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Acquaint thee, O mortal [spirit], acquaint thee with God

Representative Text

Acquaint thee, O spirit, acquaint thee with God,
And joy, like the sunshine, shall beam on thy road;
And peace, like the dew, shall descend round thy head,
And sleep, like an angel, shall visit thy bed.

Acquaint thee, O spirit, acquaint thee with God,
And he shall be with thee when fears are abroad;
Thy safeguard in danger that threatens thy path,
Thy joy in the valley and shadow of death.



Source: A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion (15th ed.) #199

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Author: William Knox

Born: August 17, 1789, Firth, Lilliesleaf, Roxburgh, Scotland. Died: November 12, 1825, Edinburgh, Scotland. Buried: New Calton Burial Ground, Edinburgh, Scotland. Knox, William, born at Firth, Lilliesleaf, Roxburgh, Aug. 17, 1789, and educated at the parish school, and the grammar school at Musselburgh. For some time he was engaged in farming at Wrae, near Langholm, Dumfriesshire; but not succeeding to his satisfaction, he left Wrae in 1817, and finally settled in Edinburgh in 1820, where he subsequently obtained employment as a contributor to the public journals. He died in Edinburgh, Nov. 12, 1825. His poetical works were, (1) The Lonely Hearth, North Shields, 1818 ; (2) Songs of Israel, 1824; (3) The Harp of Zion, 1825; and (4) the… Go to person page >

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Text Information

First Line: Acquaint thee, O mortal [spirit], acquaint thee with God
Author: William Knox
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain
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Notes

Acquaint thee, O mortal. W. Knox. [Invitation.] As a hymn on "Heavenly Wisdom," and based on Job xxii. 21, 27-28, it appeared in his Harp of Zion, 1825, in 3 stanzas of 8 lines. It was also repeated in his Poems, 1847, p. 162, where it is said in a footnote to have been “written for Mr. Pettet." The use of this hymn in Great Britain is very limited. In Kennedy, 1863, No. 1140, it is given as, "Acquaint thee, my child, acquaint thee," &c. In America, as in Robinson's Songs for the Sanctuary, 1865, 2nd ed., 1872, No. 504, and others, it is: —"Acquaint thyself quickly, O Sinner," &c., and, in common with nearly every collection, the second stanza of the original is omitted. This stanza reads:—

Acquaint thee, O mortal!
Acquaint thee with God,
And the prayer of thy spirit
Shall reach His abode;
And the wish of thy bosom
Shall rise not in vain;
And His favour shall nourish
Thy heart like the rain."

This hymn is also sometimes in common use as:— “Acquaint thee, O Spirit, acquaint thee with God," as in Longfellow and Johnson's Book of Hymns, Boston, 1846, and later eds.

--Excerpts from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

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Timeline

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Instances

Instances (1 - 34 of 34)
Text

A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion (15th ed.) #199

A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion (15th ed.) #199
Page Scan

A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion. (10th ed.) #199

A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion. (10th ed.) #199

A Collection of Hymns for the Sanctuary. Rev.ed. with a Supplement #d1

A Collection of Hymns for the Sanctuary. Rev.ed. with a Supplement #d1

Asaph #d3

Asaph #d3
Page Scan

Church music #420

Church music #420

Conference Hymns and Tunes #d3

Conference Hymns and Tunes #d3
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Good-Will Songs #130

Good-Will Songs #130

Grammar School Hymn Book #d4

Grammar School Hymn Book #d4

Hymn and Tune Book for the Church and the Home and Services for Congregational Worship. Rev. ed. #d10

Hymn and Tune Book for the Church and the Home and Services for Congregational Worship. Rev. ed. #d10
Page Scan

Hymn and Tune Book for the Church and the Home. (Rev. ed.) #34

Hymn and Tune Book for the Church and the Home. (Rev. ed.) #34
Page Scan

Hymns for Public Worship #77

Hymns for Public Worship #77

Hymns for Schools and Families #d3

Hymns for Schools and Families #d3
Page Scan

Hymns for Schools and Families #81

Hymns for Schools and Families #81

Hymns for Social Worship. 6th ed. #d4

Hymns for Social Worship. 6th ed. #d4
Page Scan

Living Fountain #185

Living Fountain #185

Melodies of Heaven #d2

Melodies of Heaven #d2
Page Scan

Psalms and Hymns, for the Use of the German Reformed Church, in the United States of America. (2nd ed.) #516

Psalms and Hymns, for the Use of the German Reformed Church, in the United States of America. (2nd ed.) #516

Social Hymn and Tune Book #d7

Social Hymn and Tune Book #d7
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Songs for Social and Public Worship #1011

Songs for Social and Public Worship #1011
Page Scan

Songs of Pilgrimage #1524

Songs of Pilgrimage #1524

Songs of the Unity #d3

Songs of the Unity #d3
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The Carol #115b

The Carol #115b
Page Scan

The Christian Hymn Book #789

The Christian Hymn Book #789

The Christian Hymnal #d8

The Christian Hymnal #d8
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The Christian Hymnal #518

The Christian Hymnal #518
Page Scan

The Christian hymnal #574

The Christian hymnal #574
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The Congregational Hymn Book #462

The Congregational Hymn Book #462

The Gospel Hymnal #d8

The Gospel Hymnal #d8
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The New Congregational Hymn and Tune Book, for Public, Social and Private Worship #681

The New Congregational Hymn and Tune Book, for Public, Social and Private Worship #681
Page Scan

The Sabbath Hymn and Tune Book #323b

The Sabbath Hymn and Tune Book #323b

The Sabbath Hymn Book. Baptist ed. #d8

The Sabbath Hymn Book. Baptist ed. #d8
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The School Hymn-Book #79

The School Hymn-Book #79

The Vestry Hymn Book #d5

The Vestry Hymn Book #d5
Page Scan

Vestry Harmonies #95

Vestry Harmonies #95
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