Analysis of The Two Malefactors

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



Sovereign grace has pow'r alone
To subdue a heart of stone;
And the moment grace is felt,
Then the hardest heart will melt.

When the Lord was crucified,
Two transgressors with him died;
One with vile blaspheming tongue,
Scoffed at Jesus as he hung.

Thus he spent his wicked breath,
In the very jaws of death
Perished, as too many do,
With the Saviour in his view.

But the other, touched with grace,
Saw the danger of his case;
Faith received to own the Lord,
Whom the scribes and priests abhorred.

Lord, he prayed, remember me;
When in glory thou shalt be;
Soon with me, the Lord replies,
Thou shalt rest in paradise.

This was wondrous grace indeed,
Grace vouchsafed in time of need!
Sinners trust in Jesu's name,
You shall find him still the same.

But beware of unbelief,
Think upon the hardened thief;
If the gospel you disdain,
Christ, to you, will die in vain.


Scheme AABB CCDD EEFF GGHH IIXX JJKK LLMM
Poetic Form Quatrain  (86%)
Metre 10111101 1010111 0010111 1010111 101110 11111 11111 1110111 1111101 0010111 1011101 101011 1010111 1010111 1011101 1010101 1110101 1010111 1110101 111010 1110101 110111 101011 1111101 10111 1010101 1010101 1111101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 851
Words 159
Sentences 9
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 28
Letters per line (avg) 24
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 96
Words per stanza (avg) 22
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

48 sec read
36

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

0 fans

Discuss this John Newton poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The Two Malefactors" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/24040/the-two-malefactors>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    1
    day
    13
    hours
    32
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Which author is considered to be Scotland’s national poet?
    A Robert Louis Stevenson
    B Edwin Morgan
    C Robert Burns
    D Danny Boyle