Adventist Pioneer Library

The Church — Dedication

O thou, whose own vast temple stands

  • No. 1139
  • Words William Cullen Bryant.
  • 4 stanzas
  • Words only in the original

Words

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1

O thou, whose own vast temple stands,Built over earth and sea,Accept the walls that human handsHave raised to worship thee.

2

Lord, from thine inmost glory send,Within these courts to bide,The peace that dwelleth without endSerenely by thy side!

3

May erring minds that worship hereBe taught the better way;And they who mourn and they who fear,Be strengthened as they pray.

4

May faith grow firm, and love grow warm,And pure devotion rise,While round these hallowed walls the stormOf earth-born passion dies.

About this hymn

As printed Words only. As printed: hymn number «1139» (large) in the right column of p. 386 (running head «THE CHURCH—DEDICATION.»), below «Anon.» of hymn 1138, with the reference line «724, 755, 794.» in italic figures beside it (sing to the tune of hymn 724, 755 or 794; the page's OCR text layer reads «766», but both middle figures have the flat-topped italic 5 of «395» on the same page, and 755 DUNDEE is C. M. like this text, while 766 ROBINSON is 6s & 4s). Four stanzas numbered «1»–«4» without a full stop (written «1.»–«4.» here, as in the other deliveries of this book). The first words «O THOU» are set in capitals and small capitals; written in ordinary type here. Lines 2 and 4 of each stanza are indented in the print. The print sets a thin space before «!» («side !»); it is closed up here. In stanza 2 the «l» of «Serenely» is a broken type (its top separated from its stem, so the scan shows «Sereneiy»); read «Serenely». Line 3 of stanza 4 («While round these hallowed walls the storm») is set so tightly that the words almost touch. «William Cullen Bryant.» in italics after stanza 4. Spelling, punctuation and capitals are the print's. No meter is printed (the text is C. M., 8.6.8.6, like the tunes of the reference line).

Source
The Seventh-day Adventist Hymn and Tune Book (Battle Creek: Review & Herald, 1886/1888)
Where
The Church — Dedication · No. 1139 · printed page 386
Checked
lyrics verified (fork reading; parent check pending) · 2026-10-02