Spirit of God, That Moved of Old

Spirit of God, that moved of old
Upon the waters’ darkened face,
Come, when our faithless hearts are cold,
And stir them with an inward grace.

Thou that art power and peace combined,
All highest strength, all purest love,
The rushing of the mighty wind,
The brooding of the gentle dove.

Come, give us still Thy powerful aid,
And urge us on, and make us Thine;
Nor leave the hearts that once were made
Fit temples for Thy grace divine.

Nor let us quench Thy sev’nfold light;
But still with softest breathings stir
Our wayward souls, and lead us right,
O Holy Ghost, the Comforter.

Author: George Croly

Year: 1854

This hymn text first appeared in Croly's 1854 collection 'Psalms and Hymns for Public Worship'. Some later hymnals have attributed it to 'A. Reed' or listed it as anonymous, but the preponderance of evidence points to George Croly (1780–1860).