1 O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;
bow down before him, his glory proclaim;
with gold of obedience, and incense of lowliness,
kneel and adore him: the Lord is his name.
2 Low at his feet lay thy burden of carefulness:
high on his heart he will bear it for thee,
comfort thy sorrows, and answer thy prayerfulness,
guiding thy steps as may best for thee be.
3 Fear not to enter his courts in the slenderness
of the poor wealth thou wouldst reckon as thine:
truth in its beauty, and love in its tenderness,
these are the offerings to lay on his shrine.
4 These, though we bring them in trembling and fearfulness,
he will accept for the name that is dear;
mornings of joy give for evenings of tearfulness,
trust for our trembling and hope for our fear.
5 O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;
bow down before him, his glory proclaim;
with gold of obedience, and incense of lowliness,
kneel and adore him: the Lord is his name.
Source: Ancient and Modern: hymns and songs for refreshing worship #103
John Samuel Bewley Monsell (b. St. Colomb's, Londonderry, Ireland, 1811; d. Guilford, Surrey, England, 1875) was educated at Trinity College in Dublin and served as a chaplain and rector of several churches in Ireland after his ordination in 1835. Transferred to England in 1853, he became rector of Egham in Surrey and was rector of St. Nicholas Church in Guilford from 1870 until his death (caused by a construction accident at his church). A prolific poet, Monsell published his verse in eleven volumes. His three hundred hymns, many celebrating the seasons of the church year, were issued in collections such as Hymns and Miscellaneous Poems (1837), Spiritual Songs (1857), Hymns of Love and Praise (1863), and The Parish Hymnal (1873).
Bert P… Go to person page >| First Line: | Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, Bow down before Him, His glory proclaim |
| Title: | Sanctissimus |
| Original Language: | English |
| Author: | John S. B. Monsell (1863) |
| Meter: | 12.10.12.10 |
| Language: | English |
| Copyright: | Public Domain |
| Liturgical Use: | Opening Hymns |
O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. J. S. B. Monsell. [Epiphany; or, Divine Worship.] This hymn for the Epiphany is found in two forms, both by Dr. Monsell, and each is in common use. The first and most extensively used is the original, which opens with O worship,” &c. It was published in his Hymns of Love and Praise, 1863, p. 103, in 5 stanza of 4 lines. It is found, sometimes altered, in a large number of hymn-books in Great Britain and America. Original text in Taring's Collection, 1882. The second form is Dr. Monsell's revision of the 1863 text which he made for, and included in, his Parish Hymnal in 1873, No. 85, as, "Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." This is almost unknown.
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
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