Monday, September 14, 2015

Bi-Weekly Hymn Spotlight: Come Down, O Love Divine

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Come down, O love divine,
seek thou this soul of mine,
and visit it with thine own ardor glowing;
O Comforter, draw near,
within my heart appear,
and kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing.

O let it freely burn,
till earthly passions turn
to dust and ashes in its heat consuming;
and let thy glorious light
shine ever on my sight,
and clothe me round, the while my path illuming.

Let holy charity
mine outward vesture be,
and lowliness become mine inner clothing;
true lowliness of heart,
which takes the humbler part,
and o'er its own shortcomings weeps with loathing.

And so the yearning strong,
with which the soul will long,
shall far outpass the power of human telling;
for none can guess its grace,
till Love create a place

wherein the Holy Spirit makes a dwelling.

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Words: Bianco da Siena, d. 1434;

trans. Richard Frederick Littledale, Jr., 1867




Brief Synopsis:

Not much is known about the author of this beautiful hymn. A Catholic mystic, Bianco Da Siena, was born in a small Italian hamlet, Anciolina. He later moved to Siena, where he worked as a wood carver. Bianco was a member of the Gesuati, living in a monastery. He composed his music in what is known as the "laude" form (a form that was used outside of the Catholic liturgy and was usually composed as "melody only.")

Bianco's hymn became better known after the Irish composer, Richard Littledale translated 4 of the hymn's stanzas and it was put in the English Hymnal in 1906. 

The English composer Ralph Vaughn Williams (1872-1958) later set the hymn to music in a way that draws the beauty and richness of the lyrics out. 


How is this hymn meaningful to believers, past and present?


I was introduced to this hymn through listening to a recording of musician Fernando Ortega performing it. The lyrics struck me with their simple poignancy and it seemed as though grace breathed through the notes. The hymn spoke to me of surrender--of surrendering one's whole soul, life, body, spirit, mind, and heart to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. 

And then it spoke of that filling, that indescribable moment when the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in a believer's heart and begins to mold and shape every aspect of his inner person. 

I grew up surrounded by and immersed in very Conservative theology. I am grateful for the solid, biblical foundation that the Lord provided for me through that experience. I was "grounded" in the Word, taught that the Word is unchanging, and convinced of the authority of the Scriptures. This was a great blessing to me. 

However, the Lord also allowed me to be influenced by a person very close to me to read the "mystics," and by mystics, I mean those believers who held that the Holy Spirit works in a believer's life powerfully and fruitfully, and most important--personally. 

Lilias Trotter, Oswald Chambers, Andrew Murray, and Amy Carmichael, among others had a profound effect upon me. Theirs and others' writing brought the Holy Spirit alive for me--because all of the right theology in the world doesn't produce holiness. Only the Holy Spirit's powerful working in a believer's heart does. 

More recently, the Lord led me to read A. W. Tozer's writing, and I have been tremendously blessed through that as well. I felt a kindred bond to him when I read these words that he spoke to renowned theologian Martyn Llloyd Jones:


'Once', Martyn Lloyd-Jones recalled, 'Dr. Tozer and I shared a conference years ago, and I appreciated his ministry and his fellowship very much. One day he said to me: 'Lloyd-Jones, you and I hold just about the same position on spiritual matters, but we have come to this position by different routes.' 'How do you mean?' I asked. 'Well,' Tozer replied, 'you came by way of the Puritans and I came by way of the mystics.' And, you know,' said Lloyd-Jones, 'he was right.'

I am profoundly grateful for "right" theology. I am also profoundly grateful for the personal, life-changing work of the Holy Spirit in a believer's life, the work of which this beautiful hymn speaks.  They are a two-fold cord that cannot be torn apart. 

May the Lord touch each of his people with a keen understanding of the Spirit's individual work in their lives and circumstances and may He grant to each of us that "yearning strong," of which Bianco da Siena writes. 






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Sources:
http://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-italian-mystic-composes-melodic-o-love-divine

http://www.lectionary.org/HymnStories/Come%20Down,%20O%20Love%20Divine.htm

The Life of A.W. Tozer: In Pursuit of God, by James L. Snyder 



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34 comments:

  1. Listening now as I write -- thank you for the gift of this beautiful hymn. Recently watched the memorial service at Wheaton for Elisabeth Elliot and her grandchildren noted the importance of hymns in their lives because of the influence of their granny. I, too, want to be that influential in my children's lives and we sing a hymn at the end of family devos. This is one, however, that I'm not aware of. Beautiful!

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    1. Michele, yes; hymns are such a beautiful gift . . . I think that it is wonderful that you include hymns in your family devotions!!! I am trying, by God's grace, to do the same with my little ones. Praise the Lord for how He has given us His truth through these precious songs of truth and praise!

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  2. Beautiful! I love the song and also LOVE the picture with His word, key and lamp. So lovely. Visiting from Sharing His Beauty.

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    1. Thank you, Laura; I'm glad that you stopped by! :-) May the Lord bless you.

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  3. Bekki,

    I had never heard or saw the lyrics of this hymn before. I found myself reading the words, slowly and repeatedly, to let their richness sink in. The last phrase of the hymn caught me by surprise. I love how it showed the need for holiness, which can only be received by the blood of Christ, to make a home for the Holy Spirit to dwell. Reminding me that I must continue to live Holy & separate, walking in obedience to my Lord and Savior.

    Your sister-in-the-Lord
    Karen

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    1. Yes, so very true, Karen! "Without holiness, no one will see the Lord . . . " (Hebrews 12:14). We are so, so blessed by the gift of the precious Holy Spirit, who makes it possible through the blood of Christ.

      Much love to you, dear Karen. :-)

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  4. What a beautiful hymn. The final line is exhilarating! Thank you so much for sharing this on the Art of Home-Making Mondays :)

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    1. You are welcome, JES! I think it is a beautiful hymn, too! The words touch my heart so deeply. Blessings to you, JES. :-)

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  5. This looks lovely and I love the history! The link doesn't work for me so I will have to go and look for it! Thanks for sharing :D

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    1. You're welcome, Marisa! I'm sorry that the link isn't working for you; I am glad that you were blessed by the post!

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  6. I love Fernando Ortega, and I love Tozer, and I love this gorgeous song! Thank you for sharing this on Coffee & Conversation and giving me some lovely to start my day.

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    1. You're welcome, Elizabeth; you are a kindred spirit! The Lord bless you! :-)

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  7. You sound very theologically-grounded and deeply well-read, Rebekah. Honestly, I've not read enough of those fine theologians' work, but I do love the Word of God and find that it unites us in so many ways--even if we come from differing perspectives, experiences and modes. Thanks for this peek inside your heart and life. Thanks also for linking up each week at Wedded Wed. :)

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    1. Beth, you are right; His Word truly unites us . . . loving His Word is a great gift. May the Lord bless you, Beth; I have been so blessed to be a part of the Wedded Wednesday Link-up. :-)

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  8. Thank you for sharing this hymn. It spoke to my heart this morning. Just beautiful!

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    1. You're welcome, Joanne! I'm glad that you enjoyed it! The Lord bless you!

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  9. I never thought of Murray, Chambers, and Tozer as mystics, but I love their work. They make me think and they inspire me. Thanks for sharing this hymn. I was not familiar with it. Linking with you today at Thought Provoking Thursday.

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    1. You're welcome, Ginger; I'm so glad that you stopped here :-). I think of Murray, Chambers, and Tozer as continuing in the tradition of the mystics (i.e. coupling the Scriptures with a deeply personal experience with God). While the original mystics may have practiced and taught some theology that was faulty, I love their heart in wanting to embrace the Holy Spirit fully, or rather, be embraced. I see that attitude in the writings of Tozer, Chambers, and Murray, etc. I love their work too!

      The Lord bless you, Ginger!

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  10. What a wonderful peaceful song. Calming to my spirit!
    Have a blessed day!

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    1. I'm glad that you enjoyed it, Vickie! You have a blessed day as well! :-)

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  11. Thank you for sharing this beautiful hymn, Rebekah! I, too, didn't realize that Tozer, Chambers, et al were considered mystics. They are some of my favorite theologians! Have a blessed week!

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    1. You're welcome, June! I guess that I think of Tozer, Chambers, etc. as continuing in the mystical tradition (embracing a deeply personal experience with God along with holding a great knowledge and firm rooting in the Scriptures). Yes; they have truly been such a great blessing!!

      Have a wonderful weekend, June!

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  12. I love reading about the history of our beautiful hymns and hearing about this one made me pause to realize that God has been working in so many of us for years and we don't see the effects until they are highlighted y someone like you. Thank you for sharing this at Weekend Whispers.

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    1. You're welcome, Mary! The hymns are such a precious gift . . . The Lord bless you; have a wonderful Lord's Day :-).

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  13. Beautiful words and pictures. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

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    1. You're welcome, Rebecca; God bless you; have a blessed Lord's Day! :-)

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  14. Lovely, my friend! Thank you for sharing it with our community! (And my apologies for my absence as of late. Things have been a little wonky in the ministry world.)

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    1. You're welcome, Sharita! I'm so glad that I could share it! Blessings to you in your ministry. :-)

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  15. Thanks for linking at Mondays @ Soul Survival!

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    1. It is a blessing to link up my posts there, Donna! :-) Have a wonderful week!

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  16. Beautiful hymn. Very informative post. Thank you so much for sharing it with TGI Saturdays. Blessings to you.

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    1. You're welcome, Latisha! Blessings to you, also :-).

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  17. One of my favorite hymns! Thank you for featuring it. I, too, have been greatly influenced for the good by Christian mystics. I find that many Christians are frightened by the very word "mystic"! Such a shame.

    Thanks for joining Grace at Home. I'm featuring you this week!

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    1. Yes; I agree, Richella. Truly, so many of the mystics and especially, I think, the "modern" mystics (like Tozer, Murray, Trotter, etc.) had such intimate relationships with the Lord and wrote with such deep insight and inspiration. Their words hold so much richness and truth for us today.

      The Lord bless you, Richella; thank you for featuring me! :-)

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