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.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

48 sec read
36

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABB CCDD EEFF GGHH IIXX JJKK LLMM
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 851
Words 159
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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