Adeste Fideles, Called “The Portuguese Chapel Hymn.”   
   
Anonymous. Tr. J. R. Beste (15th–16th Century)   
   
   
HASTEN, ye faithful, glad, joyful, and holy,      
    Speed ye to Bethlem to honour the Word;      
See there the King of angels is born lowly—      
    Oh, come and kneel before him;      
    Oh, come and all adore him;           5   
Oh come, oh come, rejoicing to honour the Lord.      
   
God of the Godhead, true Light unabated,      
    Mary the Virgin has borne the Adored;      
True God eternal, begot, uncreated—      
    Oh, come and kneel before him;           10   
    Oh, come and all adore him;      
Oh come, oh come, rejoicing to honour the Lord.      
   
Sing, all ye angels, till echoes rebounding      
    Swell through your halls, for ever be heard;      
‘Glory to God,’ through all heaven resounding—           15   
    Oh, come and kneel before him;      
    Oh, come and all adore him;      
Oh come, oh come, rejoicing to honour the Lord.      
   
Praise to the Infant, who this day descended;      
    Glory to thee, blessed Jesus adored;           20   
Word, in whom two natures join, yet unblended—      
    Oh, come and kneel before him;      
Oh, come and all adore him;      
    Oh come, oh come, rejoicing to honour the Lord.

O Deus, Ego Amo Te   
   
Attributed To St. Francis Xavier. Tr. Edward Caswall (1506–1552)   
   
   
MY God, I love thee: not because      
  I hope for heaven thereby,      
Nor because they who love thee not      
  Must burn eternally.      
   
Thou, O my Jesus, Thou didst me           5   
  Upon the Cross embrace;      
For me didst bear the nails and spear,      
  And manifold disgrace.      
   
And grief and torments numberless,      
  And sweat of agony;           10   
Yea, death itself; and all for me      
  Who was thine enemy.      
   
Then why, O Blessèd Jesu Christ,      
  Should I not love thee well?—      
Not for the hope of winning heaven,           15   
  Nor of escaping hell;      
   
Not with the hope of gaining aught,      
  Not seeking a reward;      
But as thyself hast lovèd me,      
  O ever-loving Lord!           20   
   
E’en so I love thee and will love,      
  And in thy praise will sing,      
Solely because thou art my God,      
  And my eternal King.      

A Mighty Fortress is Our God   
   
Martin Luther. Tr. Frederick Henry Hedge (1483–1546)   
   
   
A MIGHTY fortress is our God,      
  A bulwark never failing;      
Our helper he, amid the flood      
  Of mortal ills prevailing.      
    For still our ancient foe           5   
    Doth seek to work us woe;      
    His craft and power are great;      
    And, armed with cruel hate,      
  On earth is not his equal.      
   
Did we in our own strength confide,           10   
  Our striving would be losing,—      
Were not the right man on our side,      
  The man of God’s own choosing.      
    Dost ask who that may be?      
    Christ Jesus, it is he,           15   
    Lord Sabaoth his name,      
    From age to age the same,      
  And he must win the battle.      
   
And though this world, with devils filled,      
  Should threaten to undo us;           20   
We will not fear, for God hath willed      
  His truth to triumph through us.      
    The prince of darkness grim,—      
    We tremble not for him;      
    His rage we can endure,           25   
    For lo! his doom is sure,—      
  One little word shall fell him.      
   
That word above all earthly powers—      
  No thanks to them—abideth;      
The Spirit and the gifts are ours           30   
  Through him who with us sideth.      
    Let goods and kindred go,      
    This mortal life also;      
    The body they may kill:      
    God’s truth abideth still,           35   
  His kingdom is forever.      

Now Thank We All Our God   
   
Martin Rinkart. Tr. Catherine Winkworth (1586–1649)   
   
   
Now thank we all our God,      
  With heart and hands and voices,      
Who wondrous things hath done,      
  In whom his world rejoices,      
      Who from our mothers’ arms           5   
        Hath blessed us on our way      
      With countless gifts of love,      
        And still is ours to-day.      
   
O, may this bounteous God      
  Through all our life be near us,           10   
With ever joyful hearts      
  And blessèd peace to cheer us,      
      And keep us in his grace,      
        And guide us when perplexed,      
      And free us from all ills           15   
        In this world and the next.      
   
All praise and thanks to God,      
  The Father, now be given,      
The Son, and him who reigns      
  With them in highest heaven:—           20   
      The One Eternal God,      
        Whom earth and heaven adore,      
      For thus it was, is now,      
        And shall be evermore!      

Be Not Dismayed   
   
Attributed to Gustavus Adolphus. Tr. Elizabeth Charles (1594–1632)   
   
   
BE not dismayed, thou little flock,      
Although the foe’s fierce battle-shock,      
  Loud on all sides, assail thee.      
Though o’er thy fall they laugh secure,      
Their triumph cannot long endure:           5   
  Let not thy courage fail thee.      
   
Thy cause is God’s: go at his call,      
And to his hand commit thy all.      
  Fear thou no ill impending.      
His Gideon shall arise for thee,           10   
God’s word and people manfully,      
  In God’s own time, defending.      
   
Our hope is sure in Jesus’ might;      
Against themselves the godless fight,      
  Themselves, not us, distressing.           15   
Shame and contempt their lot shall be;      
God is with us, with him are we;      
  To us belongs his blessing.

In Temptation   
   
Charles Wesley (1708–1788)   
   
   
Jesus, lover of my soul,      
  Let me to thy bosom fly,      
While the nearer waters roll,      
  While the tempest still is high:      
Hide me, O my Saviour, hide           5   
  Till the storm of life is past,      
Safe into the haven guide,      
  O, receive my soul at last!      
   
Other refuge have I none,      
  Hangs my helpless soul on thee;           10   
Leave, ah, leave me not alone,      
  Still support and comfort me:      
All my trust on thee is stayed,      
  All my help from thee I bring;      
Cover my defenceless head           15   
  With the shadow of thy wing.      
   
Wilt thou not regard my call?      
  Wilt thou not accept my prayer?      
Lo! I sink, I faint, I fall!      
  Lo! on thee I cast my care!           20   
Reach me out thy gracious hand      
  While I of thy strength receive,      
Hoping against hope I stand,      
  Dying, and behold I live!      
   
Thou, O Christ, art all I want;           25   
  More than all in thee I find:      
Raise the fallen, cheer the faint,      
  Heal the sick and lead the blind!      
Just and holy is thy name;      
  I am all unrighteousness;           30   
False and full of sin I am,      
  Thou art full of truth and grace.      
   
Plenteous grace with thee is found,      
  Grace to cover all my sin;      
Let the healing streams abound,           35   
  Make and keep me pure within:      
Thou of life the fountain art;      
  Freely let me take of thee,      
Spring thou up within my heart,      
  Rise to all eternity!           40

   
Christmas Hymn   
   
Charles Wesley (1708–1788)   
   
   
HARK! how all the welkin rings      
Glory to the King of kings!      
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,      
God and sinners reconciled!      
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,           5   
Join the triumph of the skies;      
Universal nature say,      
Christ the Lord is born to-day!      
   
Christ by highest Heaven adored,      
Christ, the Everlasting Lord;           10   
Late in time behold Him come,      
Offspring of a Virgin’s womb:      
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;      
Hail th’ Incarnate Deity,      
Pleased as man with men to appear,           15   
Jesus our Immanuel here!      
   
Hail! the heavenly Prince of Peace!      
Hail! the Sun of Righteousness!      
Light and life to all He brings,      
Risen with healing in His wings.           20   
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.      
   
Come, Desire of nations, come,           25   
Fix in us Thy humble home!      
Rise, the Woman’s conquering Seed,      
Bruise in us the Serpent’s head!      
Now display Thy saving power,      
Ruined nature now restore,           30   
Now in mystic union join      
Thine to ours, and ours to Thine!      
   
Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface;      
Stamp Thy image in its place;      
Second Adam from above,           35   
Reinstate us in Thy love!      
Let us Thee, though lost, regain,      
Thee, the Life, the Heavenly Man:      
O! to all Thyself impart,      
Formed in each believing heart!           40

Light Shining Out of Darkness   
   
William Cowper (1731–1800)   
   
   
God moves in a mysterious way      
  His wonders to perform;      
He plants his footsteps in the sea,      
  And rides upon the storm.      
   
Deep in unfathomable mines           5   
  Of never-failing skill,      
He treasures up his bright designs,      
  And works his sovereign will.      
   
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,      
  The clouds ye so much dread           10   
Are big with mercy, and shall break      
  In blessings on your head.      
   
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,      
  But trust him for his grace;      
Behind a frowning providence           15   
  He hides a smiling face.      
   
His purposes will ripen fast,      
  Unfolding every hour;      
The bud may have a bitter taste,      
  But sweet will be the flower.           20   
   
Blind unbelief is sure to err,      
  And scan his work in vain;      
God is his own interpreter,      
  And he will make it plain.

The Future Peace and Glory of the Church   
   
William Cowper (1731–1800)   
   
   
HEAR what God, the Lord, hath spoken:      
  O my people, faint and few,      
Comfortless, afflicted, broken,      
  Fair abodes I build for you.      
Thorns of heart-felt tribulation           5   
  Shall no more perplex your ways:      
You shall name your walls Salvation,      
  And your gates shall all be Praise.      
   
There, like streams that feed the garden,      
  Pleasures without end shall flow;           10   
For the Lord, your faith rewarding,      
  All his bounty shall bestow;      
Still in undisturbed possession      
  Peace and righteousness shall reign;      
Never shall you feel oppression,           15   
  Hear the voice of war again.      
   
Ye no more your suns descending,      
  Waning moons no more shall see;      
But your griefs, forever ending,      
  Find eternal noon in me.           20   
God shall rise, and, shining o’er you,      
  Change to day the gloom of night;      
He, the Lord, shall be your glory,      
  God your everlasting light.

Early Piety   
   
Reginald Heber (1783–1826)   
   
   
BY cool Siloam’s shady rill      
  How sweet the lily grows!      
How sweet the breath beneath the hill      
  Of Sharon’s dewy rose!      
Lo! such the child whose early feet           5   
  The paths of peace have trod,      
Whose secret heart with influence sweet,      
  Is upward drawn to God.      
   
By cool Siloam’s shady rill      
  The lily must decay;           10   
The rose that blooms beneath the hill      
  Must shortly fade away;      
And soon, too soon, the wintry hour      
  Of man’s maturer age      
Will shake the soul with sorrow’s power           15   
  And stormy passion’s rage.      
   
O Thou, whose infant feet were found      
  Within Thy Father’s shrine,      
Whose years with changeless virtue crowned      
  Were all alike divine,           20   
Dependent on Thy bounteous breath,      
  We seek Thy grace alone,      
In childhood, manhood, age, and death      
  To keep us still Thine own.