W. W. How

7.6.7.6.D.

O WORD of God incarnate,

O Wisdom from on high,

O Truth unchanged, unchanging,

O Light of our dark sky,

We praise Thee for the radiance

That from the hallowed page,

A lantern to our footsteps,

Shined on from age to age.

2

The Church from her dear Master

Received the gift divine,

And still that light she liveth

O’er all the earth to shine:

It is the golden casket

Where gems of truth are stored;

It is the heaven-drawn picture

Of Christ, the living Word.

3

It floateth like a banner

Before God’s host unfurled;

It shineth like a beacon

Above the darkling world:

It is the chart and compass

That, o’er life’s surging sea,

’Mid mists and rocks and quicksands

Still guide, O Christ, to Thee.

4

O make Thy Church, dear Saviour,

A lamp of burnished gold,

To bear before the nations

Thy true light as of old;

O teach Thy wandering pilgrims

By this their path to trace,

Till, clouds and darkness ended,

They see Thee face to face.

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