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 Thee, our Savior,
received the gift divine,
and still that light she lifteth
o'er all the earth to shine.
It is the sacred vessel
where gems of truth are stored;
it is the heav'n-drawn picture
of Christ, the living Word.

3 The Scripture is a banner
before God's host unfurled;
it is a shining beacon
above the darkling world.
It is the chart and compass
that o'er life's surging tide,
mid mists and rocks and quicksands,
to Thee, O Christ, will guide.

4 O make Thy church, dear Savior,
a lamp of purist 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.