The English Hymnal

5. Honour, glory, virtue, merit,
To the Father and the Son,
With the co-eternal Spirit,

While unending ages run. Amen.

P. Doddridge, 1702-51.

HARK the glad sound the Saviour comes,

The Saviour promised long!

Let every heart prepare a throne,
And every voice a song.

2 He comes the prisoners to release
In Satan's bondage held;

The gates of brass before him burst,
The iron fetters yield.

3 He comes the broken heart to bind,
The bleeding soul to cure,

And with the treasures of his grace
To enrich the humble poor.

4. Our glad hosannas, Prince of peace,
Thy welcome shall proclaim;
And heaven's eternal arches ring
With thy beloved name.

C. Wesley (1758), and J. Cennick (1750). O! he comes with clouds descending,

Lo! with clouds

Thousand thousand Saints attending
Swell the triumph of his train :

Alleluya!

God appears, on earth to reign.

2 Every eye shall now behold him
Robed in dreadful majesty ;
Those who set at nought and sold him,
Pierced and nailed him to the tree,
Deeply wailing

Shall the true Messiah see.

3 Those dear tokens of his passion
Still his dazzling body bears,
Cause of endless exultation
To his ransomed worshippers:
With what rapture

Gaze we on those glorious scars!
4. Yea, amen! let all adore thee,
High on thine eternal throne;
Saviour, take the power and glory:
Claim the kingdom for thine own :
O come quickly!

Alleluya! Come, Lord, come !

18th cent. Tr. T. A. L.

Veni, veni, Emmanuel.
COME, O come, Emmanuel!
Redeem thy captive Israel,

That into exile drear is gone

Far from the face of God's dear Son.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

2 O come, thou Branch of Jesse! draw
The quarry from the lion's claw;
From the dread caverns of the grave,
From nether hell, thy people save.

3 O come, O come, thou Dayspring bright!
Pour on our souls thy healing light;
Dispel the long night's lingering gloom,
And pierce the shadows of the tomb.
4 O come, thou Lord of David's Key!
The royal door fling wide and free;
Safeguard for us the heavenward road,
And bar the way to death's abode.

5. O come, O come, Adonäi,

Who in thy glorious majesty

From that high mountain clothed with awe
Gavest thy folk the elder law.

C. Coffin, 1676-1749. Tr. J. Chandler. Jordanis oras praevia.

ON Jordan's bank the Baptist's cry

Announces that the Lord is nigh;
Come then and hearken, for he brings
Glad tidings from the King of kings.
2 Then cleansed be every Christian breast,
And furnished for so great a guest!
Yea, let us each our hearts prepare
For Christ to come and enter there.
3 For thou art our salvation, Lord,
Our refuge and our great reward;
Without thy grace our souls must fade,
And wither like a flower decayed.

4 Stretch forth thine hand, to heal our sore,
And make us rise to fall no more;
Once more upon thy people shine,
And fill the world with love divine.
5. All praise, eternal Son, to thee
Whose advent sets thy people free,
Whom, with the Father, we adore,
And Holy Ghost, for evermore.

10 Sequence.

Amen.

Before 11th cent. Tr. M. J. Blacker.
Salus aeterna.

NAVIOUR eternal !

Health and life of the world unfailing,

2 Light everlasting!

And in verity our redemption,

3 Grieving that the ages of men must perish Through the tempter's subtlety,

4 Still in heaven abiding, thou camest earthward Of thine own great clemency :

5 Then freely and graciously
Deigning to assume humanity,
6 To lost ones and perishing

Gavest thou thy free deliverance,
Filling all the world with joy.

7 O Christ, our souls and bodies cleanse
By thy perfect sacrifice;

8 That we as temples pure and bright Fit for thine abode may be.

9 By thy former advent justify, 10 By thy second grant us liberty: 11 That when in the might of glory Thou descendest, Judge of all,

12. We in raiment undefiled,

Bright may shine, and ever follow,
Lord, thy footsteps blest, where'er they lead us.

C. Coffin, 1676-1749. Tr. H. P.

Instantis adventum Dei.

HE advent of our God

With veger prayers we greet,

And singing haste upon his road
His glorious gift to meet.

The everlasting Son

Scorns not a Virgin's womb;

That we from bondage may be won
He bears a bondman's doom.

Daughter of Sion, rise

To meet thy lowly King;

Let not thy stubborn heart despise

The peace he deigns to bring.

In clouds of awful light

As Judge he comes again,

His scattered people to unite,
With them in heaven to reign.

Let evil flee away

Ere that dread hour shall dawn,
Let this old Adam day by day
God's image still put on.

Praise to the Incarnate Son,
Who comes to set us free,
With God the Father, ever one,
To all eternity. Amen.

P. Nicolai, 1556-1608. Tr. F. C. B.

Wachet auf.

WAKE, O wake! with tidings thrilling

The watchmen all the air are filling,
Arise, Jerusalem, arise!

Midnight strikes! no more delaying,
'The hour has come!' we hear them saying.
Where are ye all, ye virgins wise?
The Bridegroom comes in sight,
Raise high your torches bright!
Alleluya!

The wedding song

Swells loud and strong:
Go forth and join the festal throng.

2 Sion hears the watchmen shouting,
Her heart leaps up with joy undoubting,

She stands and waits with eager eyes;
See her Friend from heaven descending,
Adorned with truth and grace unending!

Her light burns clear, her star doth rise.
Now come, thou precious Crown,
Lord Jesu, God's own Son!

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