1 When Paul was parted from his friends,
It was a weeping day;
But Jesus made them all amends,
And wip'd their tears away.
2 In heav'n they met again with joy,
Secure, no more to part;
Where praises ev'ry tongue employ,
And pleasure fills each heart.
3 Thus all the preachers of his grace
Their children soon shall meet;
Together see their Saviour's face,
And worship at his feet.
4 But they who heard the word in vain,
Though oft and plainly warn'd,
Will tremble when they meet again,
The ministers they scorn'd.
5 On your own heads your blood will fall,
If any perish here;
The preachers who have told you all,
Shall stand approv'd and clear.
6 Yet, Lord to save themselves alone,
Is not their utmost view;
O hear their pray'r, thy message own,
And save their hearers too.
Source: Hymns, Selected and Original: for public and private worship (1st ed.) #564
John Newton (b. London, England, 1725; d. London, 1807) was born into a Christian home, but his godly mother died when he was seven, and he joined his father at sea when he was eleven. His licentious and tumultuous sailing life included a flogging for attempted desertion from the Royal Navy and captivity by a slave trader in West Africa. After his escape he himself became the captain of a slave ship. Several factors contributed to Newton's conversion: a near-drowning in 1748, the piety of his friend Mary Catlett, (whom he married in 1750), and his reading of Thomas à Kempis' Imitation of Christ. In 1754 he gave up the slave trade and, in association with William Wilberforce, eventually became an ardent abolitionist. After becoming a tide… Go to person page >
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