John Newton's Lament Over Past Sins and Slavery

John Newton, the author of the hymn "Amazing Grace," is well-known for his profound lament over his past involvement in the slave trade. His sorrow stemmed from a deep conviction of sin, a concept central to Christian theology. Lamentation, as a spiritual practice, finds its roots in biblical texts where individuals express deep sorrow and regret over personal and communal transgressions ^{[1, 4]}.

Newton's lament reflects a broader theological understanding of sin, which is often described as a turning away from God ^[6]. The "fall of man" in Genesis 2 and 3 is understood as the foundational act of disobedience that introduced sin and its consequences into the world ^[5]. This initial sin led to a corruption of human nature, often termed "original sin," which affects all humanity ^[14]. As a result, individuals are born with a propensity to sin, and their own righteousness is seen as insufficient in God's sight ^[7].

Newton's personal experience as a slave ship captain involved direct participation in an institution that inflicted immense suffering. His later repentance and public condemnation of slavery illustrate a recognition of the gravity of his past actions. This aligns with the biblical call for confession and repentance, as seen in Nehemiah's prayer confessing the sins of Israel and his own household ^[2]. The Psalms also frequently express a sense of being "poor and needy" with a "heart wounded within" due to sin ^[3].

The concept of lamenting past sins is not merely an emotional outburst but a theological recognition of wrongdoing and a desire for reconciliation with God. Augustine, for instance, discusses how sin introduces a servitude where a person's will becomes enslaved to their own lusts, despite their inherent freedom as a rational creature made in God's image ^[8]. This internal struggle and the recognition of one's own depravity are often prerequisites for true repentance.

For Newton, his lament was a continuous process, reflecting the ongoing struggle against sin even after conversion. The Augsburg Confession, a Lutheran doctrinal statement, emphasizes that Christ's passion is a satisfaction not only for original guilt but for all other sins ^[13]. This highlights the belief that while Christ's sacrifice covers past sins, the individual's journey involves ongoing repentance and a turning away from sinful patterns.

The depth of Newton's lament also touches upon the idea of God's wrath against sin ^[9]. While Christ bore this wrath, the sinner's recognition of their own deserving of divine displeasure can lead to profound sorrow and self-abhorrence, as described by Charles Hodge in relation to figures like Job and David ^[7]. This sorrow is not despair but a contrite heart that seeks God's mercy.

Calvin, in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, addresses the idea that sin is voluntary, even if it is also necessary due to humanity's fallen state ^[11]. He distinguishes between the lament of the wicked, who mourn the loss of God's assistance in calamity, and true conversion, which involves a genuine calling upon God ^[12]. Newton's sustained advocacy against slavery after his conversion suggests his lament was of the latter, deeper kind, leading to a transformed life and active opposition to the evil he once perpetrated.

The return of sins, even after forgiveness, is a concept discussed by Aquinas, who notes that mortal sin involves an aversion from God and an adherence to created good, leading to a stain and a debt of everlasting punishment ^[6]. This underscores the seriousness of sin and the need for genuine contrition, which "crushes" the sin ^[10]. Newton's continued lament, therefore, can be seen as a lifelong process of acknowledging the gravity of his past and seeking to live a life consistent with his repentance.

Sources

Lamentations “Why does a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? -- Lamentations 3:39”
Nehemiah “Let your ear now be attentive, and your eyes open, that you may listen to the prayer of your servant, which I pray before you at this time, day and night, for the children of Israel your servants while I confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Yes, I and my father’s house have sinned. -- Nehemiah 1:6”
Psalms “for I am poor and needy. My heart is wounded within me. -- Psalms 109:22”
Micah “For this I will lament and wail; I will go stripped and naked; I will howl like the jackals, and moan like the daughters of owls. -- Micah 1:8”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Fall of man — An expression probably borrowed from the Apocryphal Book of Wisdom, to express the fact of the revolt of our first parents from God, and the consequent sin and misery in which they and all their posterity were involved. The history of the Fall is recorded in Gen. 2 and 3. That history is to be literally interpreted. It records facts which underlie the whole system of revealed truth. It is referred to by our Lord and his apostles not only as being true, but as furnishing the ground of all God's subsequent dispensations and dealings with the children of m”
theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Third Part (Tertia Pars), Of the Return of Sins Which Have Been Taken Away by Penance, Art. 1: Article: Whether sins once forgiven return through a subsequent sin? I answer that, As stated above (Question [86], Article [4]), mortal sin contains two things, aversion from God and adherence to a created good. Now, in mortal sin, whatever attaches to the aversion, is, considered in itself, common to all mortal sins, since man turns away from God by every mortal sin, so that, in consequence, the stain resulting from the privation of grace, and the debt of everlasting puni”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 50: that he abhorred himself, and repented in dust and ashes. David’s Penitential Psalms are filled not only with the confessions of sin, but also with the avowals of his deep depravity in the sight of God. Isaiah cried out, Woe is me! I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips. The ancient prophets, even when sanctified from the womb, pronounced their own righteousnesses as filthy rags. What is said of the body politic is everywhere represented as true of the individual man. The whole head is sick, and the whole h”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 2: Augustine — City of God, Christian Doctrine — CHAP. 15.--OF THE LIBERTY PROPER TO MAN'S NATURE, AND THE SERVITUDE INTRODUCED BY SIN,--A SERVITUDE IN WHICH THE MAN WHOSE WILL IS WICKED IS THE SLAVE OF HIS OWN LUST, THOUGH HE IS FREE SO FAR AS REGA (part 1): This is prescribed by the order of nature: it is thus that God has created man. For "let them," He says, "have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every creeping thing which creepeth on the earth."(1) He did not intend that His rational creature, who was made in His image, should have domini”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 129: § 4. He endured the Wrath of God. Our standards specify “the wrath of God,” as a distinct particular of the burden of sorrow which Christ, for our sakes, humbled Himself to bear. The word wrath is the familiar Scriptural term to express any manifestation of the displeasure of God against sin. Christ, although in Himself perfectly holy, bore our sins. He was “made sin” ( 2 Cor. v. 21 ); or, treated as a sinner. He was “numbered with the transgressors” ( Is. liii. 12 ), not only in the judgment of men, but in the dealing of God with his so”
theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Supplement (Supplementum), Of the Object of Contrition, Art. 3: Article: Whether we should have contrition for every actual sin? I answer that, Every actual sin is caused by our will not yielding to God's law, either by transgressing it, or by omitting it, or by acting beside it: and since a hard thing is one that is disposed not to give way easily, hence it is that a certain hardness of the will is to be found in every actual sin. Wherefore, if a sin is to be remedied, it needs to be taken away by contrition which crushes it. On the contrary: On the contrary, Penanc”
CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 41: the weapons with which Pelagius assailed Augustine. But we are unwilling to crush them by the weight of his name, until we have satisfactorily disposed of the objections themselves. I deny, therefore, that sin ought to be the less imputed because it is necessary; and, on the other hand, I deny the inference, that sin may be avoided because it is voluntary. If any one will dispute with God, and endeavour to evade his judgment, by pretending that he could not have done otherwise, the answer already given is sufficient, that it is owi”
CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 58: this in the application which is afterwards made of the example of Esau, who tried in vain, by crying and tears, to recover his lost birthright; nor in the denunciation of the Prophet, “They cried, and I would not hear.” Such modes of expression do not denote true conversion or calling upon God, but that anxiety with which the wicked, when in calamity, are compelled to see what they before securely disregarded—viz. that nothing can avail but the assistance of the Lord. This, however, they do not so much implore as lament the loss o”
Augsburg Confession (Lutheran) “Augsburg Confession (Lutheran, 1530), 24 Concerning these opinions our teachers have given warning that: 24 Concerning these opinions our teachers have given warning that they depart from the Holy Scriptures and diminish the glory of the passion of Christ. For Christ’s passion 25 was an oblation and satisfaction, not for original guilt only, but also for all other sins, as it is written to the Hebrews 10:10: 26 We are sanctified through the offering of Jesus Christ once for all. Also, Hebrews 10:14: 27By one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. [It is an unheard-of inno”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 50: § 13. Original Sin. The effects of Adam’s sin upon his posterity are declared in our standards to be, (1.) The guilt of his first sin. (2.) The loss of original righteousness. (3.) The corruption of our whole nature, which ( i.e. , which corruption), is commonly called original sin. Commonly, but not always. Not unfrequently by original sin is meant all the subjective evil consequences of the apostasy of our first parent, and it therefore includes all three of the particulars just mentioned. The National Synod of France, therefore, condem”

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