Scripture Verse

I bring you good news of great joy. Luke 2:10

Introduction

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Charles Coffin (1676–1749)

Words: Charles Cof­fin, writ­ten for Ma­tins of Christ­mas Day in the Pa­ris Bre­vi­ary, 1736 (Jam de­si­nant sus­pi­ria). Trans­lat­ed from La­tin to Eng­lish by Will­iam J. Blew, The Church Hymn and Tune Book (Lon­don: Fran­cis & John Riv­ing­ton, 1852), Christ­mas sec­tion, num­ber 14.

Music: St. Mi­chael, me­lo­dy by Lou­is Bour­geois in the French Ge­ne­van Psal­ter, 1551. Adapt­ed by Will­iam Crotch in his Psalm Tunes, 1836 (🔊 pdf nwc).

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William Crotch (1775–1847)

Lyrics

Let sigh­ing cease and woe
God from on high hath heard,
Heaven’s gate is op­en­ing wide, and lo!
The long ex­pect­ed Word.

Peace—through the deep of night
The hea­ven­ly choir breaks forth,
Singing with fes­tal songs and bright,
Our God and Sav­ior’s birth.

The cave of Beth­le­hem
Those wake­ful shep­herds seek;
Let us, too, rise and greet with them
That In­fant pure and meek.

We en­ter—at the door
What mar­vel meets the eye?
A crib, a mo­ther pale and poor,
A child of po­ver­ty.

Art Thou the eter­nal Son,
The eter­nal Fa­ther’s ray?
Whose lit­tle hand, Thou infant one,
Doth lift the world al­way?

Yea—faith through that dim cloud,
Like lightn­ing darts be­fore,
And greets Thee, at whose foot­stool bowed
Heaven’s trem­bling hosts adore.

Our Mas­ter—si­lent yet,
Thou teache­st from Thy chair;
Shun that on which thy flesh is set;
What flesh ab­hor­reth—bear.

Chaste be our love like Thine,
Our swell­ing souls bring low,
And in our hearts, O Babe di­vine
Be born, abide and grow.

So shall Thy birth­day morn,
Lord Christ, our birth­day be,
Then greet we all, our­selves new­born,
Our King’s na­ti­vi­ty.

Born at a vir­gin’s beast,
Jesu, be praise to Thee,
With Sire and Ho­ly Spir­it blest,
Through all eter­ni­ty.