The Creation of “Amazing Grace”—The Sermon and the Hymn

Newton’s first point drew from David’s opening question, “Who am I?” Newton goes on to exhort his congregation, saying, “This question should always be upon our minds. What was I when the Lord began to manifest his purposes of love?” Before we met God, he states, we were “miserable” and “rebellious.” He continued, “What just cause of admiration, that he should appoint such salvation, in such a way, in favour of such helpless, worthless creatures?”

Newton continues his point on humanity’s rebelliousness, preaching that humans had been “blinded by the god of this world” and that “instead of desiring the Lord’s help, we breathed a spirit of defiance against him. His mercy came to us not only undeserved but undesired . . . and when he knocked at the doors of our hearts [we] endeavoured to shut him out till he overcame us by the power of his grace.”

Newton then exhorted the congregation to recall the moment of their conversion, “the never-to-be-forgotten hour when he enabled us to hope in his mercy.”

Newton draws his inspiration from the second half of David’s question in verse 18: “What is my house, that you have brought me thus far?”

He then moves to verse 17, where David looks to the future: “You have also spoken of your servant’s house into the distant future.” Newton states that God “has spoken ‘for a great while to come,’ even to Eternity.” He goes on: “Present mercies are but earnests of his love, present comforts but foretastes of the joy to which we are hastening. O that crown, that kingdom, that eternal weight of glory! We are travelling home to God . . . Patience, yet a little while and we shall be at home.”

Newton looked to verses 23 and 26 of 1 Chronicles 17 for his inspiration here, saying that “trust and confidence” may be secured from God’s word. Verse 23 reads: And now, O Lord, let the word that you have spoken concerning your servant . . . be established forever”; and from verse 26: “You have promised this good thing to your servant.”

Moving to an earlier verse in 1 Chronicles 17, Newton assures his audience that “we have good reason to cast our cares upon him” because, as verse 10 reads, “and I will subdue all your enemies.”

“We shall soon see Jesus, and never complain of sin, sorrow, temptation or desertion any more,” preached Newton, pointing to the promise in 1 Chronicles 17:9: “I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more.”

Newton closes by focusing on how God speaks of the future, “event to Eternity.” The word “forever” appears in 1 Chronicles 17 no less than eight times, and forms the closing verse of the original song.