Editing Amazing Grace (section)

== Olney curate ==

[[File:Olney vicarage.jpg|thumb|alt=Engraving of a two-storey building, eight windows across, partially obscured by trees and shrubs|The vicarage in Olney, where Newton wrote the hymn that would become "Amazing Grace"]]

Working as a customs agent in [[Liverpool]] starting in 1756, Newton began to teach himself Latin, Greek, and theology. He and Polly immersed themselves in the church community, and Newton's passion was so impressive that his friends suggested he become a priest in the Church of England. He was turned down by [[John Gilbert (archbishop of York)|John Gilbert]], [[Archbishop of York]], in 1758, ostensibly for having no university degree,<ref>Martin (1950), pp. 166–188.</ref> although the more likely reasons were his leanings toward [[evangelism]] and tendency to socialise with [[Methodist]]s.<ref>Aitken, pp. 153–154.</ref> Newton continued his devotions, and after being encouraged by a friend, he wrote about his experiences in the slave trade and his conversion. [[William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth]], impressed with his story, sponsored Newton for ordination by [[John Green (bishop)|John Green]], [[Bishop of Lincoln]], and offered him the [[curate|curacy]] of [[Olney, Buckinghamshire]], in 1764.<ref>Martin (1950), pp. 198–200.</ref>

=== ''Olney Hymns'' ===
{{main|Olney Hymns}}
{{quote box
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| quote =
<poem>
Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)
   That sav'd a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
   Was blind, but now I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
   And grace my fears reliev'd;
How precious did that grace appear
   The hour I first believ'd!

Thro' many dangers, toils, and snares,
   I have already come;
'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
   And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promis'd good to me,
   His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be
   As long as life endures.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
   And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
   A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
   The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call'd me here below,
   Will be forever mine.
</poem>

| source = John Newton, ''[[Olney Hymns]]'', 1779
}}

Olney was a village of about 2,500 residents whose main industry was making lace by hand. The people were mostly illiterate and many of them were poor.<ref name="aitken224">Aitken, p. 224.</ref> Newton's preaching was unique in that he shared many of his own experiences from the pulpit; many clergy preached from a distance, not admitting any intimacy with temptation or sin. He was involved in his parishioners' lives and was much loved, although his writing and delivery were sometimes unpolished.<ref>Martin (1950), pp. 208–217.</ref> But his devotion and conviction were apparent and forceful, and he often said his mission was to "break a hard heart and to heal a broken heart".<ref name="pollock"/> He struck a friendship with [[William Cowper]], a gifted writer who had failed at a career in law and suffered bouts of insanity, attempting suicide several times. Cowper enjoyed Olney{{snd}} and Newton's company; he was also new to Olney and had gone through a spiritual conversion similar to Newton's. Together, their effect on the local congregation was impressive. In 1768, they found it necessary to start a weekly prayer meeting to meet the needs of an increasing number of parishioners. They also began writing lessons for children.<ref>Turner, p. 76.</ref>

Partly from Cowper's literary influence, and partly because learned vicars were expected to write verses, Newton began to try his hand at hymns, which had become popular through the language, made plain for common people to understand. Several prolific hymn writers were at their most productive in the 18th century, including [[Isaac Watts]]{{snd}} whose hymns Newton had grown up hearing<ref>Aitken, p. 28.</ref>{{snd}} and [[Charles Wesley]], with whom Newton was familiar. Wesley's brother [[John Wesley|John]], the eventual founder of the Methodist Church, had encouraged Newton to go into the clergy.{{efn|Watts had previously written a hymn named "[[Alas! and Did My Saviour Bleed]]" that contained the lines "Amazing pity! Grace unknown!/ And love beyond degree!". [[Philip Doddridge]], another well-known hymn writer, wrote another in 1755 titled "The Humiliation and Exaltation of God's Israel" that began "Amazing grace of God on high!" and included other similar wording to Newton's verses. Newton biographer Jonathan Aitken states that Watts had inspired most of Newton's compositions. (Turner, pp. 82–83.)(Aitken, pp. 28–29.)}} Watts was a pioneer in English hymn writing, basing his work after the [[Psalms]]. The most prevalent hymns by Watts and others were written in the [[common meter]] in 8.6.8.6: the first line is eight syllables and the second is six.<ref name="turner77-79">Turner, pp. 77–79.</ref>

Newton and Cowper attempted to present a poem or hymn for each prayer meeting. The lyrics to "Amazing Grace" were written in late 1772 and probably used in a prayer meeting for the first time on 1 January 1773.<ref name="turner77-79"/> A collection of the poems Newton and Cowper had written for use in services at Olney was bound and published anonymously in 1779 under the title ''[[Olney Hymns]]''. Newton contributed 280 of the 348 texts in ''Olney Hymns''; "1 Chronicles 17:16–17, Faith's Review and Expectation" was the title of the poem with the first line "Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)".<ref name="dah"/>

=== Critical analysis ===
The general impact of ''Olney Hymns'' was immediate and it became a widely popular tool for evangelicals in Britain for many years. Scholars appreciated Cowper's poetry somewhat more than Newton's plaintive and plain language, expressing his forceful personality. The most prevalent themes in the verses written by Newton in ''Olney Hymns'' are faith in salvation, wonder at [[Grace (Christianity)|God's grace]], his love for Jesus, and his cheerful exclamations of the joy he found in his faith.<ref>Benson, p. 339.</ref> As a reflection of Newton's connection to his parishioners, he wrote many of the hymns in [[first-person narrative|first person]], admitting his own experience with sin. Bruce Hindmarsh in ''Sing Them Over Again To Me: Hymns and Hymnbooks in America'' considers "Amazing Grace" an excellent example of Newton's testimonial style afforded by the use of this perspective.<ref name="hindmarsh6">Noll and Blumhofer, p. 6.</ref> Several of Newton's hymns were recognised as great work ("Amazing Grace" was not among them), while others seem to have been included to fill in when Cowper was unable to write.<ref>Benson, p. 338.</ref> [[Jonathan Aitken]] calls Newton, specifically referring to "Amazing Grace", an "unashamedly middlebrow lyricist writing for a lowbrow congregation", noting that only twenty-one of the nearly 150 words used in all six verses have more than one syllable.<ref>Aitken, p. 226.</ref>

William Phipps in the ''[[Anglican Theological Review]]'' and author James Basker have interpreted the first stanza of "Amazing Grace" as evidence of Newton's realisation that his participation in the slave trade was his wretchedness, perhaps representing a wider common understanding of Newton's motivations.<ref name="phipps">Phipps, William (Summer 1990). " 'Amazing Grace' in the hymnwriter's life", ''[[Anglican Theological Review]]'', '''72''' (3), pp. 306–313.</ref><ref name="basker281"/> Newton joined forces with [[William Wilberforce]], the British Member of Parliament who led the Parliamentarian campaign to abolish the slave trade in the British Empire, culminating in the [[Slave Trade Act 1807]]. But Newton did not become an ardent and outspoken [[abolitionist]] until  after he left Olney in the 1780s; he is not known to have connected writing the hymn known as "Amazing Grace" to anti-slavery sentiments.<ref>Aitken, p. 231.</ref>

The lyrics in ''Olney Hymns'' were arranged by their association to the Biblical verses that would be used by Newton and Cowper in their prayer meetings, and did not address any political objective. For Newton, the beginning of the year was a time to reflect on one's spiritual progress. At the same time he completed a diary{{snd}} which has since been lost{{snd}} that he had begun 17 years before, two years after he quit sailing. The last entry of 1772 was a recounting of how much he had changed since then.<ref name="aitken227">Aitken, p. 227.</ref>

{{quote box
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| quote = And David the king came and sat before the {{LORD}}, and said, Who ''am'' I, O {{LORD}} God, and what ''is'' mine house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? And ''yet'' this was a small thing in thine eyes, O God; for thou hast ''also'' spoken of thy servant's house for a great while to come, and hast regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O {{LORD}} God.
| source = 1 Chronicles 17:16–17, [[King James Bible|King James Version]]
}}

The title ascribed to the hymn, "[[1 Chronicles]] 17:16–17", refers to [[David]]'s reaction to the prophet [[Nathan (prophet)|Nathan]] telling him that God intends to maintain his family line forever. Some Christians interpret this as a prediction that Jesus Christ, as a descendant of David, was promised by God as the salvation for all people.<ref name="hindmarsh8">Noll and Blumhofer, p. 8.</ref> Newton's sermon on that January day in 1773 focused on the necessity to express one's gratitude for God's guidance, that God is involved in the daily lives of Christians though they may not be aware of it, and that patience for deliverance from the daily trials of life is warranted when the glories of eternity await.<ref>Turner, p. 81.</ref> Newton saw himself a sinner like David who had been chosen, perhaps undeservedly,<ref name="watson215"/> and was humbled by it. According to Newton, unconverted sinners were "blinded by the god of this world" until "mercy came to us not only undeserved but undesired&nbsp;... our hearts endeavored to shut him out till he overcame us by the power of his grace."<ref name="aitken227"/>

The [[New Testament]] served as the basis for many of the lyrics of "Amazing Grace". The first verse, for example, can be traced to the story of the [[Prodigal Son]]. In the [[Gospel of Luke]] the father says, "For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost, and is found". The story of Jesus [[Miracles of Jesus#Blind people|healing a blind man]] who tells the [[Pharisees]] that he can now see is told in the [[Gospel of John]]. Newton used the words "I was blind but now I see" and declared "Oh to grace how great a debtor!" in his letters and diary entries as early as 1752.<ref name="aitken228">Aitken, p. 228.</ref> The effect of the lyrical arrangement, according to Bruce Hindmarsh, allows an instant release of energy in the exclamation "Amazing grace!", to be followed by a qualifying reply in "how sweet the sound". In ''An Annotated Anthology of Hymns'', Newton's use of an exclamation at the beginning of his verse is called "crude but effective" in an overall composition that "suggest(s) a forceful, if simple, statement of faith".<ref name="watson215">Watson, p. 215.</ref> Grace is recalled three times in the following verse, culminating in Newton's most personal story of his conversion, underscoring the use of his personal testimony with his parishioners.<ref name="hindmarsh6"/>

The sermon preached by Newton was his last of those that William Cowper heard in Olney, since Cowper's mental instability returned shortly thereafter. One author suggests Newton may have had his friend in mind, employing the themes of assurance and deliverance from despair for Cowper's benefit.<ref>Turner, p. 86.</ref>