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1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the
earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness
was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the
waters. (Gen 1:1-2)
This hymn gives glorious attribution to the work of the Holy Spirit, not only
in the foundation work of the Creation of the world, but to that power working
invisibly in the heart of the believer today. It is another translation of the
hymn, Veni Creator Espiritus, (217) upon which I have written
previously. The Latin version has been variously attributed to Charlemagne,
Ambrose of Milan, and Gregory I. It was first translated from the Latin
by John Dryden in 1693. There are a number of tunes to which the hymn is sung: Attwood
(1940 Hymnal), Franz Hayden – Creator, and Henry Carey – Surrey.
Creator
Spirit, by Whose Aid
Creator
Spirit, by whose aid
the world's foundations first were
laid,
come visit every humble mind;
come, pour thy joys on human kind;
from sin and sorrow set us free,
and make us temples worthy thee.
O Source of uncreated light,
the Father's promised Paraclete,
thrice holy Fount, thrice holy
Fire,
our hearts with heavenly love
inspire;
come, and thy sacred unction bring
to sanctify us while we sing.
Plenteous of grace, come from on
high,
rich in thy sevenfold energy;
make us eternal truths receive,
and practice all that we believe;
give us thyself, that we may see
the Father and the Son by thee.
Immortal honor, endless fame,
attend the Almighty Father's Name;
the Savior Son be glorified,
who for lost man's redemption
died;
and equal adoration be,
Eternal Paraclete, to thee.
Creator Spirit, by whose aid the world's foundations first were laid,
come visit every humble mind; come, pour thy joys on human kind;
from sin and sorrow set us free, and make us temples worthy thee. In
the dark, primordial darkness of an empty sphere of mud and water at the
beginning of the first day, the Holy Spirit brooded over the face of the deep
and moved upon the face of the waters. He was the Operative Agent at that
Creation morning in union with the Executive Word of Creation – the Lord Jesus
Christ. 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were
made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:1-3) It is incomprehensible to the human mind that the same
Holy Spirit that moved at that moment of Creation would visit the soul and mind
of lowly man at the instigation of God the Father – but He certainly does
condescend to commune with the soul of the believer. He brings joy in the
morning sunrise and comfort in the night watches and moments of sore distress.
He makes His Temple in the heart of the believer in Christ the Lord.
O Source of uncreated light, the Father's promised Paraclete, thrice holy
Fount, thrice holy Fire, our hearts with heavenly love
inspire; come, and thy sacred unction bring to sanctify us while we sing. Paraclete
is a proper name for the Holy Spirit as He is referenced in the Latin.
Paraclete means One who is an advocate and intercessor, or One who calls us.
The Holy Spirit does all of these and more. We come not to God at our own
volition and worth, but must be drawn to the Father by that same Holy Spirit
and Paraclete: 44 No man can come to me, except the
Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is
written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man
therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. 46 Not that any
man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father. 47 Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. (John 6:44-47) The Holy spirit comes with thrice the omnipotence
of the Godhead – by the Lord Jesus Christ, He is the Fount of every blessing;
by God the Father is an All-Consuming Fire; and by His own nature represents
that same essence of Love that characterizes the Lord.
Plenteous of grace, come from on high, rich in thy sevenfold energy; make
us eternal truths receive, and practice all that we believe;
give us thyself, that we may see the Father and the Son by thee. All
power from on High is characterized in the sevenfold graces and Creation force
of the Triune God. Just as the Holy Spirit was present at the dawn of Creation
of the first day, He was also present and active during the full seven days of
the fullness of Creation. As a member of the Triune Godhead, He possesses all
of the power and knowledge of God. He is the ultimate TEACHER of Divine Truth. 26 But the
Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he
shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance,
whatsoever I have said unto you. (John
14:26) The Word of God means nothing to those whose hearts are not stayed
on God. Devils learn and hate; men learn the words but lack the conviction.
Many learn the biblical terms to grow rich on false preaching, but the saint of
God must be taught by the Holy Ghost. In the same way a child may memorize
the Pathagorean Theorem, but the numbers mean nothing without purpose. The same
is true of God’s Holy Word.
Immortal honor, endless fame, attend the Almighty Father's Name; the
Savior Son be glorified, who for lost man's redemption died; and equal
adoration be, Eternal Paraclete, to thee. The Holy Spirit, like the
Son, courts no glory for Himself, but glorifies the Father and the Son. He
never draws glory to Himself but forever points to Christ Risen. 13 Howbeit when
he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he
shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak:
and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall
receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 15 All things
that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine,
and shall shew it unto you. (John
16:13-15) As far as the last line of this verse is concerned, it does not
apply to the intention and will of the Spirit, but of man in paying due homage
to the Spirit. But I must say that no adoration can match that which is owed to
the Son of God in dying on the cross to redeem us of our sins. He is the Savior
and Redeemer.
We owe our all to Him, and our
service and faith in Him is facilitated by the ministry of the Holy Ghost.
