1 I want that adorning divine
Thou only, my God, canst bestow;
I want in those garments to shine
Which mark out thy household below.
Refrain:
O speak, O speak while before thee I pray!
And, O Lord, just what seemeth thee good
Reveal, and my heart shall obey.
2 I want, O I want to attain
More likeness, my Saviour, to thee;
That longed-for resemblance to gain,
Thy comeliness put upon me!
3 I want to be marked for thine own,
Thy seal in my forehead to wear,
Each talent and grace thine alone,
Each act thy approval to bear.
4 I want every moment to feel
Thy Spirit indwelling my heart,
Thy power ever present to heal
And newness of life to impart.
5 I want, and this sums up my prayer,
To glorify thee till I die;
Then yield up my soul to thy care,
And breathe out in faith my last sigh.
Source: The Song Book of the Salvation Army #589
First Line: | I want that adorning divine |
Title: | Earnest Desire |
Author: | Charlotte Elliott |
Language: | English |
Refrain First Line: | I want and this will be my prayer |
Copyright: | Public Domain |
I want that adorning divine. Charlotte Elliott. [For Purity.] This poem on "The Pilgrim's Wants" appeared in the Christian Remembrancer pocket book, 1848, and as one of J. Groom's leaflets, 1848, in 9 stanzas of 4 lines. Each stanza is based upon a passage of Holy Scripture.
i. Col. iii. 12-17; ii. Rom. viii. 11, 16; iii. 1 John iii. 2, 3; iv. Rev. ii. 17; vi. John iv. 2, 5; vi. 1 John ii. 15; vii. Matt. vi. 19, 21; viii. Heb. xiii. 5, 6; ix. Philip iii. 8, 9.
It is also given in Leaves from the Christian Remembrancer, 1871, and in Leaves from Unpublished Journals, Letters and Poems of Charlotte Elliott, Lond., n.d. (cir. 1870). In Snepp's Songs of Grace & Glory, 1872, it is given in two parts, Pt. ii. being, "I want Thine own hand to unbind." [William T. Brooke]
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)