2. My loving Father, Thou dost take me To be henceforth Thy child and heir; My faithful Savior, Thou dost make me The fruit of all Thy sorrows share; Thou, Holy Ghost, wilt comfort me When darkest clouds around I see. 3. And I have vowed to fear and love Thee And to obey Thee, Lord, alone; I felt Thy Holy Spirit move me And freely pledged myself Thine own, Renouncing sin to keep the faith And war with evil unto death. 4. My faithful God, Thou failest never, Thy covenant surely will abide; O cast me not away forever Should I transgress it on my side; If I have sore my soul defiled, Yet still forgive, restore Thy child. 5. Yea, all I am and love most dearly, To Thee I offer new the whole; O let me make my vows sincerely, Take full possession of my soul; Let naught within me, naught I own, Serve any will but Thine alone. 6. Depart, depart, thou Prince of Darkness! No more by thee I’ll be enticed. Mine is indeed a tarnished conscience, But sprinkled with the blood of Christ. Away, vain world! O sin, away! Lo! I renounce you all this day. 7. And never let my purpose falter, O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, But keep me faithful to Thine altar Till Thou shalt call me from my post; So unto Thee I’ll live and die And praise Thee evermore on high. J. J. Rambach, † 1735; C. Winkworth, tr., a. 401 8, 7, 8, 7, 8, 7, 8, 7, 7 To Jordan came our Lord, the Christ, To do God’s pleasure willing, And there was by Saint John baptized, All righteousness fulfilling; There did He consecrate a bath To wash away transgression And quench the bitterness of death By His own blood and Passion, He would a new life give us. 2. So hear ye all and well perceive What God doth call a Baptism And what a Christian should believe Who error shuns and schism: That we should water use the Lord Declareth is His pleasure, Not simple water, but the Word And Spirit without measure;— He is the true Baptizer. 3. To show us this, He hath His Word With signs and symbols given; On Jordan’s banks was plainly heard The Father’s voice from heaven: “This is My well-beloved Son, In whom My soul delighteth; Hear Him!” Yea, hear Him, every one, Whom He Himself inviteth; Hear and obey His teaching! 4. In tender manhood God the Son In Jordan’s water standeth; The Holy Ghost from heaven’s throne In dovelike form descendeth; That thus the truth be not denied, Nor should our faith e’er waver, That all three Persons do preside At Baptism’s holy laver And dwell with the believer.