Lord, what is man? extremes how Wide. J. Newton. [Man by Nature, Grace, and Glory.] Appeared in the Olney Hymns, 1779, Book iii., No. 88, in 6 stanzas of 4 lines, and headed, "Man by Nature, Grace, and Glory." It is the last of the longer hymns given in the Olney Hymns, and would appear to have been designedly placed there as a fitting close to the work, a few "short hymns," and four doxologies only, following. The closing stanza is exceedingly appropriate:—
"Nearest the throne, and first in song,
Man shall his hallelujahs raise;
While wond'ring angels round him throng,
And swell the chorus of his praise."
Although lacking the general interest and popularity of Newton's hymns, it is given in several collections.
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
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 >
My Starred Hymns
My FlexScores
My Hymnals
My Purchased Files