Authored by John Newton, this parting hymn has a distinct biographical origin recorded in Josiah Bull's biography of Newton. In November 1776, Newton underwent a successful surgical operation to remove a tumor from his thigh, and upon his swift recovery and return to his pastoral duties, he composed this text. It was published as No. 71 in Book II of the Olney Hymns (1779) in seven stanzas of four lines under the simple heading "Parting." The text was widely adopted in early British and American hymnals as a benediction for departing Christian assemblies. A popular derivative hymn beginning with the line "For a season called to part" was compiled using stanzas four, five, and six of Newton's original text, gaining extensive use in the New Congregational Hymn Book (1859) and numerous American collections.
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Safely Through Another Week
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Day of Judgment, Day of Wonders!
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I Asked the Lord That I Might Grow
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