Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Psalm 34:11
Words: Anonymous, in Sunday-School Hymns (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: American Sunday-School Union, 1856), number 323, under the category of Teachers’ Meetings
(as reflected in the lyrics).
Music: Stuttgart Christian F. Witt, Psalmodia Sacra (Gotha, Germany: 1715). Adapted by Henry J. Gauntlett (1805–1876) (🔊 pdf nwc).
Savior king! in hallowed union,
At Thy sacred feet, we bow:
Heart with heart, in blest communion,
Join to crave Thy favor now.
Heavenly fount! Thy streams of blessing
Oft have cheered us on our way:
By Thy power and grace unceasing,
We continue to this day.
Raise, we then, in glad emotion,
Thankful lays; and, while we sing,
Vow a pure, a full devotion
To Thy work, O Savior King.
When we tell the wondrous story
Of Thy rich, exhaustless love,
Send Thy Spirit, Lord of glory,
On the youthful heart to move.
Oh, that He, the ever-living,
May descend as fruitful rain;
Till the wilderness, reviving,
Blossom as the rose again.
Then, may they, whom we have guided
Life’s tempestuous ocean o’er,
In the home Thou hast provided,
Meet us, to depart no more.
There, beside the crystal river,
Flowing from the eternal throne,
Shall arise to Thee, forever,
Praise more sweet than earth has known.