More Love

This traditional Shaker song was composed at the Shaker Community in Canterbury, New Hampshire, around 1870. It probably would have been sung a cappella without harmony or instrumentation and sung during a communal sacred dance designed to go with this song. Shakers practice celibacy. They lived and danced separately as men and women. The Shakers were an outgrowth of Quakers. Their founder Mother Ann moved to the U.S. in the late 18th century and grew to have thousands of members during the 19th century. 

1. More love, more love; the heavens are blessing,
The angels are calling, "O Zion, more love!" (repeat)
If ye love not each other in daily communion,
How can ye love God, whom ye have not seen? (repeat)

2. More love, more love; alone by its power
The world love will conquer, for true love is God. (repeat)
If ye love one another, then God dwelleth in you,
And ye are made strong, to live by His Word. (repeat)

(tag): More love, more love; alone by its power
The world love will conquer, for true love is God.

Note: Shaker songs were almost always sung in an AABB format (with lines repeated)  They were also sung a cappella and probably in unison (without harmony). The choral settings above are modern and do not follow the traditional Shaker pattern.

The lyrics of the first verse are derived from 1 John 4:20 and the second verse from 1 John 4:16. 1 John 4

Listing in hymnary.org: https://hymnary.org/text/more_love_more_love

Wikipedia article on The Shakers