103

Is not this the Christ? John iv.

1 MERCY triumphs, Christ is born,
Seraphs hail this happy morn;
Echo loud their solemn cry,
Glory be to God on high!

Praise to God, and peace on earth,
Such the tidings of His birth;
Him we worship, Him we bless,
Prince of peace and righteousness.
2 Promised branch of Jesse's stem,
Christ is born at Bethlehem.

We have pardon, we have peace;
Darkness, guilt, and terror cease.
Light and mercy cheer the tomb;
Hallelujah! Christ is come:
Let all earth's redeemed cry,
Glory be to God on high!

3 Son of man, He murmured not,
Bore with us, and shared our lot.
Son of God, we know Him well
By each sign the prophets tell,
His the love to feel our woe,

His the might to quell our foe:
Unto Him in earth and heaven
Be all praise and honour given.

105

Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given. Is. ix.

1 BRIGHT and joyful is the morn,

For to us a Child is born;
From the highest realms of heaven
Unto us a Son is given.

2 On His shoulder He shall bear
Power and majesty, and wear
On His vesture and His thigh
Name most awful, Name most high.
3 Wonderful in counsel He,
The incarnate Deity;

Sire of ages ne'er to cease,

King of kings and Prince of peace. 4 Earth, thine infant Saviour greet; Shepherds, worship at His feet; Angels, hovering o'er His stall, Hymn the Christ, the Lord of all.

106 Surely He hath borne our griefs, and

carried our sorrows. Is. liii.

1 O SAVIOUR, whom this holy morn
Gave to our world below,
To mortal want and labour born,
And more than mortal woe;
2 Incarnate Word, by every grief,
By each temptation tried,
Who lived to yield our ills relief,
And to redeem us died:

3 If, gaily clothed and proudly fed,
In dangerous wealth we dwell,
Remind us of Thy manger bed,
And lowly cottage cell.

4 If, pressed by poverty severe,
In envious want we pine,
O may the Spirit whisper near
How poor a lot was Thine!

5 Through fickle fortune's various scene From sin preserve us free:

Like us Thou hast a mourner been;
May we rejoice with Thee!

6 Give glory to the Three in One, &c.

3 Strong Creator, Saviour mild,
Humbled to a mortal Child,
Captive, beaten, bound, reviled,

Holy Jesu, hear and save.
4 Throned above celestial things,
Borne aloft on angels' wings,
Lord of lords, and King of kings,

Holy Jesu, hear and save.

5 Soon to come to earth again,
Judge of angels and of men,
Hear us now, and save us then;
Holy Jesu, hear and save.

108 This is the day which the Lord hath made;

we will rejoice and be glad in it. Ps. cxviii.

1 THE sinful earth was sunk in woe:

No arm was found of power to save; The Son of God appeared below,

To conquer death and spoil the grave.
His mother was a lowly maid

Of David's lineage, undefiled;
Her infant on her breast she laid,

To sight a meek and helpless child. 2 An angel bade the shepherds bless

That holy Child to mortals given;
And o'er Him lingered motionless

A star that lit the nightly heaven.
Lo, with that angel heaven's high host
Sang choral chant in bright array;
Lo. by that star the Holy Ghost

Brought eastern sages where He lay. 3 The words of truth His goodness tell; For us He lived, He died, he broke The chains of sin, the gates of hell,

And bade us wear His easy yoke.
Then make we not of none effect

His love in heaven, His woes on earth,

But hail to-day with His elect

The joyful tidings of His birth.

Thou wilt appear again
Upon a throne of glory,
With endless power to reign.

3 Lord, let us now receive Thee
Within the willing heart,
And never may we grieve Thee
Nor tempt Thee to depart.
Thy child-like spirit give
To us, beloved Redeemer,
And still within us live.

110

He is our peace. Eph. ii.

CHURCH of Christ, proclaim the grace
God hath from His holy place

Poured upon our guilty race.

Now hath the Virgin's Son to us been given: Now hath God fulfilled the words of Gabriel:

Praise Him, praise Him;

God the Father, in His love,
Sends a Saviour from above,
His only Son:

Lo, on earth He comes to dwell;
Behold Thy King, O Israel;

Wonderful; the mighty God; the Prince of
Peace;

Never shall His kingdom cease.
Emmanuel,

We with heavenly hosts will of Thy glory tell.

1 To us this day is born a Child,
God with us;

Of a Virgin mother mild;
God with us, God with us;
Against us who shall be ?

2 To us this day a Son is given,
God with us,

Our Redeemer, sent from heaven;
God with us, &c.

3 The government of all things madeGod with us

On His shoulder shall be laid;
God with us, &c.

4 He shall be called the Wonderful,
God with us,

Lord of boundless, endless rule;
God with us, &c.

1 LET all creation praise our God
Upon His lofty throne:

He opes the door of heaven to-day,
And gives to us His Son.
The Son His Father's glory leaves,
A mortal Infant made,
An Infant in a stable born,

And in a manger laid.

2 He throws His majesty aside,

And seems as nothing worth,
And takes on Him a servant's form,
Though Lord of heaven and earth.
And lo, a wonderful exchange

With man He deigns to make:
He shares with us our flesh and blood,
His glory we partake.

3 The shining gate of Paradise

The cherub guards no more:
O may we enter in, and there
Our pardoning God adore:

Sing praise, with all the saints on earth
And all the heavenly host,

To God the Father, God the Son,
And God the Holy Ghost.

By His great compassion
Born in human fashion,

He, our Lord and Maker,
Of our woes partaker.

2 He this day is standing
In the midst, commanding
All to make confession
Of their deep transgression,
Sin and folly leaving,
And His truth receiving.
3 Now in time of trial,
Time of self-denial,
Whilst thy foes assail thee,
Let thy faith re'er fail thee,
Faith in Him who gave us
His own blood to save us.
4 Soon again descending,
All thy sorrows ending,
Christ shall thee for ever
From these ills deliver,
And of bliss immortal
Ope the shining portal.

Shout the glad tidings, &c.

No man hath seen God at any time; the
only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom
of the Father, He hath declared Him.
John i

10 JESU CHRIST, all praise to Thee
Who art pleased a man to be:
The Virgin's womb Thou dost not scorn,
And angels shout to see Thee born:

Lord.

Have mercy,
2 The eternal Father's only Son
Takes a manger for His throne:
The everlasting soverain Good
Assumes our mortal flesh and blood:
Have mercy, Lord.
3 The eternal Light to us descends,
And to earth its brightness lends:
Purely it shines upon our night
To make us children of the light:
Have mercy, Lord.

4 The only Son, true God confessed,
Comes to His own world a guest;
And through this vale of tears our guide
Doth in His heaven our home provide:
Have mercy, Lord.

5 His love to show surpassing thought,
He this wondrous work has wrought:
Then let us all unite to raise
Our song of glad unceasing praise:
Have mercy, Lord.

2 O Love, the very Word of God,
Content an infant shape to wear,
And in a stable's mean abode
To shield Thee from December's air,
3 0 Babe divine, before Thy face

Be mine to bow the thankful knee,
And by Thy soul-converting grace
Become a child myself in Thee!
One only God, the Father, Son,
And Holy Spirit, we revere,
The everlasting Three in One,
Creator, Saviour, Comforter.

118 He is faithful that promised. Heb. x.

1 LIFT up your heads in joyful hope; Salute this happy morn;

'Tis a heavenly voice

That bids us rejoice,

For Jesus the Saviour is born.
Then let us join the heavens above,
Where hymning seraphs sing;
Join in glad accord,

For ours is their Lord,

Our Prophet, our Priest, and our King.

2 All glory be to God on high,

And thanks and honour due;

The promise is sealed,

The Saviour revealed,
The record of old cometh true.
Then let us join, &c.

3 Let joy around like rivers flow,
Flow on and still increase;

Let jubilant mirth

Spread o'er the glad earth,
For heaven and man are at peace.
Then let us join, &c.

4 Now the goodwill of God appears
To Adam's sinful race;

Messiah, made known,
Shall ransom His own,
And save them by infinite grace.
Then let us join, &c.

2 O time of God appointed,

O bright and holy morn!
He comes, the King anointed,

The Christ, the Virgin-born:
His home on earth He maketh,
And man of heaven partaketh,
Of life again an heir.

3 O Lord, our hearts awaken
To know and love Thee more,
In faith to stand unshaken,
In spirit to adore,

That we, still heavenward hasting,
Yet here Thy joy foretasting,
May reap its fulness there.

120 That the Father may be glorified in the

Son. John xiv.

1 To God be glory, peace on earth,
To men goodwill be shown:
We praise, we bless, we glorify,
We worship Thee alone:

We thank Thee for the glorious grace,
That fills our souls with light,

Lord God, the King of heaven, the God
And Father of all might.

2 And Thou, beloved Son of God,
That takest sins away,

Have mercy, Saviour of mankind,
And hear us when we pray:

Thou, who dost sit at God's right hand
Upon the Father's throne,
Have mercy on us, mercy, Lord,
Thou High and Holy One.

3 Thou with the Holy Ghost, O Christ,
Whom heaven and earth adore,
High in the Father's glory art,
Most High for evermore:
With Cherubim and Seraphim
And all the angelic throng,
Our grateful hearts to Thee uplift
The never-dying song.

1 CHRIST is our corner-stone,

On Him alone we build;

With His true saints alone

The courts of heaven are filled;

On His great love

Our hopes we place

Of present grace
And bliss above.

20 then with hymns of praise

These hallowed courts shall ring;
Our voices we will raise

The Lord of life to sing;
And thus proclaim

In joyful song,
Both loud and long,
That glorious Name.

3 Here, gracious God, do Thou
For evermore draw nigh;
Accept each faithful vow,
And mark each suppliant sigh;
In copious shower
On all who pray,
This holy day,
Thy blessings pour,

4 So may the Father's peace,
The Son's abounding love,
The Holy Spirit's grace,
Be with us from above,
Until that day

123

When all the blest
To endless rest

Are called away.

God sent His only-begotten Son. 1 John iv.

1 ARISE, my soul, arise,

Thy Saviour's sacrifice:
All the names that love could find,
All the forms that love could take,
Jesus in Himself hath joined,

Thee, my soul, His own to make.

D