Saturday, November 6, 2021

For all the saints, who from their labors rest,

 

One of the great hymns of Christiandom on this All Saints Day


 1. For all the saints, who from their labors rest,
who thee by faith before the world confessed, 
thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed. 
Alleluia, Alleluia!

2. Thou wast their rock, their fortress and their might;
thou, Lord, their Captain in the well-fought fight;
thou, in the darkness drear, the one true Light.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

3. O may thy soldiers, faithful, true, and bold,
fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
and win, with them, the victor's crown of gold.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

4. O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine
yet all are one in thee, for all are thine.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

5. And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
and hearts are brave, again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

6. The golden evening brightens in the west;
soon, soon to faithful warriors cometh rest;
sweet is the calm of paradise the blest.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

7. But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;
the saints triumphant rise in bright array;
the King of glory passes on his way.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

8. From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast,
through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia, Alleluia! 



Now we will praise our great heroes, the ancestors of our people from times long past. Our God gave them greatness and honor, they too reflected the greatness of God in ancient times. Some of them had power over great domains and gained their fame through their strength. Others were advisors who possessed great foresight and spoke with the power of prophets. Some led the people through their wisdom, and by their knowledge of the Law of Israel, teaching the people from their wealth of understanding. Some composed great music, others wrote great poetry. Still others possessed great wealth and power, living a life of ease in their estates. All of these were known for great honor and those among them took great pride in them. Some left behind them renown, and their stories are told to this day. Others are forgotten; passed away, as though they had never existed, as if they had never been born — and their children after them did the same. But it was different with our ancestors who were true to their faith; their virtuous deeds will be remembered forever. Their progeny will last for all time and respect for their names will never die. Their bodies are at peace but their names will continue forever. Ecclesiasticus 44:1–10, 13–14

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Magnificent song and glorious singing.
One does feel like breaking into a rousing ‘Rule Britannia’ and the like. A night at the Proms………
I had no idea it was ‘All saints day’, but this song with its inspirational theme is a reminder of all that is good with ‘western civilisation’, of which there is much; and alas a reminder of what we have lost also, which is much.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this! This has to be my favorite hymn of all time.

I particularly like this verse:

"But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;
the saints triumphant rise in bright array;
the King of glory passes on his way.
Alleluia, Alleluia!"

This is the ultimate hymn of faith. “Who thee by faith before the world confessed” This alone is the greatest line in the hymn. Not by works, but by faith.

NO2HWA said...

11:49: One does feel like breaking into a rousing ‘Rule Britannia’ and the like. A night at the Proms………

Speaking of The Proms...check out For All The Saints at Royal Albert Hall

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHVv79W_EpA

Anonymous said...

Ahhh so this anti COG blog is promoting All saints day that old Catholic observance. You must be a true Catholic to do so and also getting irritated at the double life.

So this anti Church of God trouble making blog is really run by secret Catholics who are rebels from within the Ministry. Doesn't surprise me at all. After Garner Ted and Joe Tkach anything is possible.

Anonymous said...

One, among many, things that struck me hard as I was realizing how false Armstrongism is, was the beauty and worshipfulness of Christian hymns and churches - very unlike those produced by Armstrongism.

Hearing some of the hymns for the first time, or hearing others free from the COG-odd label of "Christian falsely so-called" has often been a moving spiritual experience.
The lyrics of these old hymns often preach more powerful sermons and more biblically accurate, than the sermons of Armstrongism.

To hear these old hymns sung in an ancient cathedral in Europe is wildly magnificent - yet still magnificent in just about any Christian church here in the United States.

Anonymous said...

How refreshing to see this after the latest pant's wetting episode by Bob Thiel over All Saints Day. The man is an ignorant fool. He wants us to pretend he knows all about Protestants and Catholics and yet truly has no idea what he is talking about, other than regurgitating old Armstrongite myths and legends promoted by Meredith and others.

This hymn alone tells the story of salvation within a few minutes compared to the 1 1/2 to 2-hour butt-numbing nothingness of COG sermons.

Retired Prof said...

Anonymous November 7 at 3:09 AM said...

"Ahhh so this anti COG blog is promoting All saints day that old Catholic observance. You must be a true Catholic to do so and also getting irritated at the double life.

"So this anti Church of God trouble making blog is really run by secret Catholics who are rebels from within the Ministry. Doesn't surprise me at all. After Garner Ted and Joe Tkach anything is possible."


Anon, your logic reminds me of the logic here:

Some dogs have floppy ears.

My dog has floppy ears.

Therefore my dog is SOME DOG!




Tonto said...

Is there a "NORTHERN SOUL" version available?? :-)

Anonymous said...

In ACOG circles, calling someone a Catholic is supposed to be the ultimate chop. Several years ago, in a discussion regarding the alleged specialness of the KJV, I referred to the man we were formerly taught to call "the Apostle Paul" (presumably to establish parity with HWA) as "St. Paul". I was immediately labeled as a "Jesuit type" (in an obvious attempt to invalidate anything further I had to say).

The only side effect was that I ended up laughing uncontrollably for nearly five minutes, and had a slight stomach ache for the rest of the day. The label was a most pathetic attempt to marginalize me, and honestly, it would only be considered to be an insult by Armstrongites, most of whom have never read Eusebius, and had no idea that early Sunday-keeping Christians were tortured to their deaths right along side of the Jewish sabbath-keeping Christians.

Anonymous said...

A bit of history for COGlodyte friends, who in their distaste for all things Catholic, label All Saints Day as Catholic:

Traditionally, the Church celebrated All Saints Day (Nov 1) and All Souls Day (Nov 2) as homage to Christians of the past who lovingly preserved and faithfully gifted the faith to succeeding generations, including those who gave their lives to do so.

Today, many non-Catholic Christian churches combine All Saints Day with All Souls Day - to honor the memory of deceased members of the Church and also those still living who have contributed to the ministries of the Church. Given that Nov 1 often falls on a weekday, many churches choose to celebrate the occasion on the Sunday following Nov 1, while some churches combine All Saints Day celebration with Reformation Sunday (typically, the last Sunday in Oct) as a heritage celebration.

I surmise that No2HWA shared this hymn today because it was to be featured in his Church's celebration of All Saints Day today, as it was written in 1864 by William Walsham How, an Anglican (not Catholic) Bishop.

NO2HWA said...

11:57 wrote "In ACOG circles, calling someone a Catholic is supposed to be the ultimate chop. "

Like you, all I can do is laugh at people who think throwing the word Catholic at someone is the ultimate insult. It's like the pubescent learning Bob Thiel had growing up, totally ignorant about church history and so today when he throws around the Catholic and "so-called" Christian slam based upon his pubescent learning, thinks he is being courageous and bold and instead comes off looking like an uneducated buffoon.

Anonymous said...

3.09 AM
Err, since you missed it, everything possible happened DURING GTAs and Joe Tkachs day.

DennisCDiehl said...

Very beautiful and a wonderful memory of growing up in a stable church with class

Anonymous said...

Mentioning dogs now? BIG MISTAKE. This blog is watched by ALL groups arrogant fool.

Anonymous said...

Strawman argument the correct description was 'jesuit catholic' which is a deceitful world away from honest, open, God fearing catholics.

Anonymous said...

Anon 2:46 = idiot.

Tonto said...

I think that the "ultimate chop" in COG circles is to call someone "Marked and Disfellowshipped" followed by "Laodicean". Catholic probably makes the top 10, but well behind "Homosexual" , "Rebel" and "Bad Attitude".

Anonymous said...

Sure about that Tonto? And by the way the rules of disfellowshipment have NOT been changed, they are not 'more subtle'.