He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him.
Matthew 3:16
Words: Adoniram Judson, circa 1829, alt. Appeared in Winchell’s Collection, 1832.
Music: Maryton H. Percy Smith, in Church Hymns with Tunes (London: 1874) (🔊 pdf nwc).
If you know where to get a good photo of Smith (head & shoulders, at least 200×300 pixels),
Come, Holy Spirit, Dove divine,
On these baptismal waters shine,
And teach our hearts, in highest strain,
To praise the Lamb for sinners slain.
We love Your name, we love Your laws,
And joyfully embrace Your cause;
We love Your cross, the shame, the pain,
O Lamb of God, for sinners slain.
We sink beneath the water’s face,
And thank You for Your saving grace;
We die to sin and seek a grave
With You, beneath the yielding wave.
And as we rise with You to live,
O let the Holy Spirit give
The sealing unction from above,
The joy of life, the fire of love.