Good Reads

I'm back again! I suppose it took me long enough. =] I've had my blog on my mind a lot and so I decided to sit down and type and I figured the topic would come to me. And it did! =)

I wanted to say a few words about my new favorite author, John Newton. Anybody remember him? Perhaps he might have been relatively unknown a decade ago, but since the making of the movie Amazing Grace, he has gained some popularity. Now practically everyone knows who William Wilburforce, Olaudah Equiano and William Pitt the Younger were. John Newton was a friend and mentor to William Wilburforce, and the pastor of a parish. He was also a former slave trader, and the author of the world's most famous and best loved hymn, Amazing Grace.

Excuse me for a moment, I smell my coffee perking at last...

...mmmmm ^.^  Finally, a cup of piping hot coffee.

Interlude over, back on topic-

Yes, John Newton wrote the hymn Amazing Grace. But that was by no means at all, the only hymn he wrote. He wrote a whole book of them! At least to my knowledge, I am sure there are many more that I don't yet know about. Anyway, this book of hymns that he wrote is called his Onley Hymns, and Amazing Grace is just one of hundreds of wonderful poems. The book is in sections, the first section being hymns written on certain choice texts from the Bible, all the way from Genesis to Revelation. (Amazing Grace is one of those, written from 1 Chronicles 17:16-17.) The second section is hymns, or poems rather, written on "occasional subjects".

He was a very gifted poet and a very thought provoking writer. He has a way of revealing to you the wretch you really are, rejecting the gifts and privileges Christ offers, and returning His faithful love with adultery and idolatry. He makes you see how your sin and pride taints and smudges everything you do, even your worship and prayers. You begin to understand what Paul meant when he wrote that he was the chiefest of sinners. (I always wondered how the greatest apostle could think that of himself.) You begin to see your hopeless state, your rejection of the Lord who loves you so deeply that He sacrificed His greatest treasure.

But he doesn't end it there, he also speaks of God's grace. His marvelous grace, that gives us hope, and promises a future rest in Him. Forgiveness that covers a multitude of sins. A wise Father who softens our stony hearts and gives us love, to love Him in return. We are stripped of every hope and plea, but what is provided in the free grace of God.

I read four of five of hymns every morning, during my private time with the Lord. It is the most humbling thing, to ponder what his poems mean. I highly, highly recommend finding a copy of his Olney Hymns. I know that Google books has a free ebook, and there are still hard copies out there to be found. I know that in the future, I will be posting some of his hymns on this blog.

Along with that, I wanted to recommend Cardiphonia, his book of letters to his parishioners. It has much the same effect on one's pride that the Olney Hymns does, only it's not written in poem form. The letters are short and easy to read and digest, which is especially nice considering pastors veer towards long-windedness. They also go much more in-depth and can discuss one topic in several aspects, over a series of letters. You go from despairing through one letter, to a bit more hopeful in the next, to rejoicing and gratitude, etc. John Newton was very thoughtful and thorough. He thought of himself as specializing in the anatomy of Christians, analyzing the human heart and emotions in varying circumstances.

I won't take up more of your time, I just wanted to put that bug in you ear, and encourage you to find those books. They are full of treasure and wisdom!

God Bless!