Find the text behind the familiar title.
The 1840 Olney Hymns edition, Book I, Hymn 41 prints John Newton’s text under the heading “Faith’s Review and Expectation.” Its opening words are now the name by which most readers find it. The 52lyrics reading page follows this six-stanza printed text, with a link to the fixed Wikisource revision used for transcription.
Know what this edition contains.
All six stanzas of the chosen edition appear on the reading page in source order. Later added verses and modern arrangements are outside this text edition. If you are comparing a performance with these words, a different ending does not by itself mean either source is incomplete; first check which text and arrangement that performance uses.
The sequence moves from Newton’s recollection of being lost, through dangers already survived, toward hope beyond death. The final stanza’s image of the earth dissolving is part of this edition. Reading the sequence as a whole makes it easier to notice when a later performance selects, replaces, or rearranges stanzas.
Trace a line back to the page.
Use the stanza navigation to locate a passage, then open “Source & text edition” below the lyric. It gives the edition name, the source revision, and reuse information. The page describes a historical text, not a particular recording. For the same method applied to other songs and poems, continue with the historical songbook guide.