<P> "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779, with words written by the English poet and Anglican clergyman John Newton (1725--1807). </P> <P> Newton wrote the words from personal experience . He grew up without any particular religious conviction, but his life's path was formed by a variety of twists and coincidences that were often put into motion by his recalcitrant insubordination . He was pressed (conscripted) into service in the Royal Navy, and after leaving the service, he became involved in the Atlantic slave trade . In 1748, a violent storm battered his vessel off the coast of County Donegal, Ireland, so severely that he called out to God for mercy, a moment that marked his spiritual conversion . He continued his slave trading career until 1754 or 1755, when he ended his seafaring altogether and began studying Christian theology . </P>

When was amazing grace my chains are gone written