1 Spirit, by whose operation Faith and holiness proceed, Source of heav’nly conversation, Strength in weakness, help in need; Spirit, by whose inspiration Prophets and Apostles spake; Martyrs bled, and tribulation Saints endured for Jesus’ sake. 2 Lord, endue us with Thy blessing; That, though babes we be in grace, Faith and love and zeal possessing For Thy house and holy place, We may give our dearest treasure, All the good things of this life, Honor, wealth, and dearest pleasures, In the great and holy strife. 3 Give us Abrah’ms faith unshaken That Thy promise must be true, And what God has undertaken He assuredly will do; Which not only could unmoved Trust the covenant of grace, But the thing which he most loved At the Lord’s disposal place. 4 Give us Joseph’s chaste behavior When the world with crafty wiles Seeks to draw us from the Saviour To herself with frowns or smiles, Give us grace and strength for shunning This ensnaring Potiphar, Wisdom to elude her cunning, Strength her open hate to bear. 5 Give us David’s bold defiance Of the Lord’s and Israel’s foes; And in trouble, the reliance Which in God, his Rock, he shows; His right princely disposition, Friendship, constancy, and truth; But still more, his deep contrition, For the errors of his youth. 6 Arm us with Thy true discernment As Elijah, in these days When men, led by superstition, To false idols altars raise. Let us shun the mere profession Common in our days and land, Witnessing a good profession, Even if alone we stand. 7 Give us the Apostles’ daring And their bold, undaunted mood, Threats and fierce reproaches bearing To proclaim the Saviour’s blood; Let us to the truth bear witness; Truth alone can make us free; Nor leave off until its sweetness All shall taste and know through Thee. 8 Give us Stephen’s look collected And His calm and peaceful mind, When we meet with unexpected Trials of the fiercest kind; In the midst of shouts and crying, Let us with composure stand; Open heav’n to us in dying; Show us Christ at God’s right hand. 9 Spirit, by whose operation Faith and hope and love are giv’n, Source of holy conversation, Bearing seed and fruit for heav’n; Spirit, by whose inspiration Prophets and apostles spake, Visit us with Thy salvation, Dwell with us for Jesus’ sake!
Source: Zion's Harp: a collection of hymns and songs for the Apostolic Christian Church of America #175
Spitta, Carl Johann Philipp, D.D., was born Aug. 1, 1801, at Hannover, where his father, Lebrecht Wilhelm Gottfried Spitta, was then living, as bookkeeper and teacher of the French language. In his eleventh year Spitta fell into a severe illness, which lasted for four years, and so threw him back that his mother (the father died in 1805) abandoned the idea of a professional career, and apprenticed him to a watchmaker. This occupation did not prove at all congenial to him, but he would not confess his dislike, and his family were ignorant of it till an old friend, who was trying to comfort him after the death of a younger brother, discovered his true feelings. The younger brother had been preparing for ordination, and so Carl was now invited… Go to person page >
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