Hymns and Tunes 1886 195
O word of God incarnate
Words: William HowMusic: T. B. MathewsTune: CHENIES7s & 6s. D.
1O 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 lamp to guide our footsteps,
Shines on from age to age.
2The 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.
3It floateth like a banner
Before God's host unfurled;
It shineth like a beacon
Above the stormy world;
It is the chart and compass
That, o'er life's raging sea,
'Mid mists and rocks and quicksands,
Still guides, O Christ, to thee!
4O 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.
- Words
- William How
- Music
- T. B. Mathews
- Tune
- CHENIES
- Meter
- 7s & 6s. D.
Public Domain
The verse
- Meter
- 7.6.7.6.7.6.7.6 · as printed
- Foot
- iambic (da-DUM) · 73% of beats fit
- Rhyme
- ABCBDEFE
Could also be sung to Mendebras, Ewing. 7s & 6s. D., Mach's Mit Mir, Munich · same meter and stresses; not printed with these words, so try it first.
Scan every line
/ stressed · ˘ unstressed · ? not in the dictionary · * a word sung short, as “heav’n”
Verse 1
Verse 2
Verse 3
Verse 4
Counted by machine from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. It cannot hear emphasis or a poet’s licence, so treat it as a place to start reading, not the last word.