 | Sequences, Hymns, and Other Ecclesiastical Verses |  |
43
HYMNS.
45
Maundy Thursday.
“Count not,” the Lord's Apostle saith,
Who knew afflictions' sting,
“The fiery trial of your faith
As an unwonted thing.”
Yea, rather, Christ Himself would teach
His people, ere He went,
That they were mark'd for grief, by each
Thrice-blessed Sacrament.
Who knew afflictions' sting,
“The fiery trial of your faith
As an unwonted thing.”
Yea, rather, Christ Himself would teach
His people, ere He went,
That they were mark'd for grief, by each
Thrice-blessed Sacrament.
When we, endued with power on high,
Began to live afresh,
We vowed our wills to mortify,
And crucify the flesh;
To count all earthly gain as loss,
All earthly honour shame;
And we were strengthened with the Cross,
That we might bear the same.
Began to live afresh,
We vowed our wills to mortify,
And crucify the flesh;
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All earthly honour shame;
And we were strengthened with the Cross,
That we might bear the same.
Doth not the Altar call our thought
To His expiring breath?
The woes that our Salvation bought,
The love as strong as death?
His precious Body makes not whole
Till broken on the Wood:
The Chalice could not cleanse our soul,
Except it were His Blood.
To His expiring breath?
The woes that our Salvation bought,
The love as strong as death?
His precious Body makes not whole
Till broken on the Wood:
The Chalice could not cleanse our soul,
Except it were His Blood.
A Master suffering on the Tree,
A servant at his ease!
Far, O Thou Lord of Calvary,
Such thoughts and hopes as these!
In us, and by us, every day,
Thy holy will be done,
Till Thou shalt call our soul away,
Eternal Three in One!
A servant at his ease!
Far, O Thou Lord of Calvary,
Such thoughts and hopes as these!
In us, and by us, every day,
Thy holy will be done,
Till Thou shalt call our soul away,
Eternal Three in One!
Amen.
47
Hymn
FOR A LATE SERVICE ON MAUNDY THURSDAY.
Prostrate fell the Lord of all things
in His night of Agony;
While the Paschal Moon was lighting
holiest Gethsemane:
in His night of Agony;
While the Paschal Moon was lighting
holiest Gethsemane:
And the torrents of His Passion
deep and fierce above Him roll;
And the rivers of transgression
overwhelm His Human Soul.
deep and fierce above Him roll;
And the rivers of transgression
overwhelm His Human Soul.
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Sins unknown, sins unimagined,
sins by day, and sins by night,
Sins of blackest outer darkness
press upon His purest sight;
sins by day, and sins by night,
Sins of blackest outer darkness
press upon His purest sight;
Sins, since o'er the Eastern Portal
first the Cherub waved his sword,
To the last that shall be written
ere the Coming of the Lord.
first the Cherub waved his sword,
To the last that shall be written
ere the Coming of the Lord.
Thence the Three-fold Supplication
wrung from That Eternal Son:
Thence the Blood-Sweat, thence the “Father,
not My Will, but Thine be done.”
wrung from That Eternal Son:
Thence the Blood-Sweat, thence the “Father,
not My Will, but Thine be done.”
Then the Father, from the Darkness
where the Godhead dwells alone,
Spake to one Celestial Brightness
of the nearest to the Throne:
where the Godhead dwells alone,
Spake to one Celestial Brightness
of the nearest to the Throne:
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“Go and tell my people's Captain,
tell the Shepherd of My Flock,
Tell the Man that is My Fellow,
now become the Gentiles' mock:
tell the Shepherd of My Flock,
Tell the Man that is My Fellow,
now become the Gentiles' mock:
“I have heard Thy supplication,
I have surely seen Thy tears;
I will add to this Thy life-time
an eternity of years.
I have surely seen Thy tears;
I will add to this Thy life-time
an eternity of years.
“This the sign: though by Thy Footsteps
first the path of Death be trod,
On the Third Day Thou shalt, rising,
enter in the House of God.”
first the path of Death be trod,
On the Third Day Thou shalt, rising,
enter in the House of God.”
Thence, sin vanquished, sorrow ended,
the Assyrian power o'erthrown,
Now our truer Ezechias
reigns for ever on the Throne!
the Assyrian power o'erthrown,
Now our truer Ezechias
reigns for ever on the Throne!
Amen.
50
Maundy Thursday.
COMPLINE.
Can it, Master, can it be
These shall be ashamed of Thee?
In the danger and the gloom
On the pathway to Thy tomb?
Wilt Thou give their speech the lie,—
“If all leave Thee, yet not I?”
These shall be ashamed of Thee?
In the danger and the gloom
On the pathway to Thy tomb?
Wilt Thou give their speech the lie,—
“If all leave Thee, yet not I?”
“Yea, they did: but, faithless one,
Thou thyself hast likewise done;
When our time of woe drew near,
(For I suffered with thee here)
Look within thy heart, and say,
Canst thou, dar'st thou, tell Me, nay?”
Thou thyself hast likewise done;
When our time of woe drew near,
(For I suffered with thee here)
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Canst thou, dar'st thou, tell Me, nay?”
Can it, Master, can it be
Such hard speech should come from Thee?
If Thine own would keep Thee nigh,
They must leave Thee first and fly?
This the love that all things bears,
All things ventures, all things dares?
Such hard speech should come from Thee?
If Thine own would keep Thee nigh,
They must leave Thee first and fly?
This the love that all things bears,
All things ventures, all things dares?
“Willing spirit, some one day,
O'er weak flesh shall bear the sway:
By the paths I shall have trod
They shall then go home to God;
Rack or beast or flame or sea,
All shall bring them Home to Me.”
O'er weak flesh shall bear the sway:
By the paths I shall have trod
They shall then go home to God;
Rack or beast or flame or sea,
All shall bring them Home to Me.”
Amen.
52
Easter Day.
PRIME.
The Paschal moonlight almost past,
Yet still the Angels hold their post,
The outguards of an Army vast;
The picquets of the Spirit-host.
The dawn in softest beauty wakes
O'er regions very far away;
It glows, it brightens, and it breaks
Into that everlasting Day.
Alleluia.
Yet still the Angels hold their post,
The outguards of an Army vast;
The picquets of the Spirit-host.
The dawn in softest beauty wakes
O'er regions very far away;
It glows, it brightens, and it breaks
Into that everlasting Day.
Alleluia.
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That Day, that one Day known to Him,
That is not day, that is not night;
Whose earthly cradle is so dim,
Whose Noon is such excess of light.
Ring, earthly bells, in tones of love:
Ring out again, and yet again;
And let your answer from above
Waft us the Alleluiatic strain.
Alleluia.
That is not day, that is not night;
Whose earthly cradle is so dim,
Whose Noon is such excess of light.
Ring, earthly bells, in tones of love:
Ring out again, and yet again;
And let your answer from above
Waft us the Alleluiatic strain.
Alleluia.
54
S. Margaret's Day.
FIRST VESPERS.
When the earth was full of darkness,
when the hope of man burnt low,
In time's fulness came the Merchant
seeking goodly pearls below;
Seeking them through toil and peril,
seeking them through want and woe.
when the hope of man burnt low,
In time's fulness came the Merchant
seeking goodly pearls below;
Seeking them through toil and peril,
seeking them through want and woe.
One He found beyond all others,
Pearl of great and countless price;
Thee that He might make His own one,
He devised a new device;
Gem of mothers, Pearl of maidens,
witness of His Sacrifice.
Pearl of great and countless price;
Thee that He might make His own one,
He devised a new device;
Gem of mothers, Pearl of maidens,
witness of His Sacrifice.
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For He sold His whole possessions,
cast the goods He had away;
Left the glory, left the riches,
clad Himself in mortal clay;
Sealed His title with His life-blood,
so the needful cost to pay.
cast the goods He had away;
Left the glory, left the riches,
clad Himself in mortal clay;
Sealed His title with His life-blood,
so the needful cost to pay.
But to-day He found another,
Margaret, both in deed and name;
Whom, because He dearly loved her,
for our patron Saint we claim;
Finding in her pain our glory,
and our triumph in her shame.
Margaret, both in deed and name;
Whom, because He dearly loved her,
for our patron Saint we claim;
Finding in her pain our glory,
and our triumph in her shame.
For she stood before the Prefect,
spurning back those gods accursed,
Marked, serene in virgin beauty,
tyrants for her blood athirst;
And but saying, “I am a Christian,”
bade Olybrius do his worst.
spurning back those gods accursed,
Marked, serene in virgin beauty,
tyrants for her blood athirst;
And but saying, “I am a Christian,”
bade Olybrius do his worst.
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In the place that first knew Christians
was the Christian Virgin tried;
Tried by shame and tried by torture,
perfected and purified;
For she saw her Jesus standing
for her at the Father's side.
was the Christian Virgin tried;
Tried by shame and tried by torture,
perfected and purified;
For she saw her Jesus standing
for her at the Father's side.
Grant us all, then, Spouse of Virgins,
by her pattern and her prayer,
Trampling here the Ancient Dragon,
to rejoin our jewel There;
And with her and all Thy blest ones,
in the New Song have our share.
by her pattern and her prayer,
Trampling here the Ancient Dragon,
to rejoin our jewel There;
And with her and all Thy blest ones,
in the New Song have our share.
Glory be to God the Father;
glory be to God the Son,
Heavenly Bridegroom, Crown of Martyrs,
whose right arm this battle won;
Equal laud to God the Spirit
now and evermore be done.
glory be to God the Son,
Heavenly Bridegroom, Crown of Martyrs,
whose right arm this battle won;
Equal laud to God the Spirit
now and evermore be done.
Amen.
57
Processional Hymn for All Saints.
Christ's own Martyrs, valiant cohort,
White-robed and palmiferous throng,
Ye that, 'neath the heavenly Altar,
Cry, “How long, O Lord; how long?”
Tell us how the fiery struggle
Ended in the Victor-song?
White-robed and palmiferous throng,
Ye that, 'neath the heavenly Altar,
Cry, “How long, O Lord; how long?”
Tell us how the fiery struggle
Ended in the Victor-song?
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“'Twas His care that watched beside us,
His Right Arm that brought us through;
So the fiercer waxed our torture,
His bright love the sweeter grew:
Till the men that killed the body
Had no more that they could do.”
His Right Arm that brought us through;
So the fiercer waxed our torture,
His bright love the sweeter grew:
Till the men that killed the body
Had no more that they could do.”
Christ's Confessors, noble Victors
O'er the world, and self, and sin,
Tell us how ye faced the onset
From without and from within:
Ne'er the stretched-out lance withdrawing;
Resolute the Land to win?
O'er the world, and self, and sin,
Tell us how ye faced the onset
From without and from within:
Ne'er the stretched-out lance withdrawing;
Resolute the Land to win?
“He, with each a Fellow Pilgrim,
Was our more than sword and shield:
So they two went on together,
So they two won many a field;
If He for us, who against us?
If He succour, who can yield?”
Was our more than sword and shield:
So they two went on together,
So they two won many a field;
If He for us, who against us?
If He succour, who can yield?”
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Christ's true Doctors, filled with wisdom,
Tell us how the lore to gain
That discerned the serpent's venom,
Crushed down heresy amain;
Winning conflict after conflict
Till ye reached the Golden Chain?
Tell us how the lore to gain
That discerned the serpent's venom,
Crushed down heresy amain;
Winning conflict after conflict
Till ye reached the Golden Chain?
“In the Cross we found our pulpit,
In the Seven great Words, our lore;
Dying gift of dying Master,
Which, once uttered, all was o'er;
Pillars seven of sevenfold wisdom;
Sion's safeguard evermore.”
In the Seven great Words, our lore;
Dying gift of dying Master,
Which, once uttered, all was o'er;
Pillars seven of sevenfold wisdom;
Sion's safeguard evermore.”
Christ's dear Virgins, glorious lilies,
Tell us how ye kept unstained
Snowiest petals through the tempest,
Till eternal spring ye gained:
Snowiest still, albeit with crimson
Some more precious leaves were stained.
Tell us how ye kept unstained
Snowiest petals through the tempest,
Till eternal spring ye gained:
Snowiest still, albeit with crimson
Some more precious leaves were stained.
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“In the place where He was buried
There was found a garden nigh;
In that garden us He planted,
Teaching us with Him to die,
Till to Paradise He moved us,
Here to bloom eternally.”
There was found a garden nigh;
In that garden us He planted,
Teaching us with Him to die,
Till to Paradise He moved us,
Here to bloom eternally.”
All Christ's Saints, that none may number,
Out of every land and tongue,
Ye that by the fire and crystal
Have your crowns in worship flung:
Tell us how ye gained the region
Where the Unknown Song is sung?
Out of every land and tongue,
Ye that by the fire and crystal
Have your crowns in worship flung:
Tell us how ye gained the region
Where the Unknown Song is sung?
“Glory, honour, adoration,
To the Lamb That once was slain;
Virtue, riches, power, the Kingdom,
To the Prince That lives again,
His entirely, His for ever,
His we were, and His remain.
To the Lamb That once was slain;
Virtue, riches, power, the Kingdom,
To the Prince That lives again,
His entirely, His for ever,
His we were, and His remain.
Amen.”
This word has been objected to as not English. It occurs, however, in Cudworth, from whom, as an English writer, there is (I take it) no appeal. It has been characterised by Archbishop Trench, who quotes it from Cudworth, as “beautiful.”
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All Saints.
FIRST VESPERS.
Need it is we raise our eyes
Up from earth toward the skies;
Thinking of the Saints that rest
After toil in Abraham's breast;
Lest we faint, in our distress,
Through exceeding heaviness.
Up from earth toward the skies;
Thinking of the Saints that rest
After toil in Abraham's breast;
Lest we faint, in our distress,
Through exceeding heaviness.
Thee in them, O Lord Most High,
Them in Thee we glorify:
Thine Apostles, worthy found
Of the keys that loosed and bound;
And the Truth, that none resists,
Of Thine own Evangelists;
Them in Thee we glorify:
Thine Apostles, worthy found
Of the keys that loosed and bound;
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Of Thine own Evangelists;
And Thy Athletes, that went Home
Through the sea of Martyrdom;
And the Saints, through toil and shame,
Brave Confessors of Thy Name;
And the Doctors, helped from high
In confounding heresy;
Through the sea of Martyrdom;
And the Saints, through toil and shame,
Brave Confessors of Thy Name;
And the Doctors, helped from high
In confounding heresy;
And the Teachers, sent to win
To the faith, the realms of sin;
And the Bishops, now with Thee;
And the Virgins' Purity;
And the Priests, Thy Truth's defence;
And all holy Innocents.
To the faith, the realms of sin;
And the Bishops, now with Thee;
And the Virgins' Purity;
And the Priests, Thy Truth's defence;
And all holy Innocents.
Glory, Lord, to Thee alone,
Who hast glorified Thine own;
For their zeal, their truth, their sighs,
Prayerful hearts and tearful eyes,
Faithful lips and fearless breast,
Love and beauty, toils and rest!
Who hast glorified Thine own;
For their zeal, their truth, their sighs,
Prayerful hearts and tearful eyes,
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Love and beauty, toils and rest!
Let their praises, Threefold King,
Let the blessed Hymn they sing,
Some, though faintest, echo gain
In our own poor broken strain:
Till one day shall join all powers
In One Anthem—theirs and ours.
Let the blessed Hymn they sing,
Some, though faintest, echo gain
In our own poor broken strain:
Till one day shall join all powers
In One Anthem—theirs and ours.
Amen.
64
All Souls.
VESPERS.
They whose course on earth is o'er,
Think they of their brethren more?
They before the Throne who bow,
Feel they for their brethren now?
Think they of their brethren more?
They before the Throne who bow,
Feel they for their brethren now?
Yea, the dead in Christ have still
Part in all our joy and ill;
Keeping all our steps in view,
Guiding them, it may be, too.
Part in all our joy and ill;
Keeping all our steps in view,
Guiding them, it may be, too.
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We, by enemies distrest,—
They in Paradise at rest;
We the captives,—they the freed,—
We and they are one indeed:
They in Paradise at rest;
We the captives,—they the freed,—
We and they are one indeed:
One, in all we seek or shun;
One, because our Lord is One;
One in heart, and one in love;
We below and they above.
One, because our Lord is One;
One in heart, and one in love;
We below and they above.
Those whom many a land divides,
Many mountains, many tides,
Have they with each other part?
Have they fellowship in heart?
Many mountains, many tides,
Have they with each other part?
Have they fellowship in heart?
Each to each may be unknown,
Wide apart their lots be thrown;
Differing tongues their lips may speak,
One be strong, and one be weak:
Wide apart their lots be thrown;
Differing tongues their lips may speak,
One be strong, and one be weak:
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Yet in Sacrament and prayer
Each with other hath a share;
Hath a share in tear and sigh,
Watch, and Fast, and Litany.
Each with other hath a share;
Hath a share in tear and sigh,
Watch, and Fast, and Litany.
With each other join they here
In affliction, doubt and fear;
That hereafter they may be
Joined, O Lord, in bliss with Thee!
In affliction, doubt and fear;
That hereafter they may be
Joined, O Lord, in bliss with Thee!
So with them our hearts we raise,
Share their work and join their praise;
Rendering worship, thanks, and love,
To the Trinity above!
Share their work and join their praise;
Rendering worship, thanks, and love,
To the Trinity above!
Amen.
67
Festival of Hermits.
FIRST VESPERS.
Thy Servants Militant below
Have each, O Lord, their post;
As Thou appoint'st, Who best dost know
The soldiers of Thine host:
Have each, O Lord, their post;
As Thou appoint'st, Who best dost know
The soldiers of Thine host:
Some in the van Thou call'st to do.
And the day's heat to share;
And in the rearward not a few
Thou only bidd'st to bear.
And the day's heat to share;
And in the rearward not a few
Thou only bidd'st to bear.
No brighter Crown, we know, is theirs
To the mid-battle sent;
For he their equal glory shares
Who waits beside the tent:
To the mid-battle sent;
For he their equal glory shares
Who waits beside the tent:
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More bravely done, in human eyes,
The foremost post to take;
The Man of Griefs will not despise
The sufferers for His sake.
The foremost post to take;
The Man of Griefs will not despise
The sufferers for His sake.
The Hermits, in their cave or den,
They fought a quiet fight;
But playing none the less the men,
Made manifest His might.
They fought a quiet fight;
But playing none the less the men,
Made manifest His might.
They followed Thee in Thy distress;
Were with Thee all alone;
And they that shared the wilderness
Shall also share the Throne.
Were with Thee all alone;
And they that shared the wilderness
Shall also share the Throne.
Amen.
69
Harvest Hymn.
God the Father! Whose Creation
Gives to flowers and fruits their birth,
Thou whose yearly operation
Brings the hour of harvest Mirth,
Here to Thee we make oblation
Of the August-gold of earth.
Gives to flowers and fruits their birth,
Thou whose yearly operation
Brings the hour of harvest Mirth,
Here to Thee we make oblation
Of the August-gold of earth.
God the Word! the Sun, maturing
With his blessed ray the corn,
Spake of Thee, O Sun enduring,
Thee, O everlasting Morn!
Thee, in Whom our woes find curing,
Thee, that liftest up our horn!
With his blessed ray the corn,
Spake of Thee, O Sun enduring,
Thee, O everlasting Morn!
Thee, in Whom our woes find curing,
Thee, that liftest up our horn!
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God the Holy Ghost! the showers
That have fattened out the grain,
Types of Thy celestial powers,
Symbols of baptismal rain,
Shadowed out the grace that dowers
All the Faithful of Thy train.
That have fattened out the grain,
Types of Thy celestial powers,
Symbols of baptismal rain,
Shadowed out the grace that dowers
All the Faithful of Thy train.
When the harvest of each nation
Severs righteousness from sin,
And Archangel proclamation
Bids to put the sickle in,
And each age and generation
Sink to woe, or glory win;
Severs righteousness from sin,
And Archangel proclamation
Bids to put the sickle in,
And each age and generation
Sink to woe, or glory win;
Grant that we, or young or hoary,
Lengthened be our span or brief,
Whatsoe'er the life-long story
Of our joy or of our grief,
May be garnered up in glory
As Thine Own elected Sheaf!
Lengthened be our span or brief,
Whatsoe'er the life-long story
Of our joy or of our grief,
May be garnered up in glory
As Thine Own elected Sheaf!
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Laud to Him, to Whom Supernal
Thrones and Virtues bend the knee:
Laud to Him, from Whom infernal
Powers and dominations flee:
Laud to Him, the Co-Eternal
Paraclete, for ever be.
Thrones and Virtues bend the knee:
Laud to Him, from Whom infernal
Powers and dominations flee:
Laud to Him, the Co-Eternal
Paraclete, for ever be.
Amen.
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At the Consecration of a Church.
O God, who lovest to abide
In Sion's chosen gate,
More than the thousand tents beside,
Where Israel's faithful wait;
In Sion's chosen gate,
More than the thousand tents beside,
Where Israel's faithful wait;
Accept our works, and hear our vows,
Unworthy though we be;
And look in mercy on the House
We dedicate to Thee.
Unworthy though we be;
And look in mercy on the House
We dedicate to Thee.
Here answer Thou, as Thou art wont,
Thy people when they pray;
Here in the waters of Thy font
Let sin be washed away;
Thy people when they pray;
Here in the waters of Thy font
Let sin be washed away;
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Here set Thy Confirmation's seal
For ghostly strength and good;
Here give Thy faithful, as they kneel,
Their Saviour's Flesh and Blood;
For ghostly strength and good;
Here give Thy faithful, as they kneel,
Their Saviour's Flesh and Blood;
Let never evil thing divide
The hearts Thou here mak'st one;
By danger or affliction tried,
Here let thy servants run;
The hearts Thou here mak'st one;
By danger or affliction tried,
Here let thy servants run;
Here find they refuge from their foes,
And grace and peace alway;
Here let their dust in hope repose
Until the Judgment-day.
And grace and peace alway;
Here let their dust in hope repose
Until the Judgment-day.
If after sin they seek Thy Face,
And by Thy precepts live,
Hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling-place,
And when Thou hear'st, forgive!
And by Thy precepts live,
Hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling-place,
And when Thou hear'st, forgive!
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If there be famine in the land,
Or pestilence, or foe,
Stretch out from Heaven Thy strong right Hand,
When here Thy flock fall low.
Or pestilence, or foe,
Stretch out from Heaven Thy strong right Hand,
When here Thy flock fall low.
Bless those, O Lord, and hear their cry,
That raised Thy Temple here:
That in Thy House beyond the sky
With joy they may appear;
That raised Thy Temple here:
That in Thy House beyond the sky
With joy they may appear;
And whoso seeks, by guile or might,
To wrong Thy holy place;
Thou shalt avenge, O God, Thy right
On him and all his race.
To wrong Thy holy place;
Thou shalt avenge, O God, Thy right
On him and all his race.
Wisdom and power to God alone;
Praise to the Father be,
And to the precious Corner-stone,
And, Holy Ghost, to Thee!
Praise to the Father be,
And to the precious Corner-stone,
And, Holy Ghost, to Thee!
Amen.
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At a Funeral.
Why march ye forth with hymn and chant,
Ye veteran soldiers jubilant,
As though ye went to lay to rest
Some warrior that had done his best?
—Because we do but travel o'er
The road the Victor trod before;
Himself knows well the way we go:
The Son of Man is Lord also
Of the grave-path.
Ye veteran soldiers jubilant,
As though ye went to lay to rest
Some warrior that had done his best?
—Because we do but travel o'er
The road the Victor trod before;
Himself knows well the way we go:
The Son of Man is Lord also
Of the grave-path.
Commit your loved one to the surge,
Without a wail, without a dirge?
To the wild waves' perpetual swell,
To depths where monstrous creatures dwell?
—Yes; for we lay him but to sleep
Where those blest Feet have calmed the deep:
Little we reck its ebb and flow:
The Son of Man is Lord also
Of the Ocean.
Without a wail, without a dirge?
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To depths where monstrous creatures dwell?
—Yes; for we lay him but to sleep
Where those blest Feet have calmed the deep:
Little we reck its ebb and flow:
The Son of Man is Lord also
Of the Ocean.
Leave him with thousand corpses round,
Thus buried in unhallowed ground,
Interred in that same scene of strife
Where man and steed gasped out their life?
—Yes: for our King and Captain boasts
His own elect, His glorious hosts;
His Victors, crowned o'er many a foe:
The Son of Man is Lord also
Of the Battle.
Thus buried in unhallowed ground,
Interred in that same scene of strife
Where man and steed gasped out their life?
—Yes: for our King and Captain boasts
His own elect, His glorious hosts;
His Victors, crowned o'er many a foe:
The Son of Man is Lord also
Of the Battle.
Why, as across the dewy grass,
Ye through the evening Church-yard pass,
Why welcome in your bells a guest,
With chimings, not of woe, but rest?
—Where'er their twilight warblings steal,
We do but ring a Sabbath peal;
And, till the glorious Sunday glow,
The Son of Man is Lord also
Of the Sabbath.
Ye through the evening Church-yard pass,
Why welcome in your bells a guest,
With chimings, not of woe, but rest?
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We do but ring a Sabbath peal;
And, till the glorious Sunday glow,
The Son of Man is Lord also
Of the Sabbath.
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Cattle Plague Hymn.
“And shall not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein
are . . . also much cattle?”
All Creation groans and travails:
Thou, O God, shalt hear its groan:
For of man and all Creation
Thou alike art Lord alone.
Thou, O God, shalt hear its groan:
For of man and all Creation
Thou alike art Lord alone.
Pity then Thy guiltless creatures,
who, not less, man's suffering share:
For our sins it is they perish:
let them profit by our prayer.
who, not less, man's suffering share:
For our sins it is they perish:
let them profit by our prayer.
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Cast thine eye of love and mercy
on the misery of the land:
Say to the destroying Angel:
“'Tis enough: stay now thine hand.”
on the misery of the land:
Say to the destroying Angel:
“'Tis enough: stay now thine hand.”
In our homesteads, in our valleys,
through our pasture lands give peace;
Through the Goshen of Thine Israel
bid the grievous murrain cease.
through our pasture lands give peace;
Through the Goshen of Thine Israel
bid the grievous murrain cease.
But, with deeper, tenderer pity,
call to mind, O Son of God,
Those in Thine own Image fashioned,
ransomed with Thy Precious Blood.
call to mind, O Son of God,
Those in Thine own Image fashioned,
ransomed with Thy Precious Blood.
Hear and grant the supplications,
like a cloud of incense sent
Up toward Thy seat of mercy,
through the Forty Days of Lent;
like a cloud of incense sent
Up toward Thy seat of mercy,
through the Forty Days of Lent;
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For the widow, for the orphan,
for the helpless, hopeless poor:
Helpless, hopeless, if Thou spare not
of their basket and their store.
for the helpless, hopeless poor:
Helpless, hopeless, if Thou spare not
of their basket and their store.
So—while these her earnest accents,
day by day Thy Church repeats—
That our sheep may bring forth thousands
and ten thousands in our streets:
day by day Thy Church repeats—
That our sheep may bring forth thousands
and ten thousands in our streets:
That our oxen, strong to labour,
may not know nor fear decay:
That there be no more complaining,
and the plague have passed away.
may not know nor fear decay:
That there be no more complaining,
and the plague have passed away.
And, at last, to all Thy servants,
when earth's troubles shall be o'er,
Threefold Godhead, give a portion
with Thyself for evermore.
when earth's troubles shall be o'er,
Threefold Godhead, give a portion
with Thyself for evermore.
Amen.
81
Hymn for the Dedication of a Bell.
Lift it gently to the steeple,
Let our bell be set on high;
There fulfil its daily mission,
Midway 'twixt the earth and sky.
Let our bell be set on high;
There fulfil its daily mission,
Midway 'twixt the earth and sky.
As the birds sing early matins
To the God of Nature's praise,
This its nobler daily music
To the God of Grace shall raise.
To the God of Nature's praise,
This its nobler daily music
To the God of Grace shall raise.
And when evening shadows soften
Chancel-cross, and tower and aisle,
It shall blend its vesper summons
With the day's departing smile.
Chancel-cross, and tower and aisle,
It shall blend its vesper summons
With the day's departing smile.
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Christian men shall hear at distance,
In their toil or in their rest,
Joying that in one communion
Of one Church they too are blest.
In their toil or in their rest,
Joying that in one communion
Of one Church they too are blest.
They that on the sick bed languish,
Full of weariness and woe,
Shall remember that for them too
Holy Church is gathering so.
Full of weariness and woe,
Shall remember that for them too
Holy Church is gathering so.
Year by year the steeple-music
O'er the tended graves shall pour,
Where the dust of Saints is garnered,
Till the Master comes once more:
O'er the tended graves shall pour,
Where the dust of Saints is garnered,
Till the Master comes once more:
Till the day of sheaves in-gathering,
Till the harvest of the earth,
Till the Saints arise in order,
Glorious in their second birth:
Till the harvest of the earth,
Till the Saints arise in order,
Glorious in their second birth:
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Till Jerusalem, beholding
That His glory in the east,
Shall, at the Archangel trumpet,
Enter in to keep the feast.
That His glory in the east,
Shall, at the Archangel trumpet,
Enter in to keep the feast.
Lift it gently to the steeple,
Let our bell be set on high;
There fulfil its daily mission,
Midway 'twixt the earth and sky.
Let our bell be set on high;
There fulfil its daily mission,
Midway 'twixt the earth and sky.
Christ, to Thee, the world's redemption,
Father, Spirit, unto Thee,
Low we bend in adoration,
Ever blessed One and Three.
Father, Spirit, unto Thee,
Low we bend in adoration,
Ever blessed One and Three.
[_]
The above hymn is taken from an Office for the Benediction of a Bell, compiled by the writer for that of one, by the Bishop of Oxford, at Aston-Bampton, Oxon; the first example, it is believed, of such a service, if not since the Reformation, at all events since Caroline times. It was again used by the Bishop of Salisbury, at the Benediction of the newly recast Wolsey bell, at Sherborne Minster.
Amen.
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