Scripture Verse

My heart standeth in awe of Thy Word. Psalm 119:161

Introduction

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John Bowring
1792–1872
National Portrait Gallery

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Words: John Bow­ring, in A Col­lect­ion of Hymns for Pub­lic and Pri­vate Wor­ship, by John Rel­ly Beard (Lon­don: John Green, 1837), num­ber 206.

Music: Hol­born Hill St. Al­ban’s Tune Book (🔊 pdf nwc).

Lyrics

Upon the Gos­pel’s sac­red page
The ga­thered beams of ag­es shine;
And, as it hast­ens, ev­ery age
But makes its brigh­tness more di­vine.

On migh­ti­er wing, in lof­ti­er flight,
From year to year doth know­ledge soar;
And as it soars, the Gos­pel light
Adds to its in­flu­ence more and more.

Truth, strength­ened by the strength of thought,
Pours in­ex­haus­ti­ble sup­plies,
While sagest teachers may be taught,
And wisdom’s self become more wise.

More glo­ri­ous still, as centuries roll,
New re­gions blessed, new pow­ers un­furled,
Expanding with the ex­pand­ing soul,
Its wa­ters shall o’er­flow the world.

Flow to re­store—but not de­stroy;
As when the cloud­less lamp of day
Pours out its floods of light and joy,
And sweeps each lin­ger­ing mist away.