Analysis of Satan Returning

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



When Jesus claims the sinner's heart,
Where Satan ruled before;
The evil spirit must depart,
And dares return no more.

But when he goes without constraint,
And wanders from his home;
Although withdrawn, 'tis but a feint,
He means again to come.

Some outward change perhaps is seen
If Satan quit the place;
But though the house seem swept and clean,
'Tis destitute of grace.

Except the Saviour dwell and reign
Within the sinner's mind;
Satan, when he returns again,
Will easy entrance find.

With rage and malice sevenfold,
He then resumes his sway;
No more by checks to be controlled,
No more to go away.

The sinner's former state was bad,
But worse the latter far;
He lives possessed, and blind, and mad,
And dies in dark despair.

Lord save me from this dreadful end!
And from this heart of mine,
O drive and keep away the fiend
Who fears no voice but thine.


Scheme ABAB CXCX DEDE XFXF GHGH IXIX XJXJ
Poetic Form Quatrain  (71%)
Metre 1101011 110101 01010101 010111 11110101 010111 1011101 110111 11010111 110101 11011101 11011 0101101 01011 10110101 110101 1101010 110111 11111101 111101 0110111 110101 11010101 010101 11111101 011111 11010101 111111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 845
Words 157
Sentences 9
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 28
Letters per line (avg) 24
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 96
Words per stanza (avg) 22
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

48 sec read
90

John Newton

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

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