Scripture Verse

Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19

Introduction

portrait
John Ellerton (1826–1893)

Words: John El­ler­ton, 1886. Written at White Rod­ing and pub­lished in his Hymns, 1888.

Music: St. Ken­elm Charles H. Steg­gall, in Hymns for the Church of Eng­land, 1875 (🔊 pdf nwc).

portrait
Charles H. Steggall (1826–1905)

Lyrics

O Fa­ther, bless the child­ren
Brought hi­ther to Thy gate;
Lift up their fall­en na­ture,
Restore their lost es­tate;
Renew Thine im­age in them,
And own them, by this sign,
The ve­ry sons and daugh­ters
New born of birth di­vine.

O Je­su, Lord, re­ceive them;
Thy lov­ing arms of old
Were op­ened wide to wel­come
The child­ren to Thy fold;
Let these, bap­tized, and dy­ing,
Then ris­ing from the dead,
Henceforth be liv­ing mem­bers
Of Thee, their liv­ing head.

O Holy, Spi­rit, keep them;
Dwell with them to the last,
Till all the fight is end­ed,
And all the storms are past.
Renew the gift bap­tis­mal,
From strength to strength, till each
The troub­lous waves o’er­com­ing,
The land of life shall reach.

O Fa­ther, Son, and Spi­rit,
O wis­dom, love, and pow­er,
We wait the pro­mised bless­ing
In this ac­cept­ed hour!
We name up­on the child­ren
The three­fold name di­vine;
Receive them, cleanse them, own them,
And keep them ev­er Thine.