Come Sing, Ye Choirs Exultant

Come sing

ye choirs ex­ult­ant

Those mes­sen­gers of God

Through whom the liv­ing Gos­pels

Came sound­ing all abroad!

Whose voice pro­claimed sal­va­tion

That poured up­on the night

And drove away the sha­dows

And filled the world with light.

He chose them

our Good Shep­herd

And

tend­ing ev­er­more

His flock through earth’s four quar­ters

In wis­dom made them four;

True Law­giv­er

He bade them

Their heal­ing mes­sage speed—

One char­ter for all na­tions

One glo­ri­ous ti­tle deed!

In one har­mo­ni­ous wit­ness

The chos­en four com­bine

While each his own com­miss­ion

Fulfills in ev­ery line;

As

in the pro­phet’s vi­sion

From out the am­ber flame

In form of vis­age di­verse

Four liv­ing crea­tures came.

Lo

these the wing­èd cha­ri­ots

That bring Em­ma­nu­el nigh

The gold­en staves

up­lift­ing

God’s ve­ry ark on high;

And these the four­fold riv­er

Of para­dise ab­ove

Whence flow for all the na­tions

New mys­te­ries of love.

Foursquare on this foun­da­tion

The Church of Christ re­mains

A house to stand un­shak­en

By floods or winds or rains.

O glo­ri­ous hap­py por­tion

In this safe home to be

By God

true man

unit­ed

With God eter­nal­ly.