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1 Gracious Spirit, Holy Ghost,
taught by thee, we covet most
of thy gifts at Pentecost,
holy, heavenly love.
2 Love is kind, and suffers long,
love is meek, and thinks no wrong,
love than death itself more strong;
therefore give us love.
3 Prophecy will fade away,
melting in the light of day;
love will ever with us stay;
therefore give us love.
4 Faith will vanish into sight;
hope be emptied in delight;
love in heaven will shine more bright;
therefore give us love.
5 Faith and hope and love we see
joining hand in hand agree;
but the greatest of the three,
and the best, is love.
6 From the overshadowing
of thy gold and silver wing
shed on us, who to thee sing,
holy, heavenly love.
Source: Ancient and Modern: hymns and songs for refreshing worship #245a
First Line: | Gracious Spirit, Holy Ghost, Taught by Thee we covet most |
Title: | Gracious Spirit, Holy Ghost |
Author: | Christopher Wordsworth (1862) |
Meter: | 7.7.7.5 |
Language: | English |
Copyright: | Public Domain |
Gracious Spirit, Holy Ghost . Bishop C. Wordsworth of Lincoln. [Quinquagesima.—Love.] First published in his Holy Year, 1st edition, 1862, in 8 stanzas of 4 lines, and appointed for Quinquagesima, being a metrical paraphrase of the Epistle for that day. It is found either in full or in an abbreviated form in several collections, including some of the Public Schools, and a few in American common use. In Martineau's Hymns, 1873, it begins, "Mighty Spirit, Gracious Guide."
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)