(Updated and revised by Dennis R. Hillman) The original and unvarnished account of one of Christianity's most dramatic conversions--the autobiography of John Newton, the author of "Amazing Grace." This is the ultimate, full-length hymn story, as spectacular and compelling today as when it was first written.
... This book is a treasure chest of Newton's works, including hymns, pastoral letters, sermons and his autobiography "Out of the depths". Everything Newton wrote came out of the depths of his personal spiritual journey from being a slaveship captain to becoming an ardent abolitionist ..."--Back cover.
The people who know John Newton's name often only know one or two things about him. They recognize that he authored one of the most popular hymns of all time, 'Amazing Grace'. They possibly know that he was a slaveship captain before he wrote that hymn - even in this introduction to the life and ministry of John Newton, we learn there was so much more!
John Newton gave two sermons “On searching the Scriptures” as found in John 5:39, with the stated purpose to “engage you to search the Scriptures. Remember it is the command of our Lord Jesus Christ; it is the only appointed way to the knowledge of him, whom to know, so as to love, serve, and to obey him, is both the foundation and the sum of our happiness here and hereafter.” Rev. Newton describes requisites to understanding the scriptures, how the scriptures testify about Christ, and the importance of this testimony of Christ.
From his early days of hardship and his life as a sailor and slave trader, in a series of fourteen letters John Newton relates God's love and mercy in delivering him and using him as an effective weapon against the Evil One he once served.
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John Newton (1725-1807), converted slave-trader, preacher, and hymn-writer, was one of the most colorful figures in the Evangelical Awakening of the eighteenth century. 'Once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa', he once wrote for his epitaph, 'by the rich mercy of Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long labored to destroy.' "In few writers are Christian doctrine, experience and practice more happily balanced than in the author of these Letters, and few write with more simplicity, piety and force." - C. H. Spurgeon
Probably best known as the author of the hymn "Amazing Grace," John Newton (1725-1807) is now largely forgotten among evangelical Christians. But it is worth recalling something of Newton's remarkable story. His parish ministry, practice of spiritual direction, and the integrity of his personal relationships make him a trustworthy guide for Christians today.
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