’Twas the com­miss­ion of our Lord,
Go teach the na­tions, and bap­tize:
The na­tions have re­ceived the word
Since He as­cend­ed to the skies.

He sits up­on th’eter­nal hills,
With grace and par­don in His hands;
And sends His cov’nant with the seals,
To bless the dist­ant dark­ened lands.
[originally the dist­ant Brit­ish lands]

Repent, and be bap­tized, He saith,
For the re­mis­sion of your sins:
And thus our sense as­sists our faith,
And shows us what His Gos­pel means.

Our souls He wash­es in His blood,
As wa­ter makes the bo­dy clean;
And the good Spir­it from our God
Descends like pu­ri­fy­ing rain.

Thus we en­gage our­selves to Thee,
And seal our cov’nant with the Lord;
O may the great eter­nal Three
In Heav’n our so­lemn vows re­cord!