By Your Excellence And Favor

By Your excellence and favor,
    Plant Your grace where sin has been.
Breathe into our lives sweet savor
    Of the Lord who lives within.
Though, alone, we have no merit,
    Write Your name upon each heart
That Your sons may all inherit
    Life that none can rend apart.

Lead us Lord that we may never
    Disavow our sacred creed.
Hold us fast in faith forever.
    Unify each thought and deed.
May no foreign Gospel plunder
    Treasures of our golden days.
Hew all falsities asunder
    With the halberd of Your grace.

Hear, 0 Lord, our voices pleading.
    Wrest us from the wiles of wrong.
With the armor of Your leading,
    Shield us from the evil throng.
So we shun all sinful pleasure.
    From all worldly wealth we flee.
Yet we would retain one treasure:
    Christ who lives eternally.