The Cyber Hymnal ‎#5448

5448. Our Blest Redeemer, ere He Breathed

1. Our blest Redeemer, ere He breathed
His tender last farewell,
A Guide, a Comforter, bequeathed
With us to dwell.

2. He came in semblance of a dove,
With sheltering wings outspread,
The holy balm of peace and love
On earth to shed.

3. He came in tongues of living flame
To teach, convince, subdue,
All powerful as the wind He came
As viewless too.

4. He came sweet influence to impart,
A gracious, willing Guest,
While He can find one humble heart
Wherein to rest.

5. And His that gentle voice we hear,
Soft as the breath of even,
That checks each fault, that calms each fear,
And speaks of Heav’n.

6. And every virtue we possess,
And every conquest won,
And every thought of holiness,
Are His alone.

7. Spirit of purity and grace,
Our weakness, pitying, see:
O make our hearts Thy dwelling place
And worthier Thee.

Text Information

• First Line: Our blest Redeemer, ere He breathed
• Title: Our Blest Redeemer, ere He Breathed
• Author: Harriet Auber (1829)
• Meter: 86.84
• Language: English
• Source: Spirit of the Psalms, 1829
• Copyright: Public Domain
• Notes: Auber was sitting in her bedroom one day, looking out the window, meditating on a sermon she had heard that morning, when an idea for a hymn poem came to her. Not having pen or paper nearby, she took off her diamond ring and etched the verses on the window. The hymn was there for many years afterward, but unfortunately, the pane was cut out and stolen after her death. Ironically, the subject of the hymn is the inner working of the Holy Spirit, a work that is largely invisible, though we can see its outward effects. An ethereal message scratched on glass seems a fitting emblem for it. Dykes wrote the tune for these words.

Tune Information

• Name: ST. CUTHBERT
• Composer: John Bacchus Dykes (1861)
• Meter: 86.84
• Incipit: 11123 44351 33454
• Key: e♭ minor
• Copyright: Public Domain