Beaminster Hymns

Come Down, O Love Divine

Come down, O love divine, seek thou this soul of mine,
and visit it with thine own ardour glowing;
O Comforter, draw near, within my heart appear,
and kindle it, Thy holy flame bestowing.

O let it freely burn, til earthly passions turn
to dust and ashes in its heat consuming;
And let thy glorious light shine ever on my sight,
and clothe me round, the while my path illuming.

Let holy charity mine outward vesture be,
and lowliness become mine inner clothing;
True lowliness of heart, which takes the humbler part,
and o’er its own shortcomings weeps with loathing.

And so the yearning strong, with which the soul will long,
shall far outpass the power of human telling;
For none can guess its grace, till they become the place
where-in the Holy Spirit finds a dwelling.

Bianco da Siena (d. 1434) trans. Richard F Littledale (1833-1890) alt.

Father of Heaven, Whose Love Profound

Father of heaven, whose love profound
a ransom for our souls hath found,
before thy throne we sinners bend;
to us thy pardoning love extend.

Almighty Son, Incarnate Word,
our Prophet, Priest, Redeemer, Lord,
before thy throne we sinners bend;
to us thy saving grace extend.

Eternal Spirit, by whose breath
the soul is raised from sin and death,
Before thy throne we sinners bend;
to us thy quickening power extend.

Jehovah – Father, Spirit, Son –
mysterious Godhead, Three in One,
before thy throne we sinners bend;
grace, pardon, life to us extend.

Edward Cooper (1770-1833)

Fight the Good Fight

Fight the good fight with all thy might.
Christ is thy strength and Christ thy right.
Lay hold on life, and it shall be
thy joy and crown eternally.

Run the straight race through God’s good grace;
lift up thine eyes, and seek Christ’s face.
Life with its way before us lies;
Christ is the path, and Christ the prize.

Cast care aside; lean on thy guide.
God’s boundless mercy will provide.
Trust, and thy trusting soul shall prove
Christ is its life, and Christ its love.

Faint not nor fear: God’s arms are near.
God changeth not, and thou art dear.
Only believe, and thou shalt see
that Christ is all in all to thee.

John Samuel Bewley Monsell (1811-1875) alt.

For Mary, Mother of Our Lord

For Mary, Mother of the Lord
God’s holy name be praised,
Who first the Son of God adored
As on her child she gazed.

The angel Gabriel brought the word
She should Christ’s mother be;
Our Lady, handmaid of the Lord,
Made answer willingly.

The heavenly call she thus obeyed,
And so God’s will was done;
The second Eve love’s answer made
Which our redemption won.

She gave her body for God’s shrine,
Her heart to piercing pain,
And knew the cost of love divine
When Jesus Christ was slain.

Dear Mary, from your lowliness
And home in Galilee,
There comes a joy and holiness
To every family.

Hail, Mary, you are full of grace,
Above all women blest;
Blest in your Son, whom your embrace
In birth and death confessed.

John Raphael Peacey (1896-1971)

Lord of All Hopefulness

Lord of all hopefulness,
Lord of all joy.
Whose trust, ever child-like,
No care could destroy.
Be there at out waking
And give us, we pray,
Your place in our hearts, Lord,
At the break of the day.

Lord of all eagerness,
Lord of all faith.
Whose strong hands were skilled
At the plane and the lathe.
Be there at our labours
And give us, we pray,
You strength in our hearts, Lord,
At the noon of the day.

Lord of all kindliness
Lord of all grace.
Your hands swift to welcome,
Your arms to embrace.
Be there at our homing,
And give us, we pray,
Your Love in our hearts, Lord,
At the eve of the day.

Lord of all gentleness,
Lord of all calm.
Whose voice is contentment,
Whose presence is balm.
Be there at sleeping,
And give us, we pray,
Your peace in our hearts, Lord,
At the end of the day.

Jan Sruther (1901-1953)

Tell Out My Soul

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord:
Unnumbered blessings, give my spirit voice;
Tender to me the promise of his word;
In God my Saviour shall my heart rejoice.

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his name:
Make known his might, the deeds his arm has done;
His mercy sure, from age to age the same;
His holy name, the Lord, the Mighty One.

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his might:
Powers and dominions lay their glory by;
Proud hearts and stubborn wills are put to flight,
The hungry fed, the humble lifted high.

Tell out, my soul, the glories of his word:
Firm is his promise, and his mercy sure.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord
To children’s children and for evermore.

Timothy Dudley-Smith (b. 1926) based on Luke 1:46-55

We Sing the Praise

We sing the praise of him who died,
of him who died upon the cross;
the sinner’s hope let men deride;
for this we count the world but loss.

Inscribed upon the cross we see
in shining letters, God is love:
he bears our sins upon the tree:
he brings us mercy from above.

The cross: it takes our guilt away,
it holds the fainting spirit up;
it cheers with hope the gloomy day,
and sweetens every bitter cup.

It makes the coward spirit brave,
and nerves the feeble arm for fight;
it takes its terror from the grave,
and gilds the bed of death with light.

The balm of life, the cure of woe,
the measure and the pledge of love,
the sinner’s refuge here below,
the angel’s theme in heaven above.

Thomas Kelly (1769-1855) alt.