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 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!