Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.
Matthew 25:40
Words: William Crosswell, 1831.
Music: Albano Vincent F. Novello (1781–1861). First published in the appendix to Hymns Ancient and Modern, 1868, from Novello’s original manuscript (🔊 pdf nwc).
Lord, lead the way the Savior went,
By lane and cell obscure;
And let love’s treasures still be spent,
Like His, upon the poor.
Like Him, through scenes of deep distress,
Who bore the world’s sad weight,
We, in their crowded loneliness,
Would seek the desolate.
For Thou hast placed us side by side
In this wide world of ill;
And, that Thy followers may be tried,
The poor are with us still.
Mean are all offerings we can make;
Yet Thou hast taught us, Lord,
If given for the Savior’s sake,
They lose not their reward.