Acquaint thee, O mortal [spirit], acquaint thee with God

Representative Text

Acquaint thee, O spirit, acquaint thee with God,
And joy, like the sunshine, shall beam on thy road;
And peace, like the dew, shall descend round thy head,
And sleep, like an angel, shall visit thy bed.

Acquaint thee, O spirit, acquaint thee with God,
And he shall be with thee when fears are abroad;
Thy safeguard in danger that threatens thy path,
Thy joy in the valley and shadow of death.



Source: A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion (15th ed.) #199

Author: William Knox

Born: August 17, 1789, Firth, Lilliesleaf, Roxburgh, Scotland. Died: November 12, 1825, Edinburgh, Scotland. Buried: New Calton Burial Ground, Edinburgh, Scotland. Knox, William, born at Firth, Lilliesleaf, Roxburgh, Aug. 17, 1789, and educated at the parish school, and the grammar school at Musselburgh. For some time he was engaged in farming at Wrae, near Langholm, Dumfriesshire; but not succeeding to his satisfaction, he left Wrae in 1817, and finally settled in Edinburgh in 1820, where he subsequently obtained employment as a contributor to the public journals. He died in Edinburgh, Nov. 12, 1825. His poetical works were, (1) The Lonely Hearth, North Shields, 1818 ; (2) Songs of Israel, 1824; (3) The Harp of Zion, 1825; and (4) the… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Acquaint thee, O mortal [spirit], acquaint thee with God
Author: William Knox
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Notes

Acquaint thee, O mortal. W. Knox. [Invitation.] As a hymn on "Heavenly Wisdom," and based on Job xxii. 21, 27-28, it appeared in his Harp of Zion, 1825, in 3 stanzas of 8 lines. It was also repeated in his Poems, 1847, p. 162, where it is said in a footnote to have been “written for Mr. Pettet." The use of this hymn in Great Britain is very limited. In Kennedy, 1863, No. 1140, it is given as, "Acquaint thee, my child, acquaint thee," &c. In America, as in Robinson's Songs for the Sanctuary, 1865, 2nd ed., 1872, No. 504, and others, it is: —"Acquaint thyself quickly, O Sinner," &c., and, in common with nearly every collection, the second stanza of the original is omitted. This stanza reads:—

Acquaint thee, O mortal!
Acquaint thee with God,
And the prayer of thy spirit
Shall reach His abode;
And the wish of thy bosom
Shall rise not in vain;
And His favour shall nourish
Thy heart like the rain."

This hymn is also sometimes in common use as:— “Acquaint thee, O Spirit, acquaint thee with God," as in Longfellow and Johnson's Book of Hymns, Boston, 1846, and later eds.

--Excerpts from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

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Instances

Instances (1 - 34 of 34)
Text

A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion (15th ed.) #199

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A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion. (10th ed.) #199

A Collection of Hymns for the Sanctuary. Rev.ed. with a Supplement #d1

Asaph #d3

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Church music #420

Conference Hymns and Tunes #d3

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Good-Will Songs #130

Grammar School Hymn Book #d4

Hymn and Tune Book for the Church and the Home and Services for Congregational Worship. Rev. ed. #d10

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Hymn and Tune Book for the Church and the Home. (Rev. ed.) #34

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Hymns for Public Worship #77

Hymns for Schools and Families #d3

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Hymns for Schools and Families #81

Hymns for Social Worship. 6th ed. #d4

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Living Fountain #185

Melodies of Heaven #d2

Social Hymn and Tune Book #d7

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Songs for Social and Public Worship #1011

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Songs of Pilgrimage #1524

Songs of the Unity #d3

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The Carol #115b

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The Christian Hymn Book #789

The Christian Hymnal #d8

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The Christian Hymnal #518

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The Christian hymnal #574

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The Congregational Hymn Book #462

The Gospel Hymnal #d8

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The New Congregational Hymn and Tune Book, for Public, Social and Private Worship #681

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The Sabbath Hymn and Tune Book #323b

The Sabbath Hymn Book. Baptist ed. #d8

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The School Hymn-Book #79

The Vestry Hymn Book #d5

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Vestry Harmonies #95

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