John Newton was born in London on August 4, 1725, to a merchant ship captain and a devout Nonconformist mother. Despite his mother's early Christian teachings, Newton strayed far from faith after her death when he was just seven. By age eleven, he took to the sea, eventually becoming entangled in the Atlantic slave trade.
Enslaved and Brought Low
In 1745, Newton faced a humbling ordeal when he was enslaved by a woman of the Sherbro people in West Africa. Describing himself as a servant of slaves in Africa, he endured severe mistreatment. Yet it wasn't until 1748, during a perilous storm off the coast of Ireland aboard the ship Greyhound, that Newton's life took a dramatic turn. Confronted with imminent death, he cried out, asking the Lord to have mercy upon them. Astonished by his own plea for mercy, Newton later reflected on that day as the moment the Lord came from on high and delivered him out of deep waters.
A Slow and Steady Transformation
This encounter marked the beginning of his spiritual transformation. Newton began to read the Bible and other Christian writings, ceasing his profanity, gambling, and drinking. Although he continued in the slave trade for a few years, he eventually renounced it, becoming a staunch abolitionist. In 1788, Newton published his reflections on the slave trade, expressing his deep remorse for his past, calling it a subject of humiliating reflection that he was once an active instrument in a business at which his heart now shuddered.
From Parish Priest to Lasting Legacy
Newton found a new calling in ministry, becoming an ordained cleric in 1764. He served as a parish priest in Olney, Buckinghamshire, where he penned numerous hymns, including the beloved hymn that proclaims amazing grace. His legacy as a mentor to William Wilberforce and his tireless efforts toward the abolition of the slave trade stand as a testament to the profound change Jesus brought into his life. Newton passed away in London on December 21, 1807, having witnessed the abolition of the slave trade he once partook in.
