break thou the bread of life

387 Bread of Life. 6. 4. 6. 4. D.

1. Break Thou the bread of life, dear Lord, to me,
   As Thou didst break the loaves beside the sea;
   Beyond the sacred page I seek Thee, Lord;
   My spirit pants for Thee, O living Word!

2. Bless Thou the truth, dear Lord, to me, to me,
   As Thou didst bless the bread by Galilee;
   Then shall all bondage cease, all fetters fall;
   And I shall find my peace, my all in all.
                         Mary A. Lathbury
                         The Methodist Hymnal 1939 edition

<idle musing>
I loved this hymn growing up; still do. According to the bio link above, this hymn was "A 'Study Song' for the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle, written in the summer of 1880." It occurs in almost one thousand hymnals.

I figured there must be more stanzas, and sure enough, Hymnary.org gives two more:

3. Thou art the bread of life, O Lord, to me,
   Thy holy Word the truth that saveth me;
   Give me to eat and live with Thee above;
   Teach me to love Thy truth, for Thou art love.

4. Oh, send Thy Spirit, Lord, now unto me,
   That He may touch my eyes, and make me see:
   Show me the truth concealed within Thy Word,
   And in Thy Book revealed I see the Lord.

</idle musing>