1 How long hath God bestowed his care
On this indulged, ungrateful land!
How oft in times of danger near,
Preserved us by his sov'reign hand!
2 Here peace and liberty have dwelt,
The glorious Gospel brightly shone;
And oft our mightiest foes have felt
That God hath made our cause his own.
3 But, ah! both heav'n and earth have heard
Our vile requital of his love;
We, whom like children he has reared,
For all his care unthankful prove.
4 See! he uplifts his chast'ning rod!
O, where are now the faithful few,
Who tremble for the ark of God,
And know what Israel ought to do?
5 Lord, hear thy people ev'rywhere,
Who meet this day to weep and pray;
Our sinful land in mercy spare,
In mercy turn thy wrath away!
Source: The Christian Hymnary. Bks. 1-4 #607
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