Scripture Verse

What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

Introduction

Words: Wash­ing­ton Glad­den, 1879.

Music: Ma­ry­ton H. Per­cy Smith, in Church Hymns with Tunes (Lon­don: 1874) (🔊 pdf nwc).

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

portrait
Washington Gladden (1836–1918)

Origin of the Hymn

This hymn, [Glad­den] re­lat­ed, was writ­ten for The Still Hour a cor­ner in Sun­day Af­ter­noon, a pa­per which was filled with good read­ing. In March 1879, it was pub­lished in three eight-line stan­zas. The lines un­suit­able for wor­ship were left out and the po­em became a hymn. The po­em was not writ­ten for a hymn; it was my friend, Rev. C. H. Ri­chards, who saw in the lines their suita­bil­ity and adapt­ed it so.

Blanchard, p. 69

Lyrics

O Mas­ter, let me walk with Thee,
In low­ly paths of ser­vice free;
Tell me Thy sec­ret; help me bear
The strain of toil, the fret of care.

Help me the slow of heart to move
By some clear, win­ning word of love;
Teach me the way­ward feet to stay,
And guide them in the home­ward way.

O Mas­ter, let me walk with Thee,
Before the taunt­ing Pha­ri­see;
Help me to bear the sting of spite,
The hate of men who hide Thy light.

The sore dis­trust of souls sin­cere
Who can­not read Thy judg­ments clear,
The dull­ness of the mul­ti­tude,
Who dim­ly guess that Thou art good.

Teach me Thy pa­tience; still with Thee
In clos­er, dear­er, com­pa­ny,
In work that keeps faith sweet and strong,
In trust that tri­umphs ov­er wrong.

In hope that sends a shin­ing ray
Far down the fu­ture’s broad­en­ing way,
In peace that on­ly Thou canst give,
With Thee, O Mas­ter, let me live.