By Sarah Levesque Losardo … John Newton was born July 24, 1725, in London, England. After his mother died when he was seven years old, John began to join his father, a sea captain, on his voyages. At the age of sixteen, John was pressed into service by the Royal Navy, and later became a sailor on a slave trader ship, eventually working his way up to captain. On March 10, 1748, John’s childhood faith, taught to him by his mother, was reawakened in him by a terrible storm which put his ship in grave danger…