Analysis of A Brand Plucked Out Of The Fire

John Newton 1725 (Wapping, London) – 1807 (London)



With Satan, my accuser, near
My spirit trembled when I saw
The Lord in majesty appear,
And heart the language of the law.

In vain I wish'd and strove to hide
The tatter'd, filthy rags I wore;
While my fierce foe insulting cry'd
See what you trusted in before!

Struck dumb, and left without a plea,
I heard my gracious Saviour say,
Know Satan, I this sinner free,
I died to take his sin away.

This is a brand which I, in love,
To save from wrath and sin design!
In vain thy accusations prove;
I answer all, and call him mine.

At his rebuke the tempter fled;
Then he remov'd my filthy dress;
Poor sinner, take this robe, he said,
It is thy Saviour's rightousness.

And see, a crown of life prepar'd!
That I might thus my head adorn;
I thought no shame or suff'ring hard,
But wore for thee a crown of thorn.

O how I heard these gracious words!
They broke and heal'd my heart at once;
Constrained me to become the Lord's,
And all my idol-gods renounce.

Now, Satan, thou hast lost thy aim,
Against this brand thy threats are vain;
JESUS has pluck'd it from the flame,
And who shall put it in again?


Scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF XGXG HXHB XIXI XXXX JXJX
Poetic Form Quatrain  (75%)
Metre 11010101 11010111 01010001 01010101 01110111 01010111 11110101 11110001 11010101 1111011 11011101 11111101 11011101 11110101 0110101 11010111 1101011 11011101 11011111 11111 01011101 11111101 1111111 11110111 11111101 11011111 01110101 01110101 11011111 01111111 10111101 01111001
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,076
Words 211
Sentences 12
Stanzas 8
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 32
Letters per line (avg) 26
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 104
Words per stanza (avg) 26
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:06 min read
93

John Newton

Rev Dr John A Newton CBE is a prominent Methodist minister, author, historian and former President of the Methodist Conference. more…

All John Newton poems | John Newton Books

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