John Newton (1725-1807) was a sailor in the English slave trade and was known by his own boasting as "The Great Blasphemer." But during a tremendous storm at sea in 1748, Newton, lashed to the helm and convinced that all was lost, experienced an overwhelming flood of spiritual feeling and, lo and behold, at dawn the storm broke and Newton was saved in all the ways that mattered. Returning to England, Newton ultimately renounced the sailor's life and the slave trade, married his childhood sweetheart, and finally became, in 1764, at the age of 39, a priest of the Church of England. Assigned to the town of Olney, Newton preached the gospel with the passionate conviction of the newly converted and his effect on his parishioners was deep and profound. While at Olney, Newton wrote 212 hymns for Sunday evening services that were published in 1779 as the Olney Hymns. Far and away the most famous of these was "Faith's Review and Expectation" based on the words of King David from I Chronicles 17:16-17. Known these days for its opening words, "Amazing Grace" is a testimony of Newton's conversion universalized as a hymn to the redemptive power of God's love.

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