节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2014-04-19
难易度:Medium
关键字:grace, toil, secure, shield, mortal, wretch, snare, veil
Welcome back.
Have you ever recorded your life experiences in the form of a song or poem?
At one point in John Newton's life when he truly was a wretch, he was in a
deadly storm at sea, trying for hours to control the ship.
God saved his life, which gave him a deep appreciation for Grace, the power of
God.
"'Twas Grace that taught my heart to fear," he wrote, "and Grace my fears
relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear the hour I first believed."
Let's learn more with the next three stanzas of the song "Amazing Grace."
(Music).
Amazing Grace.
The Lord has promised good to me.
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be.
As long as life endures.
Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.
When we've been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise.
Than when we first begun.
(Music).
All right.
(Chinese).
And now let's go to our teachers.
Thank you, Michelle.
Let's get right into the fourth stanza here.
The Lord has promised good to me.
His word my hope secures.
What does this mean?
Well, the Lord is God, and Newton is probably talking about the promises that
God gives everyone in His word.
But what is God's word?
And how does John Newton have access to it?
Well, John Newton recognized the Bible as God's word.
And we live in a time where most of us have access to that.
You're right.
And it's full of promises of good things.
So his hope is secured in God's word.
So is he hoping for things that God already promised to give him?
Well, yes.
I know that we often use the word "hope" to talk about things that may or may
not actually happen.
For example, I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow.
In that sentence, we're not sure if it'll rain or not.
Right. But the hope that John Newton writes about here is more certain than that
kind of hope.
He knows that he will get what God promised, even if it doesn't happen in his
lifetime.
And his next line is: He will my shield and portion be as long as life endures.
Does that sound a little strange?
This is a song with lines that rhyme.
He wanted a word that rhymed with "me," so he changed the sentence structure a
little.
But the meaning is he will be my shield and portion.
And what is a shield?
It's something that protects you from anything bad.
Often warriors would carry shields along with their weapons as they went into
battle.
The shields protected them from the arrows and swords of the enemy.
And this word can also be a verb.
You can shield your eyes from the sun, for example.
But what does John Newton need to be shielded from?
Well, in God's word, a shield is a symbol of faith.
So perhaps Newton is talking about shielding from anything that attacks his
faith in God.
And we see a phrase here: as long as.
It means during the time of something.
So God will be Newton's shield during the time that he is alive.
Let's use this in another way.
As long as you're here, I won't be afraid.
Good. Or we should enjoy our time outside as long as the sun is out.
Well, the fifth stanza says, "Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail, and
mortal life shall cease, I shall possess within the veil, a life of joy and
peace."
Now "yea" here means truly.
And his flesh and heart is referring to his body.
So this could be rewarded truly.
When my body dies, I shall have a life of joy and peace.
But we saw another word there: veil.
Does this add any meaning?
Well, the English phrase "to pass beyond the veil" means to die.
Right now we are on this side of the veil.
If you are within the veil, as Newton writes, you are enjoying life on the other
side -- in heaven.
All right. Well, we've had a great time here.
Right now it's time for us to learn something new with Liz in the Grammar Gym.
We'll enjoy a review skit and see what Linda has for us in the Editor's Summary.
Welcome to the Grammar Gym, friends.
I hope you're all doing well today.
My name is Liz.
Here's our Grammar Tip sentence from today's lesson:
We've no less days to sing God's praise than when we've first begun.
First of all, notice the word "days."
It does not mean several units of 24 hours.
Instead, it means time or a period of time.
So it is uncountable, which is why we use the word "less" instead of "fewer" in
today's sentence.
Now our Grammar Tip focus today is on the pattern: to [verb] no less something
than something.
This pattern is used in formal situations to talk about how one situation is not
different than another situation.
For example: The teacher gives no less attention to students who're struggling
than to students who're doing well.
Or: We should offer no less sympathy to suffering children far away than to
those who are near us.
If you'd like to see some more example sentences, they're available in today's
Grammar Tip section in your Studio Classroom magazine.
That's all the time we have for today.
This is Liz from the Grammar Gym.
I'll see you next time.
Oh, John, what a lovely song.
Did you write this?
I've written many songs.
Which one are you talking about?
Amazing Grace.
How sweet the sound.
That saved a wretch like me.
Yes.
Well, I did write that.
Oh, John Newton, it's a wonderful song.
And God's Grace is wonderful, too.
It changed my life.
God's Grace changed your life?
Oh, yes.
I used to be a big troublemaker.
You, John?
But you're a preacher.
You're a Bible teacher!
I am now.
But my life was different before.
Well, tell me, what happened?
My mother died when I was only seven years old.
What a pity! I'm so sorry.
When I was 11, I went to sea on a ship with my father.
Oh, the life of a sailor sounds exciting.
Yes, I had many adventures, but I grew into a Godless man.
Oh, dear.
Then one night our vessel was tossed about by a big storm.
Oh, no.
The ship was about to sink.
We faced certain death.
Whatever did you do?
I cried out to God.
He heard me, and our ship was spared.
Well, that is amazing.
Yes! God saved my life, and He changed me.
I was lost, but now I'm found.
Oh, John Newton, that is amazing.
Yes. That's God's amazing Grace.
It is.
(Music).
Our EASTER article is one of the most famous Christian songs that has ever been
written.
Even though as written in the 1700s, it is still as popular today as ever.
Amazing Grace tells us of God's great love for us.
We were lost and running from God.
But you know, He continued to look for us and found us and saved us.
The song continues to tell us how God's Grace has taken us through dangers and
toils and will continue to guide us throughout our entire lives.
The song assures us of His protection as long as we live.
This is true from the hour we first believe.
And when we are in heaven singing God's praises, we will sing them for all
eternity, which is so much longer than ten thousand years.
Thanks, Linda.
Well, we hope you have a deeper understanding and appreciation for this famous
song.
And of course, we hope to see you next time right here at Studio Classroom.