How beauteous were the marks divine

116 Canonbury. L. M.

1 How beauteous were the marks divine
   That in thy meekness used to shine,
   That lit thy lonely pathway, trod
   In wondrous love, O Son of God!

2 Oh who like thee, so calm, so bright,
   So pure, so made to live in light?
   Oh who like thee did ever go
   So patient through a world of woe?

3 Oh who like thee so humbly bore
   The scorn, the scoffs of men before?
   So meek, forgiving, godlike, high,
   So glorious in humility.

4 Oh in thy light be mine to go,
   Illuming all this way of woe;
   And give me ever on the road
   To trace thy footsteps, Son of God!
                        A. Cleveland Coxe
                        The Methodist Hymnal 1939 edition

<idle musing>
Fascinating little tidbit about his hymns that hymnary.org has: "Some of Bishop Coxe's hymns are found in the collections of every religious body in America, except the official collections of his own. This is accounted for by his too scrupulous modesty. As a member of the Hymnal Committee, in 1869–71, he refused to permit the insertion of his own lyrics."

That makes sense when you read the opening and closing lyrics above: "How beauteous were the marks divine / That in thy meekness used to shine," and "And give me ever on the road / To trace thy footsteps, Son of God!" We could all use a bit more of that in our self-absorbed, self-obsessed, selfie-taking world!
</idle musing>