1 By the poor widow's oil and meal
Elijah was sustain'd;
Though small the stock, it lasted well,
For God the store maintain'd.
2 It seem'd as if from day to day,
They were to eat and die;
But still, though in a secret way,
He sent a fresh supply.
3 Thus to his poor he still will give
Just for the present hour;
But for to-morrow they must live
Upon his word and pow'r.
4 No barn or store-house they possess,
On which they can depend;
Yet have no cause to fear distress,
For Jesus is their friend.
5 Then let no doubt your mind assail,
Remember, God has said,
"The cruise and barrel shall not fail,
"My people shall be fed."
6 And thus, though faint it often seems,
He keeps their grace alive;
Supply'd by his refreshing streams,
Their dying hopes revive.
7 Though in ourselves we have no stock,
The Lord is nigh to save;
His door flies open when we knock,
And 'tis but ask and have.
Hymns and Spiritual Songs for the use of Christians, 1803
John Newton (b. London, England, 1725; d. London, 1807) was born into a Christian home, but his godly mother died when he was seven, and he joined his father at sea when he was eleven. His licentious and tumultuous sailing life included a flogging for attempted desertion from the Royal Navy and captivity by a slave trader in West Africa. After his escape he himself became the captain of a slave ship. Several factors contributed to Newton's conversion: a near-drowning in 1748, the piety of his friend Mary Catlett, (whom he married in 1750), and his reading of Thomas à Kempis' Imitation of Christ. In 1754 he gave up the slave trade and, in association with William Wilberforce, eventually became an ardent abolitionist. After becoming a tide… Go to person page >
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