by Gideon Edward Macomber
The person who wrote this song was John Newton. He was born on July 24, 1725, in London, England, and he died there on December 21, 1807.
Newton’s mother died when he was seven years old. With two years of schooling and only a little knowledge of Latin, he went out to sea when he was 11 years old as an apprentice on his father’s ship. His life at sea was filled with dreams, and a sailor’s recklessness. He soon grew into a godless and abandoned man.
He read a book by Thomas Kemp, which is titled The Imitation of Christ. This book was first written in Latin in 1440. John Wesley had translated the copy into English. This is the copy that Newton read that later led to his salvation in 1749.
He married a woman by the name of Mary Catlett on February 12, 1750. He became a clerk at the Port of Liverpool for the next nine years.
Newton’s most famous song is “Amazing Grace” it was probably composed between 1760 and 1770 and put in the Olney Hymns. “Amazing Grace” was possibly one of the hymns written for a weekly service. Through the years other writers have composed additional verses to the hymn, and possibly verses from other Newton Hymns have been added. However, there are the six stanzas that appeared, with minor spelling variations, in both the first edition in 1779 and the 1808 edition, the one nearest the date of Newton’s death. It appeared under the heading “Faith’s Review and Expectation,” along with a reference to I Chronicles 17:16-17.
Sources
Osbeck, K. W. 101 Hymn Stories. (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications, 1983), pp. 28-31
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/4495/biography.html
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/bio/n/e/newton_j.htm
http://www.mkheritage.co.uk/cnm/htmlpages/newton1.html
http://www.mkheritage.co.uk/cnm/htmlpages/amazing.html
http://www.flash.net/~gaylon/jnewton.htm
