This letter was written by John Newton (1725–1807) to Mrs. S. Gardiner in 1776. Newton, best known for his hymn “Amazing Grace,” was the curate of Olney and wrote over 200 hymns during his lifetime. The text indicates that this letter was the first in their correspondence, as Newton notes the need for her address when she next writes and that he “cannot promise to be [a] very punctual correspondent having many engagements.” Throughout his letter, he writes of God’s grace and how God is known to us, writing, “Thus God is made known to us by the Gospel in the endearing views of a savior, a shepherd, a Husband and a friend.”