1 Hail the day that sees Him rise Alleluia!
To His throne above the skies; Alleluia!
Christ, awhile to mortals given, Alleluia!
Reascends His native heaven. Alleluia!

2 There the glorious triumph waits: Alleluia!
Lift your heads, eternal gates; Alleluia!
Wide unfold the radiant scene; Alleluia!
Take the King of Glory in. Alleluia!

3 Him though highest heaven receives, Alleluia!
Still he loves the earth he leaves; Alleluia!
Though returning to His throne, Alleluia!
Still he calls mankind His own. Alleluia!

4 See, He lifts His hands above; Alleluia!
See, He shows the prints of love; Alleluia!
Hark, His gracious lips bestow Alleluia!
Blessings on His Church below. Alleluia!

5 Still for us His death He pleads; Alleluia!
Prevalent He intercedes; Alleluia!
Near Himself prepares our place, Alleluia!
Harbinger of human race. Alleluia!

5 Lord, though parted from our sight Alleluia!
High above yon azure height, Alleluia!
Grant our hearts may thither rise, Alleluia!
Following Thee beyond the skies. Alleluia!

Amen.

The Hymnal: Published by the authority of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., 1895

Scripture References:
st. 1 = Acts 1:9-11
st. 2 = Ps. 24:7-10
st. 4 = Rom. 8:34, Heb. 7:25, John 14:2, 1 Cor. 15:20-23
st. 5 = 2 Tim. 2:12

Considered to be the most popular of all Ascension texts in English-language worship, "Hail the Day" was written by Charles Wesley (PHH 267) in ten stanzas and published in his Hymns and Sacred Poems (1739). Thomas Cotterill (b. Cannock, Staffordshire, England, 1779; d. Sheffield, Yorkshire, England, 1823) altered the text and published his version in Selection of Psalms and Hymns (1820); the "alleluias" were added in George White's Hymns and Introits (1852). Included here with further alterations are original stanzas 1, 2, 4, 6, and 10.

"Hail the Day" sings out its "alleluias" for Christ's triumphal entry into glory after he accomplished his saving work on earth (st. 1-2) and for Christ's work of interceding and preparing a place for his people (st. 3-4). The text concludes by hailing the great day when we shall rule with Christ (st. 5).

Thomas Cotterill studied at St. John's College, Cambridge, England, and became an Anglican clergyman. A central figure in the dispute about the propriety of singing hymns, Cotterill published a popular collection of hymns (including many of his own as well as alterations of other hymns), Selection of Psalms and Hymns in 1810. But when he tried to introduce a later edition of this book in Sheffield in 1819, his congregation protested. Many believed strongly that the Church of England should maintain its tradition of exclusive psalm singing. In a church court the Archbishop of York and Cotterill reached a compromise: the later edition of Selection was withdrawn, and Cotterill was invited to submit a new edition for the archbishop's approval. The new edition was published in 1820 and approved as the first hymnal for the Anglican church of that region. Cotterill's suppressed book, however, set the pattern for Anglican hymnals for the next generation, and many of its hymns are still found in modern hymnals.

Liturgical Use:
Ascension; other services that emphasize Christ's reign.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook