Aeterne Rerum Conditor

Mosaic of St. Ambrose - Courtesy of Wikipedia

Aeterne Rerum Conditor is by the Bishop of Milan, St. Ambrose of Milan (340-397). It is one of just four Ambrosian chants that modern scholars ascribe with certainty to Ambrose. Of the hymns sung in the Church of Milan at that time, St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430) writes in The Confessions: "How greatly did I weep in Your hymns and canticles, deeply moved by the voices of Your sweet-speaking Church! The voices flowed into mine ears, and the truth was poured forth into my heart, whence the agitation of my piety overflowed, and my tears ran over, and blessed was I therein.".  In 1632, in accordance with revisions made to the hymns of the Divine Office by Pope Urban VIII (1568-1644) it was changed to Aeterne Rerum Conditor (1632). Both versions are shown below. It is sung at Sunday Lauds in the Roman Breviary.


Ambrosian Chant

AETERNE RERUM CONDITOR by St. Ambrose

1. Aeterne rerum conditor,
noctem diemque qui regis,
et temporum das tempora,
ut alleves fastidium;

2. Praeco diei iam sonat,
noctis profundae pervigil,
nocturna lux viantibus
a nocte noctem segregans. 

3. Hoc excitatus lucifer
solvit polum caligine,
hoc omnis erronum chorus
vias nocendi deserit.

4. Hoc nauta vires colligit
pontique mitescunt freta,
hoc ipsa petra ecclesiae
canente culpam diluit.

5. Surgamus ergo strenue!
Gallus iacentes excitat,
et somnolentos increpat,
Gallus negantes arguit.

6. Gallo canente spes redit,
aegris salus refunditur,
mucro latronis conditur,
lapsis fides revertitur.

7. Iesu, labantes respice,
et nos videndo corrige,
si respicis, lapsus cadunt,
fletuque culpa solvitur.

8. Tu lux refulge sensibus,
mentisque somnum discute,
te nostra vox primum sonet
et ore psallamus tibi.

9. Sit, Christe, Rex piissime,
tibi Patrique gloria
cum Spiritu Paraclito,
in sempiterna saecula. Amen.


AETERNE RERUM CONDITOR (1632 Version)

1. Aeterne rerum Conditor,
Noctem diemque qui regis,
Et temporum das temporã,
ut alleves fastidium.

2. Nocturna lux viantibus
A nocte noctem. segregans,
Praeco diei iam sonat,
Iubarque solis evocat.

3. Hoc excitatus lucifer
Solvit polum caligine:
Hoc omnis erronum cohors
Viam nocendi deserit.

4. Hoc nauta vires colligit,
Pontique mitescunt freta:
Hoc, ipsa petra Ecclesiae.
Canente, culpam diluit.

5. Surgamus ergo strenue:
Gallus iacentes excitat,
Et somnolentos increpat,
Gallus negantes arguit.

6. Gallo canente spes redit,
Aegris salus refunditur,
Mucro latronis conditur,
Lapsis fides revertitur. 

7. Iesu labantes respice,
Et nos videndo corrige:
Se respicis, labes cadunt,
Fletuque culpa solvitur.

8. Tu lux refulge sensibus,
Mentisque somnum discute:
Te nostra vox primum sonet,
Et vota solvamus tibi.

9. Deo Patri sit gloria,
Eiusque soli Filio,
Cum Spiritu Paraclito,
Nunc et per omne saeculum. Amen

Liturgical Guide: Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles

Painting by José de Ribera - Courtesy of Wikipedia

The hymns sung on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul speak to us of the fidelity of the Apostles to the teachings of Jesus Christ, and their unwavering dedication to "bring salvation to the ends of the earth" (Acts 13:47). As early as the 3rd century, there is evidence that a feast day honouring the martyrdom in Rome of both saints was already well established. The date is believed to be the anniversary of either their deaths or the translation of their relics. In his 2005 Homily on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Benedict XVI said: "The Feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul is at the same time a grateful memorial of the great witnesses of Jesus Christ and a solemn confession for the Church: one, holy, catholic and apostolic. It is first and foremost a feast of catholicity. ...Catholicity does not only express a horizontal dimension, the gathering of many people in unity, but also a vertical dimension: it is only by raising our eyes to God, by opening ourselves to him, that we can truly become one."


Reflection by the Apostleship of Prayer

LITURGY OF THE HOURS (1975)
106. This I Ask (John 15)
147. What Fairer Light
168. The Eternal Gifts of Christ the King

DIVINE OFFICE (1974)
What Fairer Light

ROMAN BREVIARY (1962)
Decora Lux
Beate Pastor

Liturgical Guide: Nativity of St. John the Baptist

Painting by Rogier van der Weyden - Courtesy of Wikipedia

The hymns used in the Liturgy of the Hours for the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist speak of his role in Salvation History as the precursor of the Lord. It is one of the oldest feast days of the Church, already well established by the 6th century. Paragraph #523 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church says this about John the Baptist: "John surpasses all the prophets, of whom he is the last. He inaugurates the Gospel, already from his mother's womb he welcomes the coming of Christ, and rejoices in being 'the friend of the bridegroom', whom he points out as 'the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world'".


Reflection by the Apostleship of Prayer

LITURGY OF THE HOURS (1975)
57. Be Consoled, My People
146. The Great Forerunner of the Morn

DIVINE OFFICE (1974)
God Called Great Prophets

Primo Dierum Omnium / Primo Die, Quo Trinitas

St. Gregory the Great - Image by Wikipedia

Primo Dierum Omnium is attributed to Pope St. Gregory I (540-604). In 1632, in accordance with revisions made to the hymns of the Divine Office by Pope Urban VIII (1568-1644) it was changed to Primo Die, Quo Trinitas. Both versions are shown below. It is sung on Sundays at Matins in the Roman Breviary.

PRIMO DIERUM OMNIUM

1. Primo dierum omnium,
quo mundus exstat conditus
vel quo resurgens conditor
nos, morte victa, liberat.

2. Pulsis procul torporibus,
surgamus omnes ocius,
et nocte quaeramus pium,
sicut Prophetam novimus.

3. Nostras preces ut audiat
suamque dexteram porrigat,
et hic piatos sordibus
 reddat polorum sedibus,

4. Ut quique sacratissimo
huius diei tempore
horis quietis psallimus,
donis beatis muneret.

5. Iam nunc, Paterna claritas,
te postulamus affatim:
absit libido sordidans,
omnisque actus noxius.

6. Ne foeda sit, vel lubrica
compago nostri corporis,
per quam averni ignibus
ipsi crememur acrius. 

7. Ob hoc, Redemptor, quaesumus,
ut probra nostra diluas:
vitae perennis commoda
nobis benignus conferas.

8. Quo carnis actu exsules
effecti ipsi caelibes,
ut praestolamur cernui,
melos canamus gloriae.

9. Praesta, Pater, piissime,
Patrique compar Unice,
cum Spiritu Paraclito
regnans per omne saeculum.


PRIMO DIE, QUO TRINITAS

1. Primo die, quo Trinitas
beata mundum condidit,
vel quo resurgens Conditor
nos, morte victa, liberat:

2. Pulsis procul torporibus,
surgamus omnes ocius,
et nocte quaeramus Deum,
propheta sicut praecipit:

3. Nostras preces ut audiat,
suamque dexteram porrigat,
et expiatos sordibus
reddat polorum sedibus:

4. Ut quique sacratissimo
huius diei tempore
horis quietis psallimus,
donis beatis muneret.

5. Iam nunc, Paterna claritas,
te postulamus affatim:
absint faces libidinous,
et omnis actus noxius.

6. Ne foeda sit, vel lubrica
compago nostri corporis,
ob cuius ignes ignibus
avernus urat acrius.

7. Mundi Redemptor, quaesumus,
Tu probra nostra diluas:
nobisque largus commoda
vitae perennis conferas.

8. Praesta, Pater piissime,
Patrique compar Unice,
cum Spiritu Paraclito
regnans per omne saeculum.

Poem: O Light Invisible, We Praise Thee!

We See the Light, But See Not Whence it Comes

O Light Invisible, We Praise Thee! is an excerpt from Choruses from The Rock by T.S. Eliot (1888-1965). The Rock is a play that Elliot wrote in the form of a medieval pageant which included music by Martin Shaw and was first performed in 1934. O Light Invisible, We Praise Thee! is included in the Poems for All Seasons Appendix of the Divine Office (1974).

Poem: Trinity Sunday

Fresco by Luca Rossetti da Orta - Courtesy of Wikipedia

Trinity Sunday is by George Herbert (1593–1633). It was published posthumously in 1633 as part of the collection, The Temple and is included in the Poems for All Seasons Appendix of the Divine Office (1974).

TRINITY SUNDAY by George Herbert, 1633 (Public Domain)

Lord, who hast form’d me out of mud,
       And hast redeem’d me through thy blood,
       And sanctifi’d me to do good;

Purge all my sins done heretofore:
       For I confess my heavy score,
       And I will strive to sin no more.

Enrich my heart, mouth, hands in me,
       With faith, with hope, with charity;
       That I may run, rise, rest with thee.

Poem: Pied Beauty

For Rose-Moles All in Stipple Upon Trout That Swim: Praise Him!

Pied Beauty is by the Jesuit Priest and poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844–1889). Although written in 1877, it remained unpublished until it's inclusion in the posthumous collection: Poems (1918). It is known as a curtal sonnet, a poetic form of his own invention. Pied Beauty is included in the Poetry for All Seasons Appendix of the Divine Office (1974).


Read by Michael Graves

PIED BEAUTY by Gerard Manley Hopkins, 1918 (Public Domain)

Glory be to God for dappled things –
     For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
          For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;
     Landscape plotted and pieced – fold, fallow, and plough;
          And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim.

All things counter, original, spare, strange;
     Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
          With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:
               Praise him.

Poem: That Nature is a Heraclitean Fire and of the Comfort of the Resurrection

Nature's Bonfire Burns On

That Nature is a Heraclitean Fire and of the Comfort of the Resurrection is by the Jesuit Priest and poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844–1889). It was first published in the posthumous collection: Poems (1918) and is included in the Poetry for All Seasons Appendix of the Divine Office (1974). Heraclitus (c.535- c.475 BC) was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher who taught that fire is the primordial element from which all else comes into being and ultimately, passes away. For an interesting commentary, check out the article and podcast - Poetry and Judgment Day 3: Gerard Manley Hopkins “That Nature is a Heraclitean Fire and of the comfort of the Resurrection”.


Reading

THAT NATURE IS A HERACLITEAN FIRE AND OF THE COMFORT OF THE RESURRECTION by Gerard Manley Hopkins, 1918 (Public Domain)

Cloud-puffball, torn tufts, tossed pillows | flaunt forth, then chevy on an air-
Built thoroughfare: heaven-roysterers, in gay-gangs | they throng; they
       glitter in marches.
Down roughcast, down dazzling whitewash, | wherever an elm arches,
Shivelights and shadowtackle ín long | lashes lace, lance, and pair.
Delightfully the bright wind boisterous | ropes, wrestles, beats earth bare
Of yestertempest's creases; | in pool and rut peel parches
Squandering ooze to squeezed | dough, crust, dust; stanches, starches
Squadroned masks and manmarks | treadmire toil there
Footfretted in it. Million-fuelèd, | nature's bonfire burns on.
But quench her bonniest, dearest | to her, her clearest-selvèd spark
Man, how fast his firedint, | his mark on mind, is gone!
Both are in an unfathomable, all is in an enormous dark
Drowned. O pity and indig | nation! Manshape, that shone
Sheer off, disseveral, a star, | death blots black out; nor mark
                         Is any of him at all so stark
But vastness blurs and time | beats level. Enough! the Resurrection,
A heart's-clarion! Away grief's gasping, | joyless days, dejection.
                         Across my foundering deck shone
A beacon, an eternal beam. | Flesh fade, and mortal trash
Fall to the residuary worm; | world's wildfire, leave but ash:
                         In a flash, at a trumpet crash,
I am all at once what Christ is, | since he was what I am, and
This Jack, joke, poor potsherd, | patch, matchwood, immortal diamond,
                         Is immortal diamond.

Poem: In No Strange Land (The Kingdom of God is Within You)

Not of Genesareth, but Thames!

In No Strange Land (The Kingdom of God is Within You) is by the English poet, Francis Thompson (1859-1907). Published posthumously, the poem was found among his papers following his death. It is included in the Poems for All Seasons Appendix of the Divine Office (1974).


Reading

IN NO STRANGE LAND by Francis Thompson (Public Domain)

O world invisible, we view thee,
O world intangible, we touch thee,
O world unknowable, we know thee,
Inapprehensible, we clutch thee!

Does the fish soar to find the ocean,
The eagle plunge to find the air--
That we ask of the stars in motion
If they have rumor of thee there?

Not where the wheeling systems darken,
And our benumbed conceiving soars!--
The drift of pinions, would we hearken,
Beats at our own clay-shuttered doors.

The angels keep their ancient places--
Turn but a stone and start a wing!
'Tis ye, 'tis your estrangèd faces,
That miss the many-splendored thing.

But (when so sad thou canst not sadder)
Cry--and upon thy so sore loss
Shall shine the traffic of Jacob's ladder
Pitched betwixt Heaven and Charing Cross.

Yea, in the night, my Soul, my daughter,
Cry--clinging to Heaven by the hems;
And lo, Christ walking on the water,
Not of Genesareth, but Thames!

Poem: The World

Like a Great Ring of Pure and Endless Light

The World is by the Welch physician, author, and poet, Henry Vaughan (1621-1695). It was first published in his 1650 collection: Silex Scintillans (The Flaming Flint) and is included in the Poems for All Seasons Appendix of the Divine Office (1974).


Reading

THE WORLD by Henry Vaughan, 1650 (Public Domain)  

I Saw Eternity the other night,
Like a great ring of pure and endless light,
       All calm, as it was bright;
And round beneath it, Time in hours, days, years
       Driv'n by the spheres
Like a vast shadow mov'd; in which the world
       And all her train were hurl's.
The doting lover in his quaintest strain
       Did there complain;
Near him, his lute, his fancy, and his flights,
       Wit's sour delights;
With gloves, and knots, the silly snares of pleasure,
       Yet his dear treasure,
All scatter'd lay, while he his eyes did pour
       Upon a flow'r.

The darksome statesman, hung with weights and woe,
Like a thick midnight-fog, mov'd there so slow,
       He did nor stay, nor go;
Condemning thoughts—like sad eclipses—scowl
       Upon his soul,
And clouds of crying witnesses without
       Pursued him with one shout.
Yet digg'd the mole, and lest his ways be found,
       Work'd under ground,
Where he did clutch his prey; but one did see
       That policy:
Churches and altars fed him; perjuries
       Were gnats and flies;
It rain'd about him blood and tears, but he
       Drank them as free.

The fearful miser on a heap of rust
Sate pining all his life there, did scarce trust
       His own hands with the dust,
Yet would not place one piece above, but lives
       In fear of thieves.
Thousands there were as frantic as himself,
       And hugg'd each one his pelf;
The downright epicure plac'd heav'n in sense,
       And scorn'd pretence;
While others, slipp'd into a wide excess
       Said little less;
The weaker sort slight, trivial wares enslave,
       Who think them brave;
And poor, despisèd Truth sate counting by
       Their victory.

Yet some, who all this while did weep and sing,
And sing, and weep, soar'd up into the ring;
       But most would use no wing.
O fools—said I—thus to prefer dark night
       Before true light!
To live in grots and caves, and hate the day
       Because it shows the way;
The way, which from this dead and dark abode
       Leads up to God;
A way where you might tread the sun, and be
       More bright than he!
But as I did their madness so discuss,
       One whisper'd thus,
“This ring the Bridegroom did for none provide,
       But for His bride.”

Poem: Peace

Mosaic from the Hagia Sophia, Istanbul - Courtesy of Wikipedia  

Peace is by the Welch physician, author, and poet, Henry Vaughan (1621-1695). It was first published in his 1650 collection: Silex Scintillans (The Flaming Flint) and is included in the Poems for All Seasons Appendix of the Divine Office (1974).


Reading

PEACE by Henry Vaughan, 1650 (Public Domain)

My soul, there is a country
     Far beyond the stars,
Where stands a wingèd sentry
     All skillful in the wars :
There, above noise and danger,
     Sweet Peace sits crown'd with smiles,
And One born in a manger
     Commands the beauteous files.
He is thy gracious Friend,
     And—O my soul awake !—
Did in pure love descend,
     To die here for thy sake.
If thou canst get but thither,
     There grows the flower of Peace,
The Rose that cannot wither,
     Thy fortress, and thy ease.
Leave then thy foolish ranges ;
     For none can thee secure,
But One, who never changes,
     Thy God, thy life, thy cure.


Choral setting by Hubert Parry

Poem: The Morning-Watch

Prayer is the World in Tune, a Spirit Voice

The Morning-Watch is by the Welch physician, author, and poet, Henry Vaughan (1621-1695). It was first published in his 1650 collection: Silex Scintillans (The Flaming Flint) and is included in the Poems for All Seasons Appendix of the Divine Office (1974).


Read by poet, Brian Nellist


THE MORNING-WATCH by Henry Vaughan, 1650 (Public Domain)

O joys! infinite sweetness! with what flower’s
And shoots of glory my soul breaks and buds!
              All the long hours
              Of night, and rest,
              Through the still shrouds
              Of sleep, and clouds,
       This dew fell on my breast;
       Oh, how it bloods
And spirits all my earth! Hark! In what rings
And hymning circulations the quick world
              Awakes and sings;
              The rising winds
              And falling springs,
              Birds, beasts, all things
       Adore him in their kinds.
              Thus all is hurl’d
In sacred hymns and order, the great chime
And symphony of nature. Prayer is
              The world in tune,
              A spirit voice,
              And vocal joys
       Whose echo is heav’n’s bliss.
              O let me climb
When I lie down! The pious soul by night
Is like a clouded star whose beams, though said
              To shed their light
              Under some cloud,
              Yet are above,
              And shine and move
       Beyond that misty shroud.
              So in my bed,
That curtain’d grave, though sleep, like ashes, hide
My lamp and life, both shall in thee abide.

Poem: At a Solemn Music

To His Celestial Consort Us Unite

At a Solemn Music is by the English poet, John Milton (1608-1674). It was first published in his collection, 1645 Poems. The British composer, Hubert Parry's setting of the ode: Blest Pair of Sirens was premiered in 1887 at a concert before Queen Victoria, celebrating her Golden Jubilee. In 2011 it was performed at the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. At a Solemn Music is included in the Poems for All Seasons Appendix of the Divine Office (1974).


Sung by the Choir of Winchester Cathedral

AT A SOLEMN MUSIC by John Milton

Blest pair of sirens, pledges of heaven's joy,
Sphere-born harmonious Sisters, Voice, and Verse,
Wed your divine sounds, and mixed power employ 
Dead things with inbreathed sense able to pierce,
And to our high-raised phantasy present,
That undisturbed song of pure content,
Ay sung before the sapphire-coloured throne
To him that sits theron
With saintly shout, and solemn jubilee,
Where the bright seraphim in burning row
Their loud uplifted angel trumpets blow,
And the cherubic host in thousand choirs
Touch their immortal harps of golden wires, 
With those just spirits that wear victorious palms,
Hymns devout and holy psalms
Singing everlastingly; 
That we on earth with undiscording voice
May rightly answer that melodious noise;
As once we did, till disproportioned sin
Jarred against nature's chime, and with harsh din
Broke the fair music that all creatures made
To their great Lord, whose love their motion swayed
In perfect diapason, whilst they stood
In first obedience, and their state of good.
O may we soon again renew that song,
And keep in tune with heaven, till God ere long
To his celestial consort us unite,
To live with him, and sing in endless morn of light.


Reading

Poem: His Litany to the Holy Spirit

Sweet Spirit, Comfort Me!

His Litany to the Holy Spirit is by the English poet and Anglican Vicar, Robert Herrick (1591-1674). It was first published in his collection: Noble Numbers (1647), and is included in the Poems for All Seasons Appendix of the Divine Office (1974).


Choral setting by David Solomons

LITANY TO THE HOLY SPIRIT by Robert Herrick, 1647 (Public Domain)

In the hour of my distress,
When temptations me oppress,
And when I my sins confess,
       Sweet Spirit, comfort me!

When I lie within my bed,
Sick in heart and sick in head,
And with doubts discomforted,
       Sweet Spirit, comfort me!

When the house doth sigh and weep,
And the world is drown'd in sleep,
Yet mine eyes the watch do keep,
       Sweet Spirit, comfort me!

When the passing bell doth toll,
And the Furies in a shoal
Come to fright a parting soul,
       Sweet Spirit, comfort me!

When the tapers now burn blue,
And the comforters are few,
And that number more than true,
       Sweet Spirit, comfort me!

When the priest his last hath pray'd,
And I nod to what is said,
'Cause my speech is now decay'd,
       Sweet Spirit, comfort me!

When, God knows, I'm toss'd about
Either with despair or doubt;
Yet before the glass be out,
       Sweet Spirit, comfort me!

When the tempter me pursu'th
With the sins of all my youth,
And half damns me with untruth,
       Sweet Spirit, comfort me!

When the flames and hellish cries
Fright mine ears and fright mine eyes,
And all terrors me surprise,
       Sweet Spirit, comfort me!

When the Judgment is reveal'd,
And that open'd which was seal'd,
When to Thee I have appeal'd,
       Sweet Spirit, comfort me!

'Five Mystical Songs' by Ralph Vaughan Williams with words by George Herbert

George Herbert - Courtesy of Wikipedia

Five Mystical Songs is a song cycle by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958). Written between 1906 and 1911, it was commissioned by the Three Choirs Festival in Worcester, where it debuted in 1911 with Vaughan Williams conducting. The work is a setting of four poems ('Easter' is divided in two) by George Herbert (1593–1633). They were published posthumously in 1633 as part of the collection, The Temple. None of Herbert's poems were published during his lifetime and much of his other writings are believed to have been lost as a result of the English Civil War (1642–1651). Though born of noble parentage, a facility member at Cambridge, and a Member of Parliament; he left these things and chose the life of a humble country clergyman of the Church of England as his vocation. He died of tuberculosis at the age of 39. All four poems (Easter, Love, The Call, and Antiphon) are included in the Religious Poetry Appendix of the Divine Office (1974).


Songs 1 and 2 - Performed by Thomas Allen

1. RISE HEART ('Easter' - Part I)

Rise heart; thy Lord is risen. Sing his praise
          Without delayes,
Who takes thee by the hand, that thou likewise
          With him mayst rise:
That, as his death calcined thee to dust,
His life may make thee gold, and much more, just.
Awake, my lute, and struggle for thy part
          With all thy art.
The crosse taught all wood to resound his name,
          Who bore the same.
His stretched sinews taught all strings, what key
Is best to celebrate this most high day.

Consort both heart and lute, and twist a song
          Pleasant and long:
Or, since all musick is but three parts vied
          And multiplied,
O let thy blessed Spirit bear a part,
And make up our defects with his sweet art.

2. I GOT ME FLOWERS ('Easter' - Part II)

I got me flowers to strew thy way;
I got me boughs off many a tree:
But thou wast up by break of day,
And brought’st thy sweets along with thee.

The Sunne arising in the East,
Though he give light, and th’ East perfume;
If they should offer to contest
With thy arising, they presume.

Can there be any day but this,
Though many sunnes to shine endeavour?
We count three hundred, but we miss:
There is but one, and that one ever.


Songs 3, 4, and 5 - Performed by Thomas Allen

3. LOVE BADE ME WELCOME

Love bade me welcome, yet my soul drew back,
          Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-ey'd Love, observing me grow slack
          From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning
          If I lack'd anything.

'A guest,' I answer'd, 'worthy to be here';
          Love said, 'You shall be he.'
'I, the unkind, the ungrateful? ah my dear,
          I cannot look on thee.'
Love took my hand and smiling did reply,
          'Who made the eyes but I?'

'Truth, Lord, but I have marr'd them; let my shame
          Go where it doth deserve.'
'And know you not,' says Love, "who bore the blame?'
          'My dear, then I will serve.'
'You must sit down,' says Love, "and taste my meat.'
          So I did sit and eat.

4. THE CALL

Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life:
Such a Way, as gives us breath:
Such a Truth, as ends all strife:
Such a Life, as killeth death.

Come, my Light, my Feast, my Strength:
Such a Light, as shows a feast:
Such a Feast, as mends in length:
Such a Strength, as makes his guest.

Come, my Joy, my Love, my Heart:
Such a Joy, as none can move:
Such a Love, as none can part:
Such a Heart, as joyes in love.

5. ANTIPHON

Chorus: Let all the world in ev’ry corner sing,
                         My God and King.

Verse: The heav’ns are not too high,
           His praise may thither flie:
           The earth is not too low,
           His praises there may grow.

Chorus: Let all the world in ev’ry corner sing,
                        My God and King.

Verse: The church with psalms must shout,
           No doore can keep them out:
           But above all, the heart
           Must bear the longest part.

Chorus: Let all the world in ev’ry corner sing,
                         My God and King.