Blest Savior, by thy powerful word

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Blest Savior, by thy powerful word

Author: John Newton
Published in 10 hymnals

Representative Text

1 Blest Savior, by thy powerful word,
Once night was turned to day;
And thy salvation joy restored,
Which I had sinned away.

2 'Twas then I wondered and adored,
To see thy grace divine;
I felt thy love, I praised the Lord,
Who made such blessings mine.

3 Wilt thou not still vouchsafe to own
A wretch so vile as I?
May I not still approach thy throne,
And Abba father cry?

4 Lord, speak a gracious word again,
And cheer my drooping heart,
No voice but thine can soothe my pain,
Or bid my fears depart.

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Author: John Newton

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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