Participants:
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW023266S
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00:17 ♪[music ends]♪♪
00:21 ♪[church bell tolling, "Amazing Grace" playing on fiddle]♪ 00:32 >>John Bradshaw: He was one of the architects 00:34 in the ending of slavery in the British Empire, 00:37 and he wrote one of the most famous 00:39 and best-loved hymns ever sung, "Amazing Grace." 00:45 His life story is fascinating, barely believable. 00:49 He is, without exaggeration, one of history's 00:52 greatest figures, a towering giant within Christianity, 00:57 whose influence and accomplishments 01:00 changed the world. 01:02 His name was John Newton. 01:05 ♪[pensive orchestral music]♪ 01:08 [waves crashing] 01:20 ♪[contemplative synth music]♪ [ferry bell tolls] 01:25 [horn blowing, adults and children talking indistinctly] 01:33 His early life was very definitely 01:36 something of a contradiction 01:38 as the young man, who knew far better, 01:40 tangled with some very considerable demons. 01:45 Yet somehow he went on to become 01:46 the greatest preacher of his time 01:49 and one of the best-known men in all of Great Britain. 01:53 ♪[music continues]♪ 02:00 >>Tom Jones: Newton was born in 1725 in an area of London 02:04 called Wapping, which today would be regarded 02:08 as a particularly rough area of London. 02:11 In those days it was a very mixed area, 02:14 so you had sea captains living there, uh, 02:16 as well as rough sailors from, from all over the world. 02:20 [soft whoosh of traffic] 02:22 >>John: The early 1700s was a time of hard living 02:25 and harsh justice. 02:27 Convicted pirates and mutineers were brought here to Wapping 02:32 to be hanged for their misdeeds, 02:34 their bodies often left on display for days 02:38 as a warning against lawlessness. 02:41 The infamous "hanging" Judge Jeffreys 02:43 used to drink right here in this pub. 02:46 And it's said that pirates were hanged on gallows 02:51 right behind the pub on the banks of the River Thames. 02:54 In fact, just a month before John Newton was born 02:57 in the year 1725, six pirates were hanged for their crimes. 03:05 When Newton was born, King George the First 03:08 was on the throne, 03:09 and the Church of England was the ruling church. 03:13 Religion was very formal, 03:15 and the church was really a political institution. 03:19 >>Tom: He was taken to, uh, the chapel in Old Gravel Lane 03:23 by his rather pious mother, um, but sadly, 03:27 she died when he was only 6 years old. 03:31 Uh, he went to school a little bit on the site of what was 03:33 the, uh, the London Olympic Park in, uh, in Stafford, um, 03:39 but was taken off to sea by his father when he was 11, 03:43 and his father was a, a captain in the Mediterranean trade. 03:47 >>John: Now, his father was austere, very distant, aloof, 03:53 probably very much a product of his time. 03:55 After the death of Mrs. Newton, the young boy was sent away 03:59 to boarding school, where the headmaster was a cruel man. 04:03 Newton would later write about the man's "imprudent severity." 04:08 His father remarried, and Newton became a very angry person. 04:13 It definitely didn't look like his mother's hopes for her son 04:18 would be fulfilled. 04:19 [rush of wind, birds' wings flapping] 04:21 >>Tom: With his mother dying, his father then married again 04:25 very quickly afterwards, um, 04:28 and I think there was a little bit of a, 04:31 a bust-up within the family in, in that sense, 04:33 so there was lack of control over him. 04:36 Father had new children to worry about; 04:39 he was sidelined a little bit, I think, at that point. 04:42 So, uh, and so there was no one really looking after 04:45 his, his moral wellbeing, if you like. 04:49 >>John: The die was cast early. 04:51 The young man had a temper and was prone to destructive, 04:55 antisocial behavior. 04:57 Now, there was plenty in his life to make him bitter. 05:00 At the ripe old age of 10, John Newton left school 05:04 and went off to work. 05:05 His father decided it was time for the boy to go to sea. 05:09 It was inevitable, really, that he would end up at sea 05:13 as his father was a ship's captain and had high hopes 05:16 that his son would follow in his steps. 05:20 The younger Newton made his first voyage 05:21 when he was just 11, sailing to Spain. 05:25 But in what would be a pattern for much of the next 15 years 05:29 or so, once the ship arrived in Spain, 05:33 Newton walked off the job. 05:36 >>Tom: Well, we've only got Newton's word 05:37 for how bad he actually was. 05:39 Um, uh, he certainly lost any religion that he had, uh, 05:45 when he was with his mother. 05:47 So, he became, effectively, uh, an atheist. 05:49 He called himself "an infidel." 05:52 Uh, so when he finally found religion, 05:54 he referred to himself as "no longer an infidel." 05:58 >>John: When he was 19, he was press-ganged. 06:01 In those days, the Royal Navy had the authority 06:04 to essentially kidnap able-bodied men 06:07 and force them to serve on board warships. 06:11 That's what happened to Newton. 06:13 And five weeks later, England was at war with France. 06:18 Fortunately for Newton, his father intervened, 06:20 and he was promoted. 06:22 But his attitude was so bad 06:24 and his treatment of other people so harsh he was hated. 06:29 >>Tom: He certainly indulged in, in all sorts of, uh, 06:32 nefarious activities, uh, in his younger days. 06:36 And he was particularly, uh, bad as a subordinate. 06:41 So, he, he was, um, he would wind up his captains 06:44 and superiors in the, in the ships to such an extent 06:48 that they were prepared to exchange him in later years, uh, 06:52 uh, with other ships. 06:55 >>John: When his ship anchored ahead of a journey to Asia 06:58 that would take him away from home for five long years, 07:02 he got a day's leave and went to see the girl 07:05 who had captured his heart. 07:07 That girl was his cousin. At the time, she was only 13. 07:12 He went back to the ship 10 days later. 07:16 Desertion was punishable by death. 07:19 Newton was publicly flogged with a cat-of-nine-tails, 07:22 and his rank was lowered. 07:24 He was bitterly angry, thought of killing the captain. 07:28 He even thought of killing himself. 07:31 [waves crashing] 07:33 In the fullness of time, he got out of the navy, miraculously, 07:37 and was employed on a trading ship. 07:40 He found himself in Africa and got work on a slave ship. 07:45 The next few years were a combination of sin, miracles, 07:49 and, to some degree or another, wrestling with conviction. 07:53 While he was living on an island off the coast of Sierra Leone, 07:56 the African wife of his slave-trading employer 07:59 kept him as a slave. 08:02 He only survived because other slaves shared with him 08:05 the little food that they had. 08:07 When he was 20, his employer chained him to the deck 08:11 of a ship for several days while they were at sea. 08:15 Somehow he managed to get out of there alive. 08:19 Evidently, God had not forgotten the prayers 08:22 of his praying mother. 08:23 ♪[soft reflective music]♪ 08:29 But the worst was still to come for John Newton. 08:32 Fortunately, so was the best. 08:34 He'd become the captain of a slave ship, 08:36 a minister of the gospel, and one of the most influential men 08:40 in all of Great Britain. 08:41 He'd write "Amazing Grace" 08:43 and then play a key role in the abolition of slavery. 08:47 It's quite the story. 08:49 I'll have more in just a moment. 08:51 ♪[upbeat music swells and ends]♪♪ 09:02 >>John: Temptation is a fact of life, 09:04 but you can be successful when it comes near you. 09:07 Be sure you get today's free offer, "When the Lion Roars," 09:11 and find out how you can successfully defeat temptation 09:14 instead of being defeated by sin. 09:16 To get your free copy of "When the Lion Roars," 09:19 call us on 800-253-3000. 09:23 You can also visit us online, 09:25 write to the address on your screen, 09:27 or text "freelion" to 71392. 09:33 >>John: Thank you for remembering that It Is Written 09:34 exists because of the kindness of people just like you. 09:38 To support this international life-changing ministry, 09:41 please call us now at 800-253-3000. 09:45 You can send your tax-deductible gift 09:47 to the address on your screen, 09:48 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 09:52 Thank you for your prayers and your financial support. 09:55 Our number again is 800-253-3000, 09:58 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 10:05 ♪[reflective strings music]♪ 10:11 >>John Bradshaw: John Newton would become famous 10:13 as the man who wrote "Amazing Grace." 10:15 But his journey from scoundrel 10:17 to gospel minister and hymn writer, 10:20 from outcast to pillar of society here 10:23 in the village of Olney would take a lot of twists and turns. 10:26 He would come "through many dangers, toils, and snares." 10:31 [latch clicks, door creaking, then closing with a thud] 10:37 This was the home of Newton's good friend 10:39 and hymn-writing partner William Cowper. 10:43 Today it's a museum dedicated to the two men. 10:45 ♪[music continues, now on piano]♪ 10:47 In the famous song he wrote, 10:49 John Newton described himself as a "wretch": 10:53 "Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound) 10:55 That saved a wretch like me!" 10:59 You know, I'm sure there are poets and writers who overstate 11:02 certain things for effect, stretch the truth, 11:05 fabricate a little just to make a point. 11:07 Here, John Newton did not. 11:11 When he described himself as a wretch, 11:14 he might even have been understating things. 11:18 He was a drunk, a bad drunk. 11:20 He got involved in witchcraft. 11:23 He was promiscuous, even with the girl he loved 11:26 and hoped to marry at home in England. 11:29 And working on slave ships-- 11:32 there's no easy way to say this. 11:34 It wasn't uncommon for the sailors on the ships 11:37 to commit indignities against the female slaves. 11:41 And Newton did. 11:42 ♪[music continues on strings and piano]♪ 11:44 But what's fascinating is that God continued to work 11:47 with John Newton, continued to call to him. 11:51 Having got away from the terrible situation 11:53 on the island off Sierra Leone, where he was essentially kept 11:56 as a slave, he agreed to return to England when he was told 11:59 there was an inheritance waiting for him. 12:02 Well, there wasn't. 12:03 It was a ploy by his father to get him home, 12:06 although he almost never made it. 12:08 [ship creaking, waves rushing] 12:09 >>Tom Jones: He set sail for the U.K. in 1747, um, 12:16 on a ship called the, "The Greyhound," 12:19 and he was reading anything that was available on the ship 12:22 at the time. And one, one of the books on there was a book, 12:25 which is apparently the, one of the more popular books 12:29 of the time, called "The Imitation of Christ" 12:31 by Thomas Aquinas. 12:33 Uh, so he's obviously starting to, to at least think 12:36 around the subject. 12:38 Uh, and then he was in a terrible storm. 12:40 [thunder crashes] 12:42 Someone was washed overseas, 12:43 and they came close to, to death. 12:46 And this was the epiphany moment that, uh, that set him, 12:51 uh, in the direction that he headed. 12:53 So, that was, uh, his conversion moment. 12:56 And he relapsed, by his own admission, 12:59 a couple of times en, en route. 13:02 And it was only after that time, of course, 13:03 that he became, uh, a, a slave captain. 13:08 Um, it was in 1750 through to 1754 that he captained 13:14 three voyages, uh, to the West Indies. 13:18 Uh, and all of the time his religious beliefs were evolving. 13:23 Uh, in particular, he met a, a chap called Alexander Clunie 13:27 in 1754 in St. Kitts. 13:30 Um, and he brought him up to date with the, uh, 13:33 what was known as the evangelical revolution 13:35 that was occurring at, at that time. 13:37 And this helped him crystalize his thoughts on the subject. 13:41 >>John: It's easy to wonder about Newton's blind spot, 13:44 but every single person living in Great Britain at that time 13:49 had precisely the same blind spot. 13:52 The first time anyone really spoke out against slavery 13:56 was 1758 when the Quakers protested against the system. 14:00 Otherwise, simply wasn't an issue-- 14:04 unless, of course, you were the one who was enslaved. 14:06 Then, well, then it was a ghastly, hideous system. 14:12 >>Tom: Well, uh, he referred to it, in the early days, 14:15 as being something of a genteel profession, believe it or not. 14:19 It's, it's amazing for us to consider that today. 14:22 There were no anti-slavery movements. 14:25 Um, 1758 in the States, 14:27 1783 in Britain were the, the first dawnings of a, 14:32 of a, an abolitionist movement. 14:35 There was clearly some discomfort amongst 14:38 the more sensitive captains at the time, and Newton started to, 14:45 uh, evidence this within his "Authentic Narrative" 14:49 sometime afterwards in 1764, 14:52 but he was clearly uncomfortable with, with what he was doing. 14:57 He was too familiar, he said, 14:58 with the shackles and keys of the, of the profession. 15:02 So, uh, but how they discussed the finer points of the, um, 15:07 of the evangelical movement while sitting on the top of, uh, 15:11 uh, a slave vessel is, is difficult for us today to, uh, 15:16 to get a grip of. 15:17 ♪[soft music]♪ 15:19 >>John: Newton would make three voyages as a ship's captain. 15:22 Even with a young woman at home he hoped to marry, 15:25 even while conviction was fastening itself upon his heart, 15:29 Newton arrived in Africa 15:31 essentially as bad as he ever was. 15:34 He was back to his old sins. 15:37 He would later write, 15:38 "The enemy prepared a train of temptation, 15:41 and I became his easy prey." 15:44 One thing we need to be honest about 15:46 is that faith in God can be a messy business. 15:50 Growth is difficult. It isn't always neat and tidy. 15:54 In fact, it is rarely neat and tidy, 15:57 which might be why Newton's story is so important. 16:01 He went on to become genuinely a colossus in Christianity, 16:06 but he didn't get there overnight. 16:08 That's probably comforting to a great many people 16:10 who are struggling today. 16:12 Often a person decides to quit because of the struggles 16:15 they're having, the weaknesses they see within themselves. 16:18 They feel like a hypocrite. 16:20 But why give up on yourself when God doesn't give up on you? 16:25 "I'm not good enough," somebody might say. 16:27 Well, no, that's true, but the gospel works 16:31 when God works in you and His goodness is seen in your life. 16:36 There's a huge difference. 16:38 Paul wrote that the mystery of the gospel 16:40 "is Christ in you, the hope of glory." 16:43 He also wrote, "It is God who works in you 16:45 both to will and to do for His good pleasure." 16:49 Newton was figuring out how to allow God to work in him. 16:54 ♪[music continues]♪ 16:59 As he grew in grace, he realized he needed 17:02 to take steps to curb his passions. 17:05 So, to do so, he became a vegetarian 17:08 and drank nothing stronger than water. 17:11 What really helped his faith was meeting a Christian captain 17:15 while on the island of St. Kitts in the Caribbean. 17:18 Until then, he'd never really been connected with a church 17:22 or a pastor or any kind of Bible teacher. 17:25 Now he learned of justification by faith. 17:28 He learned of the power of the gospel. 17:30 Now he began to reflect on the cruelty of the slave trade. 17:34 And as providence would have it, 17:36 he experienced a medical event, 17:38 following which a doctor told him he could no longer sail. 17:43 Newton was out of the slave trade. 17:46 ♪[music continues]♪ [birds twittering] 17:48 With his Christian faith growing, 17:50 Newton became acquainted 17:51 with some of the great preachers of his day. 17:55 He attended services conducted by the great evangelist 17:58 George Whitefield, an Anglican minister 18:00 who became one of the founders of the Methodist Church. 18:04 Newton heard Wesley preach as well 18:06 and was acquainted with the great man of God. 18:09 So, what would he do next? 18:11 He was an out-of-work ship's captain 18:13 until he got work in Liverpool as the surveyor of tides, 18:17 essentially a customs officer-- 18:20 a long way from being an ordained minister. 18:23 As it turned out, God had big plans for John Newton. 18:27 Back in just a moment. 18:29 ♪[upbeat music swells and ends]♪♪ 18:39 >>John: I'm in the Bahamas. 18:40 It's a slice of paradise, really, 18:43 and as beautiful as it is, it's a place with a colorful past. 18:48 Once upon a time, the Bahamas was a haven for pirates. 18:52 Blackbeard sailed these waters. 18:55 Pirates lived, or live, outside the law. 18:59 They are lawless. 19:01 And the fact is they were thieves, 19:03 [men yelling, swords clashing] murderers. 19:05 This isn't a game. 19:07 We still see lawlessness today. 19:11 The battle is real. 19:13 Undoubtedly you've experienced it. 19:15 You might be caught in the middle of it now. 19:18 Can you see yourself in that picture, 19:20 doing the things that you know you should not? 19:22 See yourself in that picture? 19:24 You want a way out of lawlessness? 19:27 You want a way out of slavery to the old life? 19:30 Jesus is that way. 19:33 "Lawless," watch now on It Is Written TV. 19:40 ♪[reflective music]♪ 19:46 >>John Bradshaw: By now Newton was married to Mary, 19:49 or Polly as she was better known. 19:51 It was a happy marriage. 19:52 Newton was a devoted husband. 19:54 But what was he in terms of Christianity? 19:57 He essentially believed as a Methodist. 20:00 Methodists at that time were part of the Church of England, 20:02 so he was an Anglican. 20:04 Having said that, 20:05 he was very sympathetic to the cause of the Dissenters. 20:08 Dissenters were Protestants 20:10 who wanted the state out of church matters. 20:14 In fact, the first sermon Newton ever preached 20:16 was at a Dissenter meetinghouse in Leeds in Yorkshire, 20:20 and it was not a success. 20:22 It lasted all of 10 minutes before his mind went blank 20:26 and he completely ran out of things to say. 20:29 He was so discouraged he thought he'd never preach again. 20:34 Even though he'd taught himself to read biblical languages, 20:37 the aspiring preacher hadn't attended school for ministers. 20:41 And there was no way the establishment church, 20:43 the Church of England, wanted to ordain him. 20:46 Another thing that counted against him was his enthusiasm. 20:49 If you wonder what that was, 20:51 it's exactly what it sounds like. 20:53 Newton was enthusiastic, 20:55 and church authorities didn't like that. 20:58 They thought he was too fervent about his faith in God. 21:01 The last thing they wanted was a man in the pulpit who was 21:04 evangelistic and passionate about what he believed. 21:08 [rumble and whoosh of traffic] 21:10 But after six years of waiting and praying, 21:13 Newton was called into ministry, thanks largely 21:16 to the intervention of the Earl of Dartmouth, 21:19 the man after whom Dartmouth College 21:21 in New Hampshire would be named. 21:24 Newton had been asked to be an itinerant preacher 21:26 for the Methodist movement, but he believed his future 21:30 was with the established church, 21:32 even if he did see some things a little differently. 21:35 Ultimately, he was called to serve as the pastor 21:38 of this church, the Church of England congregation in Olney 21:43 in Buckinghamshire, about 50 miles northwest of London. 21:47 >>Tom: Olney was a pretty rough place in, in those days, 21:51 extremely poor, with 1,200 very poor lacemakers. 21:56 That was the, the core of the business in the town. 21:58 It was basically supporting agricultural activities around. 22:02 There would be a tannery and local craftsmen 22:06 but otherwise, uh, you know, a, a bit of a backwater. 22:10 And they even missed the Industrial Revolution, really. 22:12 No, no big industries were created here. 22:16 So, if you wanted to earn more money, 22:17 you'd go into the big cities to earn it. 22:21 It was estimated in 1700 that 40 percent of the population 22:25 were nonconformists, which is very high, uh, 22:29 in the, in the country in those days. 22:30 So, we have Congregationalists, 22:32 Baptists, Quakers, and such like-- 22:35 with, with, uh, big congregations as well. 22:38 And Newton got on very well with, with them. 22:41 So, it was, it seemed to be quite a good place for him 22:45 to start his career. [gate clanks shut] 22:47 So, from the point at which he was sort of born again, 22:51 his epiphany moment in, in 1748 22:54 on a, uh, on a ship in the middle of the Atlantic, um, 22:58 it was another 10 years before he even started, 23:01 uh, preparing for a, a career in the church, 23:05 although he had studied, uh, the Bible and other texts 23:08 a lot, uh, during that period. 23:10 And even then, it took another seven years, uh, 23:14 for him to find his position, um, 23:17 within the Anglican Church that he finally did. 23:20 And he was turned down quite a lot on the way to, uh, 23:23 to, to getting his position here. 23:26 So, I think he would've been quite glad 23:27 to have got something, his foot in the door, if you like, 23:30 uh, starting at the bottom, 23:31 because he was only curate-in-charge here. 23:34 He wasn't the full vicar because in those days 23:37 the vicars tended to hang on to their positions 23:40 and some of the money associated with the role. 23:43 So his predecessor had, uh, had, uh, had gone off 23:47 but retained that position. 23:48 ♪[reflective music]♪ 23:50 >>John: It was here in Olney that John Newton would serve 23:53 as the pastor of this church. 23:56 And it's here that he wrote "Amazing Grace," 23:58 perhaps the best-loved hymn in the English-speaking world. 24:02 He wrote the song in the nearby vicarage. 24:05 The hymn-writer would also become 24:07 a wildly successful author. 24:09 The former slave trader would become an integral part 24:11 in the abolition of slavery in the British Empire. 24:15 Evidently a person can change--like Manasseh 24:19 in the Bible, or Solomon or Samson or David or Saul 24:24 or James and John, who Jesus called "the Sons of Thunder." 24:29 John Newton had been a wretch, 24:31 but grace saved and transformed him. 24:36 But why him and not King Saul or Achan or Judas? 24:42 The answer is simple. 24:43 Newton surrendered. 24:46 Perhaps the answer is in the song: 24:48 "'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, 24:51 "And grace my fears reliev'd; 24:53 "How precious did that grace appear 24:56 The hour I first believ'd!" 25:00 ♪[music continues]♪ 25:03 [church bell tolling] 25:12 The story of the life of John Newton is a story of redemption. 25:17 The story of a sinner, powerless against sin, 25:20 who found hope and forgiveness 25:23 and poured his life into helping others find the same. 25:27 A hymn written more than 250 years ago 25:30 is still helping others to find redemption. 25:33 A life lived carelessly at first was turned around, 25:38 and Newton became a colossus. 25:41 God still turns lives around, 25:44 and He's willing to turn yours around. 25:46 If you'll ask Jesus into your heart, 25:49 the grace that transformed John Newton and gave him hope 25:53 in this world and for the world to come 25:56 will do the same for you. 26:01 >>John: Temptation is a fact of life, 26:03 but you can be successful when it comes near you. 26:06 Be sure you get today's free offer, "When the Lion Roars," 26:10 and find out how you can successfully defeat temptation 26:13 instead of being defeated by sin. 26:15 To get your free copy of "When the Lion Roars," 26:18 call us on 800-253-3000. 26:22 You can also visit us online, 26:24 write to the address on your screen, 26:26 or text "freelion" to 71392. 26:32 >>John: Let me pray for you now. 26:34 Our Father in heaven, we thank You today for grace. 26:38 We thank You that You give a future 26:39 to everyone who wants a future. 26:42 We thank You You are the God of forgiveness and cleansing. 26:46 We thank You that You are the God of a new life, 26:48 just as you gave Newton a new heart 26:51 and a new life--and a ministry. 26:54 You'd do the same for anyone willing. 26:56 You'd give that person a new heart, a new life, 26:58 and a purpose on this earth. 27:01 Friend, if you would receive the grace that God offers, 27:04 would you invite Him into your heart right now? 27:06 ♪[soft music]♪ 27:07 Heavenly Father, take that heart, take that life, 27:10 fill that person with Your presence, 27:13 give that person hope not just in this world 27:15 but for all eternity, that when Jesus returns, 27:19 the one who has opened up his heart or her heart to You, 27:22 right now, will spend eternity in Your presence. 27:26 We look for that day; 27:27 keep us until then by Your grace, we pray, 27:32 in Jesus' name. 27:34 Amen. 27:35 Thanks so much for joining me. 27:37 I'm looking forward to seeing you again next time. 27:38 Until then, remember: 27:40 "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, 27:44 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" 27:49 ♪[dramatic, triumphant theme music]♪ 28:25 ♪[music ends]♪♪ |
Revised 2024-06-18