Analysis of Dwelling In Mesech

John Newton 1725 (Wapping, London) – 1807 (London)



What a mournful life is mine,
Fill with crosses, pains and cares!
Every work defiled with sin,
Every step beset with snares!

If alone I pensive fit,
I myself can hardly bear;
If I pass along the street,
Sin and riot triumph there.

Jesus! how my heart is pained,
How it mourns for souls deceived!
When I hear thy name profaned,
When I see thy Spirit grieved!

When thy children's griefs I view,
Their distress becomes my own;
All I hear, or see, or do,
Makes me tremble, weep and groan.

Mourning thus I long had been,
When I heard my Saviour's voice;
Thou hast cause to mourn for sin,
But in me thou may'st rejoice.

This kind word dispelled my grief,
Put to silence my complaints;
Though of sinners I am chief,
He his ranked me with his saints.

Though constrained to dwell a while
Where the wicked strive and brawl;
Let them frown; so he but smile,
Heav'n will make amends for all.

There, believers, we shall rest,
Free from sorrow, sin and fears;
Nothing there our peace molests,
Through eternal rounds of years.

Let us then the fight endure,
See our Captain looking down;
He will make the conquest sure,
And bestow the promised crown.


Scheme XABA CDXD XECE FGFG BHBH IJIJ KLKL XMXM NONO
Poetic Form Quatrain 
Metre 1010111 1110101 1001111 10010111 1011101 111101 1110101 1010101 1011111 1111101 111111 1111101 1110111 1010111 1111111 1110101 1011111 111111 1111111 10111101 1110111 1110101 1110111 1111111 1011101 1010101 1111111 1110111 1010111 1110101 10110101 1010111 1110101 11010101 1110101 0010101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,115
Words 210
Sentences 13
Stanzas 9
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 36
Letters per line (avg) 24
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 98
Words per stanza (avg) 23
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:04 min read
91

John Newton

Rev Dr John A Newton CBE is a prominent Methodist minister, author, historian and former President of the Methodist Conference. more…

All John Newton poems | John Newton Books

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