1 For a season called to part,
Let us now ourselves commend
To the gracious eye and heart
Of our ever present Friend.
2 Jesus, hear our humble prayer,
Tender Shepherd of Thy sheep,
Let Thy mercy and Thy care
All our souls in safety keep.
3 What we each have now been taught,
Let our memories retain.
May we, if we live, be brought
Here to meet in peace again.
4 Then, if Thou Thy instruction bless,
Songs of praises shall be given;
We'll our thankfulness express,
Here on earth, and then in heaven.
Amen.
Source: The Hymnal and Order of Service #359
John Newton (b. London, England, 1725; d. London, 1807) was born into a Christian home, but his godly mother died when he was seven, and he joined his father at sea when he was eleven. His licentious and tumultuous sailing life included a flogging for attempted desertion from the Royal Navy and captivity by a slave trader in West Africa. After his escape he himself became the captain of a slave ship. Several factors contributed to Newton's conversion: a near-drowning in 1748, the piety of his friend Mary Catlett, (whom he married in 1750), and his reading of Thomas à Kempis' Imitation of Christ. In 1754 he gave up the slave trade and, in association with William Wilberforce, eventually became an ardent abolitionist. After becoming a tide… Go to person page >
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