Come to Thy temple here on earth,
Be Thou my spirit's guest,
Who givest us of mortal birth
A second birth more blest;
Spirit beloved, Thou mighty Lord,
Who with the Father and the Son
Reignest upon an equal throne,
Art equally adored!
Oh enter, let me feel and know
Thy mighty power within,
That can alone our help bestow,
And rescue us from sin.
Oh cleanse my soul and make it white,
That I with heart unstained and true,
May daily render service due,
And honour Thee aright.
I was a wild unfruitful vine
Which Thou shouldst prune and train;
Death pierced through all this life of min,
But Thou my foe hast slain.
Thy holy baptism is his grave,
He perishes beneath the flood
Of His most precious death and blood,
Who died our life to save.
Thou art the Spirit who dost teach
To pray aright, for all
Our prayers are heard if Thou beseech,
Thy songs have sweetest fall.
They soar on tireless wings to heaven,
They fail not from before God's throne,
Till all His goodness we have known
By whom all help is given.
Thou art the Spirit of all joy,
Sadness Thou lovest not;
Thy comfort beaming from on high,
Lights up the darkest lot.
Ah yes, how many a time of old
Thy voice hath rapt my soul away,
To yon bright halls of endless day,
And oped the gates of gold!
Thou art the Spirit of all love,
The Friend of all kindly life,
Thou wouldst not that our hearts should prove
The pangs of wrath and strife.
Thou hatest hatred's withering reign,
In souls that discord maketh dark
Dost Thou rekindle love's bright spark,
And make them one again.
On Thee is all this world upstaid,
And in Thy hands doth rest;
And Thou canst wayward hearts persuade
To turn as seems Thee best:
Oh therefore give Thy love and peace,
That they may join in strongest bands
Long parted foes, and through our lands
These sad divisions cease.
Thou art the true, the only Source
Whence concord comes to men;
Oh that Thy power might have free course
And bring us peace again!
Oh hear, and stem this mighty flood
That o'er us death and sorrow spreads;
Alas! each day afresh it sheds
Like water human blood.
And let our nation learn to know
What, and how deep, our sin;
Nay, let God's judgments come, if so
A fire be lit within
The hearts that loved themselves to please;
In bitter shame now let them burn,
And loving Thee, repentant spurn
Their selfish worldly ease.
Grace for the contrite heart abounds,
Joy to the sad is given;
To serve God's truth will heal our wounds,
And bring us help from heaven;
Lord, for Thine honour's sake, make known
Thy power, convert the wicked now,
And teach the hard to weep, for Thou
Canst soften steel and stone!
Arise and make an end of all
Our heartache, and our pain;
Thy wandering flock at last recall
And grant them joy again;
To peace and wealth the land restore,
Wasted with fire or plague or sword;
Come to Thy ruined churches, Lord,
And bid them bloom once more!
The rulers of our land defend,
Our sovereign's throne uphold;
That he and we may prosper, send
True wisdom to the old;
With piety the young men bless,
And through the nation shed abroad
True virtue and the fear of God,
A nation's happiness.
Fill every heart with holy zeal
To keep the faith unstained;
Let house and land Thy blessing feel,
Whence all true wealth is gained.
Him who resists Thy inward powers,
The Evil Spirit, make Thou flee;
Whate'er delights Thy heart, would he
Fain root from out of ours.
Give strong and cheerful hearts to stand
Undaunted in the wars
That Satan's fierce and mighty band
Is waging with Thy cause.
Help us to fight as warriors brave,
That we may conquer in the field,
And not one Christian man may yield
His soul to sin a slave.
Order according to Thy mind
Our life from day to day,
And when this life must be resigned,
And death has seized his prey,
When all our days have fleeted by,
Help us to die with fearless spirit,
And let us after death inherit
Eternal life on high.
Source: Lyra Germanica: The Christian Year #49
Paul Gerhardt (b. Gräfenheinichen, Saxony, Germany, 1607; d. Lubben, Germany, 1676), famous author of Lutheran evangelical hymns, studied theology and hymnody at the University of Wittenberg and then was a tutor in Berlin, where he became friends with Johann Crüger. He served the Lutheran parish of Mittenwalde near Berlin (1651-1657) and the great St. Nicholas' Church in Berlin (1657-1666). Friederich William, the Calvinist elector, had issued an edict that forbade the various Protestant groups to fight each other. Although Gerhardt did not want strife between the churches, he refused to comply with the edict because he thought it opposed the Lutheran "Formula of Concord," which condemned some Calvinist doctrines. Consequently, he was r… Go to person page >
Catherine Winkworth (b. Holborn, London, England, 1827; d. Monnetier, Savoy, France, 1878) is well known for her English translations of German hymns; her translations were polished and yet remained close to the original. Educated initially by her mother, she lived with relatives in Dresden, Germany, in 1845, where she acquired her knowledge of German and interest in German hymnody. After residing near Manchester until 1862, she moved to Clifton, near Bristol. A pioneer in promoting women's rights, Winkworth put much of her energy into the encouragement of higher education for women. She translated a large number of German hymn texts from hymnals owned by a friend, Baron Bunsen. Though often altered, these translations continue to be used i… Go to person page >
My Starred Hymns
My FlexScores
My Hymnals
My Purchased Files