Lost and Found: The Story of John Newton

The transforming power of amazing grace

The date was 10 March 1748; the location was the Atlantic ocean. The winds that had been building for days had finally exploded with violent ferocity and in the midst of a crashing gale with waves as tall as buildings, a wooden merchant ship called The Greyhound was struggling to stay afloat. The storm had already wrecked huge sections of the ship, even punching a hole in its side. As flood waters raced through the breach, crew members worked feverishly to patch the hole whilst others desperately manned the pumps. Some unfortunates screamed in terror as they were swept overboard, along with much of the provisions. The end looked near and it was surely just a matter of time before the ship was consumed by a hungry sea. But for one man in particular, this storm was to prove even more significant, for it would mark a radical and dramatic turning point in his life. That man was John Newton.

Many people have heard of John Newton for one reason alone: his penning of arguably the world’s most famous, most recorded, most regularly sung hymn: Amazing Grace. What few people realise is how astonishingly autobiographical that song is. The first verse runs like this:

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound;
that saved a wretch like me;
I once was lost but now am found;
was blind but now I see.

In this essay, we’ll take a look at the life of John Newton. We’ll explore how he sunk to the lowest of lows, how God dramatically broke through into his life—and how Newton then drew upon his experiences to develop a ministry that combined preaching, publishing, apologetics, politics and hymn writing: Newton has been described as one of the most significant evangelical Christians of his own and indeed any era. His story is a powerful illustration of how dramatically God can turn around even the most wretched of lives.

Early Life: The Making of a “Wretch Like Me”

John Newton was born on 24 July 1725 at Wapping in London’s East End, an area dominated by shipping. John’s father was a commander on merchant ships plying the Mediterranean, which led him to be away for long periods, contributing to the very distant relationship John had with him. John was, however, very close to his mother, Elizabeth, a deeply religious woman, who made her son’s moral and spiritual education a priority. There were other early influences on Newton, too; their church minister was an excellent preacher to whose sermons John was drawn. The famous hymn writer, Isaac Watts, also visited their church, illustrating his sermons with hymns. This was a radical idea for the day and one that would later influence Newton.

But tragedy soon struck, for Elizabeth Newton died suddenly when John was just seven. His father quickly remarried, had more children and John was slowly sidelined. He soon drifted into bad company, hanging out (as he would later put it) with “careless and profane children” until finally he was sent away to boarding school. None of this helped the relationship with his father and despite his father taking John on several sea voyages as a teenager, their relationship remained distant and unemotional. Whilst at sea, John’s spirituality began to wither. His father had drummed into him the importance of an iron self-discipline and John mistakenly applied this model to his relationship to God; the result was a series of massive swings between great religiosity and utter disinterest. Periods of being very devout would collapse into utter moral failure, guilt would then lead him to try to win back God’s approval by controlling his appetites, that would fail, and the cycle would begin again. Newton went to amazing lengths during his devout periods: he became a vegetarian and for a time avoided all conversation so as to avoid saying sinful things. But as he would later reflect, there was a basic problem: “I loved sin”, he wrote, “and was unwilling to forsake it”.

Newton’s life changed dramatically in March 1744. Failing to turn up for a job interview his father had arranged, he took off instead to see his childhood sweetheart but ran into a Royal Navy press gang. Press gangs were naval platoons sent ashore to seize men for military service and a fit young man like Newton, with seafaring experience, was an ideal catch, especially as England was on the verge of war with France. Newton joined HMS Harwich and soon saw action. On-board he made two friends: a Christian, Job Lewis and a “freethinker” called James Mitchell, who chipped away at what little faith Newton had left. He soon swung from apathetic to actively atheistic, taking out his hostility on Job Lewis by constantly attacking his faith. Newton’s character deteriorated and he became increasingly rebellious, eventually deserting his ship. Arrested, returned to the Harwich in chains, publicly flogged and demoted, Newton blamed everybody other than himself for his fall. He regularly contemplated murdering his Captain; although he knew this would result in execution, his atheism meant he saw death as mere extinction. Newton wrote: “I was as miserable on all hands as could well be imagined. My breast was filled with the most excruciating passions, eager desire, bitter rage, and black despair.”

Finally Newton’s luck seemed to be on the turn. On 9 May 1745, he was sleeping in late in his hammock, ignoring the wake-up whistle of the bosun. A passing midshipman decided to deal with this insubordination by slashing the ropes of the hammock, sending Newton crashing to the floor. Arriving on deck, Newton saw some fellow sailors being loaded in a rowing boat—he enquired and found they were being exchanged with some sailors from a civilian trading ship. Desperate to escape the navy, Newton pleaded with the Captain and his lieutenants to exchange him. Possibly more through the chance to rid himself of a rebellious crew member than through compassion, the Captain agreed and Newton was exchanged. He was now a member of the crew of the Pegasus—a slave ship, bound for Sierra Leone. Newton had entered the slave trade.

Despite this good fortune and his new captain treating him well, Newton continued to be vile and rebellious as ever. He defied authority, refused duties, composed rude songs about the captain, blasphemed horribly and mocked Christian crew members. He may also have sexually abused female slaves, writing in his journal that he was “slave to every customary vice”.

But then ill-fortune struck again. His captain died and was replaced by the first mate—a man who utterly hated Newton. Newton took the first opportunity to leave the Pegasus, remaining in Africa to work for an English slaver on Plantain Island, a small island off the coast of Sierra Leone. But the trader had an African mistress who instantly disliked Newton. Whilst the trader was away inland on a trip, Newton fell ill and she abused him horribly, denying him food and encouraging her own slaves to pelt him with rubbish. After his master returned, things briefly improved, until another slaver lied about Newton and his master chained him to a boat deck, leaving him with just a bowl of rice for days at a time. Exposed to blistering heat by day and storms at night, Newton’s health collapsed, and, as he wrote later, “my pride was also humbled”. The worst moment of his life, he was lower even than the slaves, a wretch who, like the Prodigal Son, had been brought low by his own poor choices.

During his months in Africa, Newton had managed to write letters back home, imploring his father to rescue him. Finally a letter made it through and his father contacted an old friend, Joseph Manesty, who alerted his Africa-bound slave ships to lookout for Newton. In February 1748 Newton was discovered by The Greyhound. But by this time, Newton’s fortunes had turned and he was reluctant to leave: the ship’s captain had to concoct a story about a large inheritance awaiting back home to persuade Newton aboard. Believing that finally he had enough money to marry his childhood sweetheart, Mary, Newton agreed to return to England.

Despite his later talk of his African experiences having humbled him, Newton initially showed little gratitude at his rescue. Soon he was cursing, blaspheming and drinking heavily. He held drinking contests, the winner being the last man standing. Yet providence continued to provide: on one occasion, utterly drunk, Newton almost fell into the ocean and drowned, only saved by a quick-witted crew member grabbing him at the very last moment. Another time, he and some friends went inland hunting and got utterly lost, ending up wandering waist deep in a swamp whilst all around the roars of wild animals punctuated the night. Suddenly the clouds parted and the moon glinted on the sea, allowing them to find their way. Yet despite all this, Newton refused to see the hand of God at work.

Conversion

Then in March 1748, Newton stumbled across a copy of the classic devotional work, The Imitation of Christ. Despite his hatred of religion, he began to read and was increasingly disturbed by the question: what if these things are true? This worried him profoundly: if they were true, he was doomed. Newton tried to push the question aside and distract himself, but the question kept nagging. Then, one night, The Greyhound was hit by the storm to end all storms.

In the midst of the storm, Newton caught himself saying to the captain after they’d plugged another hole: “If this will not do the Lord have mercy on us”. His flippant words suddenly struck him: what mercy could a sinner like him actually expect? The next day, as the storm continued, Newton took the helm for eleven hours and had time to reflect on his life: his immorality, his blasphemy, his rebellion. Newton wrote: “I thought there never was such a sinner as myself. I concluded at first that my sins were too great to be forgiven.” Finally the storm subsided and the battle to save The Greyhound was won. Exhausted and relieved, Newton actually prayed: not a prayer of repentance by any means, but it was a start. One thing that concerned him was authenticity: he wanted to know Christianity was true, not to turn to it because he wished it to be true. Newton decided to put it to the test: he would pray, ask for God’s Spirit to fill him, then live as if it were true: “The truth would be in the living”.

A few days later, the battered ship arrived safely in Ireland, hours before a second major storm hit. This alone convinced Newton that God answered prayer. For the first time in years, Newton visited a church and prayed, dedicating himself to serving God. Providence was again watching over him: on a shooting trip with the town mayor a few days later, a gun accidentally discharged, missing Newton but setting fire to his hat.

Back in England, changes to his character began to come in answer to his prayer, albeit slowly and painfully; his old habits died hard. Nor did Newton at first grasp the social implications of his new found faith and so he saw nothing wrong with slavery. Not least, slavery was a highly lucrative career. He returned to the seas and to slave trading in Africa, but with no Christian friends suffered a “rain of temptations”. But, unlike in his youth, Newton had grasped an important lesson: what he needed was divine grace, not renewed intentions, so he “cast himself on the Lord” and found peace and improvement in health and character. Returning again to England, Newton finally wed Mary, his childhood sweetheart, and was promoted to the rank of captain. He was an unsual figure, unlike the usual slave traders, seeing part of his role as the spiritual formation of his crew. He prayed for an hour or two twice a day, insisted his crew attended a service on Sundays and began to write prayers for his men, as the Book of Common Prayer was too complex—this was the beginning of Newton the hymn writer, keen to communicate Christian truths in ordinary language.

Around this time, Newton met another captain, Alex Clunie, an active Christian. Strong Christian fellowship was what Newton had been desperately seeking so over the time Clunie and he worked together, they met regularly to study, talk and pray. Clunie had the gift of explaining complex theology very simply and he had a profound influence on Newton, in particular helping him to see the difference between living ‘Gospel Christianity’ and dead traditionalism.

From Slave-Ship Captain to Anglican Minister

Eventually Newton’s health, damaged by his time on Plantain Island, began to fail and his time at sea came to an end. Newton took a job as tide surveyor, responsible for taxing ships coming in and out of Liverpool. His experience of Christians broadened and he heard and met men like George Whitefield—Newton himself began to receive invitations to preach and he soon became convinced that God was calling him to full-time ministry. In 1758, he decided to pursue Anglican ordination and he approached the Archbishop of York, but was rebuffed as he hadn’t had a university education. But a friendly Baptist minister encouraged him to write his story down and circulate it. A copy of Newton’s “spiritual autobiography” was seen by Lord Dartmouth, a wealthy landowner and influential evangelical, who was extremely impressed: as a large landowner, Lord Dartmouth had the right to appoint the vicar in the village of Olney and so in 1764 John Newton became vicar of St. Peter & St. Paul Church.

Church ministry suited Newton’s character, gifting and temperament. The congregation grew rapidly under his leadership and soon there was demand for more than just a Sunday meeting. Newton added prayer meetings, a mid-week lecture and a time of hymn-singing after church on Sundays, an event that proved so popular that Newton was forced to issue tickets! He also organised special children’s meetings, a precursor to the Sunday school movement. But it was his skill at hymn writing, aided by his friend, the poet William Cowper, that was to prove one of his greatest legacies. Hymn singing was a hallmark of the eighteenth-century evangelical revival, a movement of which the wider Church of England was deeply suspicious. The Church said only metrical psalms could be sung, but Newton and others challenged this, Newton wanting to use hymns to communicate complex truth to people. Hymns, he wrote, are “for the use of plain people. Perspicuity, simplicity, and ease, should be chiefly attended to.” Newton aimed to write a new hymn every week to fit his sermon and it was as part of this pattern that Amazing Grace was first penned, probably in late December 1772.

In February 1779, Newton moved from Olney in Buckinghamshire to the bigger church of St. Mary’s Woolnoth in London’s Lombard Street. His reputation had grown, aided by his bestselling biography, and also by the publication of his hymns. In London, Newton’s public image grew yet further and he began to take an interest in politics, especially in the growing anti-slavery campaign, many of the loudest voices within which were evangelical Christians. But one political contact in particular was to prove extremely significant: William Wilberforce, son of an old family friend.

Wilberforce had been raised a Christian, but after becoming a Member of Parliament aged just 21 quickly became a topic of media discussion. Wilberforce was rich, powerful, witty, a singer, a dancer, a card player, an impressionist, and a friend of royals. Newton suspected that Wilberforce’s Christian faith had “worn off”. But after five years in politics, one summer Wilberforce went travelling in Europe with a Christian friend, read the New Testament in Greek and a desire to know God was re-awakened. Wilberforce considered getting back in touch with his old family friend, John Newton, but hesitated—it could be damaging to his career to be seen associating with a religious enthusiast. Finally, Wilberforce quietly dropped a note through Newton’s door, asking for a meeting.

On the evening 7 December 1785, after repeatedly walking around the square outside Newton’s home several times, constantly changing his mind, finally Wilberforce summoned his nerve and knocked on Newton’s door. Wilberforce’s mind was awash with questions: should he abandon his society friends? Give all his wealth away? Leave politics and enter the church? He was shocked by Newton’s answers—in Newton’s opinion, Wilberforce could be far more effective for God by remaining in politics and using the influence and contacts that he had. Over the next year, Wilberforce worked hard on integrating his faith and his politics, staying in constant touch with Newton. Beginning with a campaign to improve the moral decay he saw all around, Wilberforce was soon contacted by the anti-slavery movement, who were struggling to find access to those in power. They needed a high profile MP and Wilberforce was an obvious choice. Eventually he was persuaded and on 28 October 1787 Wilberforce wrote in his journal: “God Almighty has set before me two great objects, the suppression of the slave trade and the Reformation of Manners”.

Wilberforce’s excitement motivated Newton to take a stand and in 1788 Newton published an essay, Thoughts upon the African Slave Trade which was utterly condemnatory, claiming that the slave trade brutalized and dehumanized all involved, slaves and owners. Drawing from the story of his own career, Newton spoke of the rape, torture and brutality inflicted on slaves, telling, as just one horrific example among many, of a sailor who threw a baby overboard because it was crying. Meanwhile, Wilberforce and his colleagues worked within parliament and in 1788, the Trade Committee of the Privy Council convened and interviewed those with first-hand experience of the trade; John Newton’s testimony made a tremendous impression. Yet powerful voices continued to argue against abolition: it would ruin the British economy and destroy cities like Liverpool. Lord Heathfield even tried to argue that slaves had more cubic feet of space than soldiers in their tents! On hearing the argument that African slaves were much happier than if they’d been left in Africa, Wilberforce wittily retorted: “Be it so. But we have no right to make people happy against their will.” Finally in 1789 the Privy Council published its report and Wilberforce put forward a bill in the House of Commons for the formal abolition of the slave trade.

In the midst of all this politics, one final tragedy struck Newton: his beloved wife died on 15 December 1790. This was the toughest test his faith had ever faced: his love for Mary had been absolutely central to his life and Newton had always hoped he would die first. Yet he’d preached about how trials were an opportunity to show the power of divine grace and now he had to live this out—the proof was, once again, in the living. Newton found a source of strength that he would never have imagined existed, writing in his journal: “The Lord, the all-sufficient God, can give strength according to the day.”

Meanwhile, the anti-slavery bill was facing stiff opposition in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. It had suffered defeat, had been amended and now apathy was beginning to set in even among its supporters. But it was Newton’s constant prayer that he would live to see it pass and God was gracious once again: in May 1804 Wilberforce finally got the bill passed; it would take another three years before it became law on 25 March 1807. Newton’s prayer had been answered, his life’s work complete and on 21 December 1807, Newton passed away. To one of his final visitors Newton said these now famous words: “My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: that I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great saviour.”

The Heart of Newton’s faith

The story of John Newton is more than just another conversion story, the tale of a life dramatically turned around by God’s love and grace. Yes, all that is true. But Newton’s faith was also marked by a number of emphases that are as vital today as they were in Newton’s day.

First, Newton was constantly aware both of what he had been saved from and what he was saved to. For example, Newton constantly referred back to his time on Plantain Island in his preaching and writing, saying that whenever he was tempted to hold himself in too high esteem, he would remember how low he had once sunk.

Newton’s life was marked by faith, humility and gratitude—he knew who God was, he knew who he was, and he never forgot just what he’d been saved from. But he also grasped that Christianity is not just about salvation from but salvation to. Once he felt the call of God to preach and teach and write, Newton held nothing back, throwing himself into service and investing time and energy in the lives of his congregation and his friends, not least the poet William Cowper, who would probably have committed an early suicide had not Newton been constantly there for him.

Second, Newton developed an astonishing personal spirituality and prayer life. In this age of quick and easy answers, of short-cut spiritualities and a profound shallowness in parts of the Church, Newton is a challenge to us all. He prayed for hours a day, he immersed himself in the Bible, and he read widely.

But nor was Newton some kind of monastic recluse: he threw himself wholeheartedly into life, seeking to bring his faith to bear in whatever circles of influence he found himself in: church, society, media and politics. His was a truly wholistic approach to ministry: Newton saw his task as a Christian to preach evangelistically, disciple and mentor, engage in pastoral care, social action, political activism—there was no “sacred/secular divide” for Newton. Arguably he was also an apologist, constantly looking for ways to communicate profound truth simply whether it was to the “plain folk” who attended his churches or those in society circles with whom he increasingly came into contact, especially during his time in London. This desire to communicate clearly drove his hymn writing—for he was far ahead of his time in seeing the vital need for Christians to think through ways to connect with the common man.

Lessons for Today

There are many lessons that can be drawn from the life of John Newton. First, an encouragement: God can save even the most apparently lost of souls. None of the contemporaries of the younger Newton—who was rebellious, arrogantly atheistic, a drunkard and sexual deviant—could possibly have foreseen just how dramatically his life would turn around. If God can rescue a Newton, could we have faith that he might yet reach the unbelieving friend, colleague or family member who we could never imagine finding Christ? The story of John Newton shows that God is able, if he wishes, to touch even the hardest of human hearts.

Second, a warning, for the younger Newton’s life shows how easy it is for one to drift from a veneer of religiosity into atheism. In particular, Newton made the mistake of grounding his early Christianity purely on self-improvement, self-denial, and sheer effort; a teetering edifice that collapsed at the slightest pressure. The lesson of his later conversion and a theme that dominated his preaching and hymn writing was the importance of grace. Again, this is a lesson we sometimes forget at our peril.

The third lesson one might draw from Newton’s life is that conversion is often a process. Whilst that dramatic storm of 10 March 1748 was the turning point for Newton, God had already been at work in his life—the many examples of divine providence, childhood influences, his “accidental” picking up of The Imitation of Christ. But one might push this further and say that before John Newton could be amazed by grace, he first had to plumb the depths of rebellion, despair, and wretchedness. God, the Grand Weaver, sometimes takes many years to draw all of his threads together.

Fourth, one might note how well John Newton’s life demonstrates that the chief obstacle often standing between us and God is not always intellectual but is often personal pride. Newton was arrogant, self-confident, bristled at discipline and, as he himself put it, loved sin. Pride, self-sufficiency, and the desire for moral autonomy can be a toxic combination.

Fifth, Newton’s life demonstrates the importance of discipleship and mentoring—Newton’s life is replete with unsung heroes, whose cumulative effect on his life was profound. One might mention the childhood influences: his godly mother, his pastor, and Isaac Watts who laid a foundation that many years later, Newton could build upon. And after his conversion, Alex Clunie, the fellow ship captain and Christian who infused Newton with a love of scripture and of prayer was a hugely significant influence.

What can we conclude from this? Namely that the impact we can have on those around us is profound, even if we cannot see the immediate fruits. Elizabeth Newton never lived to see her son’s discovery of faith and his amazing ministry—but without her, it is possible Newton would never have eventually found Christ. Likewise, we may never know who we are sharing the gospel with, praying for, showing love and compassion to—and there is often a multiplier effect at work as we faithfully obey God’s call and serve others. Newton himself modelled this, with his support of his friend William Cowper and the discipleship of William Wilberforce. Without Newton, we would have had no Wilberforce and without Wilberforce, the abolition movement might have taken much longer to see slavery eradicated.

Concluding Thoughts

John Newton has been described as the second founder of the Church of England, so profound was the effect of his ministry. His life combined spiritual depths with great practical wisdom and he saw the need to have the gospel impact everything: the church, culture, the media and politics. But for all of his success, all of his fame and influence, Newton never forgot how deep was the pit from which God had rescued him. His epitaph at St. Peter & St. Paul Church in Olney sums up his attitude perfectly:

JOHN NEWTON, CLERK
ONCE AN INFIDEL AND LIBERTINE
A SERVANT OF SLAVES IN AFRICA WAS
BY THE RICH MERCY OF OUR
LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST
PRESERVED, RESTORED, PARDONED
AND APPOINTED TO PREACH THE FAITH HE
HAD LONG LABOURED TO DESTROY

His was truly a life lost and found.

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