We walk by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7
Words: Ettie A. Revere, in The Royal Fountain No. 3, edited by John Sweney & William J. Kirkpatrick (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: John J. Hood, 1882) (no visible page number; follows page 18 in second section).
Music: Medicine Hat John R. Sweney, 1882 (🔊 pdf nwc).
If you know where to get a good photo of Revere (head-and-shoulders, at least 200×300 pixels),
’Tis sweet to walk by trust,
’Tis blessèd not to know;
Faith brings a quiet peace and rest,
Which sight cannot bestow;
For night may weary prove,
And dimly light our way;
But faith a steady luster keeps
Through every hour and day.
Refrain
’Tis sweet to walk by trust,
’Tis blessèd not to know;
Faith brings a quiet peace and rest,
Which sight cannot bestow.
Sight cannot pierce beyond
A present world like this,
But faith ascends to Heav’n itself,
And antedates its bliss;
Sight flies when darkness comes,
And leaves behind no guide;
But faith a trusty pilot is,
And will with us abide.
Refrain
Oh, who would ask for sight
Of faith to take the place;
’Tis quite enough to know that we
Are led by heav’nly grace;
In God then let us trust,
We all sometime shall know;
If not below, in Heav’n above,
Where endless pleasures flow.
Refrain