From slave trade captain to spiritual director
This year marks the 300th anniversary of the birth of John Newton, who deserves to be known for more than writing the hymn "Amazing Grace."
He was born on July 24, 1725 in Wapping, a riverbank community in London, England. He was the only child of Elizabeth – who taught him hymns and the catechism of Isaac Watts – and John Sr., a sea captain in Britain’s Mediterranean trade.
When Newton was just six his devout mother died and his father soon remarried. At age 11 he joined his father at sea and made five voyages to the Mediterranean over the next six years.
Newton’s remarkable life is wonderful proof that, in his words, "Grace has long and strong arms."
His life took a dramatic turn at age 17. While walking along the River Thames, Newton was pressganged – legally kidnapped – and forced to serve on a Royal Navy ship. He deserted a year later at Plymouth, but was caught and hauled back aboard, whipped and demoted.
The following month when the ship was taking on supplies at Madeira, an island off Portugal, he was transferred to a slave-trading ship headed for the west coast of Africa. He ended up working two years ashore near Sierra Leone in the enslaved African trade. His life spiralled downward.
In February 1747 he got a chance to board the Greyhound headed back to Liverpool. Near Newfoundland the ship was hit by a violent storm and was in danger of sinking. In desperation Newton cried out to God and began a spiritual turn toward Him.
When he arrived in Liverpool, his father’s friend offered him employment in the enslaved African trade. His spiritual conversion had not yet affected his career, and so over the next six years he made four voyages to Africa – three as captain. Finally at age 29 a sudden epileptic seizure forced him to retire.
Permanently ashore, Newton immersed himself in the dynamic spiritual life in London where he was influenced by the preaching of George Whitefield and leading pastors in the Evangelical Revival. He soon found work in Liverpool where he attended many services and often heard John Wesley preach.
In 1758 he sensed a call to pastoral ministry. After many setbacks, he was ordained by the Anglican Church and appointed to the church in Olney where he served from 1764 to 1779. That same year he published his autobiography An Authentic Narrative – an immediate success that continues to be reprinted.
Recent informative biographies by Jonathan Aitken (2007) and Bruce Hindmarsh (2023) have fleshed out his inspiring story.
Newton often wrote hymns to support his sermons. In December 1772 he composed "Amazing Grace" to coincide with his New Year’s Day sermon on King David’s prayer of thanksgiving in 1 Chronicles 17:16–17. The hymn is autobiographical in many ways with several phrases echoing Newton’s own dramatic experiences.
In 1779 Olney Hymns – a collection of hymns by Newton and his friend William Cowper – was published and has nourished congregations since.
Newton was a regular contributor to The Gospel Magazine, an evangelical magazine started in 1766 where he anonymously wrote letters of pastoral counsel. In 1780 he published Cardiphonia, or The Utterance of the Heart, a collection of 150 personal letters he had written to 25 recipients (with their permission, and with identities and personal information deleted). The work established his reputation as a spiritual guide of rare wisdom and insight.
More of his letters have been published since then, and today Newton is recognized as one of the most accomplished spiritual directors of the 18th century. A few years ago pastor Timothy Keller declared that John Newton was "the best pastor I’ve ever seen in my life."
When Newton pastored in London (late 1779–1807), young William Wilberforce asked him for career advice, seeking guidance on whether to leave politics. Newton urged him to remain in Parliament where he could serve God and the nation.
Newton, now regretting his part in the slave trade, became an influential voice in the abolition movement. He encouraged Wilberforce’s efforts to abolish slavery, authored Thoughts on the African Slave Trade (1788) and testified before Parliament against the trade. The slave trade in the British Empire was finally abolished nine months before Newton died on Dec. 21, 1807.
Newton’s remarkable life is wonderful proof that, in his words, "Grace has long and strong arms."
Dr. Grant Gordon of Stouffville, Ont., is author of Wise Counsel: John Newton’s Letters to John Ryland Jr. (Banner of Truth, 2009) and An Instrument of Divine Grace: John Newton Encounters John Wesley (Independent, 2025). Read more of these columns at FaithToday.ca/HistoryLesson. Engraving of John Newton: Public Domain