Come Down, O Love Divine
Come Down, O Love Divine
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.
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 he become the place
Wherein the Holy Spirit makes His dwelling.
Translated by Richard F. Littledale (1833–1890)
SIX HUNDRED YEARS AGO, Bianco da Siena, living in Venice, Italy, wrote this hymn, which he entitled “The Holy Spirit Desired.” It was one of ninety-two hymns he wrote in a hymnbook he called Spiritual Praise. In the nineteenth century, Richard Littledale—a man of broad interests who had a special interest in writing and translating hymns—discovered the hymn and translated it from Italian into English. He published it in The People’s Hymnal in 1867. The amazing thing about Littledale is that he also translated hymns from Danish, Swedish, Greek, Latin, Syrian, and German.
This hymn is a lovely, sensitive invitation to the Holy Spirit to enter our hearts and consume all our earthly passions, transforming us into the people God wants us to be.
Tthose who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.
Romans 8:5-6
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