No one who knew John Newton as a young lad would ever have dreamed that this teenage rebel, profane sailor, naval deserter and slave-trader would one day write the lyrics to one of the best-known hymns of all time, 'Amazing Grace'. The story of how such a notorious sinner was converted to Christ and went on to become an equally noteworthy pastor and a leader of the Evangelical movement in eighteenth-century England is simply astounding. In compiling this selection from his writings, Todd Murray has made Newton's gentle pastoral wisdom available to a new generation of readers.