Seasonal Hymns: Passiontide and Holy Week 254-264

Passiontide and Holy Week

254

Ride on, ride on in majesty – H Milman

Ride on! ride on in majesty!
Hark! all the tribes hosanna cry;
O Savior meek, pursue thy road
with palms and scattered garments strowed.

Ride on! ride on in majesty!
In lowly pomp ride on to die;
O Christ, thy triumphs now begin
o'er captive death and conquered sin.

Ride on! ride on in majesty!
The angel-squadrons of the sky
look down with sad and wondering eyes
to see the approaching sacrifice.

Ride on! ride on in majesty!
Thy last and fiercest strife is nigh;
the Father on his sapphire throne
expects his own anointed Son.

Ride on! ride on in majesty!
In lowly pomp ride on to die;
bow thy meek head to mortal pain,
then take, O God, thy power, and reign.

255

There is a green hill far away – C Alexander

There is a green hill far away,
outside a city wall,
where our dear Lord was crucified
who died to save us all.

We may not know, we cannot tell,
what pains he had to bear,
but we believe it was for us
he hung and suffered there.

He died that we might be forgiven,
he died to make us good,
that we might go at last to heaven,
saved by his precious blood.

There was no other good enough
to pay the price of sin,
he only could unlock the gate
of heaven and let us in.

O dearly, dearly has he loved!
And we must love him too,
and trust in his redeeming blood,
and try his works to do.

256

Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle – Fortunatus / Neale trans

Part I: Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle,
sing the last, the dread affray;
o'er the cross, the victor's trophy,
sound the high triumphal lay,
how, the pains of death enduring,
earth's Redeemer won the day.

When at length the appointed fulness
of the sacred time was come,
he was sent, the world's Creator,
from the Father's heavenly home,
and was found in human fashion,
offspring of the virgin's womb.

Now the thirty years are ended
which on earth he willed to see,
willingly he meets his passion,
born to set his people free;
on the cross the Lamb is lifted,
there the sacrifice to be.

There the nails and spear He suffers,
vinegar and gall and reed;
from His sacred body piercèd
blood and water both proceed:
precious flood, which all creation
from the stain of sin hath freed.

Part II:
Faithful Cross, above all other,
one and only noble Tree,
none in foliage, none in blossom,
none in fruit thy peer may be;
sweet the wood, and sweet the iron,
and thy load, most sweet is he.

Bend, O lofty Tree, thy branches,
thy too rigid sinews bend;
and awhile the stubborn hardness,
which thy birth bestowed, suspend;
and the limbs of heaven's high Monarch
gently on thine arms extend.

Thou alone wast counted worthy
this world's Ransom to sustain,
that a shipwrecked race for ever
might a port of refuge gain,
with the sacred Blood anointed
of the Lamb for sinners slain.

May be sung at end of either part:
Praise and honor to the Father,
praise and honor to the Son,
praise and honor to the Spirit,
ever Three and ever One:
one in might, and One in glory,
while eternal ages run.

257

See the destined day arise – Fortunatus / R Mant trans

See the destined day arise!
See a willing sacrifice!
Jesus, to redeem our loss,
hangs upon the shameful cross.

Jesus, who but thou had borne,
lifted on that tree of scorn,
every pang and bitter throe,
finishing thy life of woe?

Who but thou had dared to drain,
steeped in gall, the cup of pain,
and with tender body bear
thorns, and nails, and piercing spear?

Thence the cleansing water flowed,
mingled from thy side with blood;
sign to all attesting eyes
of the finished sacrifice.

Thence the cleansing water flowed,
mingled from thy side with Blood;
sign to all attesting eyes
of the finished sacrifice.

Holy Jesus, grant us peace
in that sacrifice to place
all our trust for life renewed,
pardoned sin and promised good.

258

Alone thou goest forth, O Lord – P Abalard / F Tucker trans

Alone thou goest forth, O Lord,
in sacrifice to die;
is this thy sorrow naught to us
who pass unheeding by?

Our sins, not thine, thou bearest, Lord;
make us thy sorrow feel,
till through our pity and our shame
love answers love's appeal.

This is earth's darkest hour,
but thou dost light and life restore;
then let all praise be given thee
who livest evermore!

Give us compassion for thee, Lord,
that, as we share this hour,
thy cross may bring us to thy joy
and resurrection power.

259

Drop, drop, slow tears – P Flecher

Drop, drop, slow tears, and bathe those beauteous feet,
which brought from heaven the news and Prince of Peace.

Cease not, wet eyes, his mercies to entreat;
to cry for vengeance sin doth never cease.

In your deep floods drown all my faults and fears;
nor let his eye see sin, but through my tears.

260

Go to dark Gethsemane – J Montgomery

Go to dark Gethsemane,
ye that feel the tempter's power;
your Redeemer's conflict see,
watch with him one bitter hour;
turn not from his griefs away,
learn of Jesus Christ to pray.

Follow to the judgment hall;
view the Lord of life arraigned;
O the wormwood and gall!
O the pangs his souls sustained!
Shun not suffering, shame, or loss;
learn of him to bear the cross.

Calvary's mournful mountain climb;
there, adoring at his feet,
mark the miracle of time,
God's own sacrifice complete;
"It is finished!" hear him cry;
learn of Jesus Christ to die.

261

Ah, holy Jesus, how hast thou offended – J Heerman / R Bridges trans

Ah, holy Jesus, how hast thou offended,
that man to judge thee hath in hate pretended?
By foes derided, by thine own rejected,
O most afflicted.

Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon thee?
Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone thee.
'Twas I, Lord Jesus, I it was denied thee:
I crucified thee.

Lo, the Good Shepherd for the sheep is offered;
the slave hath sinned, and the Son hath suffered;
for our atonement, while we nothing heedeth,
God intercedeth.

For me, kind Jesus, was thy incarnation,
thy mortal sorrow, and thy life's oblation;
thy death of anguish and thy bitter passion,
for my salvation.

Therefore, kind Jesus, since I cannot pay thee,
I do adore thee, and will ever pray thee,
think on thy pity and thy love unswerving,
not my deserving.

262

Sweet the moments, rich in blessing – W Shirley

Sweet the moments, rich in blessing,
which before the cross we spend,
life and health and peace possessing
from the sinner's dying Friend.

Here I stay, forever viewing
mercy streaming in his blood;
precious drops, my soul bedewing,
plead and claim my peace with God.

Truly blessèd is the station,
low before his cross to lie,
while I see divine compassion
floating in his languid eye.

Lord, in ceaseless contemplation
fix our hearts and eyes on thee,
till we taste thy full salvation,
and thine unveiled glory see.

263

O thou, who through this holy week – J Neale

O thou, who through this holy week,
didst suffer for us all,
the sick to cure, the lost to seek,
to raise up them that fall.

We cannot understand the woe
thy love was pleased to bear:
O Lamb of God, we only know
that all our hopes are there.

Thy feet the path of suffering trod,
thy hand the victory won:
what shall we render to our God
for all that he hath done?

O grant us, Lord, with thee to die,
with thee to rise anew;
grant us the things of earth to fly,
the things of heaven pursue.

To God, the blessèd Three in One,
all praise and glory be:
crown, Lord, thy servants who have won
the victory through thee.

264

O come and mourn with me awhile – F Faber

O come and mourn with me awhile;
O come ye to the Savior's side;
O come, together let us mourn;
Jesus, our Love, is crucified.

Have we no tears to shed for him,
while soldiers scoff and foes deride?
Ah! look how patiently he hangs;
Jesus, our Love, is crucified.

How fast his hands and feet are nailed;
his blessed tongue with thirst is tied,
his failing eyes are blind with blood:
Jesus, our Love, is crucified.

His mother cannot reach his face;
she stands in helplessness beside;
her heart is martyred with her Son's:
Jesus, our Love, is Crucified.

Seven times seven he spoke, seven words of love;
and all three hours his silence cried
for mercy on the souls of men;
Jesus, our Love, is crucified.

O break, O break, hard heart of mine!
Thy weak self-love and guilty pride
his Pilate and his Judas were:
Jesus, our Love, is crucified.

A broken heart, a fount of tears,
ask, and they will not be denied;
a broken heart love's cradle is:
Jesus, our Love, is crucified.

O love of God! O sin of man!
In this dread act your strength is tried;
and victory remains with love;
for he, our Love, is crucified.