Lord, raise in me a constant flame

Representative Text

I. Lord, raise in me a constant Flame
Of undefil'd Devotion,
To seek to thy Almighty Name
When sin in me's in Motion.
vouchsafe, that I with Joy espy
Thy Presence in Affliction;
And grant me Care to shun the Snare
Of sinful Contradiction.

II. Draw me by penitential Smart
To holy Resignation;
Create anew my vicious Heart,
And make it thine Oblation.
Let me shed Tears for all the Years
Mispent in sinful Pleasure.
Give gen'rous Hands to make Amends
For wasted Time and Treasure.

III. Quench all my Lust and carnal Fire;
The Fuel of Damnation,
And turn the Stream of my Desire
To strive for my Salvation;
Lord, grant, that I may ne'er deny
Thy Truth in Persecution,
Thy Grace suppress all Selfishness,
To keep me from Pollution.

IV. All angry Motions turn in me
Into a meek Behaviour;
Endow me with Humility,
The Garment of my Saviour:
Whate'er of sin remains within,
Destroy in its first Movement:
Let Love and Peace, the Fruits of Grace,
Make daily new Improvement.

V. Encrease Faith, Hope, and Charity,
By holy Meditation,
And make me tread with Constancy
The Paths of thy Salvation.
To guard my tongue from speaking wrong,
Or giving bad Example,
The Body feed, yet take great Heed,
Not to defile thy Temple.

VI. Grant, that by faithful Diligence
I may adorn my Station,
Nor by proud impious Pretence
Lose thy communication.
Indecency and Cruelty
Remove from Thought and Action;
Hard-heartedness and ev'ry Vice
Root out, with their Infection.

VII. Make me, by foll'wing good Advice,
Forsake discover'd Error,
The Needy help without Disguise;
And Friends and Foes to pray for;
Serve ev'ry Mortal as I can;
Hate Sin, and shun its Pleasure.
Thy saving Word conduct me, Lord,
Till I obtain thy Treasure.


Source: Psalmodia Germanica: or, The German Psalmody: translated from the high Dutch together with their proper tunes and thorough bass (2nd ed., corr. and enl.) #105

Translator: Johann Christian Jacobi

Jacobi, John Christian, a native of Germany, was born in 1670, and appointed Keeper of the Royal German Chapel, St. James's Palace, London, about 1708. He held that post for 42 years, and died Dec. 14, 1750. He was buried in the Church of St. Paul's, Covent Garden. His publications included :— (1) A Collection of Divine Hymns, Translated from the High Dutch. Together with their Proper Tunes and Thorough Bass. London: Printed and Sold by J. Young, in St. Paul’s Churchyard; . . . 1720. This edition contains 15 hymns. Two years later this collection, with a few changes in the text and much enlarged, was republished as (2) Psalmodia Germanica; or a Specimen of Divine Hymns. Translated from the High Dutch. Together with their Proper Tunes… Go to person page >

Author: Johann Heermann

Johann Heermann's (b. Raudten, Silesia, Austria, 1585; d. Lissa, Posen [now Poland], 1647) own suffering and family tragedy led him to meditate on Christ's undeserved suffering. The only surviving child of a poor furrier and his wife, Heermann fulfilled his mother's vow at his birth that, if he lived, he would become a pastor. Initially a teacher, Heermann became a minister in the Lutheran Church in Koben in 1611 but had to stop preaching in 1634 due to a severe throat infection. He retired in 1638. Much of his ministry took place during the Thirty Years' War. At times he had to flee for his life and on several occasions lost all his possessions. Although Heermann wrote many of his hymns and poems during these devastating times, his persona… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Lord, raise in me a constant flame
German Title: Hilf mir mein Gott, hilf, dass nach dir
Author: Johann Heermann
Translator: Johann Christian Jacobi
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

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A Hymn and Prayer-Book #143

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Psalmodia Germanica #105

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