áFCP║Text: LFor by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8,9 In a small cemetery of a parish churchyard in Olney, England, stands a granite tombstone with the following inscription: "John Newton, clerk, once an infidel and 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 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 eighteenth century. =John Newton's mother, a Godly woman, died when he was not quite seven years of age. 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 eleven, to begin life as a seaman. His early years were one continuous round of rebellion and debauchery. 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. Needless to say, the capturing, selling and ╔═N╗║ Here is more information on John Newton. ║║ N║║ N║╚═N╝1380-1471, who belonged to an order called the Brethren of the Common Life. Pp p p p p pÑ>QpN>pN>pN>QpP
