Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken Story and Lyrics – John Newton, 1725-1807

Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken Lyrics

John Newton

Glorious things of thee are spoken,
Zion, city of our God!
He, whose Word cannot be broken,
Formed thee for His own abode;
On the Rock of Ages founded,
What can shake thy sure repose?
With salvation’s walls surrounded,
Thou mayst smile at all thy foes.

See, the streams of living waters,
Springing from eternal love,
Well supply thy sons and daughters,
And all fear of want remove:
Who can faint while such a river
Ever flows their thirst t’ assuage?
Grace which, like the Lord, the giver,
Never fails from age to age.

Round each habitation hov’ring,
See the cloud and fire appear,
For a glory and a cov’ring,
Showing that the Lord is near;
Thus deriving from our banner
Light by night and shade by day,
Safe they feed upon the manna
Which He gives them when they pray.

Blest inhabitants of Zion,
Washed in the Redeemer’s blood!
Jesus, whom their souls rely on,
Makes them kings and priests to God;
’Tis His love His people raises
Over self to reign as kings,
And as priests, His solemn praises
Each for a thank off’ring brings.

Savior, if of Zion’s city,
I through grace a member am,
Let the world deride or pity,
I will glory in Thy name;
Fading is the worldling’s pleasure,
All his boasted pomp and show;
Solid joys and lasting treasure
None but Zion’s children know.

For more lyrics and stories of popular hymns visit popular and old hymns history and lyrics.

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Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken Story

WHEN John Newton, an English preacher of the eighteenth century, in his old age could no longer read his texts, he was urged to give up preaching.

“What!” said he, “shall the old African blasphemer stop while he can speak?”

And in these words, he correctly characterized himself as he had been before conversion.

Newton could never forget that the grace of God had rescued him from the depths of sin. His godly mother had taught him the Scriptures.

But she died when he was only seven years old, and at the age of eleven, he went to sea with his father.

His life as a sailor was full of exciting adventures and full of wickedness. He became a sea captain and a slave-trader and was enslaved himself for a time.

For years the only good influence that he knew came through his love for his future wife, Mary Catlett.

One frightful night, when he was twenty-three years old, the waterlogged vessel he was steering was almost lost.

Thus, facing death all night long, he surrendered his life to Jesus Christ and turned away from his sins.

Later he came under the influence of Whitefield and the Wesleys, entered the Christian ministry, and lived a life of wide usefulness in the service of the Master.

His influence lives today chiefly in the hymns that he wrote, many of them being first published with those of Cowper in the “Olney Hymns” and similar collections.

His hymn, “Glorious things of thee are spoken,” which we sing to the Austrian national tune, is one of the finest hymns of praise in the English language.

John Newton - Glorious things of thee are spoken hymn writer
John Newton.

Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken YouTube Video

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