Eventually, however, he felt convicted of the inhumane aspects of his work, and became a strong and effective crusader against slavery. The message of the book and the frightening experience at sea were used by the Lord to sow the seeds of Newton’s eventual conversion and personal acceptance of Christ as His Savior.įor the next several years, he continued as a slave ship captain, trying to justify his work by seeking to improve conditions as much as possible, even holding public worship services for his hardened crew of 30 every Sunday. This book is still printed today as a spiritual classic. Kempis was a Dutch monk, (1380-1471) who belonged to the order called The Brethren of the Common Life.
On March 10, 1748, while returning to England from Africa, during a particularly stormy voyage, it would appear that all would be lost, Newton began reading Thomas a Kempis’s book The Imitation of Christ. Needless to say, the capturing, selling, and transporting a black slaves to the plantations in the West Indies and America was a cruel and vicious way of life. After serving on several ships as well as working for a period of time on the islands and mainland of the west African coast, collecting slaves for sale to visiting traders, Newton eventually became a captain of his own slave ship. His early years were one of continuous round of rebellion and debauchery. When his father remarried, and after several brief years of formal education away from home, John left school and joined his father’s ship at the age of 11, to begin life as a sea man. John Newton‘s mother, a Godly woman, died when he was not quite seven years old.
In a small cemetery of a parish church yard in Olney, England, stands with granite tombstone, with the following inscription: “John Newton, clerk, once an infidel and a libertine, a servant of slavers in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned and appointed to preach the faith that he had long labored to destroy.” This fitting testimonial written by Newton himself prior to his death, describes aptly, the unusual and colorful life of this man, one of the great evangelical preachers of the 18th century.
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