
1 O SPIRIT of the living God,
In all Thy plenitude of grace,
Where’er the foot of man hath trod,
Descend on our apostate race.
2 Give tongues of fire and hearts of love,
To preach the reconciling word;
Give power and unction from above
Whene’er the joyful sound is heard.
3 Be darkness, at Thy coming, light;
Confusion order in Thy path:
Souls without strength inspire with might;
Bid mercy triumph over wrath.
4 O Spirit of the Lord, prepare
All the round earth her God to meet;
Breathe Thou abroad, like morning air,
Till hearts of stone begin to beat.
5 Baptize the nations; far and nigh
The triumphs of the cross record;
The name of Jesus glorify,
Till every kindred call Him Lord.
6 God, from eternity, hath willed
All flesh shall His salvation see:
So be the Father’s love fulfilled,
The Saviour’s sufferings crowned through Thee.
Source: Redemption Hymnal #236
First Line: | O Spirit of the living God, In all Thy plenitude of grace |
Title: | O Spirit of the Living God |
Author: | James Montgomery (1823) |
Meter: | 8.8.8.8 |
Language: | English |
Copyright: | Public Domain |
O Spirit of the living God. J. Montgomery. [For Missions.] Written in 1823 "to be sung at the Public Meeting of the Auxiliary Missionary Society for the West Biding of Yorkshire, to be sung in Salem Chapel, Leeds, June 4, 1823." It was first printed on a fly-sheet for that meeting, and again in the Evangelical Magazine in the following August. After a careful and most successful revision it was published by Montgomery in his Christian Psalmist, 1825, No. 552, in 6 stanzas of 4 lines, and headed "The Spirit accompanying the Word of God; " and again in his Original Hymns, 1853, No. 257. It is usually given in an abridged form; but the text is seldom altered. As a hymn on behalf of Missions it has great merit, and is in extensive use in all English-speaking countries. The original text is given in the Churchman's Shilling Magazine, 1877.
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)