In Evil Long I Took Delight

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



In evil long I took delight,
Unawed by shame or fear,
Till a new object struck my sight,
And stopped my wild career.

I saw One hanging on a tree,
In agony and blood,
Who fixed His languid eyes on me,
As near His cross I stood.

Sure, never to my latest breath,
Can I forget that look;
It seemed to charge me with His death,
Though not a word He spoke.

My conscience felt and owned the guilt,
And plunged me in despair,
I saw my sins His blood had spilt,
And helped to nail Him there.

A second look He gave, which said,
“I freely all forgive;
This blood is for thy ransom paid;
I die that thou mayst live.”

Thus, while His death my sin displays
In all its blackest hue,
Such is the mystery of grace,
It seals my pardon too.

With pleasing grief and mournful joy,
My spirit now is fill'd,
That I should such a life destroy,
Yet live by Him I kill'd.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 24, 2023

52 sec read
297

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB CXCX DXDX EFEF XXXX XGXG HIHI
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 830
Words 172
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

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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