Hymn of the Week: June 20
by Robert W. Lehman, Organist and Choirmaster
The Church of St. Michael & St. George
Proper 7B – June 20, 2021
Hymn 535: Ye servants of God
Words: Charles Wesley (1707-1788), alt.
Music: Paderborn; melody from Catolisch-Paderbornische Gesang-buch, 1765;
harm. Sidney Hugo Nicholson (1875-1947)
The words and music of this hymn are in the public domain.
A hymn of praise extolling God’s sovereignty and magnifying the glories of Christ, this great hymn of Charles Wesley first appeared in 1744 in a collection titled “Hymns for Times of Trouble and Persecution.” This particular text appears under the title “Hymns to be Sung in a Tumult” which refers to the preposterous and slanderous accusations that the Wesleys were attempting to overthrow the Crown. At this time the Methodist worshippers were repeatedly persecuted by drunken, unruly mobs and by clergy who were hostile to their cause. Their meetings were broken up repeatedly and their people plundered and dragged before magistrates to be tried.
One would never glean this from reading the hymn text, but this is because two significant verses are omitted from our hymnal:
The waves of the sea have lift up their voice,
Sore troubled that we in Jesus rejoice;
The floods, they are roaring, but Jesus is here,
While we are adoring, he always is near.
Men, devils engage, the billows arise,
And horribly rage, and threaten the skies;
Their fury shall never our steadfastness shock.
The weakest believer is built on a rock.
The hymnologist Frank Colquhoun has written, “We can readily picture the small but heroic Methodist bands facing the fury of their enemies with a triumphant song like this upon their lips.”
We sing these words to the sturdy and uplifting tune Paderborn. While it is so familiar that it seems as if we have been singing these words to this tune our entire lives, in fact, this marriage of text and tune never appeared in an Episcopal hymnal until it was incorporated to the supplement Hymns III – a supplement to the Hymnal 1940 – in 1979.
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Ye servants of God, your master proclaim,
and publish abroad his wonderful name;
the Name all victorious of Jesus extol:
his kingdom is glorious; he rules over all.
God ruleth on high, almighty to save;
and still he is nigh: his presence we have.
The great congregation his triumph shall sing,
ascribing salvation to Jesus our King.
Salvation to God, who sits on the throne!
Let all cry aloud, and honor the Son!
The praises of Jesus the angels proclaim,
fall down on their faces, and worship the Lamb.
Then let us adore, and give Him His right:
All glory and power, all wisdom and might,
and honor and blessing, with angels above,
and thanks never ceasing and infinite love.
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