W. W. How
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.