Scripture Verse

Thou shalt call thy walls Sal­va­tion, and thy gates Praise. Isaiah 60:18

Introduction

Words: Ma­ry E. Ser­voss, in Gates of Praise, by Is­ai­ah Balt­zell & Ed­mund Lo­renz (Day­ton, Ohio: Unit­ed Breth­ren Pub­lish­ing House, 1884), page 7.

Music: Ed­mund S. Lo­renz (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pho­to of Ser­voss (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

portrait
Edmund S. Lorenz (1854–1942)

Lyrics

Lift up the gates of praise,
That we may en­ter in,
And o’er sal­va­tion’s walls pro­claim
That Christ re­deems from sin.

Refrain

The stars may praise the hand
That decks the sky above,
But man alone can tell the pow­er
Of Christ’s re­deem­ing love.

God’s works re­veal His might,
His ma­jes­ty and grace;
But not the ten­der Fa­ther’s love
That saves a dy­ing race.

Refrain

Then let the voice of praise
To heav’n­ly courts as­cend,
Till with the songs the an­gels sing
Our hal­le­lu­jahs blend.

Refrain

To Him that hath re­deemed
Our souls from sin’s dark maze;
The hope and Sav­ior of man­kind,
Be ev­er­last­ing praise.

Refrain