1 How precious is the Book Divine,
By inspiration giv'n!
Bright as a lamp its doctrines shine
To guide our souls to heav'n,
To guide our souls to heav'n.
2 Its light, descending from above
Our gloomy world to cheer,
Displays a Savior's boundless love
And brings His glories near,
And brings His glories near.
3 It shows to us our wand'ring ways
And where his feet have trod,
And brings to view the matchless grace
Of a forgiving God,
Of a forgiving God.
4 O'er all the straight and narrow way
Its radiant beams are cast;
A light whose never weary ray
Grows brightest at the last,
Grows brightest at the last.
5 It sweetly cheers our drooping hearts
In this dark vale of tears,
Life, light, and joy it still imparts
And quells our rising fears,
And quells our rising fears.
6 This lamp through all the tedious night
Of life shall guide our way
Till we behold the clearer light
Of an eternal day,
Of an eternal day.
First Line: | How precious is the book divine |
Title: | All Scripture Precious |
Author: | John Fawcett (1782) |
Meter: | 8.6.8.6 |
Language: | English |
Copyright: | Public Domain |
How precious is the book divine. J. Fawcett. [Holy Scriptures.] Published in his Hymns, &c, 1782, No. 41, in 6 stanzas of 4 lines, and based upon the words, "Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Its use is extensive, especially in America, but usually in an abbreviated form. In the New Congregational Hymn Book, 1859, No. 466, stanza iii. is by another hand. Original text in Lyra Britannica, 1867, p. 226.
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)