PART I.

THE CHRISTIAN YEAR.

ADVENT.

1 OFFICE HYMN. E.

CREA

7th cent. Tr. J. M. Neale.

Conditor alme siderum.

YREATOR of the stars of night,
Thy people's everlasting light,
Jesu, Redeemer, save us all,

And hear thy servants when they call.
2 Thou, grieving that the ancient curse
Should doom to death a universe,
Hast found the medicine, full of grace,
To save and heal a ruined race.

3 Thou cam'st, the Bridegroom of the bride,
As drew the world to evening-tide;
Proceeding from a virgin shrine,
The spotless Victim all divine:

4 At whose dread name, majestic now,
All knees must bend, all hearts must bow;
And things celestial thee shall own,
And things terrestrial, Lord alone.

5 O thou whose coming is with dread
To judge and doom the quick and dead,
Preserve us, while we dwell below,
From every insult of the foe.

6. To God the Father, God the Son,
And God the Spirit, Three in One,
Laud, honour, might, and glory be
From age to age eternally. Amen.

2 OFFICE HYMN. M.

c. 10th cent. Tr. C. B.

Verbum supernum prodiens.

IGH Word of God, who once didst come,

H Leaving thy Father and thy home,

To succour by thy birth our kind,

When, towards thine advent, time declined,

2 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;

3 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,
4 We be not set at thy left hand,

Where sentence due would bid us stand,
But with the Saints thy face may see,
For ever wholly loving thee.

5. Praise to the Father and the Son,
Through all the ages as they run;
And to the holy Paraclete

3

Be praise with them and worship meet.

Amen.

Horologion. c. 8th cent. Tr. G. Moultrie.

Ἰδοὺ ὁ Νυμφίος ἔρχεται.

EHOLD the Bridegroom cometh in the middle of the night,

BE

And blest is he whose loins are girt, whose lamp is burning bright;

But woe to that dull servant, whom the Master shall surprise

With lamp untrimmed, unburning, and with slumber in his eyes.

2 Do thou, my soul, beware, beware, lest thou in sleep sink down,

Lest thou be given o'er to death, and lose the golden crown;

But see that thou be sober, with a watchful eye, and thus

Cry-Holy, holy, holy God, have mercy upon us.' 3 That day, the day of fear, shall come; my soul, slack not thy toil,

But light thy lamp, and feed it well, and make it bright with oil;

Who knowest not how soon may sound the cry at eventide,

‘Behold, the Bridegroom comes! Arise! Go forth to meet the bride.'

4. Beware, my soul; beware, beware, lest thou in slumber lie,

4

And, like the Five, remain without, and knock, and vainly cry;

But watch, and bear thy lamp undimmed, and Christ shall gird thee on

His own bright wedding-robe of light-the glory of the Son.

Anon. (1802), W. B. Collyer (1812),
T. Cotterill (1819), and others.

GREAT God, what do I see and hear!

The end of things created:

The Judge of mankind doth appear,
On clouds of glory seated;

The trumpet sounds, the graves restore
The dead which they contained before
Prepare, my soul, to meet him!

2 The dead in Christ shall first arise
At that last trumpet's sounding,
Caught up to meet him in the skies,
With joy their Lord surrounding;

5

No gloomy fears their souls dismay;
His
presence sheds eternal day

On those prepared to meet him.
3 The ungodly, filled with guilty fears,
Behold his wrath prevailing;

For they shall rise, and find their tears
And sighs are unavailing :

The day of grace is past and gone;
Trembling they stand before his throne,
All unprepared to meet him.

4. Great Judge, to thee our prayers we pour,
In deep abasement bending;
O shield us through that last dread hour,
Thy wondrous love extending.
May we, in this our trial day,

With faithful hearts thy word obey,
And thus prepare to meet thee.

H

6th cent. Tr. E. Caswall +.

Vox clara ecce intonat.

ARK! a herald voice is calling :
'Christ is nigh,' it seems to say;
'Cast away the dreams of darkness,
O ye children of the day!'
2 Startled at the solemn warning,
Let the earth-bound soul arise;
Christ, her Sun, all sloth dispelling,
Shines upon the morning skies.

3 Lo! the Lamb, so long expected,

Comes with pardon down from heaven;
Let us haste, with tears of sorrow,
One and all to be forgiven;

4 So when next he comes with glory,
Wrapping all the earth in fear,

May he then as our defender
On the clouds of heaven appear.