58. How Bright Is the Christian’s Own Innermost Living

1. How bright is the Christian’s own innermost living,
Although, from without, it no beauty may show;
Rich gifts from their King they are daily receiving,
An indwelling strength that no world-ling may know:
What no one revealeth
And nobody feeleth
Upon their enlightened minds grace is bestowing,
And in them a dignity, godly, is showing!

2. Though outwardly they may seem poor and rejected, -
The joy of the angels, the scorn of the world;
Yet inwardly they are the glorious elected,
Christ’s jewel, His crown, and His banner unfurled,
The wonder of ages
That here now engages
To serve the great King who is Star of the morning,
Who them with His righteousness true is adorning.

3. Though outwardly they all in Adam are brothers,
Who carry his likeness by nature indeed;
They suffer the illness of flesh as all others;
They eat and they drink as they daily have need;
In each undertaking,
In sleeping and waking,
They do as all others, and, nothing neglecting,
Save that the world’s folly they all are rejecting.

4. Yet inwardly they are of God’s generation,
The offspring of God by His Word, Spirit-led,
A spark and a flame from the Lord of creation,
By Zion above are they nurtured and fed.
And high above others,
The angels as brothers,
Enjoy the sweet songs these God’s children are singing,
That cause the high heavens with joy to be ringing.

5. As pilgrims they journey, their home is in heaven;
Without any strength they protect the whole earth;
They share the true peace though the world is war-riven;
They are the most poor yet they never have dearth;
They stand here in sorrow,
Yet joy in yon morrow,
They seem to have died in their weak outer senses,
Directing their life through the faith God dispenses.

6. When Jesus, their Life, shall at last come victorious;
When He, as He is, cometh at the trump’s call;
Then they shall appear in their garments most glorious
And evermore dwell as the wonder of all;
They’ll rule with the Savior,
They’ll flourish forever,
Their golden crowns wearing, the glory of heaven;
To them the new earth as their home will be given!