O word of God incarnate

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 radianceThat from the hallowed page,A lamp to guide our footsteps,Shines on from age to age.

The church from her dear MasterReceived the gift divine,And still that light she liftethO'er all the earth to shine.It is the golden casketWhere gems of truth are stored,It is the heaven-drawn pictureOf Christ the living Word.

It floateth like a bannerBefore God's host unfurled,It shineth like a beaconAbove the stormy world;It is the chart and compassThat o'er life's raging sea,'Mid mists and rocks and quicksands,Still guides, O Christ, to thee!

O, make thy church, dear Saviour,A lamp of burnished gold,To bear before the nationsThy true light as of old;O, teach thy wandering pilgrimsBy this their path to trace,Till, clouds and darkness ended,They see thee face to face.