He that is begotten of God keepeth himself.
1 John 5:18
Words: Christopher Wordsworth, in The Lincoln Diocesan Manual of the Girls’ Friendly Society, 1881.
Music: Stoke Mrs. G. E. Cole, in Hymns Ancient and Modern, 1889 (🔊 pdf nwc).
If you know Cole’s full name, or where to get a good photo of her (head & shoulders, at least 200×300 pixels),
O Lord, our strength in weakness,
We pray to Thee for grace,
For power to fight the battle,
For speed to run the race;
When Thy baptismal waters
Were poured upon our brow,
We then were made Thy children
And pledged our earliest vow.
Christ with His own blood bought us,
And made the purchase sure;
His are we; may He keep us
Sober, and chaste, and pure.
He, God in Man, has carried
Our nature up to Heaven;
And thence the Holy Spirit
To dwell in us has given.
Conformed to His own likeness,
May we so live and die,
That in the grave our bodies
In holy peace may lie;
And at the resurrection
Forth from those graves may spring
Like to the glorious body
Of Christ, our Lord and king.
The pure in heart are blessèd
For they shall see the Lord,
For ever and for ever,
By seraphim adored;
And they shall drink the pleasure
Such as no tongue can tell
From the clear crystal river,
And life’s eternal well.
Sing therefore to the Father,
Who sent the Son in love;
And sing to God the Savior
Who leads to realms above;
Sing we with saints and angels
Before the heavenly throne,
To God the Holy Spirit,
Sing to the Three in One.