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TEXT
George Croly, 1854
Hymnologist C. Michael Hawn calls this a “sung prayer.” Croly was an Anglican minster born Irish but who ministered in a London slum. He wrote this hymn during his time serving in the slum. The hymn was first titled “Holiness Desired” and is Croly’s only hymn to have survived.

TUNE
MORECAMBE, Frederick C. Atkinson, 1870
Morecambe is a town in England’s midland district. Originally Atkinson wrote this tune to accompany the hymn, “Abide with Me, fast falls the eventide.” MORECAMBE can be seen listed as one of the tunes to accompany “Abide with Me.”

TIDBITS
Hymn history by hymnologist C. Michael Hawn at Discipleship Ministries

Sources:
Hawn, Michael C. “History of Hymns: ‘Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart.’”Discipleship Ministries. The United Methodist Church. Web. 3 Sept. 2016.

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