Amazing Grace

This is another well known and favorite hymns that has bee sung be a number of singers. The author of the hymn is John Newton (1725-1807). John Newton lost his mother at a tender age of seven and after some years in school joined his father to live the life of a seaman. He spent his early years in a life of debauchery and rebellion. It was on March 10, 1748 that during a journey from Africa to England that they were overtaken by a violent storm and it seemed inevitable that everything would be lost. It was then that John Newton began reading Thomas a Kempis' book "The Imitation of Christ", a book that is considered to be a religious classic and is even published now. He then spent a part of his seaman's life fighting against slavery.
John Newton was ordained as a priest by the Anglican Church and was a parish priest in the village of Olney, near Cambridge in England in 1764. He spent the next fifteen years in a most fruitful and influential ministry.
The song "Amazing Grace" was first published in 1779 and is inspired from the Bible verses from Chronicles 17:16, 17. The exact date when the hymn was written dose not seem to be known.
The lyrics of the hymn are as follows.

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.