INSPIRER of the ancient seers,
By A Collection of Hymns

      6-8s. 2 Timothy iii. 16, 17.
      1 INSPIRER of the ancient seers,
      Who wrote from thee the sacred page,
      The same through all succeeding years,
      To us, in our degenerate age,
      The spirit of thy word impart,
      And breathe the life into our heart.

      2 While now thine oracles we read,
      With earliest prayer and strong desire,
      O let thy Spirit from thee proceed,
      Our souls to awaken and inspire,
      Our weakness help, our darkness chase,
      And guide us by the light of grace!

      3 Whene'er in error's paths we rove,
      The living God through sin forsake,
      Our conscience by thy word reprove,
      Convince and bring the wanderers back,
      Deep wounded by thy Spirit's sword,
      And then by Gilead's balm restored.

      4 The sacred lessons of thy grace,
      Transmitted through thy word, repeat,
      And train us up in all thy ways,
      To make us in thy will complete;
      Fulfil thy love's redeeming plan,
      And bring us to a perfect man.

      5 Furnished out of thy treasury,
      O may we always ready stand
      To help the souls redeemed by thee,
      In what their various states demand;
      To teach, convince, correct, reprove,
      And build them up in holiest love!