Blest be the love, for ever blest ;
The bleeding love we thus record :
Jesus, we take the dear bequest,
Obedient to Thy kindest word,
Thy word which stands divinely sure,
And shall from age to age endure.

In vain the subtle tempter tries
Thy dying precept to repeal,
To hide the letter from our eyes,
And break the testamental seal,
Refine the solid truth away,
And make us free—to disobey.

In vain he labours to persuade
Thou didst not mean the word should bind ;
The feast for Thy first followers made,
For them and us and all mankind,
Mindful of Thee we still attend,
And this we do till time shall end.

Through vain pretence of clearer light,
We do not, Lord, refuse to see,
Or weakly the commandment slight
To show our Christian liberty,
Or seek rebelliously to prove
The pureness of our catholic love.

Our wandering brethren's hearts to gain,
We will not let our Saviour go,
But in Thine ancient paths remain,
But thus persist Thy death to show,
Till strong with all Thy life we rise,
And met Thee coming in the skies !