THE APOSTLES.

'Aeterna Christi munera,'

The Lord's eternal gifts,
The apostles' mighty praise,
Their victories and high reward,
Sing we in joyful lays.

Lords of the churches they,
Triumphant chiefs of war,

Brave soldiers of the heavenly camp,
True lights for evermore.

Theirs was the saint's high faith,
And quenchless hope's pure glow,
And perfect charity, which laid
The world's fell tyrant low.

In them the Father shone ;
In them the Son o'ercame;
In them the Holy Spirit wrought
And filled their hearts with flame.

Praise to the Father, Son,

And Spirit, One and Three;
As evermore hath been before,
And shall for ever be.

5th cent. ?

1849.

Author unknown. tr. by EDWARD CASWALL.

'Supreme quales Arbiter.'

Disposer supreme and Judge of the earth,

Who choosest for Thine the weak and the poor, To frail earthen vessels and things of no worth Entrusting Thy riches which aye shall endure.

Those vessels soon fail, though full of Thy light;
They at Thy decree are broken and gone;
Then brightly appeareth the arm of Thy might,
As through the clouds breaking the lightnings
have shone.

Like clouds are they borne to do Thy great will,
And swift as the winds about the world go;
All full of Thy Godhead, while earth lieth still,
They thunder, they lighten, the waters o'erflow.

They thunder-their sound it is Christ the Lord;
Then Satan doth fear, his citadels fall;

As when the dread trumpets went forth at Thy word And on the ground lieth the Canaanite's wall.

O loud be Thy trump, and stirring the sound
To rouse us, O Lord, from sin's deadly sleep;
May lights which Thou kindlest in darkness around
The dull soul awaken her vigils to keep.

All honour and praise, dominion and might,
To God, Three in One, eternally be,

Who round us hath shed His own marvellous light,
And called us from darkness His glory to see.

1686. 1836.

JEAN BAPTISTE DE SANTEUIL. tr. by ISAAC WILLIAMS.

1686.

1861.

'Caelestis aulae principes.'

Captains of the saintly band,
Lights who lighten every land,
Princes who with Jesus dwell,
Judges of His Israel.

On the nations sunk in night
Ye have shed the gospel light;
Sin and error flee away,

Truth reveals the promised day.

Not by warrior's spear and sword,
Not by art of human word,
Preaching but the cross of shame,
Rebel hearts for Christ ye tame.

Earth, that long in sin and pain
Groaned in Satan's deadly chain,
Now to serve its God is free
In the law of liberty.

Distant lands with one acclaim
Tell the honour of your name,
Who, wherever man has trod,
Teach the mysteries of God.

Glory to the Three in One,
While eternal ages run,

Who from deepest shades of night
Called us to His glorious light.

JEAN BAPTISTE DE SANTEUIL. tr. by Sir HENRY WILLIAMS BAKER.

1686. 1837.

THE EVANGELISTS.

'Christi perennes nuntii.'

Christ's everlasting messengers,
Who from the opening skies
Traverse the earth in showers of light
And sow with mysteries;

The things discerned by seers of old
Behind the shadowy screen,
In the full day have ye beheld,
With not a veil between.

The things which God as man hath borne,
Which man as God hath done,

Ye write, as God dictates, to all

Who see the circling sun.

Though far in space and time apart,
One Spirit sways you all;

And we in those blest characters
Hear now that living call.

Glory to God, the Three in One!
All glory be to Thee,

Who from our darkness callest us

Thy glorious light to see.

JEAN BAPTISTE DE SANTEUIL. tr. by ISAAC WILLIAMS.

1867.

From hidden source arising,
A mighty river ran

Through Eden's pleasant garden,
Where God created man.

Thence, parted into branches,
In four great streams it rolled
To water fields and vineyards,
To wash down sands of gold.

And so from highest heaven
The Lord, the holy Dove,
In fourfold manner sends us
The tale of Jesu's love;

The tale whose words are golden,
The tale whose flood divine
Makes glad the Lord's own garden
With plenteous corn and wine.

Four are the sacred voices,
The story is but one;

In fourfold wise they praise Him,
The sole begotten Son.

For this Thy fourfold gospel

All thanks, O Lord, to Thee,
In it Thyself revealing,

Eternal Trinity!

RICHARD FREDERICK LITTLEDALE,