When mo­thers of Sa­lem
Their child­ren brought to Je­sus,
The stern dis­ci­ples drove them back
And bade them to de­part:
But Je­sus saw them ere they fled
And sweet­ly smiled and kind­ly said,
Suf­fer lit­tle child­ren to come un­to Me.

For I will re­ceive them
And fold them to My bo­som:
I’ll be a shep­herd to these lambs,
O drive them not away;
For if their hearts to Me they give,
They shall with Me in glo­ry live:
Suffer lit­tle child­ren to come un­to Me.

How kind was our Sav­ior
To bid these child­ren wel­come!
But there are many thou­sands
Who have ne­ver heard His name;
The Bi­ble they have ne­ver read,
They know not that the Sav­ior said,
Suffer li­ttle child­ren to come un­to Me.

O soon may the hea­then
Of ev­ery tribe and na­tion
Fulfill Thy bless­èd Word and cast
Their id­ols all away!
O shine up­on them from above
And show Thy­self a God of love,
Teach the lit­tle child­ren to come un­to Thee!