Verse 1
Soldiers of the cross, arise,
Gird you with your armor bright;
Mighty are your enemies,
Hard the battle ye must fight.
Verse 2
O’er a faithless fallen world
Raise your banner in the sky;
Let it float there wide unfurled;
Bear it onward; lift it high.
Verse 3
‘Mid the homes of want and woe,
Strangers to the living word,
Let the Saviour’s herald go,
Let the voice of hope be heard.
Verse 4
Where the shadows deepest lie,
Carry truth’s unsullied ray;
Where are crimes of blackest dye,
There the saving sign display.
Verse 5
To the weary and the worn
Tell of realms where sorrows cease;
To the outcast and forlorn
Speak of mercy and of peace.
Verse 6
Guard the helpless; seek the strayed;
Comfort troubles; banish grief;
In the might of God arrayed,
Scatter sin and unbelief.
Verse 7
Be the banner still unfurled,
Still unsheathed the Spirit’s sword,
Till the kingdoms of the world
Are the kingdom of the Lord.
William W. How, “Soldiers of the Cross, Arise”