1 All outward means, till God appears,
Will ineffectual prove;
Though much the sinner sees and hears,
He cannot learn to love.
2 But let the stoutest sinner feel
The softening warmth of grace,
Though hard as ice, or rocks, or steel,
His heart dissolves apace.
3 Feeling the blood which Jesus spilt,
To save his soul from woe,
His hatred, unbelief, and guilt,
All melt away like snow.
4 Jesus, we in thy name entreat;
Reveal thy gracious arm;
And grant thy Spirit’s kindly heat,
Our frozen hearts to warm.
Source: A Selection of Hymns for Public Worship. In four parts (10th ed.) (Gadsby's Hymns) #691
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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