Adventist Pioneer Library

The Christian — Godly Life

Lord! when I all things would possess

  • No. 646
  • Words Thomas H. Gill.
  • 5 stanzas
  • Words only in the original

Words

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1

Lord! when I all things would possess,I crave but to be thine;O, lowly is the loftinessOf these desires divine!

2

Each gift but helps my soul to learnHow boundless is thy store;I go from strength to strength, and yearnFor thee, my Helper, more.

3

How can my soul divinely soar,How keep the shining way,And not more tremblingly adore,And not more humbly pray?

4

The more I triumph in thy gifts,The more I wait on thee,The grace that mightily upliftsMost sweetly humbleth me.

5

The heaven where I would stand completeMy lowly love shall see,And stronger grow the yearning sweet,My blessed Lord, for thee.

About this hymn

As printed Words only. As printed: hymn number «646» (large) with the reference line «395, 446, 147.» in italics beside it (sing to the tune of hymn 395, 446 or 147); the five stanzas fill the right column of p. 210 under hymn 645, with «Thomas H. Gill.» in italics after stanza 5. The first word is set «LORD», the «L» as a full capital and «ORD» in small capitals; written in ordinary type here. The stanza numbers are printed without a period («1» … «5»); written «1.» … here as in the other deliveries of this book. The print sets a thin space before «!», «;» and «?» («LORD !», «thine ;», «store ;», «pray ?»); it is closed up here. In stanza 2 line 3 and stanza 5 line 1 the last letters run into the right edge of the scan («yearn», «complete»); read from the visible letters (see uncertainties.md). Lines 2 and 4 of each stanza are indented in the print. No meter is printed (the text is C. M., 8.6.8.6, like the referenced tunes). Spelling, punctuation and capitals are the print's.

Source
The Seventh-day Adventist Hymn and Tune Book (Battle Creek: Review & Herald, 1886/1888)
Where
The Christian — Godly Life · No. 646 · printed page 210
Checked
lyrics verified (fork reading; parent check pending) · 2026-10-02