1. 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, Shines on from age to age. 2. The Church from her dear Master Received the gift divine, And still that light she lifteth O'er all the earth to shine. It is the golden casket Where gems of truth are stored; It is the heav'n-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 guides, O Christ, to Thee. 4. O make Thy Church, dear Savior, A lamp of purest gold, To bear before the nations Thy true light as of old. O teach Thy wand'ring pilgrims By this their path to trace, Till, clouds and darkness ended, They see Thee face to face.
Lyrics:
William Walsham How
Music: "Neuvermehrtes Gesangbuch", Meiningen, 1693
Tune: MUNICH
Meter: 7.6.7.6.D.
William W. How, 1823–1897
The writer of this hymn text, William W. How, was a bishop of the Anglican church in London, England. He was known as an outstanding hymnist, the composer of sixty excellent hymns of which twenty-five are still in use.