SABBATH HYMN
Glory to the glorious One!
Good and great our God alone,
Who this day hath glorified
First and best of all beside,
Making it for every clime
Of all times the sweetest time.
From the beginning, day of days,
Set apart for holy praise,
When He bade the willing earth
All its hidden stores bring forth,
When He made the shining heaven,
Then to man this day was given.
On this day the Son of God
Left His three days’ dark abode,
In the greatness of His might
Rising to the upper light.
On this day the Church puts on
Glory, beauty, robe, and crown.
On this day of days, the Lord,
Faithful to His ancient word,
On His burning chariot borne,
Shall in majesty return.
King of kings, He comes in might,
From His heavenly home of light,
To His own Jerusalem,
Old Judea’s brightest gem;
To the hill of Jebus, see,
King Messiah, cometh He;
With His cross to bless and save,
With His cross to spoil the grave.
Earth is fleeing, fleeing fast,
And its beauty fades at last;
O belovèd, then, awake,
Bonds of carnal slumber break;
Wake, belovèd, watch and pray
While remains one hour of day!
Death, it cometh; oh beware!
Judgement cometh; oh prepare!
Steadfast, steadfast let us stand,
For the Judge is nigh at hand:
Steadfast let us rest each night,
Steadfast wake at morning light.
Glory, glory, glory be,
Gracious God and Lord, to Thee!
To the Father and the Son,
To the Spirit, Three in One:
Thus we now Thy mercy praise,
Thus through everlasting days.
In the new and revised edition of Church Hymns, there is a translation by the Rev. R. M. Moorsom of an anonymous Syriac hymn, which is one of two placed under the heading, ‘The National Church.’
His the glory, His the honour,
High and low, recount His praise;
Tell it out among the nations,
How the Christ in ancient days
Left His home, His Father’s side,
Sought, and found, and won His Bride.
In the far-off land He found her,
And she gave to Him her heart,
For His love is everlasting,
That nor life nor death can part;
There, to win her troth, He died,
There, for her, was crucified.
Oh, our King! fulfil Thy promise,
Bring her where no taint of sin,
Where no sadness and no blemish,
Where no stain can enter in;
Keep her ever at Thy side,
Bring her home, Thy faithful Bride.
Perfect then, Thy new creation,
With the grace that shall endure,
E’en amid temptation growing
Still more stately and more pure;
Till by sorrow sanctified,
She becomes Thy holy Bride.
Peace be hers within her temples;
Strength be hers, her walls to guard;
May her holiness and beauty
By no evil thing be marred;
Through all peril, Saviour, guide
To Thy heaven Thy crownèd Bride.
2. Greek.—What is often called the first Christian hymn is found in the Paedagogus, or Tutor, of St. Clement of Alexandria (d. cir. 212). It has been translated into English by many writers. Dean Plumptre’s version is the best known. At the end of his treatise Clement ‘burst out into a kind of choral, dithyrambic ode, in anapæstic metre, the lines very short and abrupt, and the whole being more exclamatory and fervid than most later hymns.’
Curb for the stubborn steed,
Making its will give heed;
Wing that directest right
The wild bird’s wandering flight;
Helm for the ships that keep
Their pathway o’er the deep;
Shepherd of sheep that own
Their Master on the throne,
Stir up Thy children meek,
With guileless lips to speak,
In hymn and song, Thy praise,
Guide of their infant ways.
O King of saints, O Lord,
Mighty all-conquering Word;
Son of the Highest God,
Wielding His wisdom’s rod;
Our stay when cares annoy,
Giver of endless joy;
Of all our mortal race,
Saviour, of boundless grace,
O Jesus, hear!
Shepherd and Sower Thou,
Now helm, and bridle now,
Wing for the heavenward flight
Of flock all pure and bright,
Fisher of men, the blest
Out of the world’s unrest,
Out of sin’s troubled sea,
Taking us, Lord, to Thee;
Out of the waves of strife,
With bait of blissful life,
With choicest fish, good store,
Drawing Thy nets to shore.
Lead us, O Shepherd true,
Thy mystic sheep, we sue,
Lead us, O holy Lord,
Who from Thy sons dost ward,
With all prevailing charm,
Peril, and curse, and harm;
O path where Christ hath trod,
O way that leads to God!
O Word, abiding aye,
O endless Light on high,
Mercy’s fresh-springing flood,
Worker of all things good,
O glorious Life of all
That on their Maker call,
Christ Jesus, hear!
. . . . .
Our holy tribute this,
For wisdom, life, and bliss,
Singing in chorus meet,
Singing in concert sweet,
The Almighty’s Son.
We, heirs of peace unpriced,
We, who are born in Christ,
A people pure from stain,
Praise we our God again,
Lord of our Peace!
I must add one other hymn, though it has been often translated, and is found in several modern hymn-books. There is a pretty little version in Longfellow’s Golden Legend, but the best is Keble’s fine rendering published in the Lyra Apostolica. It is a hymn for eventide, and was sung at ‘The Lighting of the Lamps.’ It has been sung at vespers in the Greek Church for many centuries, and is still in daily use.
Φῶς ἱλαρὸν ἁγίας δόξης ἀθανάτου Πατρός
οὐρανίου, ἁγίου, μάκαρος,
Ἰησοῦ Χριστέ,
ἐλθόντες ἐπὶ τοῦ ἡλίου δύσιν,
ἰδόντες φῶς ἑσπερινόν,
ὑμνοῦμεν Πατέρα, καὶ Υἱόν, καὶ Ἅγιον Πνεῦμα Θεοῦ,
ἄξιος εἶ ’ν πᾶσι καιροῖς ὑμνεῖσθαι φωναῖς ὁσίαις
Υἱὲ Θεοῦ, ζωὴν ὁ διδούς·
διὸ ὁ κοσμός σε δοξάζει.
Hail! gladdening Light of His pure glory poured,
Who is the immortal Father, heavenly, blest,
Holiest of Holies—Jesus Christ our Lord!
Now we are come to the sun’s hour of rest,
The lights of evening round us shine,
We hymn the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit divine!
Worthiest art Thou at all times to be sung
With undefiled tongue,
Son of our God, Giver of Life, alone!
Therefore in all the world, Thy glories, Lord, they own.
3. Latin.—The following hymn has not only intrinsic value, but peculiar interest on account of St. Augustine’s reference to it as having brought to his eyes the kindly relief of tears, as he thought of his mother laid that day in her grave.
Then I slept and rose up again, and found my sorrow diminished not a little and as I lay lonely on my bed I recalled the truthful verses of Thy Ambrose ... and I gave my tears, which I had restrained till now, leave to flow as they would.
It is found in the Breviaries as a Saturday vesper hymn, and is a good example of the hymns of St. Ambrose. It has much of the strength and simplicity of Ken’s hymns.
Deus, creator omnium!
Polique Rector! vestiens
Diem decoro lumine,
Noctem soporis gratiâ,
Artus solutos ut quies
Reddat laboris usui:
Mentesque fessas allevet
Luctusque solvat anxios.
Grates peracto jam die
Et noctis exortu preces,
Voti reos ut adjuves,
Hymnum canentes solvimus.
Te cordis ima concinant,
Te vox canora concrepet,
Te diligat castus amor,
Te mens adoret sobria;
Ut, cum profunda clauserit
Diem caligo noctium,
Fides tenebras nesciat,
Et nox fide reluceat.[53]
Dormire mentem ne sinas,
Dormire culpa noverit;
Castis fides refrigerans
Somni vaporem temperet.
Exuta sensu lubrico
Te cordis alta somnient,
Nec hostis invidi dolo
Pavor quietos suscitet.
Christum rogemus et Patrem,
Christi Patrisque Spiritum,
Unum potens per omnia
Fove precantes Trinitas.[54]
The best English translation is by Mr. J. D. Chambers, late Recorder of New Sarum. I take it from his beautiful Psalter; or, Seven Hours of Prayer of the Church of Sarum.[55]
Maker of all things! God Most High!
Great Ruler of the starry sky!
Robing the day in beauteous light,
In sweet repose the quiet night;
That sleep may our tired limbs restore,
And fit for toil and use once more;
May gently soothe the careworn breast,
And lull our anxious griefs to rest.
We thank Thee for the day that’s gone,
We pray Thee now the night comes on:
O help us sinners as we raise
To Thee our votive hymn of praise.
To Thee our hearts their music bring,
Thee our united voices sing:
To Thee our pure affections soar,
Thee may our chastened souls adore.
So when the deepening shades prevail,
And night o’er day hath dropped her veil:
Faith may no wildering darkness know,
But night with Faith’s own splendour glow.
O sleepless ever keep the mind!
Our guilt in lasting slumbers bind;
Let Faith pure Chastity renew,
And freshen sleep’s lethargic dew.
From every wrongful passion free,
O may our hearts repose in Thee;
Nor envious fiend with harmful snare,
Our rest with sinful terrors scare.
Christ, with the Father ever One!
Spirit of Father and of Son!
God over all of mighty sway,
Shield us, great Trinity, we pray!
I would gladly linger awhile longer among these ancient hymns; but except as they have passed into our hymnals in the last two centuries, they hardly belong to my subject.