1 From Egypt lately freed,
By the Redeemer’s grace,
A rough and thorny path we tread,
In hopes to see his face.
2 The flesh dislikes the way,
But faith approves it well;
This only leads to endless day
All others lead to hell.
3 The promised land of peace,
Faith keeps in constant view;
How different from the wilderness
We now are passing through!
4 Here often from our eyes
Clouds hide the light divine;
There we shall have unclouded skies,
Our Sun will always shine.
5 Here griefs, and cares, and pains,
And fears distress us sore;
But there eternal pleasure reigns,
And we shall weep no more.
6 Lord, pardon our complaints;
We follow at thy call;
The joy prepared for suffering saints,
Will make amends for all.
Source: A Selection of Hymns for Public Worship. In four parts (10th ed.) (Gadsby's Hymns) #337
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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