Saved by grace

By John Revell
Baptist Press

EDITORS’ NOTE: This column about John Newton, the author of the hymn "Amazing Grace," first appeared in SBC Life in 2002. Newton (played by Albert Finney) plays a prominent role in the film "Amazing Grace," which depicts the life of abolitionist William Wilberforce and his friendship with Newton.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Roused from his sleep by the sudden jolt of waves crashing against the ship's hull and the roar of gale-force winds, and scrambling from his hammock as his cabin started to fill with seawater, he heard a shipmate on deck scream that the ship was sinking. He raced up the ladder to the deck but met the captain who shouted for him to bring a knife. As he rushed back down to retrieve it the man who had been behind him went ahead and was instantly washed overboard.

When John Newton reached the deck he found chaos as the crew raced about the vessel making frenzied repairs, bailing water and fighting to stay on board as the relentless swells swept across the deck. Several manned the pumps feverishly, but the rising water was gaining on them. Their cargo was beeswax and wood, both lighter than water, otherwise they would have been doomed.

An hour later the sun rose and the winds started to subside slightly, allowing the crew to make limited progress. All day they desperately patched leaks with their clothes and bedding. That night Newton observed, "If this will not do, the Lord have mercy on us." Instantly his own words struck him and he was overcome with panic. "What mercy can there be for me?" he wondered.

Read more of this story on Baptist Press.