You may be familiar with this first stanza of the Epiphany hymn, As With Gladness, Men of Old:
As with gladness men of old
did the guiding star behold;
as with joy they hailed in light,
leading onward, beaming bright;
so, most gracious Lord, may we
evermore be led to thee.
These last two verses are probably less well known, but so full of hope and wonder:
Holy Jesus! every day
keep us in the narrow way;
and, when earthly things are past,
bring our ransomed souls at last
where they need no star to guide,
where no clouds thy glory hide.
In the heavenly country bright,
need they no created light;
thou its light, its joy, its crown,
thou its sun which goes not down;
there for ever may we sing
alleluias to our King.
This hymn, written by William Chatterton Dix (1837-1898), is not his most famous. Dix, the manager of a marine insurance company in Scotland, is most famous for writing the words to "What Child Is This?" (Photo above is of the Parish Church in Somerset, England, where Dix was buried.)
4 comments:
Nice church.
Agreed. And, the tombstones that greet parishoners would certainly be a reminder of our immortality, and the need for God's mercy and grace.
Thanks for posting William Dix's "As With Gladness," and for the photo of the church yard where he is buried. Today is the 111th anniversary of his death. Also appreciated seeing the final stanza of the hymn, which many hymn books omit. It seems to give the song a more finished feel.
Thanks for visiting, Robert. I realized, by your comment, that my math didn't add up with Dix's date of death. Not sure how that happened, but I have now corrected it in my original post. Thanks, again!
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