More holiness give me

Hymns, #492, "In all thy work, O Lord, Thou didst," is a very deep hymn with a specific subject; hence, it is not suitable as an opening hymn. Hymns, #207, "Lord Jesus! when we think of Thee, / Of all Thy love and grace," is toward the Lord; hence, it cannot be used as an opening hymn in a fellowship meeting. Hymns, #333, "I know not why God's wondrous grace / To me He hath made known," cannot be used because the chorus is a quotation from the Bible; it is very specific. Hymns, #707 is on counting God's blessing and therefore is not appropriate. Hymns, #657, "Can you be obedient / To the Lord of all," is a challenging hymn and therefore is not suitable. Hymns, #1048, "Just as I am, without one plea," should be used in gospel preaching. Hymns, #397, "More holiness give me," can be sung at the beginning of a fellowship meeting when there is a feeling of insipidness. Hymns, #280, "Lord, may Thy blood now cleanse me, / Wash all my sins away," is barely acceptable. Hymns, #705, "In some way or other the Lord will provide," is very specific and therefore not appropriate.

When we put these verses together, we can see that the Triune God—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit—desires to make home in us and indwell us to become our inward joy and completely fill our whole being. The result of such a filling is what is mentioned in Ephesians 5:19, "Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and psalming with your heart to the Lord." Therefore, the result of being filled with the Holy Spirit is to overflow with words of praise. The psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs referred to here by the Apostle Paul are not ordinary words. Therefore, we all need to learn. Recently, I heard that some of you are memorizing Bible verses. I hope that you would also memorize hymns. For example, consider the words from Hymns, #397:

More gratitude give me,
More trust in the Lord,
More zeal for His glory,
More hope in His Word,
More tears for His sorrows,
More pain at His grief,
More meekness in trial,
More praise for relief.

If these words are thoroughly memorized within you, when you are filled in spirit and moved by the Spirit, you will spontaneously sing out, "More gratitude give me, More trust in the Lord...." Sometimes you may not necessarily sing all three stanzas. It may be that you will sing only the last stanza and think of the Lord's return:

More victory give me,
More strength to o'ercome,
More freedom from earth-stains,
More quest for the throne,
More fit for the Kingdom....