++ I'm think so I'm ++

「奇異恩典」雖為蘇格蘭民謠，亦流行並被使用於整個英倫三島含英格蘭、威爾斯及愛爾蘭。後來隨著移民將其帶入美洲新大陸，現在已成為美國全國性或民間慶典活動的最主要曲目音樂。

「奇異恩典」為知名的基督教聖詩，多位知名歌手都曾演唱過此曲，也曾出現在多項歷史性場合上，全球有超過上萬個版本。

Amazing Grace was written by John Newton to commemorate his personal experience of being saved by amazing grace. Through the years other writers composed additional verses to the hymn, which eventually became known as Amazing Grace.

When John was eleven years old he went to sea with his father. They shared six voyages together before Newton senior retired. In 1744 John was impressed into service on a man-of-war. He found conditions intolerable, and soon he deserted. But he was very quickly captured and given a public flogging.

Finally he was exchanged into service on a slave ship, and brutally abused by the slave trader. Early in 1748 he was rescued by a sea captain who had known his father. John Newton ultimately became captain of his own ship, where he also worked the slave trade.

On a homeward voyage in 1748 he was struggling with a violent storm. He recorded in his journal that he thought all was lost and he shouted, "Lord, have mercy upon us."

Later he came to feel that God addressed him through that storm and that grace had begun to work in his life. That day was May 10, 1748 - when he first subjected his own will to a higher power.

約翰紐敦在奧而麗牧會15年，寫作聖詩極多，晚年在倫敦聖瑪利教堂牧會時，記憶力日漸衰退，甚至有時後語不對前言，有人建議他退休，他說：「我的記憶力已似全失，但我還能記得兩件事：第一、我是一個大罪人，第二、基督是大救主。」

在英國奧而麗教區的聖彼得與保羅教堂，有一座墓誌銘寫著：「約翰紐敦，曾任僱役；行為放蕩，頑梗悖逆；落魄非洲，淪為奴隸；主恩憐恤，脫離罪域；蒙召事奉，迺膺聖職，前棄真道，終傳訊息。」

「奇異恩典」一詩中，約翰紐敦自稱為「卑鄙惡者」，不配蒙主「恩典」，但主耶穌竟將此恩典施於其身，當他得知基督深愛罪人，並為罪人受死，他心中充滿無限驚奇，進而知曉眾罪已蒙恩赦。約翰紐敦從一個身歷萬劫，遭遇絕境的落難人，轉變為一個博貫群經，榮神益人，蒙主重用的鼎鼎大名宗教領袖，正是「奇異恩典」最好的寫照。

 資料來源為 http://www3.nsysu.edu.tw/wantan/heart/wte2l.htm