which particularly applies to the hymns of the period, "It ceased to be a literature; it had become an action, a power; it sought to act on the depths of the soul, to produce real effects, genuine reformations, effectual conversions. It was not so much sacred eloquence as a spiritual power."

One of the writers of this period was the Venerable Bede. He was in every respect a monk, although he reflected the better side of the life of the monk, being exceedingly devout and very studious. Venerable Bede became a deacon in 692 A. D. and a priest in 702 A. D. He spent his entire life, however, in the monasteries, dying on Ascension Day, May 26, 735 A. D. This fact, together with the story of the manner in which he spent his closing hours of earthly life, will add interest to his Ascension hymn.

A pupil who sat at his feet writes: "He lived joyfully, giving thanks to God day and night, yea, at all hours, until the Feast of the Ascension; every day he gave lessons to us, his pupils, and the rest of his time he occupied in chanting psalms. He was awake almost the whole night, and spent it in joy and thanksgiving, and when he awoke from his short sleep immediately he raised his hands on high and began again to give thanks. He sang the words of the apostle Paul-'It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.' He sang much besides from the Holy Scriptures, and also many Anglo-Saxon hymns. He sang antiphons, according to his and our custom, and among others this one, 'O King of Glory, Lord of power! who didst this day ascend a victor above all the heavens, leave us not orphaned behind Thee, but send to us the promised Spirit of the Father, Hallelujah!" In the midst of his singing he had his pupils busy writing out some translations.

He hastened them that the task might be completed. At last a scholar told him all was written. He said, "It is finished. Raise my head, for it will do me good to sit opposite my sanctuary, where I was wont to kneel down to pray, that sitting I may call upon my Father." He seated himself thus upon the ground in his cell and sang, the "Glory to Thee, O God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost." The pupil says: "When he had named the Holy Ghost he breathed his last." This story of the author and his ascension to God should give us a new interest in the hymn which we now quote. We give the entire hymn, for it is abbreviated in many collections. In the reading of it we would ask the reader to note the completeness of the poem, which is like a continued story, needing every thought to bring out its whole truth. What a mistake is often made in public worship in cutting out or cutting off important portions of hymns in order to shorten services! Thus we often are robbed of the real spirit and blessing of the hymn itself.

VENERABLE BEDE'S ASCENSION HYMN

A hymn of glory let us sing;

New hymns throughout the world shall ring;
By a new way none ever trod,

Christ mounteth to the throne of God.

The apostles on the mountain stand

The mystic mount-in holy land;

They, with the virgin mother, see
Jesus ascend in majesty.

The angels say to the eleven,
"Why stand ye gazing into heaven?
This is the Saviour-this is He!
Jesus hath triumph'd gloriously!"

They said the Lord should come again,
As these beheld Him rising then,
Calm soaring through the radiant sky,
Mounting its dazzling summits high.
May our affections thither tend,
And thither constantly ascend,
Where, seated on the Father's throne,
Thee reigning in the heavens we own!
Be Thou our present Joy, O Lord,
Who wilt be ever our Reward;
And as the countless ages flee,
May all our glory be in Thee!

Christopher Wordsworth, an English rector of the early nineteenth century, who was a prolific writer, has left several permanent contributions to the hymns of merit and wide use. One of these is a hymn on the Ascension, which is most picturesque in its language and comprehensive in its teaching.

WORDSWORTH'S PICTURESQUE ASCENSION HYMN
See the Conqueror mounts in triumph;

See the King in royal state,
Riding on the clouds, His chariot

To His heavenly palace gate!
Hark! the choir of angel voices,
Joyful alleluias sing,

And the portals high are lifted

To receive their heavenly King.
Who is this that comes in glory,
With the trump of jubilee?
Lord of battles, God of armies,
He hath gained the victory!
He who on the cross did suffer,
He who from the grave arose,
He hath vanquished sin and Satan,
He by death hath spoiled His foes.

Now our heavenly Aaron enters,
With His blood within the veil;
Joshua now is come to Canaan,

And the kings before Him quail;
Now He plants the tribes of Israel
In their promised resting-place;
Now our great Elijah offers

Double portion of His grace.

He hath raised our human nature
On the clouds to God's right hand:
There we sit in heavenly places,
There with Him in glory stand;
Jesus reigns, adored by angels:
Man with God is on the throne;
Mighty Lord, in Thine ascension
We by faith behold our own.

Wordsworth drew his inspiration from the Scriptures and sought to interpret them for the benefit of the worshiper. This is very evident in his Ascension hymn, which, in addition to expressing poetically the Scripture story of the Ascension, weaves in the teaching under Scripture imagery, which to a marked degree adds richness and beauty to the hymn.

A native of Nossen, in the Hartz region, produced a number of German hymns, of which one, an Ascension hymn, has been translated into English. We refer to Friederich Funcke, who is the author of a hymn which is very popular among Lutheran worshipers. It may be called

AN ASCENSION PRAYER

Draw us to Thee, Lord Jesus,
And we will hasten on;
For strong desire doth seize us

To go where Thou art gone.

Draw us to Thee; enlighten

These hearts to find Thy way,
That else the tempests frighten,
Or pleasures lure astray.

Draw us to Thee; and teach us
Even now that rest to find,
Where turmoils cannot reach us,
Nor cares weigh down the mind.

Draw us to Thee; nor leave us
Till all our path is trod,
Then in Thine arms receive us,
And bear us home to God.

There are several variations of this hymn, which has been also ascribed to several other authors. The real author, Friederich Funcke, was a man of broad education and especially talented as a musician. He was for some years Stadt Cantor in Lüneberg and later became pastor at Römstedt, where he died in 1699. He was the editor of a hymnal which contained no less than forty-three melodies of his own composing.

Charles Wesley, the great Methodist hymn writer, has written a "Hymn for Ascension Day," which has come into very general favor. When we take into consideration the number of hymns which Wesley has written it is high praise to be told that this hymn stands as one of the three hymns from his pen which have attained widest popularity. The other two are "Jesus, Lover of My Soul" and "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing!" Its popularity and its merit make it a worthy conclusion for this article.