Hymns of the Christian Church.

   
Hymns Based on Psalms
Psalm XIX
Psalm XXIII
Psalm LXXII
Psalm XC
Psalm C
Psalm CIV

Greek Hymns
Gloria in Excelsis
Shepherd of Tender Youth
The Day is Past and Over
The Day of Resurrection
Art Thou Weary?

Latin Hymns
Te Deum Laudamus
Veni Creator Spiritus
Hic Breve Vivitur
Urbs Sion Aurea
Jesu, Dulcis Memoria
Jesu, Dulcedo Cordium
Dies Iræ, Dies Illa
Stabat Mater
Adeste Fideles
O Deus, Ego Amo Te

Modern Hymns
A Mighty Fortress is Our God
Now Thank We All Our God
Be Not Dismayed
In Temptation
Christmas Hymn
Light Shining Out of Darkness
The Future Peace and Glory of the Church
Early Piety
The Holy Trinity
Epiphany
Sun of My Soul, Thou Saviour Dear
Abide With Me
The Pillar of Cloud
Nearer, My God, to Thee
My Faith Looks Up to Thee
A Sun-Day Hymn
The Pilgrims of the Night
Let There Be Light

Psalm XIX   
   
Joseph Addison (1672–1719)   
   
   
THE SPACIOUS firmament on high,      
With all the blue ethereal sky,      
And spangled heavens, a shining frame,      
Their great Original proclaim.      
The unwearied sun from day to day           5   
Does his Creator’s power display,      
And publishes to every land      
The work of an almighty hand.      
   
Soon as the evening shades prevail      
The moon takes up the wondrous tale,           10   
And nightly to the listening earth      
Repeats the story of her birth;      
Whilst all the stars that round her burn,      
And all the planets in their turn,      
Confirm the tidings as they roll,           15   
And spread the truth from pole to pole.      
   
What though in solemn silence all      
Move round the dark terrestrial ball?      
What though no real voice nor sound      
Amid their radiant orbs be found?           20   
In reason’s ear they all rejoice      
And utter forth a glorious voice,      
Forever singing as they shine,      
“The hand that made us is divine.”

   
Psalm XXIII   
   
Henry Williams Baker (1821–1877)   
   
   
THE KING of love my shepherd is,      
  Whose goodness faileth never:      
I nothing lack if I am his,      
  And he is mine forever.      
   
Where streams of living water flow           5   
  My ransomed soul he leadeth,      
And where the verdant pastures grow      
  With food celestial feedeth.      
   
Perverse and foolish oft I strayed,      
  But yet in love he sought me           10   
And on his shoulder gently laid      
  And home rejoicing brought me.      
   
In death’s dark vale I fear no ill      
  With thee, dear Lord, beside me,      
Thy rod and staff my comfort still,           15   
  Thy cross before to guide me.      
   
Thou spread’st a table in my sight,      
  Thy unction grace bestoweth,      
And O! what transport of delight      
  From thy pure chalice floweth!           20   
   
And so through all the length of days      
  Thy goodness faileth never;      
Good Shepherd, may I sing thy praise      
  Within thy house forever.

Psalm LXXII   
   
Isaac Watts (1674–1748)   
   
   
JESUS shall reign where’er the sun      
Does his successive journeys run,      
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore      
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.      
   
Behold the islands with their kings,           5   
And Europe her best tribute brings;      
From north and south the princes meet      
To pay their homage at his feet.      
   
There Persia, glorious to behold,      
There India shines in eastern gold,           10   
And barb’rous nations at his word      
Submit and bow, and own their Lord.      
   
For him shall endless prayer be made,      
And praises throng to crown his head;      
His name, like sweet perfume, shall rise           15   
With every morning sacrifice.      
   
People and realms of every tongue      
Dwell on his love with sweetest song,      
And infant voices shall proclaim      
Their early blessings on his name.           20   
   
Blessings abound where’er he reigns;      
The prisoner leaps to loose his chains,      
The weary find eternal rest,      
And all the sons of want are blest.      
   
Where he displays his healing power,           25   
Death and the curse are known no more.      
In him the tribes of Adam boast      
More blessings than their father lost.      
   
Let every creature rise, and bring      
Peculiar honors to our King,           30   
Angels descend with songs again,      
And earth repeat the loud Amen!      

   
Psalm XC   
   
Isaac Watts (1674–1748)   
   
   
OUR God, our help in ages past,      
  Our hope for years to come,      
Our shelter from the stormy blast,      
  And our eternal home,      
   
Under the shadow of thy throne           5   
  Thy saints have dwelt secure;      
Sufficient is thine arm alone,      
  And our defence is sure.      
   
Before the hills in order stood,      
  Or earth received her frame,           10   
From everlasting thou art God,      
  To endless years the same.      
   
Thy word commands our flesh, “To dust      
  Return ye sons of men:”      
All nations rose from earth at first           15   
  And turn to earth again.      
   
A thousand ages in thy sight      
  Are like an evening gone,      
Short as the watch that ends the night      
  Before the rising sun.           20   
   
The busy tribes of flesh and blood,      
  With all their lives and cares,      
Are carried downward by thy flood,      
  And lost in following years.      
   
Time, like an ever-rolling stream,           25   
  Bears all its sons away:      
They fly forgotten, as a dream      
  Dies at the opening day.      
   
Like flowery fields the nations stand,      
  Pleas’d with the morning light,           30   
The flowers beneath the mower’s hand      
  Lie withering ere ’tis night.      
   
Our God, our help in ages past,      
  Our hope for years to come,      
Be thou our guard while troubles last,           35   
  And our eternal home.      

Psalm C   
   
William Kethe ((?) circa 1562)   
   
   
ALL people that on earth do dwell,      
  Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice,      
Him serve with fear, his praise forth tell,      
  Come ye before him and rejoice.      
   
The Lord ye know is God indeed;           5   
  Without our aid he did us make;      
We are his folk, he doth us feed,      
  And for his sheep he doth us take.      
   
O enter then his gates with praise,      
  Approach with joy his courts unto;           10   
Praise, laud, and bless his name always,      
  For it is seemly so to do.      
   
For why, the Lord our God is good,      
  His mercy is forever sure;      
His truth at all times firmly stood,           15   
  And shall from age to age endure.

   
Psalm CIV   
   
Sir Robert Grant (1785–1838)   
   
   
O WORSHIP the King all glorious above!      
O gratefully sing his power and his love,—      
Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of days,      
Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.      
   
O tell of his might, O sing of his grace,           5   
Whose robe is the light, whose canopy space;      
His chariots of wrath the deep thunder-clouds form,      
And dark is his path on the wings of the storm.      
   
The earth with its store of wonders untold,      
Almighty, thy power hath founded of old,           10   
Hath’ stablish’d it fast by a changeless decree,      
And round it hath cast, like a mantle, the sea.      
   
Thy bountiful care what tongue can recite?      
It breathes in the air, it shines in the light,      
It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,           15   
And sweetly distils in the dew and the rain.      
   
Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,      
In thee do we trust, nor find thee to fail.      
Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end!      
Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.           20   
   
O measureless Might! Ineffable Love!      
While angels delight to hymn thee above,      
The humber creation, tho’ feeble their lays,      
With true adoration shall lisp to thy praise.

Greek Hymns   
   
Gloria in Excelsis   
   
Anonymous (4th Century or earlier)   
   
   
GLORY be to God on high, and in earth, peace, good will towards men. We praise thee, we bless thee, we worship thee, we glorify thee, we give thanks to thee for thy great glory, O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty.     1   
  O Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesu Christ; O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. Thou that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. Thou that takest away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father, have mercy upon us.     2   
  For thou only art holy; thou only art the Lord; thou only, O Christ, with the Holy Ghost, art most high in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Shepherd of Tender Youth   
   
St. Clement of Alexandria. Tr. H. M. Dexter ((?) 170–220)   
   
   
SHEPHERD of tender youth      
Guidign in love and truth      
  Through devious ways;      
Christ our triumphant king,      
We come Thy name to sing;           5   
Hither our children bring      
  Tributes of praise.      
   
Thou art our holy Lord,      
The all-subduing Word,      
  Healer of strife:           10   
Thou didst Thyself abase,      
That from sin’s deep disgrace      
Thou mightest save our race,      
  And give us life.      
   
Thou art the great High-Priest;           15   
Thou hast prepared the feast      
  Of heavenly love;      
While in our mortal pain      
None calls on Thee in vain;      
Help Thou dost not disdain,           20   
  Help from above.      
   
Ever be Thou our guide,      
Our shepherd and our pride,      
  Our staff and song:      
Jesus, Thou Christ of God,           25   
By Thy perennial word      
Lead us where Thou hast trod,      
  Make our faith strong.      
   
So now, and till we die,      
Sound we Thy praises high,           30   
  And joyful sing.      
Let all the holy throng      
Who to Thy Church belong,      
Unite and swell the song      
  To Christ our King!           35   

The Day is Past and Over   
   
Attributed to St. Anatolius. Tr. J. M. Neale (458 A. D.)   
   
   
THE DAY is past and over;      
  All thanks, O Lord, to Thee;      
I pray Thee now that sinless      
  The hours of dark may be:      
O Jesu, keep me in Thy sight,           5   
And guard me through the coming night.      
   
The joys of day are over;      
  I lift my heart to Thee,      
And ask Thee that offenceless      
  The hours of dark may be:           10   
O Jesu, keep me in Thy sight,      
And guard me through the coming night.      
   
The toils of day are over:      
  I raise the hymn to Thee      
And ask that free from peril           15   
  The hours of dark may be:      
O Jesu, keep me in Thy sight,      
And guard me through the coming night.      
   
Be Thou my soul’s preserver,      
  For Thou alone dost know           20   
How many are the perils      
  Through which I have to go:      
O loving Jesu, hear my call,      
And guard and save me from them all.