Aged Preachers

John Newton was born in 1725 in London. He was pastor at Olney for 16 years, and then, in 1779, he became minister of St. Mary Woolnoth. He preached there in London until almost the end of his life in 1807. In 1806, Richard Cecil counseled Newton to cease preaching, Newton gave the memorable reply, "I cannot stop. What, shall the old African blasphemer stop while he can speak?" When preaching in his old age, Newton would sometimes get lost and drift in his sermon. He knew it when it happened, and he was known to have said, "I may not know where I am, but I know two things for certain: that I am a great sinner and that Jesus is a great Savior." And that is preaching the gospel to the point!