O Lord, our languid souls inspire

O Lord, our languid souls inspire

Author: John Newton
Tune: LANCASTER (Howard)
Published in 84 hymnals

Representative Text

1 O Lord, our languid souls inspire,
For here we trust thou art!
Send down a coal of heavenly fire,
To warm each waiting heart.

2 Show us some token of thy love,
Our fainting hope to raise;
And pour thy blessing from above,
That we may render praise.

3 Within these walls let holy praise,
And love and concord dwell;
here give the troubled conscience ease,
The wounded spirit heal.

4 The feeling heart, the melting eye,
The humble mind bestow;
And shine upon us from on high,
To make our graces grow!

5 May we in faith receive thy word,
In faith present our prayers;
And in the presence of our Lord,
Unbosom all our cares.

6 And may the gospel's joyful sound,
Enforced by mighty grace,
Induce dead sinners all round,
To come and fill the place.

The Hartford Selection of Hymns from the most approved authors, 1799

Author: John Newton

John Newton (b. London, England, 1725; d. London, 1807) was born into a Christian home, but his godly mother died when he was seven, and he joined his father at sea when he was eleven. His licentious and tumul­tuous sailing life included a flogging for attempted desertion from the Royal Navy and captivity by a slave trader in West Africa. After his escape he himself became the captain of a slave ship. Several factors contributed to Newton's conversion: a near-drowning in 1748, the piety of his friend Mary Catlett, (whom he married in 1750), and his reading of Thomas Ă  Kempis' Imitation of Christ. In 1754 he gave up the slave trade and, in association with William Wilberforce, eventually became an ardent abolitionist. After becoming a tide… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: O Lord, our languid souls inspire
Author: John Newton
Meter: 8.6.8.6
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Notes

O Lord, our languid souls inspire. J. Newton. [Opening of a Place of Worship.] This hymn was written at the same time and under the same circumstances as Cowper's "Jesus, where'er Thy people meet." Full details are given in the note on that hymn. "O Lord, our languid souls," &c., was published in the Olney Hymns, 1779, Book ii., No. 43, in 7 stanzas of 4 lines, and headed, "On opening a Place for Social Prayer." It is rarely found in its full form. The abbreviated texts sometimes begin with the first stanza, but the most popular arrangements are:—
1. Dear Shepherd of Thy people, hear. This is usually composed of four stanzas of the original, beginning with stanza ii.
2. Great Shepherd of Thy people, hear. This is the most popular form of the hymn. Bickersteth included it in his Christian Psalmody, 1833.
3. Kind Shepherd of Thy people, hear. This arrangement appeared in J. H. Gurney's Collection of Hymns, &c., 1838, and is repeated in later hymnbooks.
The use of this hymn in these various forms is extensive.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Timeline

Instances

Instances (1 - 84 of 84)
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A Collection of Hymns, for the use of the Wesleyan Methodist Connection of America. #168

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A Collection of Hymns #128

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A Pastor's Selection of Hymns and Tunes #187

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Hymn Book of the Methodist Protestant Church. (2nd ed.) #475

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Hymns, Selected and Original #493

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Hymns #493

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Hymns #493

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Psalms and Hymns, Adapted to Public Worship #490

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Revival Gems #183

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The Christian Hymn-Book (Corr. and Enl., 3rd. ed.) #67

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The Christian Melodist #42

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The Hartford Selection of Hymns from the Most Approved Authors #CCLVIII

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The Hartford Selection of Hymns #CCLVIII

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Village hymns for social worship, selected and original #315

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Devotional hymns #S105

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A Collection of Spiritual Hymns #761

A Prayer Meeting and Revival Hymn Book . 27th ed. #d346

A Prayer Meeting and Revival Hymn Book. 5th ed. #d226

A Selection of Hymns #d210

A Selection of Psalms and Hymns for Every Sunday ... Diocese of Quebec #d92

Association Songs No.1 #d117

Collection of Hymns for Public and Private Worship. 4th ed. #d200

Compilation of Hymns for the Use of the Churches of the Christian Union #d519

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Conference Hymns #190

Conference Hymns, Original and Selected. Vol. 2 #d33

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Evangelical Hymns #217

Family Hymns #d177

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Frohe, Gott geheiligte Gesàˆnge #E6

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Hymn book of the Methodist Protestant Church. (4th ed.) #475

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Hymns for Christian Melody #996

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Hymns, Selected and Original, for Public and Private Worship #493

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Hymns #493

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Hymns #493

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New Union Hymns #48

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Parish Hymns #4

Parish Psalmody #d597

Parish Psalmody #d610

Psalms and Hymns Adapted to Social, Private and Public Worship #d619

Psalms and Hymns for the Worship of God #d596

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs #d207

Select Hymns #d320

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Select Hymns, The Third Part of Christian Psalmody. 3rd ed. #aa125

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Select Hymns #125

The Book of Praise #d256

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The Brethren Hymnal #68

The Christian Hymn Book #d470

The Christian Hymn Book (Ohio Auglaize Christian Conference) #d189

The Christian Hymn Book. 7th ed. #d474

The Church Hymn Book #d710

The Old Baptist Hymn Book #d210

The Providence Selection of Hymns, Supplementary to Dr. Watts. #d182

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The Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs of the Rev. Isaac Watts, D. D. #D125

The Social Harp #d225

The Social Harp. Rev. #d270

The Soldier's Hymn Book. 2nd ed. #d170

The South Western Psalmist #d285

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The Westminster Abbey Hymn-Book #287

Village Hymns #315

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Baptist Hymn Book #a461

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Dyer's Psalmist #340

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Hymn Book of the Methodist Protestant Church #188

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Hymn Book of the Methodist Protestant Church. (11th ed.) #188

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Hymns for Social Worship #343

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New Select Hymns #174

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Select Hymns #347

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Songs of Zion Enlarged #304

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Songs of Zion #164

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The Baptist Hymn Book #461

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Village hymns for social worship, selected and original #315

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Village Hymns for Social Worship, Selected and Original #315

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