HOLY SPIRIT
SDAH 269
Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove,
With all Thy quickening powers;
Kindle a flame of sacred love
In these cold hearts of ours.
Text
1
Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove,
With all Thy quickening powers;
Kindle a flame of sacred love
In these cold hearts of ours.
2
O raise our thoughts from things below,
From vanities and toys!
Then shall we with fresh courage go
To reach eternal joys.
3
Awake our souls to joyful songs;
Let pure devotions rise;
Till praise employs our thankful tongues,
And doubt forever dies.
4
Father, we would no longer live
At this poor, dying rate;
To Thee our thankful love we give,
For Thine to us is great.
5
Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove,
With all Thy quickening powers;
Come, shed abroad a Savior’s love,
And that shall kindle ours.
Hymn Info
Biblical Reference
(a) Matt 3:16, 11 (c) Ps 126:2
Author
Isaac Watts (1674-1748)
Year Published
1707
Hymn Tune
ST. AGNES
Metrical Number
C.M.
Composer
John B. Dykes (1823-1876)
Year Composed
1866
Hymn Score
Piano Accompaniment
Notes
Get to know the hymns a little deeper with the SDA Hymnal Companion. Use our song leader’s notes to engage your congregation in singing with understanding. Even better, involve kids in learning this hymn with our homeschooling materials.
This hymn is altered considerably from the original by Isaac Watts (1674-1748; see Biographies), which appears in his Hymns and Spiritual Songs, 1707. His title was “Breathing After the Holy Spirit: or Fervency of Devotion Desired”; his hymn consisted of five stanzas, of which only 1 and 5 remain.
The metaphor of a dove is taken from the incident at the baptism of Jesus when “The Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him” (Matt. 3:16). The words of John the Baptist are also alluded to in Watts’s comparison of baptism by water and by the Spirit: “He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire” (Matt. 3:11).
ST. AGNES also used for SDAH 241, “Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee,” and SDAH 655, “Happy the Home,” was composed in 1866 by John Bacchus Dykes (1823-1876; see Biographies). The name commemorates a young Roman girl who was martyred at the age of 13 under the persecution of Diocletian in A.D. 304. She had refused to deny her faith in the Lord Jesus and be married to a pagan Roman.
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