Come, Holy Spirit!

191 C. M.
His quickening power.

COME, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove,
   With all thy quickening powers:
   Kindle a flame of sacred love
   In these cold hearts of ours.

2 Look how we grovel here below,
   Fond of these earthly toys;
   Our souls, how heavily they go,
   To reach eternal joys.

3 In vain we tune our formal songs,—
   In vain we strive to rise;
   Hosannas languish on our tongues,
   And our devotion dies.

4 Father, and shall we ever live
   At this poor dying rate;
   Our love so faint, so cold to thee,
   And thine to us so great?

5 Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove
   With all thy quick’ning powers;
   Come, shed abroad our Savior’s love,
   And that shall kindle ours.
                   Isaac Watts
                  Methodist Episcopal hymnal (1870 edition)