Scripture Verse

In the midst of the street…and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life. Revelation 22:2

Introduction

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John M. Neale (1818–1866)
Wikipedia

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Words: Stanzas 1 & 3 at­trib­ut­ed to John of Da­mas­cus, 8th Cen­tu­ry (Τὰς εδ­ρὰς τὰς αιων­ίας). Trans­lat­ed from Greek to Eng­lish by John M. Neale in Hymns of the East­ern Church, 1862, alt.

Music: Mor­ley Tho­mas Mor­ley, 1867 (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pic­ture of Mor­ley (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

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John of Damascus
675–749

Lyrics

Those eter­nal bow­ers, man hath ne­ver trod,
Those un­fad­ing flow­ers round the throne of God:
Who may hope to gain them after wea­ry fight?
Who at length at­tain them, clad in robes of white?

He who wakes from slum­ber at the Spi­rit’s voice,
Daring here to num­ber things un­seen his choice:
He whose one obla­tion is a life of love,
Knit in God’s sal­va­tion to the blest above.

Shame up­on you, le­gions of the heav’n­ly King,
Citizens of re­gions past im­ag­in­ing!
What! with pipe and ta­bor dream away the light,
When He bids you la­bor, when He tells you, Fight?

Jesus, Lord of glo­ry, as we breast the tide,
Whisper Thou the sto­ry of the oth­er side;
Where the saints are cast­ing crowns be­fore Thy feet,
Safe for ev­er­last­ing, in Thy­self complete.