Words: , Ap­ril 1856; ap­peared in his Hymns of Faith and Hope, first ser­ies, 1857.

Music: Ham­mer­smith (Fil­by), , in Hymns An­cient and Mo­dern, 1889.


Far down the ages now,
Her journey well nigh done,
The pilgrim Church pursues her way,
And longs to reach her crown.

No wider is the gate,
No broader is the way,
No smoother is the ancient path
That leads to light and day.

No feebler is the foe,
No slacker grows the fight,
Nor less the need of armor tried,
Of shield and helmet bright.

Thus onward still we press,
Through evil and through good,
Through pain, or poverty, or want,
Through peril or through blood.

Still faithful to our God,
And to our Captain true,
We follow where He leads the way,
The kingdom still in view.