Page images
PDF
EPUB

That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice, rejoice: Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
2 O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory o'er the grave.
Rejoice, rejoice: Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

3 0 come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer

Our spirits by Thine Advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice, rejoice: Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

4 O come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.

Rejoice, rejoice: Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

50 come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai's height
In ancient times didst give the law,
In cloud, and majesty, and awe.

87

Rejoice, rejoice: Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel. Amen.

Is not the Lord in Zion? Is not her King in her? Jer. viii.

1 Joy to the world, the Christ is come: Let earth receive her King;

[blocks in formation]

2 Ye saints, rejoice, your Saviour reigns;
In praise your tongues employ:
Floods, clap your hands; exult, ye plains;
And shout, ye hills, for joy.

3 Behold, He comes, He comes to bless
The nations as their God,
To show the world His righteousness
And send His truth abroad.

4 He comes to vanquish sin and woe,
To clear the thorny ground,
To bid the streams of blessing flow
Where'er the curse is found.

5 Sing praise, in joyful unison

With all the heavenly host,
To God the Father, God the Son,
And God the Holy Ghost.

88

O that the salvation of Israel were come
out of Zion. Ps. liii.

1 EMMANUEL, Thy Name we sing,
The Prince of life, of grace the spring,
The flower of heaven, the star of morn,
Lord of all lords, the Virgin-born. Alleluia.
To Thee with angel hosts we raise
The grateful anthem of our praise,
That Thou art come to save and bless
A world that lies in wickedness. Alleluia.

2 For Thee, since first the earth was made, How many a heart has watched and prayed;

How oft for Thee, with anxious pain,
Have seers and fathers sighed in vain; All.
'Ah that from Zion hill the Lord
Would come to break our bonds abhorred!
Ah might we hear the Saviour's voice,
Our Israel should indeed rejoice.'

All.

3 Now Thou art here; Thou slumberest,
In lowly manger lulled to rest:
Maker of worlds, an Infant small,
And naked, Thou that clothest all. All.
Thou com'st a stranger in the land,
Yet are the heavens in Thy command;
Thou drinkest at a woman's breast,
By angel hosts true God confessed. All.

4 Then fearless I will cling to Thee,
For Thou from sorrow makest free;
Thou bindest death, our woes dost bear,
To gladness turning pain and care.
These lips my lifetime long would raise
Glad alleluias to Thy praise,

And in Thy glorious hall again,

All.

Where time is not, renew the strain. All.

[blocks in formation]

By Thine own eternal Spirit

Rule in all our hearts alone; By Thine all-sufficient merit

90

Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

I am the Light of the world. John viii.
1 THE race that long in darkness pined
Has seen a glorious light;
The people dwell in day who dwelt
In death's surrounding night.
To hail Thy rise, Thou better Sun,

The gathering nations come,
Joyous as when the reapers bear

The harvest treasures home.

2 To us a Child of hope is born,
To us a Son is given;

Him shall the tribes of earth obey,
Him, all the host of heaven.

His Name shall be the Prince of peace,
For evermore adored,
The Wonderful, the Counsellor,

The great and mighty Lord.

3 His power increasing still shall spread;
His reign no end shall know;
Justice shall guard His throne above,
And peace abound below.
Let angel choirs and saints on earth
With songs of praise adore
The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
One God for evermore.

[blocks in formation]

1 HAIL to the Lord's Anointed,
Great David's greater Son!
Hail, in the time appointed,
His reign on earth begun!
He comes to break oppression,
To set the captive free,
To take away transgression,
And rule in equity.

2 Kings shall fall down before Him,

And gold and incense bring;
All nations shall adore Him,
His praise all people sing;
For He shall have dominion

O'er river, sea, and shore,
Far as the dove's light pinion
Or eagle's wing can soar.

3 To Him shall prayer unceasing
And daily vows ascend;
His kingdom still increasing,
A kingdom without end:

The mountain dews shall nourish

A seed in weakness sown,
Whose fruit shall spread and flourish,
And shake like Lebanon.

4 O'er every foe victorious,

He on His throne shall rest,
From age to age more glorious,
All-blessing and all-blest.
The tide of time shall never

His covenant remove;
His Name shall stand for ever,
His great, best name of Love.

92

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall
see God. Matt. v.

1 BLEST are the pure in heart,
For they shall see their God:
The secret of the Lord is theirs;
Their soul is Christ's abode.

2 The Lord who left the sky

Our life and peace to bring, And dwelt in lowliness with men, Their pattern, and their King;

3 Still to the lowly soul

Himself He doth impart,
And for His dwelling and His throne
Chooseth the pure in heart.

4 Lord, we Thy presence seek;
Ours may this blessing be!
Give us the pure and lowly heart,
A temple meet for Thee.

5 We with the angel host, &c.

93

Psalm 1xxxv. Lord, Thou hast been
favourable to Thy land, &c.

1 Not vain, O Lord, Thy loving word
Of old to Jacob spoken:
Thy land hath seen its sons restored,
Their captive fetters broken.
Thy grace hath pardoned all their sin,
And covered their transgression;
No more in wrath Thy hand will smite,
Nor yield them to oppression.

2 For ever shall Thine anger burn,

And whelm our hearts with sadness?
Turn back, O God our Saviour; turn

To bring us hope and gladness.
Show us Thy pardoning mercy, Lord,
And grant us Thy salvation:
Speak peace unto Thy waiting saints,
And bless Thy chosen nation.

3 Mine ear shall hearken to the voice

Of God the Lord most holy;
For He will bid His seed rejoice,
When they depart from folly.
The Lord's salvation is not far

From such as truly fear Him:
His glory in our coasts shall dwell,
And all the world revere Him.
4 Mercy and truth are one again;

Peace, righteousness, in union:
Truth rises from the fertile plain,

Heaven holds with earth communion.
All good to us the Lord shall give;
Our land its fruits shall render,
And holiness His way prepare
Who comes our strong Defender.

94

Psalm lxxxix. I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever, &c.

1 THE mercies of the Lord my God I sing for evermore,

From age to age I tell abroad

His truth, whom I adore.

For I have said, 'For ever sure

The throne of mercy stands:

The heavens, they see Thy truth endure,
Thou bind'st the eternal bands.'

2 'A promise to Mine own I sealed
With offerings and with blood;
An oath to David I revealed,
My vassal true and good.
A seed and endless heritage

I give thee for thine own,
And I have built from age to age
Thine high imperial throne.'-

3 For this, O Lord, the heavens resound Thy wonder ever nigh,

Thy truth amid the chosen round

Of Holy Ones on high.

Before the everlasting throne,

Ye saints and heavenly host,
Praise God the Father, God the Son,
And God the Holy Ghost.

[blocks in formation]

2 God with man, an Infant tender
Of a stainless maiden born,
Elder than the day-star's splendour,
Purer than the pearls of morn,
By the eternal oath appointed
Of the mystic order blest,
Thou art vested, throned, anointed,
Evermore a Kingly Priest.

3 When the doom of sin is sealed
And the trump of judgment rings,
Darkly at Thy side revealed

God shall bruise the godless kings.
Thou shalt judge amongst the heathen,
Thou shalt fill the world with dead;
Never shall Thy sword be sheathen
Till it smite the apostate's head.

4 But Thy spell of endless glory
Is to suffer and to die;
Kedron with its bitter story,
And the vale of agony.
Honour, blessing, virtue, merit
To the Father and the Son,
And the good and gracious Spirit,
While eternal ages run.

96

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night. Luke ii.

1 WHILE shepherds watched their flocks by night,

All seated on the ground,

The angel of the Lord came down,
And glory shone around.

Fear not,' he said; for mighty dread
Had seized their troubled mind:
'Glad tidings of great joy I bring
To you and all mankind.

2 To you in David's town this day
Is born of David's line

A Saviour, who is Christ the Lord;
And this shall be the sign:
The heavenly babe ye there shall find
To human view displayed,
All meanly wrapt in swathing bands,
And in a manger laid.'

3 Thus spake the seraph; and forthwith
Appeared a shining throng
Of angels praising God, who thus
Addrest their joyful song:
All glory be to God on high,

And to the earth be peace;

Goodwill henceforth to men from heaven Begin, and never cease.

[blocks in formation]

5 Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace; Hail the Sun of Righteousness;

Light and life to all He brings,

Risen with healing in His wings. Hark, &c.

6 Mild He lays His glory by,

Born that man no more may die;
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth. Hark, &c.

98 And suddenly there was with the angel a

multitude of the heavenly host praising
God. Luke ii.

1 WHEN Jordan hushed his waters still,
And silence slept on Zion hill, [night
When Bethlehem's shepherds through the
Watched o'er their flocks by starry light,
Lo, swift to every startled eye
New streams of glory fire the sky;
Heaven's azure gates are oped to pour
Its armies on the midnight hour.
2 On wheels of light, on wings of flame,
The gratulating myriads came;

High heaven with songs of triumph rung,
While loud they struck their harps and
sung:

'To God, the Lord of power and might,
Be glory in the highest height,

For peace on earth proclaimed again,
And tidings of goodwill to men.'

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

2 God of God eternal, Light from Light proceeding,

E'en He a mortal Virgin's womb hath not abhorred:

Very God of very God, begotten not created:

O come let us adore Him,

O come let us adore Him,

O come let us adore Him, Christ the
Lord.

3 Shout Alleluia, all ye choir angelic,
Sing, heavenly citizens, with glad accord:
Glory to God, to God in the highest, glory!
O come let us adore Him,

O come let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him, Christ the
Lord.

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

102

Unto

you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Luke ii.

1 ANGELS, from the realms of glory
Wing your flight o'er all the earth,
Ye who sang creation's story,
Now proclaim Messiah's birth;
Come and worship,

Worship Christ, the new-born King.
2 Shepherds, in the field abiding,
Watching o'er your flocks by night,
God with man is now residing,
Yonder shines the Infant-light
Come and worship,

Worship Christ, the new-born King.
3 Sages, leave your contemplations;
Brighter visions beam afar;
Seek the great Desire of nations:
Ye have seen His natal star;
Come and worship,

Worship Christ, the new-born King.

4 Saints before the altar bending,

Watching long in hope and fear,
Suddenly the Lord descending
In His temple shall appear;
Come and worship,

Worship Christ, the new-born King.
5 Sinners, wrung with true repentance,
Doomed for guilt to endless pain,
Justice now revokes the sentence,
Mercy calls you, break your chain;
Come and worship,

Worship Christ, the new-born King.

« PreviousContinue »