WHAT thanks and praise to Thee we owe,
Priest and Sacrifice Divine,
For Thy dear saint through whom we know
So many a gracious word of Thine!
Whom Thou didst choose to tell the tale
Of all Thy manhood's toils and tears,
And for a moment lift the veil
That hides Thy boyhood's spotless years.
How many a soul with guilt oppressed
Has learned to hear the joyful sound
In that sweet tale of sin confessed,
The father's love, the lost and found!
child of sin and shame
Has refuge found from guilty fears
Through her, who to the Saviour came
With costly ointment and with tears!
The witness of the Saviour's life,
The great Apostle's chosen friend
Through weary years of toil and strife,
And still found faithful to the end!
SAINT SIMON AND SAINT JUDE
HE Church's one Foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord;
She is His new creation
By water and the word:
From heaven He came and sought her
To be His holy bride;
With His own blood He bought her,
And for her life He died.
Elect from every nation,
Yet one o'er all the earth, Her charter of salvation
One Lord, one faith, one birth,
One holy Name she blesses,
Partakes one holy Food, And to one hope she
'Mid toil, and tribulation,
And tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation
Of peace for evermore;
Till with the vision glorious
Her longing eyes are blest,
And the great Church victorious
Shall be the Church at rest.
Yet she on earth hath union
With God the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion
With those whose rest is won :
O happy ones and holy !
Lord, give us grace that we Like them, the meek and lowly, On high may dwell with Thee.
ET saints on earth in concert sing
With those to glory gone,
For all the servants of our King,
In earth and heaven are one.
One family, we dwell in Him,
One Church, above, beneath;
Though now divided by the stream,
The narrow stream of death.
One army of the living God,
To His command we bow;
Part of His host have crossed the flood,
And part are crossing now.
Lord Jesus, be our constant Guide,
Then when the word is given,
Bid death's cold flood its waves divide,
And land us safe in heaven.
WHO are these, like stars appearing,
These, before God's throne who stand? Each a golden crown is wearing; Who are all this glorious band? Alleluia! hark, they sing,
Praising loud their Heavenly King!
Who are these in dazzling brightness,
Clothed in God's own righteousness;
These, whose robes of purest whiteness
Shall their lustre still
possess,
Still untouched by time's rude hand?
Whence come all this glorious band?
These are they who have contended
For their Saviour's honour long,
Wrestling on till life was ended,
Following not the sinful throng :
These, who well the fight sustained,
Triumph by the Lamb have gained.
These are they whose hearts were riven,
Oft with woe and anguish tried,
Who in prayer full oft have striven
With the God they glorified:
Now, their painful conflict o'er,
God has bid them weep no more.
FOR all Thy saints, O Lord,
Who strove in Thee to live,
Who followed Thee, obeyed, adored,
Our grateful hymn receive.
For all Thy saints, O Lord,
Accept our thankful cry,
Who counted Thee their great reward,
And strove in Thee to die.
They all, in life and death,
With Thee, their Lord, in view,
Learned by Thy Holy Spirit's breath
To suffer and to do.
For this Thy Name we bless,
And humbly pray that we
May follow them in holiness,
And live and die in Thee.
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