Maker of man, who from thy throne

Maker of man, who from thy throne

Words: attributed to Gregory the Great (545-604), translated John D Chambers (1805-1893)
Tune: Deus tuorum militum

Maker of man, who from thy throne
Dost order all things, God alone;
By whose decree the teeming earth
To reptile and to beast gave birth:

The mighty forms that fill the land,
Instinct with life at thy command,
Are given subdued to humankind
For service in their rank assigned.

From all thy servants drive away
Whate'er of thought impure today
Hath been with open action blent,
Or mingled with the heart's intent,

In heaven thine endless joys bestow,
And grant thy gifts of grace below;
From chains of strife our souls release,
Bind fast the gentle bands of peace.

O Father, that we ask be done,
Through Jesus Christ, thine only Son;
Who, with the Holy Ghost and thee,
Doth live and reign eternally.

Selah.

Wake, and lift up thyself, my heart

Awake, my soul, and with the sun

Words: Thomas Ken (1637-1711)
Tune: Tallis’ Canon

Awake, my soul, and with the sun
thy daily stage of duty run;
shake off dull sloth, and joyful rise
to pay thy morning sacrifice.

Redeem thy mis-spent time that's past,
and live this day as if thy last;
improve thy talent with due care;
for the great day thyself prepare.

Let all thy converse be sincere,
thy conscience as the noon-day clear;
think how all-seeing God thy ways
and all thy secret thoughts surveys.

By influence of the light divine
let thine own light to others shine;
reflect all heaven's propitious rays
in ardent love and cheerful praise.

Glory to thee, who safe has kept
and hath refreshed me whilst I slept;
grant, Lord, when I from death shall wake,
I may of endless light partake.

Wake, and lift up thyself, my heart,
and with the angels bear thy part,
who all night long unwearied sing
high praise to the eternal King.

Awake, awake, ye heavenly choir,
may your devotion me inspire,
that I like you my age may spend,
like you may on my God attend.

Lord, I my vows to thee renew;
disperse my sins as morning dew,
grant my first springs of thought and will,
and with thyself my spirit fill.

Direct, control, suggest this day
all I design, or do, or say;
that all my powers, with all their might,
in thy sole glory may unite.

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow,
praise him, all creatures here below,
praise him above, ye heavenly host,
praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Selah.

All I have and all I am

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

Words: Charles Wesley (1707-1788)
Tune: St. Petersburg

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
One in three, and three in one,
As by the celestial host,
Let thy will on earth be done;
Praise by all to thee be given,
Glorious Lord of earth and heaven.

If a sinner such as I
May to thy great glory live,
All my actions sanctify,
All my words and thoughts receive;
Claim me for thy service, claim
All I have and all I am.

Take my soul and body's powers;
Take my memory, mind, and will,
All my goods, and all my hours,
All I know, and all I feel,
All I think, or speak, or do;
Take my heart, but make it new.

Now, O God, thine own I am,
Now I give thee back thine own;
Freedom, friends, and health, and fame
Consecrate to thee alone:
Thine I live, thrice happy I;
Happier still if thine I die.

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
One in three, and three in one,
As by the celestial host,
Let thy will on earth be done;
Praise by all to thee be given,
Glorious Lord of earth and heaven.

Selah.

Fire our hearts with thy strong love

High Word of God, who once didst come

Words: Latin, tenth century; trans. Charles Bigg, 1906
Tune: Verbum supernum prodiens

High Word of God, who once didst come,
leaving thy Father and thy home,
to succor by thy birth our kind,
when, towards thy advent, time declined,

Pour light upon us from above,
and fire our hearts with thy strong love,
that, as we hear thy Gospel read,
all fond desires may flee in dread;

That when thou comest from the skies,
great Judge, to open thine assize,
to give each hidden sin its smart,
and crown as kings the pure in heart,

We be not set at thy left hand,
where sentence due would bid us stand,
but with the saints thy face may see,
forever wholly loving thee.

Praise to the Father and the Son,
through all the ages as they run;
and to the holy Paraclete
be praise with them and worship meet.

Selah.

hail, Abraham's God and mine!

The God of Abraham praise

Words: Thomas Olivers, 1770
Tune: Leoni

The God of Abraham praise,
who reigns enthroned above;
Ancient of everlasting days,
and God of love;
Jehovah, great I AM,
by earth and heaven confessed:
I bow and bless the sacred Name
for ever blessed.

The God of Abraham praise,
at whose supreme command
from earth we rise, and seek the joys
at his right hand;
we all on earth forsake,
its wisdom, fame and power;
and him our only portion make,
our Shield and Tower.

The goodly land we see,
with peace and plenty blessed:
a land of sacred liberty
and endless rest;
there milk and honey flow,
and oil and wine abound,
and trees of life for ever grow,
with mercy crowned.

There dwells the Lord, our King,
the Lord, our Righteousness,
triumphant o'er the world and sin,
the Prince of Peace;
on Zion's sacred height
his kingdom he maintains,
and, glorious with his saints in light,
for ever reigns.

The God who reigns on high,
the great archangels sing,
and "Holy, holy, holy," cry,
"Almighty King!"
Who was and is the same,
and evermore shall be:
Jehovah, Father, great I AM,
we worship thee."

The whole triumphant host
give thanks to God on high;
"Hail, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost"
they ever cry;
hail, Abraham's God and mine;
I join the heavenly lays;
all might and majesty are thine,
and endless praise!

Selah.

Through the vale of lamentation

If there be that skills to reckon

Words: attributed to Thomas Kempis (1379-1471); trans. John Mason Neale

If there be that skills to reckon
all the number of the blest,
he perchance can weigh the gladness
of the everlasting rest,
which, their earthly exile finished,
they by merit have possessed.

Through the vale of lamentation
happily and safely past,
now the years of their affliction
in their memory they recast,
and the end of all perfection
they can contemplate at last.

There the gifts of each and single
all in common right possess;
there each member hath his portion
in the Body's blessedness;
so that he, the least in merits,
share the guerdon none the less.

In a glass through types and riddles
dwelling here, we see alone;
then serenely, purely, clearly,
we shall know as we are known,
fixing our enlightened vision
on the glory of the throne.

There the Trinity of persons
unbeclouded shall we see;
there the Unity of essence
perfectly revealed shall be;
while we hail the threefold Godhead
and the simple Unity.

Wherefore man, take heart and courage,
whatso'er thy present pain;
such untold reward through suffering
thou may'st merit to attain:
and for ever in his glory
with the Light of light to reign!

Selah.

For Christ, through whom all things were made

The glory of these forty days

Words: Latin, sixth century

Tune: Erhalt uns, Herr

The glory of these forty days
we celebrate with songs of praise;
for Christ, through whom all things were made,
himself has fasted and has prayed.

Alone and fasting Moses saw
the loving God who gave the law;
and to Elijah, fasting, came
the steeds and chariots of flame.

So Daniel trained his mystic sight,
delivered from the lions' might;
and John, the Bridegroom's friend, became
the herald of Messiah's name.

Then grant us, Lord, like them to be
full oft in fast and prayer with thee;
our spirits strengthen with thy grace,
and give us joy to see thy face.

O Father, Son, and Spirit blest,
to thee be every prayer addressed,
who art in three-fold Name adored,
from age to age, the only Lord.

Selah.

A trinity of light

Here's a neat photo from the weekend in FL... the last rays of the sun highlight three distant clouds in pink, rays flowing from each cloud upward into flowing bluescale clouds... and to the right of the shining clouds stands a formed angel or dove: mystic, beautiful sign of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the beauty of their creation -- almost like the Shekinah glory of the Ark of the Covenant, guarded by the cherubim! One God in Three, dancing in light of all that He has made, attended by worshiping creatures! I took this pic in awe: the moment beyond beauty... to describe it fails utterly of the wonder. Enjoy! :-)

Life-giving Spirit, o'er us move

O Holy Ghost, thy people bless

Words: Henry Williams Baker, 1874
Tune: Tallis' Ordinal

O Holy Ghost, thy people bless
who long to feel thy might,
and fain would grow in holiness
as children of the light.

To thee we bring, who art the Lord,
ourselves to be thy throne;
let every thought and deed and word
thy pure dominion own.

Life-giving Spirit, o'er us move,
as on the formless deep;
give life and order, light and love,
where now is death or sleep.

Great Gift of our ascended King,
His saving truth reveal;
our tongues inspire His praise to sing,
our hearts His love to feel.

True Wind of heaven, from south or north,
for joy or chastening, blow;
the garden-spices shall spring forth
if thou wilt bid them flow.

O Holy Ghost, of sevenfold might,
all graces come from thee;
grant us to know and serve aright
one God in Persons Three!

Selah.

Him serve with mirth, His praise forth tell

All people that on earth do dwell

Words: William Kethe, posthumous pub. 1561
Tune: Old 100th

All people that on earth do dwell,
sing to the Lord with cheerful voice:
Him serve with mirth, His praise forth tell,
come ye before Him and rejoice.

The Lord, ye know, is God indeed;
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;
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 for ever sure;
His truth at all times firmly stood,
and shall from age to age endure.

To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
the God whom heaven and earth adore,
from men and from the angel host
be praise and glory evermore

The splendor of your love

Restore in us, O God

Words: Carl P. Daw, Jr.
Tune: Southwell

Restore in us, O God,
the splendor of your love;
renew your image in our hearts,
and all our sins remove.

O Spirit, wake in us
the wonder of your power;
from fruitless fear unfurl our lives
like springtime bud and flower.

Bring us, O Christ, to share
the fullness of your joy;
baptize us in the risen life
that death cannot destroy.

Three-personed God, fulfill
the promise of your grace,
that we, when our searching ends,
may see you face to face!

Selah.

A hidden fire that trembles in the breast

Prayer is the soul's sincere desire

Words: James Montgomery, 1818

Tune: Mendip

Prayer is the soul's sincere desire,
unuttered or expressed;
the motion of a hidden fire
that trembles in the breast.

Prayer is the burden of a sigh,
the falling of a tear
the upward glancing of an eye,
when none but God is near.

Prayer is the contrite sinner's voice,
returning from his ways,
while angels in their songs rejoice
and cry, "Behold, he prays!"

The saints in prayer appear as one
in word, in deed, and mind,
while with the Father and the Son
sweet fellowship they find.

No prayer is made by man alone
the Holy Spirit pleads,
and Jesus, on th'eternal throne,
for sinners intercedes.

Prayer is the Christian's vital breath,
the Christian's native air,
his watchword at the gates of death;
he enters heaven with prayer.

O thou, by whom we come to God,
the Life, the Truth, the Way;
the path of prayer thyself hast trod:
Lord, teach us how to pray!

Selah.