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>>John Bradshaw: He's
one of the great figures
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of modern Christianity.
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John Newton, born in London,
the son of a ship's captain,
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his mother died
when he was young.
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He became an angry young
man, a drunk, a blasphemer.
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He even got
involved in witchcraft.
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It's said that Newton could
use profanity for half an hour
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without ever repeating himself.
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He said himself that he
would invent new curse words.
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Sent to work at the
age of 10, at sea by 11,
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he was hated by
those he worked under
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and worked with on the water.
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A vicious storm at sea jolted
him out of his recklessness.
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How the ship he was on
even made it back to land
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is hard to understand,
except that his mother,
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who died when he
was just 6 years old,
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was a woman of great
faith, a woman of prayer,
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and she had dedicated her
son to God and to ministry.
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Satan put up a
serious fight for John Newton,
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but God wasn't going to let
Newton go without a struggle.
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Newton's life is
often reduced to two events:
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one, he was a slave trader,
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and, two, he
wrote "Amazing Grace."
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Today, we struggle to understand
how anyone could purchase
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and resell human beings.
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But when John Newton
was trafficking in humans,
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the trade offended
essentially no one--
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except, of course,
those being trafficked.
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It had been socially acceptable
in countries around the world
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for hundreds of
years, thousands, even.
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There are currently more
enslaved people on earth now
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than at any other time
in the history of the world:
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between 40 and 50 million.
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That's one in every
160 people or so enslaved.
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Seventy-one percent are women.
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One in four is a child.
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Around 13 million people
were captured and sold as slaves
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globally between the
15th and 19th centuries--
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today, three times
that many, at least.
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So, that's one thing he's
known for: the slave trade.
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He worked on slave ships,
and he captained a slave ship.
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He was an exceedingly vile
person at that time, he says.
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"Amazing Grace" is the
most popular hymn in the world.
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It's been recorded
thousands of times.
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It was even sung at
Live Aid and Woodstock.
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But Newton was
even bigger than that.
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He was a pastor, an author.
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He was a mentor.
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He was a giant in Christianity.
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>>Tom Jones: I mean,
it's only one of 280-odd hymns
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that he wrote, for start
with, so if you're only talking
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about his hymn-writing career,
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uh, you're reducing
it to a, a lower level.
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And, uh, he, I, I
don't think regarded the hymn
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as, as one of his better hymns.
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It was only in later years
that it's been taken up by, um,
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but particularly by, you know,
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the gospel movement in
the States and such like.
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>>John: Through a remarkable
series of providences,
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Newton became the pastor
of this church here in Olney
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in Buckinghamshire,
which is an hour or so by train
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from St. Pancras
station in London.
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Olney is famous for its
annual pancake race, which,
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according to tradition,
was first run in the year 1445.
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Around 6,000 or 7,000
people now live in Olney,
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three times as many as
lived here when John Newton
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came to be the pastor in
1764 when he was 39 years old.
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>>Tom: He expanded the,
the role of the, the church;
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so no longer just a
sermon on Sunday, um,
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he would have
sermons during the week.
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He would have Bible studies
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in, in the Earl of Dartmouth's
house, the, the great house
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here, which no
longer exists, in, in Olney.
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Um, so he was very, very active.
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Um, he made, uh, a
reputation for himself,
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so much so that they overfilled
the, the church, and they,
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in 1765, they had to put
a new gallery in the church
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just to fit
everybody, everybody in.
00:05:01.80\00:05:04.77
Uh, and he became something of
a, a roving sensation as well.
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So he would walk across
country into other parishes,
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uh, and give, uh,
sermons wherever he went.
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>>John: But one of his most
creative innovations is that
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he began to compose
hymns for his church members.
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He wanted to really
teach his people the gospel.
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The Anglican Church's
Book of Common Prayer was,
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in his opinion, too complicated
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for the people to
whom he was ministering.
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He felt that if he wrote songs,
the people could better learn
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his teachings if they
learned the teachings in song.
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Now, before he
entered the ministry,
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Newton had a proven
track record as a composer.
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While he was working on ships
he would write songs to ridicule
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the ship's captains and then
teach the songs to the sailors,
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who all thought it
was riotously funny.
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He made plenty of enemies
writing bawdy, ribald songs.
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Now he could use his
talent for the glory of God.
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It's also interesting
that Newton was influenced
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as a child by Isaac Watts.
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He and his mother would listen
to Watts preach in Wapping,
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where Newton was raised.
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Watts wrote hymns such as "When
I Survey the Wondrous Cross,"
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"Joy to the
World," the tune of which
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was written by George Frideric
Handel, who wrote the "Messiah."
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Watts wrote the
verses to "Marching to Zion."
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He wrote "O God, Our Help in
Ages Past" and "At the Cross."
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So, Newton's keen intellect,
his creativity, his desire
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to reach simple
people, and his pedigree,
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all came together to make
him an effective hymn-writer.
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The museum here in Olney is
the Cowper and Newton Museum--
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and, yes, that's
"coo-per," not "cow-per."
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It's, it's an English thing.
00:07:01.52\00:07:03.15
Cowper was a poet--
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in fact, an excellent
poet, admired by both Coleridge
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and Wordsworth, with
Samuel Coleridge calling him
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"the best modern poet."
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Cowper's poem "The Negro's
Complaint" was often quoted
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by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
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Newton and Cowper
became very close friends.
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Cowper struggled
with mental illness,
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and Newton spent
countless hours with his friend,
00:07:25.34\00:07:28.28
helping him, ministering to him,
00:07:28.31\00:07:30.48
and, at times,
literally saving his life.
00:07:30.51\00:07:34.48
>>Tom: Newton supported Cowper
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when he had his
melancholic episodes.
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Twice Cowper moved into the
vicarage, and Newton and Polly
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looked after, after him
when he was, uh, depressed.
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I always like, I, I like
the relationship with Cowper,
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the, the odd
couple, if you like.
00:07:54.64\00:07:56.94
I think, what, what was it
00:07:56.97\00:07:58.71
that attracted
them to each other?
00:07:58.74\00:08:01.08
Um, and they fed off of
each other, uh, throughout
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the, the time here and continued
to write to each other,
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um, thereafter.
00:08:07.02\00:08:08.48
So, Cowper's, um, poems
were published with a foreword
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by John Newton,
who introduced him.
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So, so, uh, um, you
know, they, they were both,
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uh, familiar names
around the, around the town
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at the, at that time.
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>>John: Cowper wrote
hymns that are still sung today.
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"There Is a
Fountain Filled With Blood"
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and "O for a
Closer Walk [With God]."
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That old saying, "God
moves in...mysterious [ways],
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His wonders to
perform," Cowper wrote that.
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He was a big deal.
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Newton lived in the vicarage,
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while Cowper lived
only 150 yards away.
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They spent a lot
of time together,
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and together they
wrote a lot of hymns.
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And it was in the vicarage, in
what today we'd call the attic,
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that Newton
wrote "Amazing Grace."
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So, how did
this song come about?
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I'll tell you in just a moment.
00:09:03.64\00:09:06.24
¤[upbeat music
swells and ends]¤¤
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>>John: It's the challenge that
confronts every human heart:
00:09:15.98\00:09:19.22
evil.
00:09:19.25\00:09:20.56
How can you be kept from sin?
00:09:20.59\00:09:22.62
And why do everyday people
commit truly despicable acts?
00:09:22.66\00:09:26.33
Get today's free offer,
00:09:26.36\00:09:27.86
"Evil: The Challenge
of the Sinful Heart."
00:09:27.86\00:09:30.27
Call 800-253-3000.
00:09:30.30\00:09:33.37
Your can visit us online, write
to the address on your screen,
00:09:33.40\00:09:36.54
or text "freeheart" to 71392.
00:09:36.57\00:09:41.54
Be sure to request
your free copy now.
00:09:41.58\00:09:44.58
>>John: There's something placed
by God inside the human heart:
00:09:46.92\00:09:51.35
a yearning to be free.
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¤[soft orchestral
music]¤ [sound of writing]
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And the actions of
some went beyond the page
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and the lecture hall
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to the tracks of
something that became known as
00:09:59.36\00:10:02.46
the Underground Railroad.
00:10:02.50\00:10:05.30
[America Wilson
singing] ¤ Steal away, ¤
00:10:05.33\00:10:09.54
[creak of opening
door] ¤ steal away, ¤
00:10:09.57\00:10:13.31
¤ steal away to Jesus. ¤
00:10:13.34\00:10:20.82
¤ Steal away, ¤
00:10:20.85\00:10:24.32
¤ steal away home. ¤
00:10:24.35\00:10:30.09
¤ I ain't got
long to stay here. ¤¤
00:10:30.13\00:10:37.73
>>Announcer:
Watch "Midnight to Dawn"
00:10:38.73\00:10:40.47
on itiswritten.tv.
00:10:40.50\00:10:43.27
¤[music ends]¤¤
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00:10:47.64\00:10:50.78
>>John Bradshaw: As
John Newton was preparing
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a New Year's Day sermon to
be preached on January the 1st,
00:10:52.48\00:10:56.12
1772, he wanted to write a hymn
that would speak to the heart
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and reinforce the
text he would be using,
00:11:01.16\00:11:03.89
1 Chronicles 17:16 and 17.
00:11:03.93\00:11:08.16
"Then King David went
in and sat before the Lord;
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"and he said:
'Who am I, O Lord God?
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"'And what is my house, that
You have brought me this far?
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"'And yet this was a small
thing in Your sight, O God;
00:11:17.04\00:11:20.21
"'and You have also
spoken of Your servant's house
00:11:20.24\00:11:22.41
"'for a great while to
come, and have regarded me
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according to the rank of a man
of high degree, O Lord God.'"
00:11:25.35\00:11:29.05
The famous hymn "Amazing Grace"
was the result of that burden.
00:11:31.42\00:11:35.82
In many ways, it was
an autobiographical work.
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By the time he wrote the famous
hymn, his conscience burned,
00:11:38.89\00:11:42.33
owing to his work on
slave ships some years before.
00:11:42.36\00:11:46.00
"I once was lost, but
now I'm found" is a reference
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to the prodigal son, and
Newton, whose Christian mother
00:11:48.94\00:11:52.17
prayed much for him before she
passed away when he was a child,
00:11:52.21\00:11:55.61
was definitely a prodigal.
00:11:55.64\00:11:57.61
"Was blind, but now I see"
comes straight out of John 9
00:11:57.65\00:12:01.92
from the story of a
man Newton could relate to,
00:12:01.95\00:12:04.62
owing to the
blindness of his former years.
00:12:04.65\00:12:07.89
"Through many
dangers, toils, and snares
00:12:07.92\00:12:10.23
I have already come" was
written by a man who himself
00:12:10.26\00:12:13.46
had been a slave and
who had survived shipwrecks,
00:12:13.50\00:12:16.67
who'd been taken captive by the
Royal Navy and forced to work
00:12:16.70\00:12:20.50
at sea with little
prospect of ever coming home.
00:12:20.54\00:12:24.71
"Amazing Grace"
came from his heart.
00:12:24.74\00:12:27.91
>>Tom: It was one of the
hymns that was being written
00:12:28.91\00:12:32.11
by Cowper and
Newton in collaboration.
00:12:32.15\00:12:35.05
In particular it was
started in 1772, December, uh,
00:12:35.08\00:12:40.06
and it was written
for the sermon that was,
00:12:40.09\00:12:43.02
was given on the
1st of January 1773.
00:12:43.06\00:12:47.20
So that was its
first performance.
00:12:47.23\00:12:49.83
We don't know the
tune that it was sung to
00:12:49.86\00:12:52.30
with, with any precision, only
the words that, that he wrote.
00:12:52.33\00:12:56.81
Um, but the tune was
added in 1835 in the States,
00:12:56.84\00:13:02.04
um, by a chap
called, uh, William Walker.
00:13:02.08\00:13:06.31
Uh, and, uh, again,
we don't know for sure
00:13:06.35\00:13:09.08
where that tune came from.
00:13:09.12\00:13:10.49
Various suggestions, it
came from Southern spirituals,
00:13:10.52\00:13:13.82
Scottish folk songs, um,
and, uh, it became bigger,
00:13:13.86\00:13:20.16
more of a sensation in the
States than it was in the U.K.
00:13:20.20\00:13:25.03
Uh, and I think it
was Mahalia Jackson,
00:13:25.07\00:13:27.60
after the Second World War,
00:13:27.64\00:13:29.67
who really brought
it to the, to the fore.
00:13:29.70\00:13:32.27
It was the first big
popular, uh, delivery of,
00:13:32.31\00:13:36.24
of that song to, uh,
to folk in the States.
00:13:36.28\00:13:40.02
>>John: One thing you
notice about "Amazing Grace"
00:13:40.05\00:13:42.42
is that of its 146 words,
00:13:42.45\00:13:45.42
125 of them
contain just one syllable.
00:13:45.45\00:13:50.33
He kept it simple.
00:13:50.36\00:13:52.46
Newton, who was 47 years old
at the time he wrote the song,
00:13:52.49\00:13:56.56
couldn't have realized how
popular it was going to be.
00:13:56.60\00:13:59.90
>>Tom: I think he
would be extremely surprised.
00:13:59.93\00:14:02.24
And I don't think he
regarded it as his best hymn.
00:14:02.27\00:14:06.34
Uh, and, and some purists still
don't see it as his best hymn,
00:14:06.37\00:14:11.25
but somehow it's, it's, uh,
00:14:11.28\00:14:14.68
uh, attracted the
popular imagination.
00:14:14.72\00:14:17.52
It's to, to the point,
it's very personal, um,
00:14:17.55\00:14:21.16
and it does
everything that people want
00:14:21.19\00:14:23.69
from, really from any
denomination, I think.
00:14:23.73\00:14:27.30
>>John: The song
didn't catch on in England.
00:14:27.36\00:14:31.20
Maybe that had something
to do with its original title.
00:14:31.23\00:14:34.40
Newton called it "Faith's
Review and Expectation"--
00:14:34.44\00:14:38.71
not so catchy.
00:14:38.74\00:14:40.41
But it caught on like
wildfire in the United States,
00:14:40.44\00:14:43.45
especially once
the words were coupled
00:14:43.48\00:14:45.28
with the tune we know now.
00:14:45.31\00:14:47.42
Later, Mahalia Jackson
would sing "Amazing Grace"
00:14:47.45\00:14:50.42
at civil rights rallies.
00:14:50.45\00:14:52.52
Singer Judy Collins'
recording of the song
00:14:52.55\00:14:54.66
went to number 15
on the pop charts,
00:14:54.69\00:14:57.03
and another
version charted in the U.K.
00:14:57.06\00:14:59.73
There's no bigger Christian
song today than "Amazing Grace,"
00:14:59.76\00:15:04.87
a song that speaks to every
person of the amazing grace
00:15:04.90\00:15:09.20
of a patient, loving God.
00:15:09.24\00:15:13.27
Not all of John Newton's
songs were masterpieces.
00:15:13.31\00:15:16.44
Newton biographer
Jonathan Aitken wrote
00:15:16.48\00:15:18.78
in "John Newton: From
Disgrace to Amazing Grace,"
00:15:18.81\00:15:22.48
"He was an
unashamedly middlebrow lyricist
00:15:22.52\00:15:25.69
writing for a
lowbrow congregation."
00:15:25.72\00:15:28.46
But between them, Newton
and Cowper wrote hundreds
00:15:28.49\00:15:31.49
and hundreds of songs.
00:15:31.53\00:15:33.56
Three hundred and forty-eight
of them were compiled
00:15:33.60\00:15:35.80
in a book titled "Olney Hymns,"
00:15:35.83\00:15:38.63
and it sold like wildfire.
00:15:38.67\00:15:40.97
¤[music crescendoes and fades]¤
00:15:41.00\00:15:43.20
But it was as an author
00:15:43.24\00:15:44.84
that Newton really distinguished
himself in Britain.
00:15:44.87\00:15:48.28
Although his book "An Authentic
Narrative" was an autobiography
00:15:48.31\00:15:52.15
published anonymously, people
figured out before too long
00:15:52.18\00:15:55.98
who the author actually was.
00:15:56.02\00:15:58.02
The book was a sensation.
00:15:58.05\00:15:59.79
Newton shared in vivid
detail accounts of his life
00:15:59.82\00:16:02.42
on the high seas, his
entanglement with slave trading,
00:16:02.46\00:16:05.49
his contradictory
Christian experience,
00:16:05.53\00:16:07.96
the struggles he had
with sin and temptation.
00:16:08.00\00:16:10.63
He shared the story of the love
00:16:10.67\00:16:11.80
between he and his wife
Mary, or Polly, Catlett.
00:16:11.83\00:16:14.94
The book
established Newton as an icon,
00:16:14.97\00:16:17.64
according to
biographer Jonathan Aitken.
00:16:17.67\00:16:20.24
He was better known than the
other Newton, Sir Isaac Newton,
00:16:20.28\00:16:23.81
the man who
discovered the laws of gravity,
00:16:23.85\00:16:25.88
who died when
Newton was an infant.
00:16:25.91\00:16:28.68
>>Tom: He made his name,
um, writing his autobiography
00:16:29.68\00:16:33.69
within a series of letters.
00:16:33.72\00:16:35.56
This was common in the
Georgian period, so, um,
00:16:35.59\00:16:38.73
even novels were what they
would call epistolary novels,
00:16:38.76\00:16:42.30
uh, based on, on, uh, letters.
00:16:42.33\00:16:45.10
So, he wrote a series of letters
to the Earl of Dartmouth.
00:16:45.13\00:16:48.30
It was his, became his sponsor.
00:16:48.34\00:16:50.61
The Earl of Dartmouth
was so impressed by these--
00:16:50.64\00:16:52.87
he must have been
a good writer--uh,
00:16:52.91\00:16:55.04
that this was later published
as the "Authentic Narrative,"
00:16:55.08\00:16:59.28
and this is what made his
name, and it was a bestseller.
00:16:59.31\00:17:02.32
[traffic noise]
00:17:02.35\00:17:03.82
>>John: After 16 years in
Olney, Newton moved to London,
00:17:03.85\00:17:07.26
where he pastored at St.
Mary Woolnoth, a stone's throw
00:17:07.29\00:17:11.19
from the Bank of
England on Threadneedle Street
00:17:11.23\00:17:13.53
and almost halfway
between St. Paul's Cathedral
00:17:13.56\00:17:16.36
and the Tower of London.
00:17:16.40\00:17:18.70
>>Tom: Well, this was,
uh, uh, a church that was,
00:17:18.73\00:17:22.04
uh, controlled--the appointment
was controlled by a chap
00:17:22.07\00:17:25.71
called John Thornton, who had
already maintained and, and, uh,
00:17:25.74\00:17:29.88
supplemented his income here
00:17:29.91\00:17:32.15
for him to distribute
to the poor in, in Olney.
00:17:32.18\00:17:34.92
Um, St. Mary Woolnoth, where
he went, was the parish church
00:17:34.95\00:17:39.05
of the lord mayor of London.
00:17:39.09\00:17:41.29
So, this was
seen as a, as a pulpit
00:17:41.32\00:17:44.56
rather than a
ministry, if you like.
00:17:44.59\00:17:47.20
So he didn't have
the poor to minister to;
00:17:47.23\00:17:49.53
he was preaching to "the great
and the good of the country"
00:17:49.56\00:17:52.40
at the, the time.
00:17:52.43\00:17:53.34
It certainly was a
massive, uh, promotion.
00:17:53.37\00:17:56.14
¤[contemplative piano music]¤
00:17:56.17\00:17:57.11
>>John: Here he grew
in stature and influence,
00:17:57.14\00:18:00.34
even going so far
as to be a key player
00:18:00.38\00:18:03.28
in the abolition of slavery.
00:18:03.31\00:18:05.31
By now, Newton was
seen as an elder statesman
00:18:07.15\00:18:09.95
among gospel ministers.
00:18:09.98\00:18:11.99
While in London he
received a surprise visit
00:18:12.02\00:18:15.66
that ultimately
would impact the world.
00:18:15.69\00:18:19.86
Newton had known
William Wilberforce
00:18:20.86\00:18:22.90
when Wilberforce was a lad.
00:18:22.93\00:18:25.30
His family even
traveled from London to Olney
00:18:25.33\00:18:27.87
to hear Newton preach.
00:18:27.90\00:18:30.14
Now that Wilberforce was
in his 20s and was a member
00:18:30.17\00:18:32.87
of parliament, this visit had
the potential to be significant.
00:18:32.91\00:18:36.61
¤[bells tolling]¤ It was.
00:18:36.64\00:18:40.38
Wilberforce was
disillusioned with politics.
00:18:40.42\00:18:43.32
He was certainly
disillusioned with himself.
00:18:43.35\00:18:46.92
By his own
admission he had done nothing,
00:18:46.96\00:18:49.66
achieved
nothing as a politician.
00:18:49.69\00:18:52.63
He was busy living it up, clubs
and gambling and high society.
00:18:52.66\00:18:57.83
But then
Wilberforce was converted.
00:18:57.87\00:19:00.44
He told Newton that he
intended to give up politics.
00:19:00.47\00:19:04.24
Newton advised him
strongly not to do so,
00:19:04.27\00:19:06.91
suggesting the
younger man serve God
00:19:06.94\00:19:09.24
as a Christian politician.
00:19:09.28\00:19:11.81
Taking Newton's advice
changed the course of history.
00:19:11.85\00:19:16.05
Without Wilberforce there
would have been no abolition
00:19:16.08\00:19:19.19
in Britain, but without
Newton there would have been
00:19:19.22\00:19:22.72
no William Wilberforce.
00:19:22.76\00:19:24.99
Wilberforce was a
close friend of William Pitt,
00:19:25.03\00:19:27.46
who became prime
minister of Great Britain
00:19:27.50\00:19:29.46
at the age of just 24.
00:19:29.50\00:19:31.27
By staying in politics,
Wilberforce was able to have
00:19:31.30\00:19:34.90
an enormous amount of influence.
00:19:34.94\00:19:38.87
Newton didn't just give good
advice to his younger friend.
00:19:38.91\00:19:42.74
He wrote a pamphlet titled
00:19:42.78\00:19:44.21
"Thoughts Upon the African Slave
Trade," which was a bestseller.
00:19:44.25\00:19:49.12
In it, he
expressed his deep remorse
00:19:49.15\00:19:51.39
for his role in the slave trade.
00:19:51.42\00:19:53.92
He described the horror of
the slave trade, the barbarism,
00:19:53.96\00:19:58.36
sharing how it was usual for
a third of the slaves on a ship
00:19:58.39\00:20:01.86
to die during the journey,
owing largely to overcrowding.
00:20:01.90\00:20:06.97
He spoke about the
cruelty of the slave trade,
00:20:07.00\00:20:10.04
saying English slavers
were the cruelest of all.
00:20:10.07\00:20:14.14
He stated that 1,500
sailors died every year
00:20:14.18\00:20:17.58
in the slave trade.
00:20:17.61\00:20:19.61
One antislavery
organization bought more than
00:20:19.65\00:20:22.55
3,5000 of the
pamphlets to sell or give away
00:20:22.58\00:20:26.92
and sent a copy to
every member of parliament.
00:20:26.96\00:20:30.23
The message got through.
00:20:30.26\00:20:32.26
Newton even
addressed the privy council,
00:20:33.93\00:20:36.26
which advises
the British monarch.
00:20:36.30\00:20:39.03
His experience, his
passion, and his integrity
00:20:39.07\00:20:42.00
all spoke clearly to the
elite of British politics.
00:20:42.04\00:20:46.61
He saw a lot in his time,
00:20:46.64\00:20:48.91
but perhaps
nothing gave him more joy
00:20:48.94\00:20:51.11
than what would happen
shortly before his death.
00:20:51.15\00:20:54.52
Back with more in just a moment.
00:20:54.55\00:20:56.32
¤[upbeat music
swells and ends]¤¤
00:20:56.35\00:21:03.36
>>John: Thank you for
remembering that It Is Written
00:21:05.53\00:21:07.56
exists because of the kindness
of people just like you.
00:21:07.60\00:21:11.30
To support this international
life-changing ministry,
00:21:11.33\00:21:13.87
please call us
now at 800-253-3000.
00:21:13.90\00:21:18.27
You can send your
tax-deductible gift
00:21:18.31\00:21:19.94
to the address on your screen,
00:21:19.97\00:21:21.41
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:21:21.44\00:21:25.48
Thank you for your prayers
and your financial support.
00:21:25.51\00:21:27.68
Our number
again is 800-253-3000,
00:21:27.72\00:21:31.42
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:21:31.45\00:21:35.12
¤[soft instrumental music]¤
00:21:37.06\00:21:40.03
[birds twittering]
00:21:40.06\00:21:42.66
>>John Bradshaw:
During John Newton's lifetime,
00:21:42.70\00:21:44.90
the American War of
Independence was fought
00:21:44.93\00:21:47.10
between the
colonies and England.
00:21:47.14\00:21:49.44
England went to
war with France twice,
00:21:49.47\00:21:51.87
and Newton very nearly
found himself in the thick
00:21:51.91\00:21:54.58
of one of those wars
having been press-ganged
00:21:54.61\00:21:56.91
into the Royal Navy just
weeks before that war began.
00:21:56.95\00:22:00.85
The Gregorian calendar
was introduced in Britain,
00:22:00.88\00:22:04.22
and the Battle of
Trafalgar was fought,
00:22:04.25\00:22:06.65
with the navies of Spain
and France being defeated
00:22:06.69\00:22:09.96
by Lord Nelson and the British.
00:22:09.99\00:22:13.73
But the
greatest piece of history
00:22:13.76\00:22:15.50
occurred nine
months before he died.
00:22:15.53\00:22:18.67
Newton lived to witness
the abolition of slavery
00:22:18.70\00:22:21.87
in the British realm,
00:22:21.90\00:22:23.54
which happened on
March the 25th of 1807.
00:22:23.57\00:22:28.01
Newton was dead nine
months later at the age of 82,
00:22:28.04\00:22:32.31
a good innings in an era when
the average lifespan in Britain
00:22:32.35\00:22:36.15
was under 40 years of age.
00:22:36.18\00:22:38.69
This was a young man
who understood something
00:22:39.65\00:22:41.86
about the power
of a second chance.
00:22:41.89\00:22:44.53
He came perilously close
to death on numerous occasions
00:22:44.56\00:22:47.76
as a young man.
00:22:47.83\00:22:49.06
He considered
murder and suicide.
00:22:49.10\00:22:52.17
But there was
something that restrained him,
00:22:52.20\00:22:54.34
in part the love and
prayers of his mother.
00:22:54.37\00:22:57.91
Even though she died
when he was very young,
00:22:57.94\00:22:59.67
she poured
herself into young John
00:22:59.71\00:23:02.18
and clearly
touched his young heart.
00:23:02.21\00:23:04.91
There was love for the
woman he married, Polly Catlett,
00:23:04.95\00:23:07.92
that restrained him.
00:23:07.95\00:23:09.38
But by his own admission,
Newton was an evil young man.
00:23:09.42\00:23:12.75
He described
himself in "Amazing Grace"
00:23:12.79\00:23:14.52
as "a wretch," remember.
00:23:14.56\00:23:16.69
Later in life, he
was a changed man.
00:23:16.73\00:23:19.96
According to
biographer Jonathan Aitken,
00:23:20.00\00:23:22.50
there were several
things Newton devoted himself to
00:23:22.53\00:23:25.40
when he
committed his life to God.
00:23:25.43\00:23:28.10
He devoted himself to
prayer, reading, and meditation,
00:23:28.14\00:23:32.37
to reverence in his demeanor,
00:23:32.41\00:23:33.91
to moderation in all
things, to eating less,
00:23:33.94\00:23:37.81
to speaking with plain words.
00:23:37.85\00:23:40.82
And the three ideals he
clung to in life and ministry
00:23:40.85\00:23:44.82
were Christ
crucified, the doctrine of love,
00:23:44.85\00:23:48.86
and the practice of holiness.
00:23:48.89\00:23:50.56
¤[contemplative synth music]¤
00:23:50.59\00:23:53.50
So how is it with your heart?
00:23:53.53\00:23:55.66
If you're in need of
grace, and everybody is,
00:23:55.70\00:23:58.97
then you can know that
God extends grace to you.
00:23:59.00\00:24:01.87
As Paul wrote to the Romans,
00:24:01.90\00:24:03.54
"Where sin abounded,
grace did much more abound."
00:24:03.57\00:24:08.54
¤[synth music
continues with piano]¤
00:24:08.58\00:24:11.55
John Newton understood
that grace was not just pardon;
00:24:11.58\00:24:15.15
it was also cleansing.
00:24:15.18\00:24:17.19
He knew it wasn't just
forgiveness; it was also power,
00:24:17.22\00:24:20.72
the power of God at
work in a person's life.
00:24:20.76\00:24:24.53
Newton experienced that power--
00:24:24.56\00:24:26.66
and longed for
others to do the same.
00:24:26.70\00:24:29.16
Near the end of
his life, Newton,
00:24:31.23\00:24:33.67
the self-proclaimed wretch
saved by God's amazing grace,
00:24:33.70\00:24:38.44
is quoted as saying,
00:24:38.47\00:24:40.54
"My memory is nearly
gone, but I remember two things:
00:24:40.58\00:24:45.98
that I am a great sinner and
that Christ is a great Saviour."
00:24:46.01\00:24:52.69
¤[music fades]¤
00:24:52.72\00:24:54.62
When John Newton died,
he was buried in the crypt
00:24:54.66\00:24:57.63
beneath St.
Mary Woolnoth Church,
00:24:57.66\00:24:59.56
about a mile from where
he'd been born in London.
00:24:59.59\00:25:02.66
But he was interrupted in death
00:25:02.70\00:25:04.17
by London's need to
enlarge its subway system.
00:25:04.20\00:25:08.37
When they excavated
to build a tube station
00:25:08.40\00:25:11.41
near the Bank of England,
00:25:11.44\00:25:12.71
it meant that John
and Mary Newton's remains
00:25:12.74\00:25:15.81
would need to be relocated.
00:25:15.84\00:25:18.18
So, they were
brought here to Olney;
00:25:18.21\00:25:20.75
Newton and Mary were
buried right behind the church
00:25:20.78\00:25:24.29
that John Newton had pastored.
00:25:24.32\00:25:27.29
If Newton was able to do so,
00:25:27.32\00:25:28.56
he would tell you that
God's grace is amazing.
00:25:28.59\00:25:31.79
Well, I guess, he
did tell you, didn't he?
00:25:31.83\00:25:34.36
He talked about how it
saved a wretch like him,
00:25:34.40\00:25:36.87
that Newton once
lost was then found,
00:25:36.90\00:25:39.73
once blind, he
was enabled to see.
00:25:39.77\00:25:42.50
And why? Because of grace.
00:25:42.54\00:25:45.54
And God extends the
same grace to you today.
00:25:45.57\00:25:48.94
The Jesus who died on
the cross for John Newton
00:25:48.98\00:25:51.31
died on that same cross
for you, to take away your sin,
00:25:51.35\00:25:55.22
to remove your guilt and shame,
00:25:55.25\00:25:57.82
to give you a new heart,
to give you hope for a future.
00:25:57.85\00:26:01.06
That's what the
grace of God does.
00:26:01.09\00:26:03.06
Jesus is coming back
soon; He's coming back for you.
00:26:03.09\00:26:06.49
Not because you deserve
everlasting life, nobody does,
00:26:06.53\00:26:09.86
but God gives it by grace.
00:26:09.90\00:26:14.17
Would you respond to
the grace of God today?
00:26:14.20\00:26:16.81
Just say yes to Jesus,
allow Him to live in your heart,
00:26:16.84\00:26:20.31
and then you'll live for
all eternity because of grace,
00:26:20.34\00:26:26.55
which, as we now
know, is amazing.
00:26:26.58\00:26:29.95
¤[music ends]¤¤
00:26:29.98\00:26:30.99
>>John: It's the challenge that
confronts every human heart:
00:26:32.65\00:26:35.96
evil.
00:26:35.99\00:26:37.29
How can you be kept from sin?
00:26:37.33\00:26:39.39
And why do everyday people
commit truly despicable acts?
00:26:39.43\00:26:42.86
Get today's free offer,
00:26:42.90\00:26:44.70
"Evil: The Challenge
of the Sinful Heart."
00:26:44.73\00:26:47.27
Call 800-253-3000.
00:26:47.30\00:26:50.11
You can visit us online,
00:26:50.14\00:26:51.61
write to the
address on your screen,
00:26:51.64\00:26:53.38
or text "freeheart" to 71392.
00:26:53.41\00:26:57.88
Be sure to request
your free copy now.
00:26:57.91\00:27:00.92
>>John: Let me pray for you now.
00:27:03.42\00:27:04.89
Our Father in heaven, we
thank You today for grace
00:27:04.92\00:27:07.06
and that You'd extend
it to a wretch like me.
00:27:07.09\00:27:10.69
I wonder, friend, as we
pray, if you would respond
00:27:10.73\00:27:12.69
to God's grace and say
yes to Jesus, yes to the cross
00:27:12.73\00:27:16.00
where Jesus died for
you, yes to everlasting life,
00:27:16.03\00:27:19.30
yes to forgiveness.
00:27:19.33\00:27:21.64
If you'd say yes right now,
00:27:21.67\00:27:22.87
then you can say, with Newton,
that grace is truly amazing.
00:27:22.90\00:27:26.47
You have eternity
to look forward to.
00:27:26.51\00:27:29.28
Our Father, we thank You
that when we were undeserving,
00:27:29.31\00:27:31.88
You extended grace to us anyway,
00:27:31.91\00:27:34.22
so that now on this
earth we can look forward
00:27:34.25\00:27:36.35
to everlasting life
with hope and confidence.
00:27:36.38\00:27:40.02
For that we thank You,
and we pray in Jesus' name.
00:27:40.06\00:27:44.76
Amen.
00:27:44.79\00:27:46.26
Thank you so
much for joining me.
00:27:46.29\00:27:47.93
I'm looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:27:47.96\00:27:50.10
Until then, remember:
00:27:50.13\00:27:52.47
"It is written, 'Man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:27:52.50\00:27:56.81
but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
00:27:56.84\00:28:01.81
¤[dramatic,
triumphant theme music]¤
00:28:01.84\00:28:04.85
¤[music ends]¤¤
00:28:25.33\00:28:40.35