Scripture Verse

The Spirit of the Lord filleth the world. Wisdom of Solomon (Apocrypha) 1:7

Introduction

Words: Un­known au­thor, in Toch­ter Si­on (Co­logne, Ger­ma­ny: 1741), page 267 (Al­mum flam­en, vi­ta mun­di). Trans­lat­ed from La­tin to Eng­lish by Jack­son Ma­son in Hymns An­cient and Mo­dern, 1889.

Music: Bar­mouth (Frost) Charles J. Frost, in Hymns An­cient and Mo­dern, 1889 (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pic­ture of Ma­son (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

portrait
Charles J. Frost (1848–1918)

Lyrics

Bounteous Spir­it, ev­er shed­ding
Life the world to fill!
Swarms the fruit­ful globe o’er­spread­ing,
Shoals their ocean path­way thread­ing,
Own Thy quick­en­ing thrill:
Author of each crea­ture’s birth,
Life of life be­neath the earth,
Everywhere, O Spir­it blest,
Thou art mo­tion, Thou art rest.

Come, Cre­at­or! grace be­stow­ing—
All Thy se­ven­fold dow­er!
Come, Thy peace and boun­ty strow­ing,
Earth’s re­new­er! Thine the sow­ing
Thine the glad­den­ing show­er.
Comforter! what joy Thou art
To the blest and faith­ful heart;
But to man’s pri­me­val foe
Uttermost des­pair and woe.

O’er the wa­ters of cre­ation
Moved Thy wings di­vine;
When the world, to ani­ma­tion
Waking ’neath Thy vi­si­ta­tion,
Teemed with pow­ers be­nign:
Thou didst man to be­ing call
Didst re­store him from his fall;
Pouring, like the lat­ter rain,
Grace to quick­en him again.

Thine the Gos­pel Voic­es, cry­ing
As with trum­pet sound;
Till the world, in dark­ness ly­ing,
Rose from death­ly sleep, des­cry­ing
Heavenly light around.
Man, to reach that prize re­vealed,
Armed with Thee as with a shield,
Nerved and girt his fight to win,
Quells the prince of death and sin.

Lowliest hom­age now be­fore Thee
Let the ran­somed pay;
For Thy won­drous gifts ad­ore Thee,
By Thy ho­li­ness im­plore Thee,
While in love they pray:
Holy! Holy! we re­peat,
Kneeling at Thy mer­cy seat;
There un­bo­som ev­ery woe,
Groanings Thou alone canst know.

Fount of grace for ev­ery na­tion,
Refuge of the soul!
Strengthen Thou each new cre­ation,
With the wa­ters of sal­va­tion
Make the guil­ty whole:
Rule on earth the pow­ers that be;
Give us priests in­spired of Thee;
Through Thy ho­ly Church in­crease
Purest un­ity and peace.

Purge and sanc­ti­fy us whol­ly
From the lea­ven of ill;
Save from Sa­tan’s grasp un­ho­ly;
To a liv­ing faith and low­ly
Mould the up­right will;
Till the old­en zeal re­turn,
And with mu­tu­al love we burn;
Till in peace, no more to roam,
All the flock be ga­thered home.