1 On man, in his own image made,
How much did God bestow;
The whole creation homage paid,
And owned him, lord below!
2 But oh! by sin how quickly changed!
His peace and honor fled,
His heart from God and truth estranged,
His conscience filled with dread!
3 Now from his Maker's voice he fled,
Which was before his joy;
And thought to hide his guilty head,
From all all-seeing eye.
4 Compelled to answer to his name,
With stubborness and pride
He cast on God himself the blame,
Nor once for mercy cried.
5 But grace, unasked his heart subdued,
And all his guilt forgave;
By faith the promised seed he viewed,
And felt its power to save.
The Hartford Selection of Hymns from the most approved authors, 1799
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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