1 Lead on, O King Eternal.
The day of march has come!
Henceforth in fields of conquest
Thy tents shall be our home;
Thru days of preparation
Thy grace has made us strong,
And now, O King Eternal,
We lift our battle song.
2 Lead on, O King Eternal,
Till sin's fierce war shall cease,
And holiness shall whisper
The sweet Amen of peace;
For not with swords' loud clashing
Nor roll of stirring drums -
With deeds of love and mercy
The heav'nly kingdom comes.
3 Lead on, O King Eternal,
We follow not with fears!
For gladness breaks like morning
Where'er Thy face appears;
Thy cross is lifted o'er us -
We journey in its light:
The crown awaits the conquest -
Lead on, O God of might.
Ernest W. Shurtleff
The Methodist Hymnal 1939 edition
<idle musing>
I know a lot of people are against military imagery in hymns. I'm not, for a couple of reasons. First, it's a scriptural image. Second, people need to realize that their ambition doesn't have to be physical aggression, such as violence, war, etc. Instead, by submitting it all to God, they can turn that ambition to fighting the good fight, as Paul puts it.
I'm continually being amazed at the number of hymnals some of these hymns are in. This one, for example, was a staple when I was growing up. It makes an excellent closing hymn. But it occurs in less than 400 hymnals.
Incidentally, the author of the hymn was in Paris helping refugees during World War I, so he put his life where his theology was.
</idle musing>
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