Within the Church’s Sacred Fold

Within the Church’s sac­red fold

By ho­ly sac­ra­ment en­rolled

Another lamb we lay:

An heir be­fore of sin and shame

Now in the ho­ly tri­une name

His guilt is washed away.

O lov­ing Fa­ther

Thee we pray

Look on this babe new­born to­day

Thine own adop­ted child;

An an­gel guard do Thou be­stow

To lead him in Thy paths be­low

And guide him through the wild.

O God the Son

Thou heav­en­ly vine

Protect this ten­der branch of Thine

Through all that may be­tide;

Forever nour­ished may he be

With sap di­vine that flows from Thee

In Thee for aye abide.

Blest Spir­it

whose in­dwell­ing grace

Has giv’n this lit­tle one a place

Among the heirs of life;

O breathe Thy se­ven­fold gifts with­in

And keep Thy tem­ple pure from sin

In midst of world­ly strife.

So

holy Tri­ni­ty

by Thee

Divinely trained this babe may be

In faith and hope and love;

So may he gain

earth’s waves o’er­past

His bright in­her­it­ance at last

With all Thy saints ab­ove.