Amazing Grace’s true story 奇异恩典的真实故事

Credit of this article should be given to Reverend Man, who delivered a short and meaningful sermon to those who attended the Cantonese Opera Gospel Dinner last Saturday 14th August 2021. His message was on Prodigal Son, not the version from the Bible, but the true story of the composer of that piece of famous hymn “Amazing Grace”, John Newton.

这篇文章应该归功于曼牧师，他在上周六 2021 年 8 月 14 日为参加粤剧福音晚宴的人作了简短而有意义的布道。他的信息是关于浪子的，不是圣经的版本，而是真实的著名赞美诗《奇异恩典》的作曲家约翰牛顿的故事。

Let us listen to the hymn “Amazing Grace” as a starter to this article. https://youtu.be/31xztWPvgvU

让我们听一首赞美诗《奇异恩典》作为这篇文章的开场白。https://youtu.be/Kq5bmOuMVbg

Amazing Grace (My chains are gone) with both English and Chinese Lyrics - 奇異恩典（不再有綑綁） For Inspiration and encouragement. Has been a part of our Chinese English Bible Study in the past. Good advise is found in the words of this praise and worship song. 為了啟發和鼓舞人心。 過去一直是我們中文英語聖經學習的一部分 在這首讚美和敬拜之歌的歌詞中找到了很好的提醒。 This is for inspiration. Focus and concentrate on the words of the song. 這是為了鼓舞激發人心。 請專注並專心於歌詞。 Praise and worship music that has been a part of the Chinese English Bi-lingual Bible Study 讚美和敬拜音樂已成為中英語雙語查經班的一部分。

Amazing Grace was composed by John Newton in the year 1772 when he was 42 years old, working as an Anglican priest. He was ordained in 1764 (34 years old) and he wrote more than two hundred and eighty inspiring hymns to accompany his services.  John Newton had led a very interesting life of ups and downs and his life story has been depicted in the following one-hour-and-twenty-minutes movie from YouTube. https://youtu.be/hdlZ8ykfwuw Watch this movie for the first fifteen minutes and then read the following chronological of John Newton below before returning to complete the rest of the movie.

奇异恩典是约翰·牛顿于 1772 年创作的，当时他 42 岁，他是一名英国国教牧师。他于 1764 年（34 岁）为任牧师，写了 280 多首鼓舞人心的赞美诗来陪伴他的讲道。约翰·牛顿 (John Newton) 过着非常有趣的起起落落的人生生活，他的人生故事在以下来自 YouTube 的 1 小时 20 分钟电影中有所描述。 https://youtu.be/hdlZ8ykfwuw 首先观看电影的前十五分钟。 然后阅读下面约翰·牛顿的以下时间顺序，最后返回完成电影的其余部分。

24th July 1925 John Newton was born in London, England. His mother was Elizabeth (née Scatliff), the only daughter of Simon Scatliff, an instrument maker. Elizabeth was a kind Christian Puritan who told him bible stories. Unfortunately, she died in 1932, just before his seventh birthday. His father, John Newton, Senior, was a strict and stern sea captain who was seldom home and young John was left in the charge of his stepmother who did not treat him well. Young John avenged his anger and frustration in schools where he bullied his younger classmates. He was expelled from three schools before his father took him to work together at sea when he was only eleven.

1925 年 7 月 24 日，约翰·牛顿出生于英国伦敦。他的母亲是伊丽莎白（姓斯卡特利夫），是乐器制造商西蒙·斯卡特利夫的独生女。伊丽莎白是一位善良的基督教清教徒，她给他讲过圣经故事。不幸的是，她于 1932 年去世，就在他七岁生日之前。他的父亲，大约翰·牛顿是一位严厉的船长，很少回家，年轻的约翰被留在对他不好的继母的监护下。年轻的约翰在学校里欺负他的年轻同学，以此来报复他的愤怒和沮丧。在他十一岁时，父亲带他一起去海上工作之前，他被三所学校开除。

Years 1736 to 1742 (Age: eleven to seventeen) he sailed on six voyages. In the ships, he continued initially with the bullying of other crew members but soon he realised that he needed to control his anger if he was to be promoted to do less menial tasks on board. When his father retired from sailing in 1742 (17 years old) John signed on with a merchant ship to the Mediterranean Sea. Because of his excessive drinking and misbehaving himself, he was dismissed from the ship he was sailing after just one year.

1736 年至 1742 年（年龄：十一至十七岁），他航行了六次。在船上，他最初继续欺负其他船员，但很快他意识到，如果他要被提升在船上做不那么琐碎的工作，他需要控制自己的愤怒。当他的父亲于 1742 年退休时（17 岁），约翰与一艘商船签约前往地中海。由于酗酒和行为不端，仅仅一年后，他就被开除出船。

In 1743 (18 years old), when he was returning home from partying with his friends he was captured by force to work for the Royal Navy. There, in a short period he became a midshipman aboard the ship HMS Harwich. However, because he tried to desert the navy, he was punished in front of the ship’s crew. He was flogged eight dozen lashes and was reduced to the rank of a common seaman.

1743 年（18 岁），当他与朋友聚会回家时，他被强行俘虏，为皇家海军工作。在那里，在很短的时间内，他成为了 HMS Harwich 舰上的见习官。然而，因为他厌倦了离开海军，他在船员面前受到了惩罚。他被鞭打八打，降为普通海员。

Following that disgrace and humiliation, Newton initially contemplated murdering the captain and committing suicide by throwing himself overboard. However, he recovered his senses, both physically and mentally and later, he transferred himself to a slave ship that was carrying goods to Africa in exchange for black slaves bound for the Caribbean Islands and North America.

在那次耻辱和屈辱之后，牛顿最初打算谋杀船长并跳水自杀。然而，他的身心都恢复了知觉，后来，他将自己转移到一艘运载货物到非洲的奴隶船上，以换取开往加勒比群岛和北美的黑奴。

Newton did not get along well with the captain of the slave ship who viewed him as the rebel rouser who could lead the crew into rebellion against him. So he traded him in Sierra Leone to a slave trader as a white servant to that slave trader’s wife Princess Peye. The Princess abused and mistreated Newton just as much as she did her other slaves. Newton later recounted this period as the time he was “an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in West Africa.”

牛顿与奴隶船的船长相处得不好，船长认为他是一个可以带领船员反抗他的造反者。于是他在塞拉利昂把他卖给了一个奴隶贩子，作为奴隶贩子的妻子佩耶公主的白人仆人。公主像对待其他奴隶一样虐待牛顿。牛顿后来将这段时期描述为“一个异教徒和放荡者，西非奴隶的仆人”。

Early in 1748 (23 years old) he was rescued by a sea captain who had been asked by Newton’s father to search for him. During his return voyage to England, Newton had a spiritual conversion. He awoke to find the ship caught in a severe storm off the coast of Ireland and about to sink. In response, Newton began praying for God’s mercy, after which the storm began to die down. This experience marked the beginning of his conversion to Christianity. He began to read the Bible and other religious literature. By the time he reached Britain, he had accepted Christ into his heart.

1748 年初（23 岁），他被一位船长救起，船长应牛顿的父亲之命寻找他。在返回英国的途中，牛顿发生了精神上的转变。他醒来时发现这艘船在爱尔兰海岸附近遭遇了一场猛烈的风暴，即将沉没。作为回应，牛顿开始祈求上帝的怜悯，之后风暴开始平息。这次经历标志着他皈依基督教的开始。他开始阅读圣经和其他宗教文献。当他到达英国时，他已经接受了基督进入他的内心。

Newton continued to involved in the slaves trade himself, making voyages as the captain of two different vessels. In 1754 (age 29) , he suffered a stroke and he retired from sailing, but continued to invest in the slave business.

It was not until 1788, (63 years old) that he renounced his former slaving profession by publishing a blazing pamphlet called “Thoughts Upon the Slave Trade.” The tract described the horrific conditions on the ships and Newton apologized for making a public statement so many years after participating in the trade. “It will always be a subject of humiliating reflection to me, that I was once an active instrument in a business at which my heart now shudders.” The pamphlet was so popular it was reprinted several times and sent to every member of Parliament. 

牛顿自己继续参与奴隶贸易，作为两艘不同船只的船长航行。 1754 年（29 岁），他中风，从航海业退休，但继续投资黑奴生意。  直到 1788 年（63 岁），他才通过出版一本名为“关于奴隶贸易的思考”的火爆小册子，放弃了他以前的奴隶职业。小册子描述了船上的可怕状况，牛顿为在参与贸易多年后发表公开声明而道歉。 “对我来说，这将永远是一个耻辱的反思主题，我曾经是一个活跃的工具，现在我的心不寒而栗。”这本小册子很受欢迎，被重印了好几次，并寄给了每一位国会议员。

John Newton died on the 21st December 1807 - age 82.

约翰牛顿于 1807 年 12 月 21 日去世，享年 82 岁。