421.
[Saviour! to follow thee]
“If any Man serve me, let him follow me.”
John xii. 26.
1
Saviour! to follow thee,
Is my supreme desire;
But, Oh! what heights I see,
To which I must aspire!
Prepare me, by transforming grace,
To run and win my heavenly race!
2
It is no easy task
To follow thee, my Lord!
Thy better strength, I ask,
Encouraged by thy word!
O, visit me, with love divine,
And bow my stubborn will to thine!
3
Thou saw'st the crown before,
Heaven's weight of glory near;
And, sinners to restore,
The Cross itself didst bear!
May I, too, press towards endless day,
Nor heed the thorns that strew my way!
4
The lowly heart was thine,
That wrong and rudeness bore;
In meekness thou didst shine
Till thy last strife was o'er:
My Saviour! may I learn of thee,
Contention shun, and humble be!
5
Thou didst forgive thy foes,
The crimes of deepest dye!
Thou didst forget thy woes,
With full fruition nigh.
May I forgive, though hard it be,
And good return for ill, like thee!
6
Thou didst on Jordan gaze,
Nor tremble at the sight;
Thou saw'st heaven's portals blaze,
Beyond these realms of night;
And now, where seraphs homage pay,
Thou dost the sovereign sceptre sway.
7
May I, like thee, arise
Above this stormy state;
While striving for the prize,
May I with patience wait!
And when my last dread foe appear,
May Faith prevail, and Christ be dear!
