See, Another Year is Gone
Hymn History
By Savannah Logan
John Newton (1725–1807), born in London, England, is remembered as a clergyman, hymn writer, and abolitionist whose life exemplified the power of redemption and transformation. Raised in a Christian household, he experienced a tragic turning point at the age of seven when his mother passed away. Following her death, Newton joined his father at sea at just eleven years old, beginning a tumultuous life marked by rebellion and hardship.
As a young sailor, Newton’s behavior was characterized by recklessness and defiance. He faced a flogging after deserting the Royal Navy and endured brutal treatment as a captive under a trader of enslaved people in West Africa. Despite these hardships, one constant in his life was his deep affection for Mary Catlett, whom he met at seventeen and married in 1750. His eventual spiritual awakening was influenced by several key events, including his near-drowning during a storm in 1748 and his reading of The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis.
Newton’s conversion led him to abandon the trade of enslaved people in 1754, a decision that reflected his growing Christian convictions. Over time, he became a passionate advocate for abolition, aligning himself with figures like William Wilberforce in the fight to end slavery. Before fully entering the ministry, Newton spent years studying Hebrew and Greek, preaching occasionally, and interacting with influential Christian leaders such as George Whitefield and John and Charles Wesley.
Ordained in 1764, Newton served as a minister in Olney, Buckinghamshire, where he developed a close friendship with poet William Cowper. Together, they published the Olney Hymns in 1779, a collection that included Newton’s most famous hymn, “Amazing Grace.” In 1780, he became rector of St. Mary Woolnoth in London, where he ministered until his death in 1807.
John Newton’s remarkable journey from a wayward sailor to a devoted servant of God and champion for justice continues to inspire. His hymns and his role in the abolitionist movement remain enduring testaments to his faith and commitment to transformation.
While I could not find much history behind his hymn “See, Another Year is Gone,” I invite you to reflect with me on the lyrics he penned all those many years ago. As 2024 comes to a close and we welcome in 2025, another year has come and gone, along with it the good, the bad, and everything in between. May we all pause, reflect, and allow ourselves to be fully present in the realness of the blessings we have been given before stepping into the new year.
“See! another year is gone!
Quickly have the seasons passed!
This we enter now upon
May to many prove our last.
Mercy hitherto has spared,
But have mercies been improved?
Let us ask, am I prepared
Should I be this year removed?
Some we now no longer see,
Who their mortal race have run;
Seemed as fair for life as we,
When the former year begun;
Some, but who God only knows,
Who are here assembled now,
Ere the present year shall close,
To the stroke of death must bow.
Life a field of battle is,
Thousands fall within our view;
And the next death-bolt that flies,
May be sent to me or you:
While we preach, and while we hear,
Help us, Lord, each one, to think,
Vast eternity is near,
I am standing on the brink.
If from guilt and sin set free,
By the knowledge of Thy grace;
Welcome, then, the call will be
To depart and see Thy face:
To Thy saints, while here below,
With new years, new mercies come;
But the happiest year they know
Is their last, which leads them home.”