Scripture Verse

Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Introduction

portrait
Julian K. Smyth
(1856–1921)

Words: Charles Wes­ley, A Col­lect­ion of Hymns for the Na­ti­vi­ty of Our Lord (Lon­don: Will­iam Stra­han, 1745), num­ber 19.

Music: Vig­lia Ju­li­an K. Smyth, 1902 (🔊 pdf nwc).

portrait
Charles Wesley (1707–1788)

Lyrics

Rejoice in Je­su’s birth!
To us a son is giv’n,
To us a child is born on earth,
Who fills both earth and Hea­ven!
His shoul­der props the sky,
This uni­verse sus­tains!
The God su­preme, the Lord most high,
The King Mes­si­ah reigns!

His name, his na­ture, soars
Beyond the crea­ture’s ken!
Yet, whom th’ an­gel­ic host ad­ores,
He pleads the cause of men!
Our coun­sel­or we praise,
Our ad­vo­cate above,
Who daily in His church di­splays
His mir­acles of love.

Th’al­migh­ty God is He,
Author of heav’n­ly bliss,
The Fa­ther of eter­ni­ty,
The glo­ri­ous Prince of Peace!
Wider and wid­er still
He doth His sway ex­tend,
With peace di­vine His peo­ple fill,
And joys that ne­ver end.

His gov­ern­ment shall grow,
From strength to strength pro­ceed,
His right­eous­ness the church o’er­flow,
And all the earth o’er­spread:
His pre­sence shall in­crease
The hap­pi­ness above,
The full, pro­gress­ive hap­pi­ness
Of ev­er­last­ing love.

Now for Thy pro­mise’ sake,
O’er earth ex­alt­ed be;
The king­dom, power, and glo­ry take,
Which all be­long to Thee!
In zeal for God and man,
Thy full sal­va­tion bring!
The uni­vers­al Mon­arch reign,
The saint’s eter­nal king!