Pour Out Thy Spirit from on High

337 Pour Out Thy Spirit from on High

1 Lord, pour Thy Spirit from on high,
   And Thine ordained servants bless;
   Graces and gifts to each supply,
   And clothe Thy priests with righteousness.

2 Within Thy temple when they stand,
   To teach the truth as taught by Thee,
   Saviour, like stars in Thy right hand,
   Let all Thy Church's pastors be.

3 Wisdom, and zeal, and faith impart,
   Firmness and meekness from above,
   To bear Thy people in their heart,
   And love the souls whom Thou dost love;

4 To love, and pray, and never faint,
   By day and night their guard to keep,
   To warn the sinner, form the saint,
   To feed Thy lambs, and fold Thy sheep.

5 So, when their work is finish'd here,
   They may in hope their charge resign;
   So, when their Master shall appear,
   They may with crowns of glory shine.
                         James Montgomery
                         Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
I've mentioned before that you should take a look at his brief biography, but I'll just grab line here: "Montgomery was imprisoned briefly when he printed a song that celebrated the fall of the Bastille and again when he described a riot in Sheffield that reflected unfavorably on a military commander. He also protested against slavery, the lot of boy chimney sweeps, and lotteries."

Would that there were more Christians like him today!
</idle musing>