The story of John Newton (1725-1807), the dissolute slave trader turned evangelical pastor, hymn-writer, and activist is one of the most captivating stories of grace in Christian history. It was reported that in Newton’s dying days, he made the following statement, “Although my memory is nearly gone, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.” This sentiment not only serves as a fit summary of Newton’s life, but also conveys the overall theme of his ministry. He could sympathize with the Apostle Paul who said,
13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. (1 Tim. 1:13-15)
The Prodigal Son
Newton was born in London on August 4, 1725 and he would die there 82 years later on December 21, 1807. In those 82 years Newton would spend much of that time outside of London, though he would spend his final 27 years pastoring a church there in the heart of the city just 10 minute walk away from St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Newton was raised in the Puritan Reformed tradition. His mother was the dominant spiritual influence in the home, but she died when he was only seven. In his teenage years he cast off his religious upbringing and pursued a life of sinful indulgence. In 1743, Newton was pressed into naval service and he served as midshipman in the Royal Navy. Generally miserable in the navy, Newton managed to transfer to a slave ship bound for West Africa. He would make a living in the slave trade for the next ten years.
At sea, Newton continued his moral decline. It was upon various slave ships that Newton both practiced and witnessed acts of extreme moral degradation. He participated in and observed many cruel beatings of slaves, and took part in various forms of torture. Many of the sailors were known to sexually assault the female slaves, sometimes in broad daylight on the ship’s deck. Newton himself would testify to these assaults along with several murders that he either witnessed firsthand or heard of secondhand. These experiences would leave indelible scars on Newton’s soul for the rest of his life.
Newton himself was known for lewd drunkenness and highly vulgar forms of profanity that even scandalized many of his fellow sailors. He often spoke of himself as a heathen of the heathens, and the chief of sinners among a morally debased crew of men. Newton was so disliked among the crew of one of the slave ships that he was once abandoned in West Africa and forced into slavery himself under an African princess who treated him severely. He was abused and starved and often forced to engage in degrading acts with other slaves.
From Disgrace to Amazing Grace
Newton was eventually rescued by a ship that had apparently been commissioned by Newton’s father to recover him, and Newton was brought back to England. It was on the voyage back to England that Newton was powerfully converted. The date was March 21, 1748. The ship and crew were caught in a terrible storm and Newton awoke in the middle of the night to find his room filling with water. He cried out to God for the first time in years. Though greatly damaged, the ship survived the storm. Newton would, for the rest of his life, mark this day as the beginning of his conversion to Christianity. Newton’s growth was slow, and he did not immediately leave the slave trade, but continued in it another 5 years or so. He finally left the trade in 1754 after suffering an epileptic seizure, rendering him unable to continue.
It was 10 years later, at the age of 39, that Newton entered pastoral ministry. Those 10 intervening years represented a period of immense growth. In that time, Newton became well established in the spiritual disciplines, embraced evangelical Calvinism, gave himself to seasons of intense study of the Bible in its original languages, and developed a broad network of evangelical friends, including a number of prominent pastors and preachers. He was most profoundly influenced by the ministry of George Whitfield who became a close personal friend.
Pastoral Ministry
Newton occupied two pastorates from the year 1764 to his death in 1807. The first was in the small town of Olney about 50 miles north of London, and only about 10 miles west of Bedford which was the center of John Bunyan’s life and ministry a century earlier. Newton served as the curate of Olney for 16 years, and then in 1780 took up his second pastorate in London where he served until the end of his life in 1807.
During his years in Olney, Newton became an intimate friend of the troubled poet and hymn-writer William Cowper. Together Newton and Cowper produced the famous evangelical hymnbook, Olney Hymns, which included Newton’s classic Amazing Grace and Cowper’s famous God Moves in a Mysterious Way. The friendship between Newton and Cowper would continue through many trials and hardships brought on largely by Cowper’s severe depression and melancholy.
As pastor in London from 1780 to 1807, Newton would serve as something of an elder statesman in the evangelical movement. He became a friend and mentor to William Wilberforce, and partnered with him in the campaign to abolish slavery in England. Newton’s eye-witness testimony before Parliament was of key importance to the success of the campaign.
The following quote from Newton is a fitting conclusion to this brief consideration of his life and also serves as an invitation to further study of this great saint.
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.
Greatest Works: Cardiphonia (Utterances of the Heart), sometimes published under the simple title Letters of John Newton; and Out of the Depths: The Autobiography of John Newton
Recommended Biography: Spurgeon: John Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace by Jonathan Aitken
Some sites we’ll visit on the tour:
St. Peter and St. Paul in Olney – The site of Newton’s first pastorate from 1764 to 1780 as well as his final resting place
The Cowper and Newton Museum in Olney – The museum commemorating the friendship and legacy of the two great men
St. Mary Woolnoth in London – The site of Newton’s second pastorate from 1780 till his death 1807
