Rations were so low the men feared starvation. Most of their waking hours were spent at the pumps to lighten the ship of water she had taken on. When the livestock were washed overboard, the crew tied themselves to the ship to keep from being swept into the sea.įor four weeks, because of damage to the ship, the sailors despaired of life. So severe was the gale that the otherwise seaworthy vessel was in danger of sinking. After being at sea for several months with a load of lumber, livestock and beeswax, the ship ran into a violent storm. One particular harrowing experience at sea was used of the Lord to cause young Newton to seriously consider his standing before a holy God. Consequently those times were short-lived, and he invariably lapsed into a more wicked and loathsome direction. During those years Newton often entered into a state of spiritual awakening. His willful and wanton disregard for all that is right and holy led him into a life plagued with despair, dangers at sea, abuse, public floggings, destitution, depression, near drownings and miraculous escapes. He seemed oblivious to the plight of the poor black souls chained in the hold of his ship. Instead they threw a harpoon at him, with which they dragged him back into the ship. Once he fell overboard and his ship’s crew refused to drop a boat to him. It is reported that at times he was so drunk and destitute that even his crew regarded him as little more than an animal. In his youth he became the captain of a slave ship, landing at least one load of his human cargo in Charleston, South Carolina. The story of John Newton is truly the story behind “Amazing Grace.” One would be hard pressed to imagine, let alone to live, a blasphemous life equal to Newton’s early years. Nevertheless, Phipps corrects misconceptions about Newton's conversion.From the world-wide TV coverage of the Olympic Games, to the platform of the acceptance speech of the President of the United States, to the smallest church in the rural backwoods, everywhere-we hear the strains of “Amazing Grace.” Where in the world did we get that song? How does its story relate to you and me? Also included are Newton's adventures while piloting a slave ship, his tumultuous pursuit of his eventual wife, Mary Catlett, his ultimate recognition of the evils of slavery, and his efforts to abolish the slave trade by lobbying Parliament, testifying-before councils, and preaching from his London pulpit.Įxactly what-or who-convinced this slave trader that his occupation was an evil enterprise? While Newton never clearly explained the details of the change, Phipps credits the influence of Newton's friends who labored on the Methodist edge of Anglicanism, though Methodists disagreed over the morality of slavery with John Wesley who opposed slavery while George Whitefield owned slaves (174). Indeed, Phipps describes Newton's sins both known and suspected, conjecturing that Newton "probably raped slaves," for instance (33). Phipps corrects this neglect with a treatment of Newton that, though favorable, is far from hagiographic. Earlier biographies, however, are mostly examples of evangelical hagiography that narrate Newton's piety while downplaying his political activism. This book is not the first retelling of Newton s remarkable story. Phipps argues that Newton's Amazing Grace was an appropriate reflection on his conversion from flagrant sinner and slave ship captain to Anglican priest and abolitionist. In a new biography of John Newton, William E. This book is about a famous hymn, its writer, and the relationship between them. Macon, Ga.: Mercer University Press, 2001.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |