by the NCUA. And we continue with our American stories and the story of John Newton. and Newton had been studying Shaftesbury's characteristics of men manners, opinions, times. and this had a profound influence on him and got him to shed himself of traditional Christian thought and in the end make up his own rules. Let's return to more of John Newton's story.
Things got worse for him on the man of war at the very time when he thought they were going to get better. He was put on shore as a young midshipman in charge of a party of sailors to bring in stores for the ship. It was mainly fresh water that they required. And he saw his opportunity of deserting his ship and walking to Plymouth to reach his father. And he was.
Captured by soldiers who were on the lookout for deserters. He was put into chains, was brought back to the Harriage. and he was publicly flogged. thirty nine lashes across his bare back for deserting his ship.
Now that was a very serious punishment uh for a very serious charge. He could have actually been put to death and many died under the lash. He uh lay on his back.
sore from the flogging, um, furious with himself, Very angry with his captain. He thought of suicide, he thought of killing his captain, and the ship. uh sailed Eventually the ship arrived at Madeira, where by quite a remarkable occurrence he was able to be exchanged For some sailors on board a merchant ship. Back in the eighteenth century, the Royal Navy could not only press gang, Young man, it could exchange or swap young sailors. For battle sailors who they came across Anywhere, provided they were subjects of the English crown, but he had to go and serve.
on a merchant ship which was called the Pegasus. And the Pegasus was what was sometimes called a guinea man, which just meant a ship which went off to the coasts of African Guinea to trade. He Um managed to Get himself released from his duties as a merchant seaman. And to start working as an apprentice. to a white man who traded on the shores of Africa.
The white slave traders operated from the coast, and it was the black chiefs that brought people from the inland and sold them to the white slave traders on the coast. But that wasn't working fast enough, and so fairly soon the white slave traders were moving inland to do their own dirty work for themselves.
So I think in these ways he thought he could make progress. But when the man with whom he was working was away. His wife, Who was quite high up in the tribal hierarchy? She took a great dislike to John Newton. And she actually treated him uh as a white slave.
She put him in chains, she starved him, she ill-treated him. He was kept outside, he was treated more like a dog. than any kind of human being. And sometimes he was so hungry at nights that he had to go and uh trying to find some roots to eat. which of course didn't do him much good.
and sometimes even some of the local slaves and bought him some of their own limited supplies. out of compassion. Another Slave trader. Who But for some reason took a liking to This strange young man, who was being treated like a white slave, bought his release from Amos Clau. John Newton then moved with his new Uh boss.
We treated him much more as a partner. to another part of the African coast. Really he decided that he would simply stay in Africa. and eventually he went down uh the coast to somewhere called Kitam. It was from there that a fellow trader, tried to signal passing vessels.
If you lit a fire and the passing vessel saw the smoke rising, then they take that as an invitation to come in and trade. And this fellow trader saw a vessel, So he lit a fire, and the timing was extraordinary. His Newton's colleague went on board the ship to do trade and pick up items that they needed, and almost the first question the ship's captain asked was, do you happen to know of a man called Newton on the coast hereabouts? Apparently the ship's captain had met up with John Newton's father before he left England, and John Newton's father had said If you ever find my son on the coast of Africa, I want you to bring him back.
Now, this.
sounded like a sort of Seafarer's version of looking for a needle in a haystack. The colleague of Newton said, Well, as it happens, I know exactly where the man you're looking for is. Newton was reluctant to go on board. He was now just about to make for the first time some money for himself. He hadn't got a made a penny so far, and he thought he could make some money.
and there were only two things that enticed him back home. One was the story that the ship's captain told him that he had information that Newton had inherited quite a small fortune, and if he were to come back he could enjoy it, which was a a whole load of rubbish, it was completely untrue. But the other thing attracted him was the thought of Mary. because on his own account not a day had gone by without him thinking of Mary.
So he took passage on the Greyhound and he upset the captain and by the same token pleased the crew by making up songs about the ship and the captain without actually mentioning the captain by name. And the captain was really fed up with him and wished he'd never taken him on board. And yet he did come across in the course of the journey. Thomas Akempis's Imitation of Christ. And at some point he started reading and he just started asking the question, supposing all this is true?
Well then came The uh the Great Storm. And Uh Newton was asleep. but was caught up on deck. And it obviously was a very big storm indeed.
Now, again, as on so many other instances, his life was quite extraordinarily preserved. Because just as he was going up on deck, I think the captain sent him back to get a knife or Gain something like that. and the fellow who was following him up on deck was immediately swept overboard. as the ship. broken and wallowing in the Atlantic, struggled to keep itself afloat.
The whole crew, including Newton, thought that this must be the end. Uh and uh On one occasion, Newton in his rather confident way said, Oh, this'll be a good thing to talk about over a jug when we get back home. And one of the crew members said, No, it's too late now. And that got Newton thinking. and lashed to the tiller or the pumps because they had to take turns at both, Newton began running over in his mind many of the verses of Scripture and doubtless some of the hymns of Isaac Watts that he had learned from his mother as a little boy.
He found himself condemned by the verses he knew, And it was at that time that, in his own words, God reached down and plucked him out of the depths. and he put a very wavering faith in God, acknowledging that his life had been a complete mess. And he had ruined all that God had given him, and spoiled the treasure that his mother had taught him. And he made a commitment of faith. And at some point, he said to the captain.
Something like, if the Lord doesn't have mercy on us, we're all lost. And I think the captain noticed that because to hear this particular profane infidel, Talking about the Lord was was quite a surprise. But eventually uh they just kept afloat. and they went into Loch Swilly. on the west coast of Ireland.
One of the first things he went, did was to go to church. and to pray and give thanks for the fact that he had been saved as a result of his prayer.
So he goes back. Um to Mary in Chatham in Kent. But still, she gives him a little hope, but no certainty. And he'd got no money at all because he got nothing for his time in Africa. He walked from Chatham in Kent, the 250 miles to Liverpool.
He calls it his long, lonely walk, because that's where he would be able to pick up another ship. This is a slave ship, his first mate. And it was on this ship that he, in his own words, backslid as bad as before. He would allow the life on board ship and the life in the evenings to drag him down. And it it really was a a bad journey for him.
But he was determined to go on with Christ, although the life on board a slave ship was probably the worst of all the merchant ships, and and only the the rough and rulely ever ended up on board ship anyway. and you're listening to the story of John Newton. who of course wrote the most popular him in history. When We Come Back, more of the remarkable story of a song and the man who wrote it. Here.
on our American stores. Time for a sofa upgrade? Visit washablesofas.com and discover Anibay, where designer style meets budget-friendly prices, with sofas starting at $699. Anibay brings you the ultimate in furniture innovation with a modular design that allows you to rearrange your space effortlessly. Perfect for both small and large spaces, Anibay is the only machine-washable sofa inside and out.
Say goodbye to stains and messes with liquid and stain-resistant fabrics that make cleaning easy. Liquid simply slides right off. Designed for custom comfort, our high-resilience foam lets you choose between a sink-in feel or a supportive memory foam blend. Plus, our pet-friendly stain-resistant fabrics ensure your sofa stays beautiful for years. Don't compromise quality for price.
Visit washable sofas.com to upgrade your living space today with no risk returns and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Get up to 60% off plus free shipping and free returns. Shop now at washable sofas.com. Offers are subject to change. and certain restrictions may apply.
Brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy. Just drop in some details about yourself and see if you're eligible to save money when you bundle your home and auto policies. The process only takes minutes and it could mean hundreds more in your pocket.
Visit Progressive.com after this episode to see if you could save. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states. Hey, what's up, it's Marla Lopez!
Back to school is an exciting time, but it can also be overwhelming and kids may feel isolated, a vulnerability that human traffickers can exploit. Human trafficking doesn't always look like what you expect. Everyday moments can become opportunities for someone with bad intentions, whether you're a parent, teacher, coach, or neighbor, Check in. Ask questions. Stay connected.
Blue Campaign is a national awareness initiative that provides resources to help recognize suspected instances of human trafficking. Learn the signs and how to report at dhs.gov/slash blue campaign. Toa Ina. We all know that water is life. An average American household consumes over 300 gallons daily.
40% of Navajo families residing on a reservation the size of West Virginia struggle to survive on less than 10 gallons of water per day. Yearly St. Bonaventure Indian Mission and School delivers over 1.5 million gallons of clean water to these families. You can help support St. Bonaventure's water delivery program by going to stbonaventuremission.org.
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So don't wait, lock in your rate before it drops. Visit America's ChristianCU.com and get started. America's Christian Credit Union is federally insured by the NCUA. And we continue here with our American stories and the remarkable story of John Newton. who of course wrote Amazing Grace.
but the story of his life and what led up to it.
Well, that's what's interesting. Let's return to this remarkable story with some of the best Newton biographers on the planet. After Brownlow. He took three journeys as a slow ship captain.
So he was actually in charge of the ship and the gathering of the slaves. On what was known as the triangular trade, out from England with items for barter to the west coast of Africa, picking up slaves, taking them from there either to the West Indies or to North America, and then picking up cotton, rum, brandy, things that the whole market wanted, and then coming back across the Atlantic. That was the three legs of the triangular trade. In the 1750s, when Newton was a slave ship captain, The general view of England. including Christian England, was that the slave trade was a respectable economic form of activity.
And that sounds extraordinary, but it is historically true. 1750s and 60s, almost nobody, not even the Quakers at that stage, had really got to grips with the issue of slavery. It wasn't until you get right up into the seventeen seventies, eighties and nineties that the groundswell of recognition of what is happening. And part of the reason for this is you have to realize that people in the home market, England, would be receiving all this cotton and brandy and sugar, but had no idea really how it came. There wasn't the media.
Nobody was going out there taking films of slaves and the way they were treated and the cruelty and bestiality of it all. And so people didn't know. As they began to know, So they stirred. He he married Mary in seventeen fifty and she was quite frail in health and often had to stay with her parents. And then of course eventually he met this very significant figure in his life, Captain Alexander Cluny.
who was captain of a vessel but not of a slaver. and they recognize one another as Christians. And Cluny really instructed Newton in the basics of the faith. And that was a key turning point for Newton. But at the time, what disturbed Newton, and even when he writes his authentic narrative, he says.
I was increasingly perturbed by a course of life. that was involved with shackles and chains and leg irons. And he said I felt more like a jailer and a turnkey. And he didn't like what he was doing. His conscience was stirring.
The owner of his ships, Mr. Mannasty was actually in the process of building him a brand new ship to send him out again on a fourth voyage. when he suddenly took a seizure.
So by mutual agreement, John Newton's career as a seafarer and slave ship captain was terminated. He managed to get appointed to a job which was called Surveyor of the Tides in Liverpool. And this was effectively what we would call I um Chief Customs Officer. His job was he had a a boat with half a dozen oarsmen and every incoming ship to the docks at Liverpool he was to be rowed out and searched them for contraband. His experience meant he had a pretty good idea where things would be hidden on any ship.
But this gave him a great amount of time to sit in his little Hut, as he was given, with a fire and a lamp, and study and read. And that's where he continued to do a lot of his studying and reading, and actually, where he first began to prepare his first sermons. Also, while he was in Liverpool, he invited George Whitfield, the great evangelist. to come and preach in the city. And clearly the two men hit it off and he was enormously impressed because Whitfield was the most outstanding.
uh preacher of the eighteenth century. And I think particularly because of his own experience and his awareness of The hand of God and the grace of God in his own life. and Newton found himself drawn to Whitfield's theology. which was robustly evangelistic. but also believed that God is sovereign.
and that we depend entirely on His grace in salvation in Christ.
So Whitfield became very much her dominant influence in his life. and Aubrey Newton began to think. whether he might be called to some full-time ministry himself. And he did preach his first sermon in these years. in the Presbyterian Church in Leeds.
His first sermon was an absolute disaster. During the afternoon, when he was having tea with his host, they said, Would you like to go and prepare for the evening? No, no, he was perfectly confident. He'd done all this preparation, thank you. And he got into the pulpit and he began.
and within minutes he'd covered his material. and all anything else fled out of his mind, and he came down from the pulpit in great sense of shame, and he says that for some time afterwards he believed that everybody in the town was talking about him. That was his entry into preaching. As Newton started thinking more towards being a past the teacher in the Church of God, he started pushing the doors. But the doors didn't open.
because although you would have thought that Newton with his Gifts would be, and his spiritual experience would be just a wonderful gift for Church of England ministry because he was tainted with Methodism. Which many churchy leaders in the Church of England thought was simply fanaticism. he found that the door was closed. And after John Newton had had these several rejections, he was heard preaching a sermon by the Earl of Dartmouth. You should be ordained, he said to John Newton.
John Newton said, well, I've been trying to get ordained, but the Church of England kept turning me down. VM Earl of Dartmouth then had a quiet word with the Bishop of Lincoln. who was a bishop who had refused to ordain. John Newton. Changed his mind and said he would ordain him.
A number of things to be said about him there. He was a very warm and loving pastor, which is it's particularly interesting when you consider that this man had been used to haranguing an unruly crew. He brought with him that gift of verse. which he had so badly used when he was at sea, making godless and ribald songs about the captain which entertained the crew. But now he began to turn this into verse for his people.
as he walked down the streets of Olney he he listened to the women at their at their lace bobbins, and in order to keep them in time with their their work, they would have little dittis that they would chant and he thought, Well, they can learn these, so if I can teach them hymns, they can remember the theology that I'm trying to teach them.
So he would sometimes spend or three days in his week. Not just preparing the sermon, but preparing the song that was going to go with the sermon. and then he would teach it to them before uh after the sermon and that would really Punch home the points that he had made. He started a Sunday school, long before Robert Rakes started a Sunday school in the West Country, and kids from the Baptists were coming as well. In fact, that caused a bit of a problem because he devised the idea of.
giving little prizes. For children who could remember verses and new answers to questions. And unfortunately, the Baptist kids were running off with all the prizes, and that caused a bit of tension because they knew their Bible so well. And he says he had to sit them down and give them a little talk on how to get on well together. And you're listening to the story of John Newton.
from slave ship captain to wannabe minister, and to the author and writer of the greatest and most well-known hymn of all time, Amazing Grace. And I know some of you are wondering, What does this have to do with America? And if you've ever read Annie Books by Stephen Turner, the best being Amazing Grace. The story of America's most beloved song. The relationship between American singers, churches, and hymnals And well this story They're intertwined.
When we return, this remarkable story continues, John Newton's story. Here. on Our American Stories. Time for a sofa upgrade? Visit washable sofas.com and discover Anibay, where designer style meets budget-friendly prices, with sofas starting at $699.
Anibay brings you the ultimate in furniture innovation with a modular design that allows you to rearrange your space effortlessly. Perfect for both small and large spaces, Anibay is the only machine-washable sofa inside and out. Say goodbye to stains and messes with liquid and stain-resistant fabrics that make cleaning easy. Liquid simply slides right off. Designed for custom comfort, our high-resilience foam lets you choose between a sink-in feel or a supportive memory foam blend.
Plus, our pet-friendly stain-resistant fabrics ensure your sofa stays beautiful for years. Don't compromise quality for price. Visit washablefas.com to upgrade your living space today with no risk returns and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Get up to 60% off plus free shipping and free returns. Shop now at washable sofas.com.
Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply. Brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy. Just drop in some details about yourself and see if you're eligible to save money when you bundle your home and auto policies.
The process only takes minutes and it could mean hundreds more in your pocket. Visit Progressive.com after this episode to see if you could save. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary, not available in all states. Hey, what's up?
It's Marla Lopez. Back to schools. An exciting time, but it can also be overwhelming and kids may feel isolated, a vulnerability that human traffickers can exploit. Human trafficking doesn't always look like what you expect. Everyday moments can become opportunities for someone with bad intentions, whether you're a parent, teacher, coach, or neighbor.
Check in. Ask questions. Stay connected. Blue Campaign is a national awareness initiative that provides resources to help recognize suspected instances of human trafficking. Learn the signs and how to report at dhs.gov/slash blue campaign.
Toa Ina. We all know that water is life. An average American household consumes over 300 gallons daily. 40% of Navajo families residing on a reservation the size of West Virginia struggle to survive on less than 10 gallons of water per day. Yearly St.
Bonaventure Indian Mission and School delivers over 1.5 million gallons of clean water to these families. You can help support St. Bonaventure's water delivery program by going to stbonaventuremission.org. Right now, America's Christian Credit Union is offering the top 12-month certificate rate in the nation. This limited time offer is just for new ACCU members.
Earn 4.75% APY on deposits up to $1 million, and it only takes $1,000 to get started. It's called the Term Share Certificate. Similar to a CD, but with a mission and supports what matters: Christian schools, churches, adoptions, and more. Visit America's Christian CU.com to get started. America's Christian Credit Union is federally insured by the NCUA.
And we return to our American stories and the story of John Newton. From Slave Captain The wannabe minister and beyond, and ultimately. to the writer of the greatest hymn of all time amazing grace Let's pick up where we last left off. He was informal.
so that uh instead of going round in Clerical dress. Uh of the period. he would wear his old naval captain's coat, obviously believing he shouldn't throw something away while there was still some wear in it.
So he was easy and approachable. Newton was encouraged to write up. as we would say today, his testimony. And so he produced what's called the authentic narrative. After the publication of an authentic narrative.
People came from all over. to see this man with such an extraordinary story to tell, Even an admiral came to see this man who was once beaten at the grating for deserting his ship, His Majesty's ship. You know. Take a coach for 50 miles or 100 miles to come and hear John Newton preach or ride great distances. And there were two people in this category who became very famous and very influential.
One was the aunt of William Wilberforce. William Wilberforce was at that stage a schoolboy. But this aunt brought William Wilberforce as a schoolboy to hear John Newton preach. Um so that was to be a most influential and important encounter. And secondly, there was someone else.
Cold. Cooper. William Cooper was a national poet, brilliant poet, a very sad character who suffered from very deep depression. And for eighteen months he lived with John and Mary. But William Cooper was brilliant at verse, of course, and together they wrote a number of hymns.
And hymn singing was comparatively new because certainly until then, mostly in the Church of England, they just sung psalms.
So, this was quite a new development. Cooper wrote some great hymns. There's one called God Moves in a Mysterious Way: His Wonders to Perform. But Newton was. probably the greater hymn route of the two.
and perhaps his greatest hymn theologically was Glorious things of thee are spoken. But his most famous hymn was amazing grace and that was the hymn which is, will always be associated with John Newton's name. He wrote Amazing Grace as a a New Year hymn. He based it on a passage in Chronicles where uh the king is reviewing uh God's goodness to him. And that's what Newton wanted to do in Amazing Grace: How sweet the sound that saves a wretch like me.
And he continually comes back to the word grace, which for John Newton, of course, meant God's undeserved mercy in forgiving him through the merits of Jesus Christ and because of nothing he himself had done. And then he rounds it off in what is his final verse. The earth will soon dissolve like snow, The sun will cease to shine, But God who loved me here below Will be forever mine. Unfortunately, that verse somehow in the 19th century got lost and the new verse that everybody knows when we've been there 10,000 years got put in, but that has nothing to do with John Newton. wrote the hymn as far as we know.
rather quickly in an afternoon. Uh he didn't write the tune. uh the famous Amazing Grace music. um came much later and separately. And Amazing Grace It never really took off in England.
You know, if people said, what are popular hymns, what are our great hymns? uh which hymns were reprinted Amazing grace. was never one of them. in England. What changed the game for Amazing Grace was the United States.
That Um Newton's hymn was reprinted in America. took off in the south of America. And that's where the tune comes from. It's an old plantation tune.
So the music and the words of Amazing Grace were married together. But then it became gradually a kind of America's spiritual national anthem. It was then sung by all sorts of recording artists. And by the sort of nineteen sixties Um this had become The most performed and most recorded.
song the learned hymn. In the history of music. And it's extraordinary the way it's gripped people. It seems that a lot of people. Uh sing it without actually realising what they're singing.
You sing it because it's good to sing. even though you don't necessarily understand or perhaps agree with the words. Obviously his his influence was spreading quite widely, and he was invited to consider the pulpit at St Mary Woolnouth in London, which was in the City of London, right in the banking quarter. And he filled the church. very quickly, just as he had filmed only a parish church.
And again it was so crowded that uh some of the regulars started to complain that their pews were being occupied by all these newcomers. And then there was uh they had to build a gallery again uh in St Mary Woolnouth. And of course it was very much more influential. uh kind of congregation people from of the city and from politics. Many of his congregation would be bankers.
How were they earning their living? Many of them through the revenue of the slave trade.
So it is to his credit by the seventeen eighties and nineties he is preaching against the slave trade, calling it blood money and telling his congregation that they can have nothing to do with it. In seventeen eighty eight he wrote his famous document, Thoughts on the African Slave Trade. Very, very important document because he gave his reasons why the slave trade was so iniquitous in every way. very carefully, very wisely, very prudently written document, and this was distributed widely, printed widely and distributed and had a great influence. He was hugely influential politically.
Um particularly because he was William Wilberforce's mentor. And Uh William Wilberforce uh came to see him. One evening under conditions of strict secrecy. It was considered unfashionable, if not risky and wrong, for An important young Member of Parliament to be seen. consorting with A gospel preacher.
They were sort of gospel preachers was sort of thought to be a bit dangerous, a bit wild, and the upper classes looked down on them. But Wilberforce as a boy had Met Newton, heard him preach, and so when Wilberforce was Having um a spiritual encounter with God. He wanted to try to contact Newton, so he sent round a note which reads a bit as though it's sort of James Bond sending a letter to M and saying, you know, we must keep this quiet. Let's meet completely privately, let's keep it confidential. And um Wilberforce came to Newton's house.
And Wilburfor Sammy said, walk twice round the square to make sure the coast was clear and nobody was watching, so nervous was he. When he came in to see Newton, he told Newton about his Christian conversion and his zeal. And Wilberforce had it in mind to become Uh a Clergyman to join the church. Newton gave Wilberforce very, very wise advice. He said, in effect, Don't join the church.
Stay where you are and serve God through Parliament.
Now after that first meeting, two years later, William Wilberforce wrote in his diary a very famous expression It was on a Sunday in eighteen seventeen eighty seven, and he wrote, God Almighty has laid before me two great objects the abolition of the slave trade, and the reformation of manners. Manners meant moral morals, morality, the reformation of morality. And that Wilberforce gave his life to, those two great causes. And Newton supported him all the way through. And as a result of that, he was asked to give evidence to the Privy Council.
He was, in fact, the only slave ship captain who ever gave evidence to the Privy Council. He also spoke to a parliamentary committee. There became quite a a lobby in England, driven very largely by a lot of the women who would not allow their families to eat sugar because it came from the spoils of the slave trade. Newton finally died. in the uh one The slave trade was abolished.
as Wilberforce himself finally died, in the year that slavery in British territories was abolished. And Newton's last words are Uh perhaps Uh the greatest uh testimony to the testimony because when Newton was dying A visitor came to see him and asked how he was, and if he remembered this, that, and the other. And Newton, who was Very old. Blind. I knew he was near death.
said in a faltering voice, Sir, I remember only two things. that I am a great sinner, that Christ is a great Saviour. And you've been listening to the story of John Newton, and in the end, the story. of the greatest hymn ever written. And my goodness, what a story it is.
And great work as always to Greg Hangler. John Newton's story here. on our American stories. SackSaw Fifth is your secret to fashion's most wanted deals at up to 70% off. On the hunt for designer steals that'll turn heads and leave a trail of envy, uncover Gucci, Valentino, Versace, Stuart Weitzman, and more, with new arrivals dropping weekly at prices too good to stay confidential.
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