O Word of God incarnate

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1
O Word of God incarnate,
  O Wisdom from on high,
O Truth unchanged, unchanging,
  O Light of our dark sky,
We praise Thee for the radiance
  That from the hallowed page,
A lantern to our footsteps,
  Shines on from age to age.
2
The Church from her dear Master
  Received the gift divine,
And still that light she lifteth
  O’er all the earth to shine:
It is the golden treasure
  Where gems of truth are stored;
It is the heaven-drawn picture
  Of Christ, the living Word.
3
It floateth like a banner
  Before God’s host unfurled;
It shineth like a beacon
  Above the darkling world;
It is the chart and compass
  That, o’er life’s surging sea,
’Mid mists and rocks and quicksands
  Still guide, O Christ, to Thee.
4
O make Thy Church, dear Savior,
  A lampstand of pure gold,
To bear before the nations
  Thy light, that all behold;
O teach Thy wandering pilgrims
  By this their path to trace,
Till, clouds and darkness ended,
  They see Thee face to face.