As With Gladness, Men of Old
As with gladness, men of old
Did the guiding star behold
As with joy they hailed its light
Leading onward, beaming bright
So, most glorious Lord, may we
Evermore be led to Thee.
As with joyful steps they sped
To that lowly manger bed
There to bend the knee before
Him Whom Heaven and earth adore;
So may we with willing feet
Ever seek Thy mercy seat.
As they offered gifts most rare
At that manger rude and bare;
So may we with holy joy,
Pure and free from sin’s alloy,
All our costliest treasures bring,
Christ, to Thee, our heavenly King.
Holy Jesus, every day
Keep us in the narrow way;
And, when earthly things are past,
Bring our ransomed souls at last
Where they need no star to guide,
Where no clouds Thy glory hide.
In the heavenly country bright,
Need they no created light;
Thou its Light, its Joy, its Crown,
Thou its Sun which goes not down;
There forever may we sing
Alleluias to our King!
Words: William C. Dix, 1860
He wrote this hymn on the day of the Epiphany, while sick in bed; it was first published in his Hymns of Love and Joy.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 
Kim from Hiraeth posted this hymn too. I love the words!
I’ve never heard that hymn before. Love the last verse. Gave me goose bumps to think of it!
Hi Ellen B.,
I attached a link on my post so you can buy Marty’s Christmas CD or at least see that it’s available. He’s my favorite Messianic musicians.
Happy Sunday!
🙂 Cori G.
I recognized this tune but I never knew these words. Wonderful.
Thanks for posting William Dix’s carol. And I was glad to see you included the final stanza, which so many hymn books miss.
If you enjoy reading about the history and meaning of our carols, I invite you to check out my book on the subject, Discovering the Songs of Christmas. I deal with over 60 of them there. The book is available through Amazon.