Bride of Christ, Whose Glorious Warfare

Bride of Christ

whose glo­ri­ous war­fare

Here on earth hath nev­er rest;

Lift thy voice

and tell the tri­umphs

Of the ho­ly and the blest;

Joyous be the day we hal­low

Feast of all the saints on high

Earth and Heav’n to­ge­ther blend­ing

In one so­lemn har­mo­ny.

First the bless­èd vir­gin mo­ther

Reunited to her Son

Leads the host of ran­somed people

Who un­fad­ing crowns have won;

John

the her­ald

Christ’s fore­run­ner

More than pro­phet

leads his throng

Seer and pa­tri­arch re­spons­ive

Unto psalm­ist in their song.

Lo

the twelve

ma­jes­tic princ­es

In the court of Je­sus sit

Calmly watch­ing

while the con­flict

Rages far be­neath their feet;

Lo

the mar­tyrs

robed in crim­son

Sign of life blood free­ly spent

Finding life

be­cause they lost it

Dwell in un­dis­turb­ed content.

All the saint­ly host who wit­nessed

Good con­fess­ions for His sake—

Priest and dea­con

world re­nounc­ing

Of their Mas­ter’s joy par­take;

Virgins to the Lamb de­vot­ed

Following with stead­fast love

Bring their li­lies and their ros­es

To the mar­riage feast above.

All

their hap­py lot ful­fill­ing

God om­ni­po­tent pro­claim;

Holy

ho­ly

ho­ly

cry­ing

Glory to His ho­ly name!

So may God in mer­cy grant us

Here to serve in ho­li­ness

Till He call us to the por­tion

Which His saints in light pos­sess.