The Hymnal ‎#409

409. O Holy City, seen of John

1 O Holy City, seen of John,
Where Christ, the Lamb, doth reign,
Within whose four-square walls shall come
No night, nor need, nor pain,
And where the tears are wiped from eyes
That shall not weep again!

2 O shame to us who rest content
While lust and greed for gain
In street and shop and tenement
Wring gold from human pain,
And bitter lips in blind despair
Cry, "Christ hath died in vain"!

3 Give us, O God, the strength to build
The City that hath stood
Too long a dream, whose laws are love,
Whose ways are brotherhood,
And where the sun that shineth is
God's grace for human good.

4 Already in the mind of God
That City riseth fair.
Lo, how its splendor challenges
The souls that greatly dare,
Yea, bids us seize the whole of life
And build its glory there!

Amen.

Text Information

• First Line: O Holy City, seen of John
• Author: Rev. W. Russell Bowie (1909)
• Meter: 8. 6. 8. 6. 8. 6.
• Publication Date: 1950
• Topic: The Kingdom of God on Earth: The City; Brotherhood; City, The; Discipleship and Service
• Copyright: Used by permission of Rev. W. Russell Bowie. Words Copyright, 1910, by A. S. Barnes and Company. Used by permission.
• Notes: One stanza of the hymn as originally written has been omitted.

Tune Information

• Name: MORWELLHAM
• Composer: Charles Steggall (1826-1905)
• Meter: 8. 6. 8. 6. 8. 6.
• Key: F Major
• Copyright: Used by permission of Rev. W. Russell Bowie.