How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds
The following is a hymn by John Newton entitled “How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds.”
How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds
In a believer’s ear!
It soothes his sorrow, heals his wounds,
And drives away his fear,
It makes the wounded spirit whole
And calms the troubled breast;
’Tis manna to the hungry soul,
And to the weary rest,
Dear Name! the Rock on which I build;
My shield and hiding-place;
My never-failing treasury, filled
With boundless stores of grace,
Jesus, my Shepherd, Brother, Friend,
My Prophet, Priest, and King;
My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End,
Accept the praise we bring,
Weak is the effort of my heart,
And cold my warmest thought;
But when I see Thee as Thou art,
I’ll praise Thee as I ought,
Till then I would Thy love proclaim
With every fleeting breath;
And may the music of Thy Name
Refresh my soul in death.
Meet the author:
John Newton
(1725-1807)
John Newton began as a captain of slave ships. But when he converted to Christianity, he became an outspoken abolitionist, pastor, and hymnist. He wrote very familiar hymns, such as, “Amazing Grace” and “Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken”. Perhaps Newton’s greatest legacy are the many pastoral letters he wrote to his congregants, stirring them on to love and good works.