As with Gladness Men of Old | William C. Dix, Conrad Kocher | A Cappella/SATB Hymn

Lyricist: William C. Dix
Composer: Conrad Kocher

Written by William C. Dix (1837–1898), this hymn was first published in Hymns of Love and Joy (1859) without music. The hymn was included in the 1861 edition of Hymns Ancient & Modern with several changes. In the 1875 edition, the editors made further changes, removing references to the manger in stanzas 2 and 3, in an effort to be more faithful to the Scripture, which in Matthew 2:11 describes how the magi found the child in a house. Dix approved of these changes and recommended them as the official version of his text.

The music was adapted by William Henry Monk (1823–1889) from a piece written by Conrad Kocher (1786–1872) in his collection Stimmen aus dem Reiche Gottes (1838). Monk's adaption was included in Hymns Ancient & Modern (1861) where it was paired with Dix’s text and named DIX.
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~Lyrics~
1. As with gladness men of old
Did the guiding star behold,
As with joy they hailed its light,
Leading onward, beaming bright;
So, most gracious Lord, may we
Evermore be led to Thee.

2. As with joyful steps they sped
Savior, to Thy lowly bed,
There to bend the knee before
Him whom heav’n and earth adore;
So may we, with willing feet,
Ever seek Thy mercy seat.

3. As they offered gifts most rare
At Thy cradle rude and bare;
So may we with holy joy,
Pure and free from sin’s alloy,
All our richest treasures bring,
Christ, to Thee, our heav’nly King.

4. Holy Jesus, ev’ry day
Keep us in the narrow way;
And, when earthly things are past,
Bring our ransomed souls at last
Where they need no star to guide,
Where no clouds Thy glory hide.

5. In the heav’nly country bright
Need they no created light;
Thou its Light, its Joy, its Crown,
Thou its Sun which goes not down;
There forever may we sing
Alleluias to our King.
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