Lord, the Spirit, Truth divine

E281
1
Lord, the Spirit, Truth divine,
Dawn upon this heart of mine;
Word of God, and inward light,
Wake my spirit, clear my sight.
2
Lord, the Spirit, Love divine,
Glow within this heart of mine,
Kindle every high desire,
Perish self in Thy pure fire.
3
Lord, the Spirit, Power divine,
Fill and nerve this will of mine;
By Thee may I strongly live,
Bravely bear, and nobly strive.
4
Lord, the Spirit, Peace divine,
Still this restless heart of mine,
Speak to calm this tossing sea,
Stayed in Thy tranquillity.
5
Lord, the Spirit, Joy divine,
Gladden Thou this heart of mine;
In the desert ways I’ll sing:
Spring, O Well, forever spring!
(Repeat the last line of each stanza)
2
Phil

Newport, New Hampshire, United States

Once Bible believing? Perhaps you mean once literalists.


Steve Miller

Detroit, MI, United States

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, one of the first great American poets, is renowned for works like "Evangeline," The Song of Hiawatha," and "Tales of a Wayside Inn." About the same time that he was writing "Tales of a Wayside Inn," his brother, Samuel Longfellow, was compiling a hymnbook. In this hymnal, Samuel included a hymn he had recently written, "Holy Spirit, Truth Divine." Though Samuel was a minister in the Unitarian [at that time Bible-believing Christians] church, as he grew older, he refused to be called a Unitarian. - Great Songs of Faith by Brown & Norton

The original of this song says, "Holy Spirit" instead of "Lord the Spirit".

There are 2 additional stanzas in the original:

Inserted between stanzas 3 & 4:

Holy Spirit, Right divine,

King within my conscience reign;

Be my Lord, and I shall be

Firmly bound, forever free.

Added at the end:

Now incline me to repent,

Let me now my sins lament,

Now my foul revolt deplore,

Weep, believe, and sin no more.