Ye servants of the Lord

Full Text

1 Ye servants of the Lord,
Each in his office wait,
Observant of his heavenly word,
And watchful at his gate.

2 Let all your lamps be bright,
And trim the golden flame;
Gird up your loins, as in his sight,
For awful is his name.

3 Watch, 'tis your Lord's command;
And while we speak, he's near;
Mark the first signal of his hand,
And ready all appear.

4 O happy servant he
In such a posture found!
He shall his Lord with rapture see,
And be with honor crowned.

5 Christ shall the banquet spread
With his own bounteous hand,
And raise that favorite servant's head
Amidst th' angelic band.

A Selection of Hymns, from Various Authors, Supplementary for the use of Christians. 1st Ed., 1816

Author: Philip Doddridge

Doddridge, Philip, D.D., was born in London, June 26, 1702. His grandfather was one of the ministers under the Commonwealth, who were ejected in 1662. His father was a London oilman. He was offered by the Duchess of Bedford an University training for ordination in the Church of England, but declined it. He entered Mr. Jennings's non-conformist seminary at Kibworth instead; preached his first sermon at Hinckley, to which Mr. Jennings had removed his academy. In 1723 he was chosen pastor at Kibworth. In 1725 he changed his residence to Market Harborough, still ministering at Kibworth. The settled work of his life as a preceptor and divine began in 1729, with his appointment to the Castle Hill Meeting at Northampton, and continued till in the… Go to person page >

Notes

Ye servants of the Lord, Each in his office wait. P. Doddridge. [Christian Activity and Zeal.] Appeared in J. Orton's posthumous edition of Doddridge's Hymns, &c, 1755, No. 210, in 5 stanzas of 4 lines, and headed, "The active Christian"; and again in J. D. Humphreys's edition of the same, 1839, No. 234. It is in extensive use, and usually in its ori-ginal form. Sometimes, however, stanza v. 1. 3, “And raise that favourite Servant's head," is altered to "And raise that faithful servant's head."

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Timeline

Instances

Instances (5)TextImageAudioScore
Church Hymnal, Fifth Edition #145
Common Praise #93Text
Complete Anglican Hymns Old & New #773
Hymns Ancient & Modern, New Standard Edition #150
Hymns Old and New: New Anglican #566